Even if money weren’t in short supply, his mother’s rapidly deteriorating condition handcuffed him to his home. Hell, this thirty-six-hour excursion had already required multiple check-ins with her caretakers.
“Nah. Summer is my busiest time at work.” With a wry grin, he huffed. “I rarely get away.”
“Kind of the opposite of my teaching schedule,” Amy conceded, looking at him from beneath wispy blond bangs. “Maybe you could plan a winter trip to an island and start the New Year off right.”
“Not a bad idea,” Hank said. Hell, if he could actually find the money and time to go away for the holiday, he wouldn’t mind some female company. But he had a better chance of winning the Powerball than taking a vacation this Christmas.
Hank compared Amy’s warm smile and feminine voice with Cat’s edgier vibe. Vivi’s advice floated through his mind, goading him, so he shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. He rested his chin on top of his fist, listening with half an ear to the discussion around him. All the while he kept watching Cat and those lawyers.
Now they had her doing shots. He couldn’t decide which was more repulsive, the bet itself, or the depths to which those assholes were willing to sink to win. All he did know was that he’d make sure neither succeeded.
“David’s sister sure seems to capture everyone’s attention,” Amy said, pulling him from his preoccupation. “Is she as nice as she is beautiful?”
Hank’s gaze snapped back to Amy while scrambling for a suitable reply. “She’s not easy to know.”
“Ah,” Amy sighed. “Beautiful and a challenge. Few men can resist the lure of that particular conquest.”
Few men indeed.
As the party started to die down, David and Vivi began making the rounds to say goodnight to their guests before they departed for the St. James family home situated a few miles up the road. Jackson had mentioned how the rest of the family had opted to stay at the hotel to give the newlyweds privacy.
“It seems the party’s over.” Amy looked at him expectantly.
If he weren’t concerned for Cat’s welfare, he’d probably ask her to join him at the bar for another drink.
“It’s winding down,” he agreed.
“Guess I’ll be heading to my room,” she hinted. “How about you?”
The invitation in her voice tempted him. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and he was sitting on six tons of pent-up sexual tension tonight. He glanced around the room.
Jackson was MIA, and David and Vivi weren’t paying attention to Cat. If Hank left, she’d be easy pickings for those bastards who were hell-bent on winning a bet. Well, on winning a bet and living out every guy’s fantasy. Not that either of those guys needed the thousand bucks anyway.
He didn’t owe Cat rescuing, but if she got hurt, it would wreck the wedding memories for Vivi and the rest of the family.
Who are you kidding? He didn’t want her to be hurt, and he didn’t want to think of her in bed with one of those jerks tonight, either.
“Think I’ll check in with Jackson and see what he’s planning to do. Cigars will probably be involved.” He grinned and took a long pull from his beer while trying to ignore the stab of guilt her disappointed expression caused.
“Oh, okay,” she said. “See you in the morning?”
“Sure thing,” he replied. “Sweet dreams.”
Damn. What in the hell was he doing? He should be spending his time getting to know a nice girl. Someone grounded, who wanted the simple life he did—one filled with kids and holidays, bikes and baseball games, and a partner to curl up with at night. Instead, he was babysitting a complicated woman who’d already brushed him off once and whose jet-setting life seemed anything but normal.
His fingers drummed against the tabletop. Minutes later, Cat staggered away from the dickhead gamblers.
Lucky break.
Hank leapt from his seat, trailing her at a distance. He lingered around the ladies’ room entrance until she stumbled back through its door into the hallway. She tripped on the hem of her gown, but he caught her before she hit the floor.
“Oh,” she said over a tipsy giggle. “Clumsy me!”
He released her arm once she stood fully, but then she raised one leg to start to take off her shoes, and landed flat on her ass. Whatever shots she drank with those men had launched her right to wasted.
Crimson flooded her cheeks as she looked up at him from beneath her thick lashes. For the first time since he’d met her, she appeared vulnerable and uncertain. His heart rammed against his ribs at the sight, and irritation quickly surrendered to a sudden, fierce wave of protectiveness.