Cassie stood next to the bed while Adam drew the blankets back and motioned for her to climb in. Obeying, feeling as if she were in a dream state, she snuggled into the cool sheets and watched as Adam removed the towel from around his hips and climbed in beside her. He turned off the light next to the bed and drew Cassie into his arms.
“Do you need anything else?” he whispered, kicking himself for not asking sooner.
“No, this is perfect.” Her head rested on his shoulder as her arm wrapped around his middle and one of her silky thighs tangled with his. “Good night.” Adam knew immediately that she was asleep.
If only sleep would claim him as quickly. The night had promised to be spectacular. Knowing that it would be this way made waiting that much harder. He wasn’t selfish enough to press her; after witnessing her pain tonight, he berated himself for being such a bastard who had no sense of self-control.
The sound and feel of Cassie’s soft breath against his chest were soothing, taming the beast within him. The last time he had held her while she slept they had been spooned together, her back to his chest. This position was much better.
Tomorrow would bring the end of their weekend, and it felt like it was too soon. It would be three weeks before they would return. Adam thought of how long three weeks could seem. He knew it would be best if Cassie used all that time to recover. When he made love with her for the first time, he wanted it to be here, in this house, in this bed. Of that he was certain.
As a master planner, Adam began to formulate a plan of survival for the coming weeks. There was no way he could completely stay away from her, and yet being with her, whether for work or in a social setting, and not touching her would test the limits of his control.
There would be phone calls, both to discuss the upcoming retreat and for personal reasons; he was sure there would be a family event or two that he could find time to get involved in. Good Lord, his mother would be shocked.
Holding Cassie close, Adam smiled. While he didn’t believe in forever, he was looking forward to whatever span of time he was going to have while being involved with Cassie.
He kissed the top of her head as sleep finally claimed him.
Chapter 9
They began their ride home after lunch, and while neither had encouraged or entertained the idea of engaging in the passion of the previous night, it was lurking in the backs of both their minds.
Cassie hated to leave the big, beautiful house but was comforted by the fact that she had accomplished, business-wise, what she needed to this weekend and she would be returning in three short weeks. As the road took them farther and farther away from the coast and closer to home, Cassie had a mental checklist going in her head of what she would need to do before returning.
Without her day planner, she couldn’t be positive what else was scheduled for that weekend. Tomorrow, she would call their waitress from Friday night and make arrangements with her and then remember to touch base with her over the coming weeks.
The sound of her cell phone ringing startled her out of the peaceful, companionable silence. Looking at the phone, she saw that the caller was her father.
“Hey, Dad! How are you today?”
“Doin’ good, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
Cassie updated him on her health while not going into details about last night’s setback. “I’ve got a follow-up appointment on Wednesday, but I think everything is healing as it should. Only time will tell.”
“I’m glad, Cass, I really am. I want you never to have to deal with those painful spells again.” Cassie agreed. “Hey, are you up for dinner tomorrow night?”
She sighed lightheartedly. “What am I making?”
Stephen laughed. “Actually, um…Bev would like to cook dinner for the family.” Cassie was stunned silent. While she knew that her father and Bev were going to be married, cooking had always been her responsibility, and she took it seriously. “Cass? You still there?”
“What? Oh, yes, yes…I’m still here. Sorry, my mind wandered. Actually, that sounds great. Are we eating at your house or hers?”
Sounding relieved that she wasn’t upset, Stephen detailed that dinner would be at Bev’s house and promised to email Cassie the directions. “So what time should I be there?” she asked.
“I don’t know what your schedule is like tomorrow, but would six work?”
“That sounds great. Should I bring anything?” she asked, hopeful that she wouldn’t totally be eliminated from the preparation of the meal.
“Actually, sweetheart, Bev is looking forward to doing the whole meal for everyone. I think she feels a little intimidated by you, so if you could—”
“It’s okay, Dad. I get it. I am glad to come and be a guest. I’ll see you tomorrow night at six.” When Cassie placed her phone in her purse, she turned to look out the window and sighed.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked, concern lacing his voice.
Turning her head to him, she gave a small smile. “Family dinner tomorrow night at your mom’s. I’m sure you’ll get the call too.”
He chuckled. “I doubt that.”
“What? Why?”
“My mother and I don’t normally do family dinners. I mean, she invited me to your father’s that night mainly because they were making an announcement, but other than that, we don’t socialize much.”
“Well, that’s sad, Adam. You guys are family, the only family you have, from what I can tell. You should spend time together.”
“Cassandra, please…don’t try to fix my relationship with my mother. It works for us both, and now, apparently, she’ll have a whole new family to spend time with.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Hell no.” Actually, he wondered if Bev would call and invite him to come around more now that she was getting married. Would she want to include him in her new family?
He hoped not.
“It’s not such a bad thing, you know. It’s nice having people around you who care about you and who want to share in what’s going on with your life and…” She stopped and sighed.
“So why the sigh? Clearly you enjoy the whole family get-together thing, so what’s the problem?” Adam was curious.
Unable to help it, she let another sigh escape her lips. “There’s no problem. It’s that this is all new, you know? We all have our roles in the family, and they’re changing.”
“Ah, my mom is going to cook, isn’t she?”
Cassie’s head snapped toward Adam’s. “How did you know?”
“If there is one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you enjoy being the chef. You like the praise, and you thoroughly enjoy the whole process of preparation. Having Bev step in and take over sort of leaves you without a role.”
“Very astute, Mr. Lawrence,” she said with sarcasm, angry he had her pegged. “Maybe I’ll actually get to relax and enjoy myself for once. Maybe I’ll enjoy sitting back and letting someone else fret over the meal.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.
Adam found her adorable.
“Pouting doesn’t suit you, Cassandra,” he pointed out. “And fret? You never fret over anything, and believe me, if I know my mother, she is going to go overboard trying to impress you.”
“She doesn’t need to do that! Oh, gosh…I don’t want there to be like a competition or anything! I—”
Adam took a hand off the steering wheel and reached for one of Cassie’s. “Shh…it’s all right, Cass, really. I don’t think my mom is trying to have a competition with you. This is all new to her too. I don’t think she ever dated anyone with kids, so she is trying to find her place in all this as well. Relax. Go tomorrow night, and enjoy having the night off.”
Their fingers were linked together, and Cassie found his touch comforting. “Thanks. I know you’re right. It feels weird. I never get to be the guest when I’m
with my family. I’m more comfortable in the role of hired help.”
Adam pulled his hand from hers, and if he weren’t in the middle of a major highway, he would have slammed on the brakes. “What does that mean?” His tone suggested that he was appalled by her statement.
“What? The hired help?” Adam nodded. “When you know how to cook and people know that you own your own catering business, no one invites you for dinner where you don’t do the cooking.” The look on Adam’s face showed that he was well and truly shocked. “It’s not a big deal, Adam. I got used to it.”
“So you never get to go anywhere and be a guest?”
“Nope. At least…” She stopped and thought for a moment. “Nope. If I get invited somewhere, I’m either bringing the meal or preparing it there.”
“What about your friends? Or boyfriends?”
She chuckled at his outrage for her. “The business has been my main priority for quite some time, so there hasn’t been a man in my life in a while. When there was, we would eat out mainly. As for friends? Well, most of my friends are married and having children now, and our schedules don’t mesh much anymore.”
Adam didn’t see that as a bad thing; after all, he didn’t socialize much with friends anymore, and he was fine with that. Looking at Cassie’s face, however, he saw that it wasn’t okay with her. And then he realized that it wasn’t okay with him, either, because clearly he was no better than all the rest. Their relationship started as a business one, which meant it was about her cooking for him, but since then had he done anything to change that?
Sure, he’d brought her a pizza and taken her out to eat, but…hell, he did not like to think of himself as being like anybody else, and that meant he would have to treat Cassie as she’d never been treated before. Even if their relationship was brief, he wanted her to remember that he had cared enough to take better care of her and respect her time and feelings more than anyone else.
He let the subject drop, mainly because he feared that if he continued with it, his role in using her as the hired help would come up and he didn’t want to focus on that right now. The remainder of the drive consisted of listening to music and discussing not much of anything; Adam’s main focus was on not bringing up the subject of her family or his mom again for the time being.
When they arrived at Cassie’s place, Adam parked and got out to retrieve her luggage. He waited while Cassie unlocked the door and followed her inside and up the stairs to her apartment. Had she not been recovering, he would have taken advantage of their location and made love to her there and spent the night. Since that wasn’t an option, he settled for watching her go about putting her suitcase in her bedroom and checking her phone messages.
Sitting on the couch, Adam felt no hurry to leave. A few minutes later, Cassie joined him and handed him a glass of wine. “Thank you for a wonderful weekend. I can’t wait to set up for your meetings.”
Damn, he was hoping she’d be excited about being with him, but since last night, she hadn’t made one mention of the intimacies they’d shared.
“I think it’s going to be…” He didn’t want to say “perfect” because Adam didn’t believe in perfect if he wasn’t the one doing the work, but he struggled for the right phrase.
“It’s going to be great. Say it!” Cassie teased and took a sip of her drink. “I think I’ll go down beforehand so I can make sure the place is clean and aired out, and I can have Debbie do a practice run so there’s no awkwardness once everyone’s there.”
“Sounds good. Are you planning on driving down on Wednesday?”
“Actually, if it’s all right with you, I think I’ll head down Tuesday night. That way I can get up Wednesday and get things going. That will give me two full days of prep time before everyone arrives.”
The wheels in Adam’s mind started turning. He could arrange for some of his executives and VPs to handle things in the office so that he would be free to join Cassie at the beach and be alone with her before his meetings began. Adam didn’t feel the need to let Cassie in on that bit of information; instead, he was opting for the element of surprise.
They sat quietly, as was becoming a habit, until Cassie turned to Adam and asked, “I think I have the makings of a meal in the kitchen. Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Here was his chance. It would be easy to let her do what she asked; he could sit here and relax and let her do what she enjoyed. But he wasn’t prepared to let her. “I was thinking of getting some Chinese. We could stream a movie or something and hang out. It’s been a long day; why don’t you relax?”
His words startled her. He had essentially pampered her all weekend. She wasn’t sure what to do with all this spare time and energy. “Really? Are you sure? It would be easier to go downstairs and whip something up.”
Unable to help himself, Adam leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her nose. “Easier for whom?” Placing his glass on her coffee table, Adam stood and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “What do you like?”
Cassie rattled off some of her personal favorites, and together they decided on their orders. “Why don’t you return your messages and get settled while I pick up the food?” Adam suggested.
Agreeing, Cassie watched him leave and wondered to herself what kind of a relationship she was going to end up having with Adam Lawrence.
Later that night, long after leaving the comfort of Cassie’s apartment, Adam lay in his own bed and played over the events of the weekend in his mind. Seduction had been the plan, and while things didn’t go exactly as he had hoped, the taste of what was to come had him hard. He knew that Cassie was a passionate woman, but he was not prepared for what she would be like in his bed.
The countdown was on until they were at the coast, and with any luck, she would be completely recovered and they could pick up where they left off. Adam had visions of having Cassie in every room of his home. A wicked grin crossed his face. Yes, by the time he arrived at the beach, he would be ready to take on such a quest.
Pushing the erotic images from his mind, he turned his attention to the more practical side of survival for now. His mother hadn’t called to invite him for dinner, and while under normal circumstances he wouldn’t be bothered by being excluded, knowing that Cassie would be there and he wouldn’t didn’t sit well with him. He made a mental note to call his mother in the morning and fish for an invitation.
Turning on his side and punching the pillow, Adam sighed as sleep eluded him.
* * *
At six o’clock sharp the next evening, Cassie stood on Bev’s front porch. She felt naked without pots, pans, or at the very least a covered dish. She noticed that her siblings were already there; Katie had offered to drive with her, but Cassie had some bookkeeping to do that held her up a little. Ringing the bell, it was a bit of a shock to see her dad answering the door.
He gathered her into a big bear hug and kissed her cheek as he led her into the large eat-in kitchen where everyone was gathered. Cassie took in her surroundings and found that Bev’s home was a lot like her childhood one: large rooms that were comfortably furnished; bright, cheery walls; and a kitchen that could host large family gatherings. In truth, it felt like home.
Cassie walked around and kissed everyone hello, and when she got to Bev, the older woman embraced her tightly. “I hope that you don’t mind that I wanted to cook tonight. I wanted to give you a bit of a break.” Her smile was sincere, and Cassie couldn’t help but smile with gratitude.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this all day!” She took the drink that Bev offered and went to sit at the table with her siblings, taking time to pick up Ella and snuggle her in her arms.
“Adam tells me that you’re going to cater an event for him out in Manteo,” Bev said as she chopped ingredients for their salad. Adam had spoken to his mom? After all his talk yesterday of them not being close? Well, maybe Bev had called h
im to invite him for dinner. She casually looked around for any sign of him and then realized that everyone was looking to her for an answer.
“Oh, yes, we took a ride out to the house this weekend. It’s magnificent. I had the chance to talk to some local vendors, and I think Adam is going to be pleased with the results.”
“As if he could be anything but,” her father stated with a grin. “She looks good in your arms, Cass,” he added. Cassie beamed at her father as she placed a soft kiss on Ella’s cheek.
“She feels good in my arms, Dad.” It was at that moment that Adam walked into the kitchen. He took in the smiling faces and the relaxed atmosphere and, for a moment, felt wildly out of place. Then he caught sight of Cassie with her niece in her arms, and his breath felt as if it were knocked out of him.
She looked positively serene, glowing with love as she held the small child, and Adam wasn’t sure why the image affected him so much, but it did. He had to stop himself from staring and called out a greeting to his mother.
Dinner was boisterous with everyone talking at once about a myriad of different topics. Adam realized that this was how the Jacobs family operated, and while he still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable with it, he was unable to stop himself from joining in.
Matt was talking about a string of break-ins in a residential part of town, while Lauren was telling Bev about her college course load. Katie and Cassie were talking about the caterings they had coming up this weekend, while he and Stephen talked about business and Adam’s upcoming travels.
All in all Adam found the whole thing pleasant, and the look of pure happiness on his mother’s face told him that he’d made the right decision to be a part of this dinner.
“So, Cassie,” Bev began, “tell us about your plans for the meeting Adam’s holding at the beach.”
Cassie looked nervously over at Adam in case he wanted to be the one to provide the details, but he smiled and nodded, and that was her cue. He realized that he enjoyed hearing her talk about her work, and she was so animated in her descriptions that even if Adam had never been to the house, he would have had a perfect picture in his mind of what she was describing.
In the Eye of the Storm / Catering to the CEO Page 26