Shawna pursed her lips, reserved and suspicious. “You’re a lucky girl.”
Yeah, right, lucky. Lucky to be friends with a hot, sexy guy who didn’t want to kiss her. She caught Kirk’s eye. He’d glanced at her several times while he talked to Hank, as if he were checking up on her or something.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, raising her voice so the men could hear. “Maybe Kirk’s lucky to have me. After all, I let him take me to Rawlins just to talk business.”
Hank laughed. “You have a point there, Cassie.” He glanced at Kirk. “And I think she’s right. You are lucky to have her.”
Cassie gave Kirk a brilliant smile. “See?”
Kirk’s expression was enigmatic. “That’s me—bursting with luck,” he said.
Their waiter approached them with the next course, and the conversation moved on to general topics. As the dinner wore on, Hank became more interested in Cassie, and she found herself telling him about her work in Sydney.
“Sounds like you’re succeeding in a male-dominated field,” he said, seeming impressed. “Good for you.”
“But you’re not in that job anymore, are you?” Shawna asked, arms folded across her chest. “Now that you’ve moved back to San Francisco.”
“I’m looking for a job in my field,” Cassie smoothly replied.
“Isn’t your family company involved in property management?” Hank asked Kirk. “Why don’t you get your girl a job in your company?”
As Kirk glanced at Cassie, she felt her neck and chest growing warm. “Well that’s a great idea, but Cassie likes her independence, don’t you, sweetheart?”
Her heart did a jumping jack, even though the “sweetheart” was for Hank and Shawna’s benefit.
“It’s true,” she said. “We don’t like living in each other’s pockets, do we, honey bear?”
Kirk’s eyes widened, and she gave him an impish grin. Bet he hadn’t seen that “honey bear” coming. His gaze lowered to her cleavage, and his mouth tightened. Why? Had she dropped something down her dress? He looked away as she fussed with her napkin.
Hank leaned back and patted his stomach. “Well, that was a great meal,” he said to Kirk. “Say, I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you and Cassie join me and Shawna at the baseball park this weekend? The Giants are playing the Dodgers, and I got a corporate box. What do you say?”
“That’s very kind of you,” Kirk said without hesitation. “We’d love to come, wouldn’t we, Cassie?”
Cassie cleared her throat. “Oh, I’m sorry, but my sister’s bachelorette party is this weekend, and I’ll be away in Carmel.”
Kirk’s face tensed. He hadn’t consulted her. He’d ignored her efforts at dressing up, and he’d accepted invitations without asking her. He was behaving like a typical boyfriend, and she wasn’t going to take it lying down.
“But Kirk is mad about baseball,” she continued, turning to Hank. “He’s a huge Giants fan, so he’d love to go to the game with you and Shawna.”
“That’s settled, then.” Hank nodded. “We’ll make a day of it.”
Shawna batted her eyelashes at Kirk as she simpered, “I don’t know much about baseball. You’ll have to teach me the finer points.”
The waves coming off Kirk were pure irritation, Cassie knew. She knew, too, that this wasn’t the end of it.
On the drive home, Kirk said tersely, “Since when am I mad about baseball?”
Cassie fiddled with her seat belt. “You like baseball.”
“I think you enjoyed pushing me into going to the game.”
“You’d already accepted!”
“But I didn’t know you were going to Carmel. I’d like you to come with me.” He cast her a quick frown. “Can’t you cancel?”
For a second she considered it. Kirk was asking for her company, but so was Lillian, and her sister had never done that before. “My sister’s bachelorette party? I don’t think so.”
“But you don’t go in for all that girlie stuff, and you like baseball, too. And it’s important I keep Hank sweet at this stage.”
She blew out a breath. So he only wanted her at the baseball game because of his business deal, not because he wanted to spend time with her. Deep down, she knew she was being a little irrational, but couldn’t Kirk see that going to her sister’s bachelorette party, even if it was “girlie stuff,” was important to her?
“I’m not canceling. I’m going to Carmel.” She crossed her arms and stared ahead.
They completed the journey in frosty silence.
…
Kirk opened the front door and let Cassie precede him into the house. His shoulders were stiff, and his back ached. It felt like he’d been bracing himself all night, and his frustration had reached breaking point.
“How long are you going to sulk?” he bit out, the effort of holding his silence finally cracking him.
Cassie spun around, her cheeks reddening. “I’m not sulking. You’re the one being difficult.”
Of course he was being difficult. All through dinner he’d had to sit next to her and pretend she wasn’t the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. Each time his gaze had strayed to her cleavage—and from his position next to her he’d had a very tantalizing view of her breasts—he’d had to yank his eyes elsewhere. His hand had vibrated with the urge to slide over her thigh and explore her enticing skin. His nostrils had flared with every whiff of her light perfume. He’d been tortured for hours, trying to rein in his imagination. He was in a bad mood, and the prospect of going to the baseball game with the Parnells and without Cassie didn’t improve it one bit.
He made an impatient gesture. “Hank Parnell is stringing me along. I wish he’d sign the deal, and we could get on with business.”
She sighed, blinking a few times. “Business. I forget that’s all it is.”
She turned away, but her foot caught in the hall rug, and she stumbled sideways. Kirk leaped forward and caught her before she crashed into the wall.
“For God’s sake,” he burst out, his emotions fraying fast. “Those damn shoes of yours.”
“Damn shoes? I bought these damn shoes for you, you dork.” She bit her lip as if she hadn’t meant that to slip out.
His hands were still around her waist, holding her firmly, and the seductive warmth of her body began to unravel his mind as the meaning of her words sunk in.
He shifted his hand, spreading his palm across the small of her back. “You bought them for me? You think I’d go for those shoes?”
She blinked, uncertainty shimmering in her eyes. “Don’t you?”
The catch in her voice hooked him, tore away more of his restraint. “Jesus,” he groaned. “Yes, your shoes are amazing.”
Her face brightened like sunshine emerging from the clouds. She licked her lips. “And…and what about my dress?”
The sight of her moist, red lips so close to him made his blood roar. He traced his hand up her back, following the curve of her spine until he reached her neck. He stroked the exposed flesh, his breath quickening as he watched her pupils dilate. Their faces were mere inches apart; in her stiletto heels she was almost as tall as him. He cradled his fingers around her nape and bent toward her.
“Your dress is crazy hot,” he murmured, closing in on her. “As hot as you are.”
He touched his lips lightly against hers, holding back the urge to crush her. For a second he savored the fragile moment, wanting to preserve it in his memory, but then the quivering lushness of her lips broke through his control. He pulled her into his chest and kissed her deep, the passion in him bursting through the barriers. Cassie made a muffled gasp before she circled her arms around his neck and kissed him back like there was no tomorrow.
The abandon of her kiss was like gasoline thrown on a raging fire. He lost himself in the panting sweetness of her mouth, his tongue sweeping past her lips to flick against hers. His hands had a mind of their own, trailing over her back and hips as he explored her body, thrilling at the novelty. For so many years he’d taken Cassie for granted, had never wondered what lay beneath her non-provocative clothes. But now she was a mystery he was desperate to solve, the hints thrown out by her clingy silver dress too seductive to resist.
Curling one hand around her hip, he backed her up against the wall. He paused in his kissing in order to watch her face as he cupped his other hand around her breast.
With a moan, she leaned her head against the wall and arched her back, her breast nestling farther into his eager palm.
Lust scorched him as he stared at her. Cassie was extraordinary. Beautiful. One in a million. He leaned in again, his need for her irrepressible, and their mouths met in a sizzling conflagration.
The kiss softened as they paused for air, but he didn’t want to stop kissing her. He moved his lips more gently over hers, and their embrace became tender, slow, honeyed. Fresh emotions raced through him. God, this was somehow even better. This kiss was like velvet—dense, warm, soft. Like coming home. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the feeling. This was the strange yearning he’d experienced off and on for the past few years. This was the reason he’d stopped dating a few months ago—because all the women he’d kissed had left him feeling the exact opposite of this.