Meg took her hand. “You should do it,” she suggested. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Kagan gulped back tears. If her own mother had been standing there, might she have said the same thing? Moms gave that little confident nudge no one else did, didn’t they?
“You’ve got six sales right here,” one of the women said.
“Okay. I’ll do it.” She might not get any sleep until then in preparation, but seeing the satisfied smile on Sela’s face was worth the lack of z’s.
Besides, less sleep meant less time dreaming about the sexy man walking toward her.
…
Hands down, Kagan won the award for Most Beautiful. Shane had almost swallowed his tongue when he first laid eyes on her. Her white halter dress hugged every shapely inch of her above the waist and then fell like a slip to the floor. The slit up the side that practically reached the top of her golden thigh had almost given him a heart attack.
Her blond hair was pulled up in a loose style that was both messy and sexy and he wondered how she’d feel about him undoing it and running his fingers through the silky strands while he laid her beneath him.
For the past hour, he and Belinda had talked to the right people, including Mrs. Huston and her daughter, but Shane had always kept one eye on Kagan. He couldn’t help himself. It was like she was tied to his breathing.
Right now he wished like hell he could take her hand and duck somewhere private to show her how much she excited him. He’d start small. A light kiss pressed to her shoulder. A finger caressing her palm. His breath in her ear where he’d whisper the ways he could make her feel good. He wanted one night. One night to lose himself in her.
“Ladies,” Shane said, his thoughts clearing with one look at his mom and sister.
“Did you know Kagan made bracelets?” Sela said.
“No.”
Sela lifted Kagan’s arm. Shane had been too busy ogling the dress to notice anything on Kagan’s wrist. Now that he did, though, he wondered how she’d respond if he delicately kissed the pulse point there.
“Wow. It’s really nice,” he said, taking the opportunity to grab her hand. “I’ve got to steal her away. Excuse us.” Not the most amiable getaway, but he’d had enough schmoozing for a while and wanted Kagan all to himself. After tonight, he might not get another chance if she had her way.
“Shane? It seems you’re on a mission, but can we detour to that guy over there with the beef kabobs? I’m starving.”
“No problem.” He’d take any route she wanted as long as her hand remained in his. Too bad once they reached their destination she needed it back so she could grab two kabobs.
The waiter smiled and noticeably checked out Kagan. She paid no attention, biting into her food, but Shane’s gut clenched. He glared at the guy and he quickly moved on. A tray of miniature crab cakes on the arm of another waiter passed by.
“Oh,” Kagan said, covering her full mouth with her hand. “Can you grab me one of those?”
Shane obliged and grabbed two.
“Thanks.” She plucked one off his napkin and took a bite. “Oh my God, this is good. I could live on finger foods.”
He could live on watching her eat. She chewed slowly, like she wanted to savor the flavor and texture. Lifting the other half of the crab cake to her mouth, her fingers brushed her lips. She closed her eyes for a moment. He fought the urge to step close and brush his mouth against hers to capture her flavor. Christ, he craved to find out what she tasted like.
“You going to eat yours?”
His attention snapped back to her equally disarming green eyes. “Not if you want it.”
She looked somewhere over his shoulder. “Actually, I think I see shrimp cocktail making its way over so I’ll wait for that.”
“How about we go halvsies?” He took a bite and then because he had to feel her lips somehow, pressed the rest to her mouth.
Her eyes narrowed, but she accepted. He let the pad of his finger linger an extra second before he brought it to his mouth and licked the tip.
A very visible gulp made its way down her slender throat.
Yes. He wasn’t the only one affected by the vibe between them—a vibe that sparked like firecrackers every time they were together. In fact, they’d been this close to locking lips a few months back during the Fourth of July fireworks display, but something had pulled her back.
The memory reminded him to cool it. She’d made it crystal clear she didn’t want anything physical happening between them and here he was wishing her dress would somehow fall off so he could see her naked.
“Oyster?” said a feminine voice to his left.
He and Kagan turned their heads at the same time. A waitress offered a pleasant smile and nodded to the tray of oysters in her hand.