“Check this out!” Taz announced to the onlookers. He clasped Casey by the waist and urged her across the floor in a weird tango that she quickly picked up on to avoid tripping over her feet. The crowd laughed and applauded. To make things even more cringing Taz ended their little routine by spinning Casey around and slinging her in a backbend over his knee just in time for a little a serenade:
“Drive me wild, girl. Make me crazy, girl. Let’s do it. One more time.”
Another round of clapping and cheers. Taz lifted her to standing and gave her a kiss that was far too long and too wet. Knowing her only chance of escape was to continue the performance, Casey broke free and started singing one of Taz’s hits as she backed her way to the door with poses and lunges and spins. When she reached the glass doors, she offered a beaming smile and farewell wave to Mr. Ravage and the crowd, eliciting more applause.
The moment she was out the door, Casey made a beeline for Drew’s Porsche, hoping he’d catch on and meet her there.
Which he did. But he arrived in a completely foul mood. He didn’t say a word. Just tossed her an accusing look, unlocked the car doors and drove toward North Cove. Men. By the time he pulled into her driveway Casey decided she’d just as soon be an old maid living alone with her cats and books and music. So what if her students would have to be the children she never had?
Except she wasn’t so sure she’d have a studio, considering the anger steaming off the dickhead sitting next to her. But if Drew backed out of their business deal because of this she’d at least have the satisfaction of saying “I told you so.”
The car stopped. Casey was about to thank him for the day. (Good manners had been drummed into her head since childhood, and old habits die hard.)
But when she turned to him, Drew said, “Guess you weren’t kidding about having a lot of A-list lovers in your past.”
“It’s none of your business, but for the record, I’ve never slept with Taz.”
“Sure. Like he just made up all that shit. Gimme a break. Guy’s don’t remember a girl’s name years later unless something went down.”
“I don’t have to justify to you who I am or what I do,” she growled through clenched teeth, refusing to let him put her on the defensive.
“Then you admit it.” He shook his head. “Got some nerve always bringing up my reputation when a dancer like you has probably seen all kinds of action.”
“How dare you!” Casey reached over and tried to slap him, but Drew caught her by the wrist.
“Gotta be faster than that,” he said.
“Let go.” She yanked her hand back.
“I’m not even sure that guy I saw you with yesterday was really your brother.”
Saw me with? The meaning behind his words struck her.
“You were spying on me. You didn’t really remember my brother. That was just a trick to serve your ego. I’ll bet you’ve never even bothered to look at your gardener because he’s not a real person to you. And I suppose I’m just the same; a working class girl you want to nail a few times and dump when you’re tired of her. Well, screw you, Byrne. Our deal is off. I don’t need your help, and I sure as hell don’t want to see your smug face ever again.”
She lurched from the car, slammed the door and raced into her apartment.
Chapter Fourteen
Drew gunned his engine and sped down the road. Why he ever thought he wanted to get close to that incomprehensible bitch was beyond him. From the first day he saw her he could tell she was one of those impossible, difficult women.
And since the first day I saw her I couldn’t get her out of my frickkin head.
But she wasn’t what she pretended to be, and he hated women who played tricks.
Except she just called me on one of mine. One that seemed to make her even angrier than the Taz thing. Man, was she furious. She looked like she was about to cry when she went into that rant about her brother.
Wait a sec. That meant the Jon Hamm look-alike he saw her with yesterday was her brother. No wonder she was pissed. So maybe she was telling the truth about Taz.
But did it matter? Did he really expect her to be a virgin at twenty-eight? Of course not. And as to Ravage, most chicks would give their right arm to be picked out of the crowd by a famous rock star like him.
Was this all about jealousy?
He’d never been the possessive type. Hell, Drew got tired of women so fast he usually kept an eye out for men he could push them toward to get rid of them.
But once again, seeing Casey with another man lit a jealous rage inside him he couldn’t fathom. And when Ravage actually kissed her Drew had to hold himself back from beating the crap out of that narcissistic rocker. Drew not only ached to have her sweet lips on his own, her naked body in his arms, to be inside her and hear her call his name, something in him also needed her to belong to him and no one else.
And Drew had a sneaking suspicion why.
It wasn’t just about sex. Every time he saw Casey some part of his heart seemed to open up. It was almost like she held some kind of promise for him that this ugly old cutthroat world could be sweet and warm and true.
And he needed that. He needed Casey.
***
Casey was still curled up crying in a pitiful ball on her bed when the back door buzzer rang. Had to be Natalie or Parker. No one else ever showed up unexpected at her private entrance. She quickly wiped her eyes, but when she checked in the mirror they looked pretty red. Just what she needed. She was in no mood to reveal the collapse of her plans with Drew.
She clumped down the back stairwell and, being a woman living alone, she checked the door’s eyehole that her brother had installed for her.
WTF?
It was Drew. Holding a pizza box. He looked at the eyehole and said, “You wanted pizza, right?”
“Go away.”
“Wait, Casey, please. I’m sorry. I acted like an asshole. I was…jealous.”
Casey knew she should just turn around and run upstairs, but she stood there twisting her fingers, struggling inside. Debating whether her desperate urge to open the door was because of her fear of losing what was likely her only chance to preserve her dance academy — or her fear of losing a chance to find the kind of passionate love she’d craved for so long.
Love? Dream on.
But as she peered out at him once more and saw that funny, sexy slouch of his, Casey found herself turning the doorknob. He stepped in and started right up the stairs with the pizza, casting a winsome smile at her over his shoulder. Was this one of his sales tactics? Don’t give the opposition any leeway to balk? And look hot as hell while you’re imposing your will on them?
She followed him up, amazed that her anger could evaporate so quickly after those awful things he’d said about her. Except he’d just apologized and told her he was jealous. And she supposed if the Taz situation had been reversed she might’ve reacted the same way.
Casey stepped through her living room and into the kitchen where Drew was already gathering plates. The garlic and cheese smell of the pizza had her stomach growling.
“Where are your napkins?” he asked, as if they hadn’t been shouting at each other less than an hour ago.
Confused and unsure of where this was leading, Casey opened a cabinet and set a stack of paper napkins on the table. “I don’t have any beer or soda. Spring water okay?”
He nodded, but his motion stilled. He studied her face. Casey felt her cheeks flame under the force of his dazzling blue eyes. In a near whisper, he said, “Will you forgive me for those stupid things I said?”
She just nodded.
Drew crossed the short distance between them and pulled Casey to him, his hands gripping her bare arms. He kissed her with a fierce longing that sent heat blazing through her. His hand stroked over her shoulder as his tongue invaded her mouth, tasting of wine. Matching the fury of his searing kiss, she reached her arms around his solid body, tugging him closer.
Something in her knew this was righ
t, knew this was what she wanted. Ever since she’d turned him away that night after Trevor’s party, Casey had been wrestling with her regret, unable to forget the euphoric pleasure of his hands touching her.
One arm around her waist, his palm cupped her breast. Casey let out a moan and slid her hand down the front of his hard torso to stroke his even harder package. That ignited a frenzy. Hands clutching and grasping, they stumbled through the living room toward Casey’s bedroom, tearing at each other’s clothing. His shirt landed on the coffee table, her blouse on the loveseat. Two pairs of jeans at her bedroom door.
Panting and reeling, Casey could hardly believe the intensity of her excitement. She’d had guys she wanted before, but she’d never burned like this with such a desperate, urgent desire. She heard herself whimper as Drew’s tongue traced from her throat to her breasts. His arms around her, he unhooked her bra and teased the rose-colored tips, making her gasp.
Casey’s hands explored his sculpted chest, smoothed over his tight buns. He knelt before her, sliding her lace panties down, his hands and tongue caressing her thighs. She threaded her fingers in his hair, her breath quickening when Drew buried his face in her female mound. And he didn’t come up for air until he sent her into a mind-blowing climax.
Then Drew stood. His gazed lingering on Casey, he murmured, “You are exquisite.”
No, not me. I’m the one who’s only sort of pretty. Her sister Jenna was exquisite. And women like Riley…
But he drove all thoughts out of her mind when he stepped close, pressing his cheek against her forehead, his warm lips on her temple.
He lifted Casey, cradling her against his chest, and carried her to the bed. She watched him remove his briefs, amazed at what a magnificent creature he was. The late July sun was just going down and a soft light from the window played across his ripped and powerful frame, highlighting the classic angles of his face.
Yes, like a Greek god, she thought, remembering that first time she saw Drew Byrne striding through her ballet class.
***
All the air seemed to get sucked out of Drew’s lungs at the glorious sight of Casey reclining on the bed, her chestnut hair spread on the pillow.
He paused, thinking, I don’t want to mess this up.
That thought startled him. Drew Byrne had never lacked for confidence with any female, even when he was a green kid learning the ropes. But Casey was different. Something about her made him want to be real, made him want to shed all the acts he’d cultivated over the years and just be Drew.
Except he wasn’t sure he knew how to do that or what it meant.
Casey must have sensed his hesitancy, because her brown eyes sparkled at him, and in one graceful motion she rolled to standing and plastered herself against him.
The sweet scent of her assailed him. Her satin skin and luscious mouth jolted Drew right back into high gear. He rained kisses over her face and her shoulders, moving her toward the bed where she melted to her back with Drew on top of her. She handed him a condom and nibbled his lips as he put it on.
Her legs opened as he lowered himself between them, stroking her thigh. In one thrust he sheathed himself deep inside her. Oh, God. She was so soft, so wet. Her gasp, her eyes, and the feel of Casey squirming beneath him nearly sent Drew over the edge.
Her legs closed around his waist. His heart pounding, his skin burning, he drove into her again and again. With her moans and kisses and whimpers that were like a song in his ear, Drew lost himself in Casey’s vibrant glow. Her hands grasping his back, her teeth grazing his shoulder, she met his rhythm and heightened it, propelling him into an exhilarating stratosphere he’d never encountered before. Wanting desperately to please her, he fought to hold on until he felt her spasm around him. Then he exploded.
Afterward, Drew lay on top of her, breathing hard. She kissed his cheek in such a tender way it affected him almost as much as the sex they just had.
Which happened to be so outrageous he found himself wanting her again as soon as he rolled to the side. What scared him, though, was that he now knew he didn’t just want her, something in him also needed her. And, frankly, he didn’t like that one bit. It cramped his usually smooth and expert style.
The room was dark now, and Casey’s soft voice cut through the silence. “Why do all men think dancers are promiscuous?”
“I never said that.”
“You implied it.”
“You’re the one who said you’ve had a lot of lovers.”
“I never said that.”
“Hey, that was my line.”
“Is most of what you say a ‘line,’ or is some of it real?”
Stung, Drew sat up and hung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Are you angry at me for what just happened?”
“No, I invited it as much as you did. I’m just not sure how to interpret it. I really didn’t appreciate being ‘the babe on your arm’ for the day.”
“Well, I didn’t appreciate having the woman I’m supposedly with make a fool of me in public.”
Casey sat up, glaring at him. “Do you honestly think I liked what Taz did to me? And to you? Didn’t you get it when I danced out the door leaving our wine on the bar?”
“You sure looked like you were enjoying it.”
Casey climbed out of the bed and tossed on a blue kimono that barely reached the bottom of her butt. Drew thought she looked adorable in it.
“I’m a good performer,” she said.
“Do you want me to leave? That why you’re getting up?”
“I just want to shower and have some pizza. I’m hungry.”
“It’s probably cold by now.”
“I love cold pizza.”
For some reason that tickled him. He walked up to Casey. His fingers brushed her cheek. “You were spectacular. Makes me think you might actually have those overblown athletic abilities you brag about.”
She gazed up at him with a look that was both challenging and suggestive. “You’ll see when I beat your ass on the basketball court.”
Hearing her say that brought on a palpable relief that surprised Drew. It meant they’d still be seeing each other. She turned away and he said, “Casey?”
She turned back. “Yes?”
“You could never be just a babe on somebody’s arm. I know you’re much more than that. In fact, I can’t even begin to guess all the mysterious things you are. But I’d like a chance to find out.”
Casey smiled. “I wouldn’t mind a chance to try and figure you out either.”
“Want company in the shower?”
“Sure.”
Chapter Fifteen
She woke up to the tinkling sounds of Jiao giving her usual Monday morning piano lesson downstairs. Turning over, Casey pressed her face into the sheets, inhaling the musky fragrance of sex mixed with Drew’s sandalwood and male scent. Evidence that last night’s encounter wasn’t a dream.
But she’d sure gone to the moon and back. No one had ever touched her the way Drew had. She could safely say he’d reduced her memories of Jeff into minor kid stuff. So she at least had that to thank him for.
Casey shuffled to the bathroom and stepped into the shower grinning as she recalled the feeling of Drew’s wet body wrapped around hers, taking her from behind, his strong arms at her waist, his warm lips on her neck.
In the kitchen while eating their pizza they’d begun a heavy kissing session, which ended abruptly when they managed to knock over a vase of flowers, spilling water across the floor. For a rich dude Drew proved to be handy with a mop. She hadn’t expected him to spend the night, but he did. Making love to her on the living room floor and again in bed where they slept entwined. Just before dawn he awakened her to say good-bye.
And that good-bye turned into the best sex of the night.
Casey decided not to go to Natalie’s for breakfast this morning as she often did on Mondays. Her best friend would know in a flash that something had changed in the man department, and she’d insist on hearing all about Drew
. She’d pick up on Casey’s feelings for him and make more out of it than was actually there.
What was actually there? As she dressed, the uncertainty came rolling in. Was last night just a sex thing to him and nothing more? Did he mean any of those sweet things he said? Sure, Drew said he’d like to get to know her, but all guys tell you that when they want to get laid. Casey was all too aware of Drew’s history. And her own. After ten years of carefully shielding herself from the Jeff Renstadt’s of the world, she’d be a fool to drop her guard and fall into a repeat.
Casey cleaned up the kitchen, stuffing the pizza box filled with leftover crusts into a garbage bag. Miss Daisy left her perch on the rocker to demand breakfast. Buster sat on the table waiting, and Sugar Boy meowed at her feet.
“Hey, Sugar Boy, things got a bit crowded last night, huh?” Casey had a queen-sized bed, but Drew was one of those sleepers whose legs were everywhere, and her cuddly black-and-white kitty hadn’t been able to claim his regular spot.
After putting on coffee she checked her phone for messages, scolding herself for the way her heart leaped at the sign of one — and fell again when she saw it was from her mother. A message reminding Casey what time her sister would be at the train station. She wasn’t looking forward to a family lunch today. Not when everything was up in the air in her life.
Halfway through her coffee and muffin she heard her “Take Five” ringtone and snatched up the phone. Only to see her mom’s number again.
How was she supposed to resist falling for Drew if she was already leaping at the phone in hopes he’d call? Could she continue to see him without developing an attachment for him? Meanwhile she’d agreed once again to his plan to find a studio. Which she needed since she had no other options.
“Hi, Mom. I got your message. Don’t worry. I’ll deliver Jenna to your house safe and sound. Anything you want me to pick up on the way?”
The Ultimate Romance Box (6 Bestselling Romance Novels) Page 102