He couldn’t think; he didn’t want to think. But he had to for both their sakes. “Stop.”
“Do you want to stop?” she whispered, then ran her tongue along the edge of his ear to the lobe.
Don’t stop. All of the things he’d imagined at the ice-cream parlor, she was doing. “I…” he said, his breathing ragged.
“I don’t want to stop.” She smiled, accelerating the speed of her hand. “I don’t think you want to stop, either.”
Gain control. But it was so hard. Not only her words, but the seductive tone of her voice told him she wanted to take this all the way. He wanted it, too, but…“This will complicate things.”
“I don’t—” she paused to nibble on his ear “—care.”
Of course she didn’t care. Cassie never worried about the consequences. She acted from her heart, for the moment. But he wasn’t like that..
He was going to lose it. Troy gritted his teeth. This shouldn’t be happening. He was in Dixon Daniels’s house; Troy wanted to make love to Dixon’s daughter.
No way. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Grabbing her hand, Troy pushed it away. To soften the harshness of his gesture, he kissed her gently. “We can’t do this.”
She glanced at the floor and took a deep breath.
“Cassie.” Troy lifted her chin so she had to look at him. He’d done the right thing. She’d told him she wasn’t interested in dating. She probably wasn’t interested in a fling, either. “I want you, but not like this. Not when we’re in the middle of this charade. Do you understand?”
Her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes wide with desire, she nodded.
“You are an incredibly beautiful and sexy woman.” He caressed her smooth cheek. “You know, you’re driving me crazy.”
“I—”
“Shh.” He placed his fingertip on her mouth. Talking about it would only make it worse. He would talk to her in the morning. “Let’s get some sleep or at least try to.”
Troy was on her bed, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to sleep tonight. Too many things had happened; too many things hadn’t. Holding Cassie would be pure torture, but not holding her would be more painful. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”
Cassie jumped off the bed. “No.”
“Where are you going?”
Glancing at the other bed, she bit her lip. Troy wanted to say something to tell her how she made him feel, but couldn’t. He couldn’t tell her the thought of her sent his hormones into overdrive. He couldn’t tell her he wanted to strip off the scrap of black lace she called underwear and make love to her. He couldn’t tell her the truth.
“I was hoping you would sleep here, too,” Troy said, unable to find any explanation for his need to sleep next to her. Maybe Cassie was right when she called him the perfectly insane fiancé. “Crawl in.”
She did. As she lay next to him, her breasts pressed against his chest. Troy held her, trying to keep his hands and his body under control. Slowly the stiffness faded from her body. The gentle, even sound of her breathing told him she must be asleep, but he was afraid to look, afraid of what he might do.
His hands wanted to stray and caress the softness of her moonlit skin. His lips hungered for a taste of her. His body ached for fulfillment, but it wasn’t going to happen.
Not tonight.
He would remain in control, even if he had to stay awake all night. Staring at the ceiling, he refused to wish upon another falling star. Look where it had gotten him. Troy released a slow breath. It was going to be another long night. And an even longer two weeks.
The next morning, Cassandra woke to the sound of Troy’s heart beating in her ear. His musky male scent teased her nose. The hair on his leg tickled her calf. She snuggled closer, basking in the warmth, the security he provided. He felt so good. Yawning, she let the soothing rhythm of his breathing and heartbeat lull her back to sleep.
She and Troy—a real couple.
What a wonderful dream.
Her eyes sprang open. Sunlight filled the room. This was no dream. Cassandra stared at Troy, a night’s growth of whiskers covering his face. His closed eyes and the carefree expression on his face told her he was still asleep.
Troy’s chest rose and fell with his even breaths. His normally tousled hair was even more disheveled. He looked like a little boy, but he wasn’t. Troy McKnight was a man, one hundred percent male. He’d shown a tenderness last night that touched her and a passion that left her begging for more. Wanting more now.
Oh boy, last night had changed everything and nothing. She sighed. Troy wasn’t hers. Wouldn’t ever be hers. Yet, it had felt so good, so right.
But it wasn’t real.
She touched Troy’s chest, fingering the light cover of hair. It felt real. More real than her dream the other night. She felt safe and peaceful. Odd feelings considering the disturbing effect Troy had on her senses. Strange, but she felt as though she belonged.
But it wasn’t real.
Cassandra brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. Once again, she imagined a flower-filled church, a tuxedo-clad Troy and her in the beautiful English garden gown. It wasn’t difficult to do.
They weren’t really engaged.
But that was a technicality.
Or was it?
Her mind countered every reason her heart brought forward. Suddenly a new awareness hit her. Cassandra swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. She was falling for Troy McKnight. Falling hard.
That was the only explanation for her actions. But falling for him, wanting to make love with him made no sense. She didn’t want to feel that way. She didn’t want to fall in love. Not with Troy, not with any man. Even if, and that was a big if, she did want to fall in love, Troy was everything she didn’t want in a man—a venture capitalist, materialistic, ambitious, predictable. A man exactly like her ex-fiancé. As she had once been.
So what if Troy was also intelligent, caring, gorgeous, polite? She knew better than to follow her heart. Experience had taught her that. She should have been more careful. What a fool. She’d set herself up for a big letdown, that’s what she’d done.
Troy opened his eyes. The dark circles under them told her he was tired, but he smiled when he saw her. “Good morning.”
Her stomach tingled. Tingles meant nothing, absolutely nothing. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I, uh,” Cassandra faltered, unable to find the right words. Troy’s smile turned her on. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to make love to him. But she didn’t want to make another mistake. In two weeks he would be out of her life forever. Taking this any further would be a big mistake. He was rigid; he had a life plan. It wouldn’t work.
He tensed. “Is something wrong, Cassie?”
“Of course not.” She pulled the comforter up to her neck. Cassandra wasn’t modest, but Troy made her feel shy. The thin fabric of her T-shirt and her panties provided scant protection from his assessing gaze.
It would be so easy to keep pretending he was really hers. Her parents looked happy; she felt happy. But if she continued it a little longer, she would get hurt. She’d been that route before and swore never again. But Troy…she remembered how her body responded to his kiss, his touch. She’d never felt that way before. Certainly not with Eric.
“Are you having regrets?”
Cassandra wished she had regrets, but she didn’t. Troy made her feel alive, beautiful and special. “No.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“Last night was…well, it was wonderful.”
Smiling, he kissed her hand. “Wonderful. I wish we could have gone further. I’m sorry we had to stop.”
He wasn’t making this any easier. How could she tell him she didn’t want to get hurt without making herself vulnerable? She pulled her hand away. “I know, but—”
His eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sea. “But, what?”
This wasn’t going to be easy. Not with her heart
wanting one thing and her mind another. She knew what to do, the only thing to do. “I started thinking about the, uh, complications of our actions.”
“And?”
I’m falling in love with you. I can’t let that happen. “We have nothing in common, but there is some kind of—”
“Chemistry,” he said.
Understatement of the year. “Yes, but you were right to stop.”
Silent, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m glad you agree.”
“I do,” Cassandra said, wishing for once Troy hadn’t agreed with her.
Cassandra rinsed off the last of the breakfast plates and placed it in the dishwasher. She gazed out the kitchen window. A slight breeze rippled the clear water in the pool. Her family and Troy sat on the patio outside. Five people drinking coffee on a Sunday morning under a sunny, blue sky. Five people who shared outlooks and goals. Five people who she didn’t want to be like.
She poured powdered detergent into the soap tray, wondering how the situation had gotten so out of control. In one weekend Troy had managed to do two things—fit in with her family and worm his way into her heart. He’d helped her handle her meddling parents and she appreciated that, but she hadn’t expected to go away from the weekend caring about him. She wanted to forget about his kisses, his warmth. She wanted to forget about Troy McKnight. Except it wasn’t going to be easy with their engagement party in two weeks.
Damn. Cassandra slammed the dishwasher door and locked it.
Troy tapped on the window. “Are you almost done, Cassie?” he asked through the screen.
She didn’t want to go outside. She felt safer, more comfortable inside. The more time she spent with Troy, the more she wanted to spend with him. A loselose situation. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
He glanced back at her family. “You’d better hurry.”
Troy wore a white T-shirt under a blue chambray shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He looked as though he’d stepped off the pages of a Gap ad. Her mouth went dry. “What’s wrong?”
“Your family is getting carried away.”
“I told you—”
“It’s more than that. You won’t believe who Dixon wants to invite to the engagement party.”
Maybe a puppy would make her feel all warm and fuzzy the way Troy did. Or a kitten. Cats were easier to deal with than dogs. And she could take a cat to the bookstore. “Who?”
He rambled off a list of names, including several of the power brokers in Silicon Valley. It was an up-andcoming V.C.’s perfect guest list. Troy would be in heaven; she would be in hell. “That’s quite a list.”
He shrugged.
A shrug? “Aren’t you excited?”
His forehead wrinkled. “What if something goes wrong? I’ve worked so hard and am so close.…This could turn into a complete disaster.”
It already was a disaster, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “Nothing will go wrong. I will be the perfect fiancée and you will impress them so much they’ll all wonder why you aren’t working for them.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that.” He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “But you should get out here. Emily and your mother are deciding where we should register.”
“Register?”
“For wedding presents.”
His smile sent her pulse racing. Cassandra wiped off the counter. “That isn’t funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
“But we aren’t engaged.” She lowered her voice. “We can’t accept presents.”
“We’ll return them after you break my heart.”
Very funny, McKnight. He’d exit the relationship without a scratch. “How come you get to be the one with the broken heart?”
He glanced down.
“That’s right.” She washed her hands. “You don’t want to offend the mighty Dixon Daniels.”
“It’s not that.”
“Yes, it is.” Remembering Troy’s main concern was his career put things back into perspective for her. Just like Eric. He and Eric could be twins. She dried her hands on a dish towel.
“Please, come outside.” Troy shoved one of his hands into his shorts’ pocket and jiggled some change. “I need you.”
If only you did need me.… She turned on the dishwasher. “I’m coming.”
How hard could this be? A little chitchat, then she could go home. Home to an empty apartment and no messages on her answering machine. Maybe she did need a pet.
Carrying the coffeepot, Cassandra walked outside. “Anyone need a refill?”
Dixon took the pot from her and set it on the glasstop table. “Have a seat, Cassie,”
Troy patted the pillow on the empty wrought-iron chair next to him. “Come here, sweetie pie.”
Vanessa smiled. “Cassandra, we’ve been discussing the engagement party. You need to register for wedding presents.”
“That isn’t necessary, Mom.”
“But it is,” Vanessa said. “I know the perfect place. I’ll make an appointment for you this week.”
“I have to work.”
“I know, sweetheart, but you have employees who work for you. I’ll make an evening appointment and go with you. We’ll have so much fun like we did shopping for your wedding dress.”
Cassandra wanted her parents out of her life, not driving up midweek to help her pick out china and crystal patterns. Think positive, she told herself. Two more weeks and it would be over. No more interference, matchmaking or wedding plans. Two weeks wasn’t that long. Wars had been lost in less time. “Sure.”
“About the engagement party.” Emily tossed her shiny black hair behind her shoulder. “We’ve decided a black-tie affair might be too much, considering the short notice.”
“Of course, black-tie optional won’t work, either,” Eric added. His words earned him a smile from his wife.
“You are right, as usual, Eric.” Emily patted his hand like a woman petting her trained lap dog.
Cassandra wondered why she ever thought she was in love with Eric Wainwright. Marrying him would have been a disaster. Being with Troy made her realize how wrong Eric was for her. She also saw how right Eric was for her sister. Emily could be as bossy and demanding as she wanted and Eric wouldn’t complain. He would ask how high she wanted him to jump. The two were a perfect match.
“We wouldn’t mind if you moved the date.” Troy entwined his warm fingers with Cassandra’s. Her stomach fluttered. She tried pulling her hand away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that.” Emily pursed her lips. “Let’s make it semiformal dress. We can go shopping next week. I know all of the best boutiques in the city. We’ll go every day until we find something…spectacular.”
Cassandra appreciated the offer, but wasn’t ready for spending that much time with Emily. Lunch would be a good start, not shopping every day. And Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder if Emily meant finding her something suitable, rather than spectacular, to wear.
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Troy said. “But I’ve been wanting to buy Cassie a new outfit and this will give me the perfect opportunity to buy her something special.”
Unbelievable. This couldn’t be happening. But it was.
Cassandra stared at Troy, at everyone. She’d invented her fiancé to stop her parents’ meddling. But it wasn’t working. She not only had her parents involved with making engagement and wedding plans, but her sister and brother-in-law, too.
And Troy. Didn’t he realize he wasn’t helping? Enough was enough.
“I have an idea that will solve all of our problems,” Cassandra said. “Why not make the party clothing optional?”
7
“Clothing optional?” Troy focused on the road ahead. “Don’t you think that was a bit extreme?”
“Extreme is the only thing that works with my family.”
“I thought your mother and Emily were going to faint.”
“They aren’t the fainting types,” Cassie said. “Besides I had to do somethi
ng. My mother was so fired up about registering. She would have our wedding invitations picked out, addressed and in the mail if we hadn’t left when we did.”
Tension filled the cab of his pickup. Troy didn’t need an antenna to pick up a radio station, not with Cassie sitting so stiffly next to him. He hit the scanner on his radio, until he found a blues station playing the jazzy strains of a saxophone solo.
“This has turned into a huge mess, Troy. I don’t want to register for wedding presents.”
“I’ll come with you.” He didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t leave Cassie to deal with it on her own. They were in this together. “When are you going?”
“Wednesday night. But I don’t want you to come. It’ll be easier without you.”
“Then I won’t go,” he said, relieved. “But the party…Cassie, it could be a real boost to my career. An introduction to the V.C. inner circle. I know you’re not interested in the party.”
“Interested?” She chuckled. “It’ll be as much fun as the Bhutan Death March. Do you know why Emily is throwing this engagement party?”
“To be nice?”
“She’s setting us up for something, but I don’t know what. I think she wants us to break up.”
Let Emily try. “Did she tell you that?”
“No, but it’s pretty obvious. Her remark to you and her comment about finding me a dress. I think she’s trying to tell you I would be an unsuitable wife.”
“You’re not unsuitable.” He thought about his words. He couldn’t afford to forget Cassie wasn’t his type. “You’ll make someone a great wife.”
“Someone is the key word. Someone who isn’t a rising star in the venture capital arena.”
True. Cassie rejected the very world he was struggling so hard to make a life in. It wouldn’t work. Unless she just needed the right encouragement to change her mind. “Do you hate the business that much?”
“Yes. And our engagement party will be the epitome of all that is wrong with it.”
Had Eric taken her to parties or perhaps Dixon? Troy tried to picture her among the caviar and freeflowing wine and champagne, but couldn’t. She didn’t fit in with the social-climbing crowd. She would be out of place and have little in common with the trophy spouses and dates. “Have you attended enough parties to know for sure?”
Fiance for the Night Page 9