He looked up and shook his head. “No, thanks, I’ll get it myself.”
Stubborn man. He didn’t want her to serve him. But it was no trouble. And honestly, doing something for him made her lies to him seem a little more palatable. “Okay.”
She turned to walk out of the room, and he followed her into the kitchen. “I found some shortbread cookies and thought they might go well with coffee.”
He grabbed one from the dish and tossed it into his mouth. “Good idea,” he said, his mouth full.
She chuckled and turned away to grab two mugs from the cabinet. “What are you playing out there?”
He came to stand beside her. “Solitaire. It’s no fun, though.”
She gave him a look. “Why not?”
“There’s no one to play against.”
She gave her head a tilt. “Is that a hint?”
“You play cards, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“It’s real nice by the fire. We could play while we drink coffee.”
“And dunk cookies?”
“Yep, that, too.”
It did sound like fun, and as long as they were pretending nothing happened between them today, it could work. “Sure, maybe for a little while.”
Cade picked up the dish of cookies and his coffee and walked to the sofa. She followed him, sitting on the opposite sofa, a clear glass coffee table separating them. She was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved blouse, so right about now, the heat drifting up from the crackling fire warmed her bones.
“What do you want to play?” he asked, grabbing the deck of cards. He was a master shuffler. He had these long fingers that seemed to easily control the deck.
“Rummy.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He dealt the cards, and as she picked up hers, she groaned.
He glanced at her. “That’s not a good poker face.”
“Good thing we’re not playing poker.”
“Remind me to play poker with you sometime.”
“I can bluff with the best of them, Cade. Don’t you worry.”
She sipped coffee and dipped a couple of cookies as they played. Both had a second cup, and before she knew it, Cade was ramping up the fire again. He was a fierce competitor, and she didn’t like to back down, either.
Cade dropped a seven on the stack, the exact card she needed. She grabbed it and then laid down her hand. “Read ’em and weep,” she said. “What is it, ten games to nine now? Guess I just broke the tie.”
“I’ll get you next round.” He pushed the cards her way. “Your deal.”
He got up and went to the bar just off the dining room, coming back with a bottle of merlot and two wineglasses. As she shuffled, he poured the wine. “Fortification.”
She had to agree, the wine did look tempting. “You need all the help you can get to beat me.”
“Don’t get cocky. You’re only up by one game.” He handed her the glass.
“You wanna bet?”
“Sure, why don’t we make this interesting?” he said.
Gosh, she didn’t mean it literally. But now that the bug was planted, it sort of hung on. It wasn’t a bad idea. “What do you have in mind?”
“Best of twenty-five games.”
“To be fair, we should start from scratch.”
“No, no.” He eyed her over the rim of his wineglass and then took a sip. “We’ll go from here. I have no doubt I can beat you.”
“And I’m certain I’ll win. To prove it, if I do, you have to make me dinner one night.”
He shuddered at the thought. “That’s more like losing. You know I can’t cook worth a damn.”
She smiled as she sipped her wine. “You’d have to learn.”
His mouth twisted in a grimace. Clearly he didn’t like the idea. “And when I win, you have to, to...” He stalled, eyeing her body, giving her a once-over that brought thrilling tingles down to her toes. Whatever Cade had in mind she might just enjoy. She sat up straighter, and his gaze focused on her chest. Little did he know her nipples were standing erect from his scrutiny. That one enticing look from him was enough to suddenly turn her on.
Then he gave his head a hard shake, as if clearing it out. “If I win,” he began quietly, “you have to clean out the fireplace every night.”
She chuckled and then downed another mouthful of wine. “Like Cinderella?”
“If the shoe fits,” he said, and she giggled at his dumb joke.
“Clever, Cade. Not.”
Then they both laughed as she dealt the cards. She had no clue what time it was. She was lost in the game, talking trash with a fine competitor and enjoying herself far too much. The fire was cozy and warm, and along with the buzz of the wine, she was in a happy place.
She finished off her wine and poured herself another glass. She took a generous gulp, downing half of what she’d poured. Cade’s brow rose as he watched her. It wasn’t a big deal. He was already on his second glass. Or was it his third?
“I’m fine, Cade,” she told him before he even asked. “I’m a big girl.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said, dealing out another hand.
She smiled, stealthily admiring him when he was focused on the cards. He was too good-looking for his own good. And with that beard, those incredible probing eyes, he looked absolutely delicious.
She sat there, staring at her cards, feeling giddy.
“Dawn, are you okay?”
“Who’s Dawn?” she whispered, then giggled.
“What’d you say?”
“Nothing.” Her eyes bugged out at what she’d just spoken aloud. Shush. She had to keep quiet about her secret. She took a deep breath to clear her head, but things remained a little woozy. She downed the rest of her wine and set the glass on the table very, very carefully. “I’m g-getting a little fuzzy, that’s all.”
“On two glasses of wine?”
“Didn’t I tell you, I’m not m-much of a d-drinker.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” he said.
She had trouble keeping her eyes open. She kept blinking and blinking and then felt the room sway. Cade was sitting lopsided on the sofa opposite her.
“Your turn,” he said.
As she glanced at her cards, two of them dropped from her hand. “Whoops.” She grabbed for them but came up empty as they fell to the floor.
“Okay, game’s over,” she heard Cade say.
“No, way. I...h-have to w-win.”
He rose from his seat, and the next thing she knew he was in front of her and she was being lifted from the couch. “Can you walk?”
“S-since I was a baby.” She giggled and swayed, the room beginning to spin.
She heard Cade sigh. “Just hang on to me.” His arms came under her, and she was lifted up and cradled, her body brushing the side of his chest. She hung on to him tight, wrapping her arms around his neck, and caught a whiff of him, the scent of wine and musk and man. As they began to move, she stared at his strong jaw, or tried to, because it was really beautiful. “I like your beard.”
“Thank you,” he said, not too nicely.
“Where are w-we g-going?”
“To bed.”
“Okay,” she said. “G-good idea, C-cade.”
He gave her a stern look.
He walked into her bedroom, and she was gently lowered onto the bed. The mattress dipped a bit as he came partway down with her, her arms neatly wrapped around his neck still. She gazed into his eyes, seeing the dark rims, but seeing something more. “Cade?”
“Shh,” he said.
“Are you m-mad at me?”
“No,” he said harshly. Then his voice lowered to a whisper. “I’m not mad at you.”
“That’s g-good. I’m really s-sleepy.”
“I know.”
He was close still, because her arms remained tucked around his neck.
“I should go now.”
She glanced at his mouth. “Yeah.”
“Good night.” He bent to place a kiss on her forehead, but a cagey devil inside her curved her hands behind his head and pulled him lower, so their lips brushed. Oh boy, he tasted good, his mouth warm and firm against hers. The kiss was sheer heaven. Not a flimsy little kiss like what Dale used to give her on camera, but a deep-down, curl-your-toes kind of kiss that heightened her senses, sobering her up some.
A tiny moan rose up from her throat. “Cade.”
He wove his hands through her hair oh so gently, his eyes never leaving her face. “Shh,” he said, as if he was in pain.
Then he lowered down on the bed next to her, brushing his lips to hers again and again. It was delicious, the way his mouth moved over hers, how he coaxed her to part her lips and mate their tongues. Her eyes squeezed shut as she enjoyed every single moment of his masterful kisses, the way he swept through her mouth with such expertise.
From there, the kisses grew more urgent and desire swept through her body. She ached for more of him, to feel his body crushed to hers. He made her want...and she was ready to give in, to give up her doubts, to give him whatever he desired.
Her brain cleared long enough to wonder if it was the alcohol making her lose her inhibitions. Or was it Cade? She’d been attracted to him from the moment they’d bumped into each other at the market. All her thoughts rushed together, confusing her as her body stirred restlessly.
And then suddenly the kissing stopped and she opened her eyes to find Cade looking at her with regret.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered, an apology in his voice. His forehead touched hers, and he inhaled sharply and then rose from the bed as if he was dragged by some invisible force. Looking down at her, he skimmed his gaze over her body quickly, and gave his head a shake. “Sleep as long as you want, Dawn. You’ll need the rest.”
He walked out of the room and shut the door.
Harper closed her eyes. Her head spun, and she whispered softly, “My name’s not Dawn.”
Then she got under the covers and rolled over to fall asleep.
Things had to look better in the morning.
Four
The next day, Cade wrote Dawn a note just in case she woke early and found him gone. But he doubted she’d rise early. They’d gone to bed late, and at best, she’d have a headache this morning that would probably slow her down. He’d never seen a woman get so drunk so fast.
He exited the cabin, closing the door quietly. He’d taken a cold shower last night, and this morning he hoped an early morning jog might be just what he needed to purge thoughts of Dawn. Of her pretty blue eyes, her killer body and the way they’d kissed last night. Like there was no tomorrow, like she’d been just as starved for affection as he was. And he hadn’t really understood that until their lips met, until she’d kissed him back with such unbridled passion. But he hadn’t wanted to take advantage of her last night. Not in her giddy, sexy-as-hell, tipsy state. She’d had too much to drink, and he’d done the noble thing. Whatever might happen between them would have to happen when she was stone-cold sober and fully coherent, if it happened at all.
He picked up the pace, jogging a little faster now, trying to come to terms with his reaction to Dawn. She was the first woman he’d kissed and touched since Bree. And through his grief and guilt came the realization that he might just be ready to move on. Physically.
But a mental battle was going on inside his head. Dawn was a Tremaine hire, even if he wasn’t really her boss. And she certainly hadn’t come here for romance. Hell, no. She’d been in a bad relationship recently, and hooking up with him would probably be the last thing she wanted. He was pretty sure he could keep his distance. But a little bug in his head wondered if that was even plausible. They were together 24/7 at the cabin. And he was, heaven help him, attracted to her.
He jogged past a few cabins and came across some other runners heading his way. “Morning,” he said, giving them a nod as they jogged past. He slowed as he approached Bright Market and then stopped at the threshold to wipe his brow. He entered and was greeted by a cashier wearing a bright green apron. “Good morning,” she said. “Welcome.”
“Morning. Can you tell me where you keep your aspirin and tomato juice?”
“Sounds like someone’s in need of quick therapy,” the woman said with a little smile.
“Something like that.”
“You’ll find what you need in aisles seven and ten.”
“Thanks.”
He found the items easily enough and also picked up some packaged chocolate doughnuts and two boxes of crackers. He got in line behind a young boy buying candy. The kid dumped all of his change onto the counter, counting out quarters, dimes and nickels.
Cade stood patiently waiting; he was in no rush to get back to the cabin. And while he waited, he scanned over the rack filled with tabloids. His famous brother, Gage, sometimes made it into those papers. The sleazy reports were never accurate, and Cade certainly had no use for them. But one headline caught his eye, only because it was about a chef. The headline read, Chef Murphy on the Lookout for His One Last Date. Harper Hunt Is Still On. Whatever that meant. The guy in the photo looked dismayed. Cade couldn’t believe people went on a TV show to find love. In, what, ten weeks or something? He wasn’t sure because the only TV he watched had to do with sports, period.
The cashier rang up his items and he was off again, sort of dreading facing Dawn this morning. He wondered how much she remembered about last night. And he also wondered if he would ever be able to forget it.
It was quiet in the house when he entered and stood in the foyer to remove his shoes. If Dawn was sleeping, he didn’t want to rouse her. He tiptoed into the kitchen and set about making coffee as quietly as possible. Then while it brewed, he walked into the living room and cleaned up the wineglasses and cards that were left on the table. It was a big reminder of how things had gotten out of hand so quickly. Dawn had been fine one minute, but after the second glass, she’d gotten smashed in the blink of an eye. What happened afterward was his fault. He shouldn’t have kissed her. It was a dumb move and one he wished he could take back.
He set the glasses and mugs in the dishwasher and then stared out the kitchen window to the rustic landscape, where juniper trees were in abundance and the bright sun reflected on the lake water. He had yet to go down there, to check out the lake.
Once the coffee was finished brewing, he poured a cup and sipped. It was hot and burned his tongue. “Crap.” That’s when he decided he needed a lift. He dipped into his grocery bag and came up with a chocolate doughnut. He demolished it in three big bites, enjoying every second of it.
It was after ten and Dawn hadn’t come out of her bedroom yet. Was she okay? Did he dare peek in on her? He had told her to sleep as long as she needed to, but now he worried that she’d gotten sick. The last thing he wanted to do was go into her bedroom and disturb her sleep and privacy. Instead, he poured more coffee into his cup, put his shoes back on and walked out the door. He’d give her another hour to rest before checking in on her.
The lake was only thirty yards away, so he headed down there and walked out onto a small dock they shared with a few other families. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride. Too bad their boat was in storage several miles from here. Cade sipped his coffee, gazing out, watching the blue jays flit from branch to branch, tree to tree, listening to the leaves rustle as they moved. He found a moment of peace here.
The sound of footsteps on the dock surprised him and he turned to find Dawn just a few feet away, her shoulders slumped, her hair barely combed and those pretty blue eyes downcast. She stopped and met his gaze.
“I’ll resign if you think it’s best.”
* * *
Harper di
dn’t mean to sneak up on Cade. She’d deliberately made noise as she walked toward him on the dock. He must’ve been deep in thought, not to hear her until she got pretty close.
“Dawn, how’re you feeling this morning?”
“I’ll survive,” she said. Though she had a killer headache and her tummy ached. She mustered the courage to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry about last night. About missing this morning’s meal. About everything. I meant what I said,” she offered softly, only because it hurt her head too much to speak any louder. “I’ll give you my resignation, if that’s what you want.”
He smiled kindly. “No one is resigning, Dawn. So put that out of your mind.”
“I would, but it’s pretty crowded in there right now.”
He chuckled quietly. “Listen, you didn’t do anything wrong, and—”
“I’m so embarrassed, Cade. The wine hit me harder than usual.”
“It’s okay, we’ve all been there. I got you some aspirin and some tomato juice. Hopefully that will help.”
“What would really help would be if last night never happened.”
She braved a look at his mouth, remembering his heated kisses. The way their lips seemed to mesh so perfectly.
“We can do that. We can pretend nothing happened. And just for the record, this isn’t all on you. In fact, none of it is. I wasn’t drunk. I should’ve known better.”
“You’re not over your fiancée, I get that.”
He winced at the mention of Bree.
“That’s not entirely it. I wouldn’t take advantage of you, Dawn. Not ever. You have to know that.”
“I do,” she said, amazed that they could have such a civil conversation about what had almost happened between them. Last night, she’d known the full pull of his magnetism, and she’d let down her guard. They’d had fun playing cards, teasing and challenging each other, and then somehow, the alcohol had sneaked up on her and she’d let her inhibitions go. Goodness, she didn’t recall her exact words, but she remembered the way she felt in his arms, his kisses making her crave his touch, her breasts tingling, everything below her waist heating up. And no, he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. “I guess I should be glad you’re an honorable man.”
Craving a Real Texan--A Western romance Page 6