“Thank you, but I really don’t—” Cassandra broke off her words and turned to Reilly. “Did you just growl at me?”
“I was clearing my throat.”
“Gee, I couldn’t tell the difference.”
Reilly stopped himself from repeating the gesture as he glanced at the maid closing the door behind her. “Watch out, this is gonna be a little—”
“Cold!” Cassandra jerked a few inches off the chair’s deep cushion. “You did that on purpose, Murdock. You know, you could’ve warned me before you drop a ton of sub-zero—”
The rest of her words fell into his mouth as Reilly placed his lips over hers in a searing kiss. He braced his forearms on either side of her thighs, the heat of her skin easily passing through the flimsy material of her dress. Catching his tuxedo jacket with his hands, he imprisoned her shoulders in the confines of the material as he pressed her back against the tufted cushion of the chair.
Her parted lips allowed him easy entrance to the warm recess of her mouth. She tasted sweet from the champagne she’d been drinking. He edged her straight white teeth with his tongue, slipping farther inside, waiting, wanting her to reach out to him. The moment her tongue glided over his, his blood turned to molten lava. She pulled away and he let her go, but her tongue came back with short, tentative strokes fueling the desire to pull her out of the chair and onto the floor.
Reilly heard footsteps in the hall and broke away. His gaze fell to Cassandra’s swollen lips as he sat back on his heels, hoping his posture hid his body’s response to the simple kiss.
Simple kiss. Yeah, right.
“Why did you do that?”
“Someone’s coming,” Reilly said, surprised the huskiness of his voice matched hers. “Did you want them to find us getting all hot and—”
“That’s not what I meant.” Cassandra’s fingers moved to her lips. “Why did you kiss me?”
“To shut you up before you said something stupid, like accusing me of dropping the ice pack on your foot.” Reilly drew in a deep breath. “I’m not the bad guy here. I would never hurt you. Not on purpose.”
Reilly slowly rose to his full height, turned his back to her and moved toward the door. Cassandra licked at her lips, the taste of him stronger than ever thanks to a kiss she’d never seen coming.
The one in her apartment, yes, she’d known that one was going to happen. She was still trying to deal with the fact she’d done nothing to stop it. But this kiss had come out of nowhere and when his tongue had slipped past her open lips, her insides had burst into flames.
After she’d left Reilly and the Senator in the main hall, she’d taken another glass of champagne. Finishing it so fast sped the effects directly to her head, forcing her to escape to the cool night air. She hadn’t meant to wander so far away from the house, but Reilly’s piercing remarks had raced through her mind.
Then a presence and she’d known she wasn’t alone. She remembered a feeble wish coursing through her. As much as she hated to admit it, she’d hoped it was Reilly. Only it wasn’t. She couldn’t recall features, just hands grabbing at her.
Pushing away the recollection, she focused on Reilly. He reached the door, one hand on the doorknob, the other at his waist. She realized he was reaching for his gun.
“Reilly, don’t.” Cassandra leaned forward and pulled his jacket off her shoulders. “Here, put this back on before someone notices.”
“No one can tell I’m carrying a weapon.”
“I don’t want to take the chance, please.”
“What about your dress?”
The heat of his stare caused her skin to tingle. First at her collarbone, then her breasts before it burned a path back to her face.
“The dress is fine, the shoulder straps were just for show anyway. The boned bodice is keeping it up.”
Reilly looked at her for a long moment before he released the doorknob. He moved back toward her and took the jacket. Sliding it on just as the door started to open, he moved in front of her, blocking her view.
He’s protecting me. He’s putting himself between whoever might be outside the door and me.
“Ah, here you are.” A short, stocky man with thick-rimmed glasses stepped inside the library.
“Dr. Wilkes?” Reilly asked, taking a half step to the left.
“Hello, Doctor.” Cassandra looked at Reilly, giving him a quick nod. “It’s nice of you to do this, but I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Most people who get hurt say the same thing, young lady,” the doctor replied. “And if I recall correctly, you can be a bit of a stubborn lass when you want to be.”
“You said it,” Reilly mumbled, stepping away.
Cassandra scowled at him, but she couldn’t hide the shiver coursing through her body, a delayed reaction to the loss of the warmth of his jacket.
“Are you feeling all right?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, just a chill. It must be from the ice on my foot. I do have a shawl—” The silky material settled over her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Reilly move away. “Thank you.”
He only offered her a curt nod in response as he settled back in front of the door.
The doctor placed his bag on the floor near the footstool. “Well, let’s see what we have here. Hmmm, yes, I can see you do have a bit of swelling. Let’s test your range of movement.”
Cassandra followed the doctor’s orders and moved her foot in a variety of directions. A low throb made her wince, but the ice had helped. Or at least, numbed the area to the point where the pain was almost gone.
“I think it’s only a sprain,” the doctor concluded. “You should continue with a cold compress when you get home. Keep it elevated and try to stay off it as much as possible for the next day or so.”
“Let him look at the marks on your neck.”
Cassandra’s gaze locked with Reilly’s. He crossed his arms over his chest as if to emphasize his position on the subject.
She released her hold on the shawl, letting it fall open. Staring straight ahead at the empty fireplace, she tried not to flinch as the doctor probed the tender area.
“Who did this to you, young lady?”
“I-I don’t know. I was sitting on one of the benches in the gardens,” Cassandra whispered as she closed her eyes, “trying to gather my thoughts. A feeling of being…uncomfortable came over me and I rose to head back to the house, when something grabbed at me.”
“Something or someone certainly did grab at you.” The doctor reached into his bag. He pulled out a tube of cream and gently applied to the wounds. “This will help with any possible infection. The marks are only superficial and they should heal over the next couple of days. If you feel any increased pain or if the redness doesn’t go away, go see your regular doctor.”
“Thank you for checking me over. I do appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Van Winter. Would you like me to have the staff get a taxi for you?”
“We have a limo.” Cassandra looked at Reilly who acknowledged her with a nod. “We’ll be fine.”
“You’ll see she gets home okay and follows my orders?”
Reilly dropped his arms and showed the doctor out of the room. “Yes, sir. You can count on it.”
Cassandra balked at Reilly’s superior tone, but kept her thoughts to herself. She bent over and removed her other shoe. Rising, she tested her hurt ankle and a small oomph of pain escaped before she could stop it. Reilly was at her side in a second. She saw he was about to play Superman again. “Oh no, forget it. I am walking out of here on my own two feet.”
“Bare feet.”
“I have stockings on. That’s good enough for me.”
“Let me guess.” Reilly offered a smile. “You want me to call the limo and have the driver meet us at the side entrance so no one will see me carrying you out of here?”
“No, I want you to call the limo driver and have him meet us there so no one will see me hobble out of here, because that’s exactly what
I am going to do.”
“Will you at least lean on me for support?”
Surprised at the ease with which she’d won the walk-or-be-carried battle, Cassandra wasn’t sure she could trust the blank expression on his face. Deciding she didn’t have a choice, she gathered her shoes in one hand and tried to hold the slippery shawl closed across her chest with the other.
“Allow me?”
Reilly pulled her shawl free from her grasp and tied it in a loose knot that hung between her breasts. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as his fingers brushed over her bare skin. He took her shoes from her hand, placing his free arm around her waist. “Put your arm around me and we’ll take it slow and easy.”
“My purse?”
“I’ve got it, you just worry about not tripping over your dress or we’ll both go down in a heap.”
Unable to hold back a smile, Cassandra did as ordered. She grabbed onto Reilly’s jacket and moved forward, knowing if she did falter, he would easily stop her from falling with a quick squeeze of the powerful muscles in his arm. The thought both reassured and disturbed her at the same time.
“I should say my goodbyes,” she said instead, as they made their way to the open doors.
Reilly stopped and dragged her up against the length of him. He bent his head low to hers. “If you head one inch toward the ballroom, I am going to throw you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and haul you right down the grand front steps.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?”
Moments later, they reached a side entrance and Reilly handed over her things. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone here while I go find our ride in that long row of limos.”
“I can stay with her, sir.” A member of the butler staff appeared out of nowhere.
Cassandra knew he looked familiar but at the moment she couldn’t place him. She saw Reilly hesitate. “Go, I’ll be fine.”
“You stay put,” Reilly warned. “No going off to chat with anyone.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I mean it, Cass. Don’t leave this spot.” He gave her a long look before heading out the door.
Leaning against the wall in the small foyer, Cassandra dropped her head back and closed her eyes. Chatting was the last thing on her mind. All she wanted was to get home.
“Dammit, what happened to you?”
Her eyes flew open to find the butler had disappeared and Willard was hurrying toward her. “Willard, you almost scared me to death!”
“I just heard what happened. Are you all right?”
She lifted a hand to stop him from reaching for her. “I’m fine, just a sprained ankle.”
“But how?”
“I was in the garden and I…I got spooked by a shadow. I twisted my ankle as I was trying to get away.” She didn’t want to think about what had happened, much less talk about it. “It’s nothing.”
“What were you doing out in the dark—it was him, wasn’t it?” Willard stepped closer. “He did this to you. He put his hands—I’m going to kill that son-of-a-bit—”
“Willard, stop!” Realization that he was accusing Reilly of being her attacker slammed into her. “I told you I was—”
“You don’t have to protect him.” Willard seized her upper arms and pulled her close. “He’s going to pay for laying a hand on you!”
“Let me go—”
Willard’s mouth crashed into hers and a cry tore at her throat as his teeth rammed against her lips. The stench of alcohol filled her nose as he pressed her farther into the corner, cutting off her ability to breathe. Panicked, Cassandra tried to twist away, her shoes and purse digging into her chest. With a turn of her wrist, she aimed the pointed heels of her stilettos and thrust hard.
A string of foul words she’d never heard Willard use before fell from his mouth as he jumped back, shoving her away. Cassandra automatically put one hand to her bruised, swollen mouth. Rapid breaths filled her lungs with air. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
Willard backed away, rubbing his hand over his breastbone as he hung his head. “I-I’m sorry, Cassandra. That wasn’t—I don’t know why I did that. Maybe it’s the liquor.”
“That’s too convenient.” She dropped her hand, noticing for the first time his bruised face. “What happened to you? And why are you drinking so much tonight? You rarely touch alcohol.”
“It’s been a long week. Dealing with work and my parents.” He pushed his hand through his hair. “Dealing with you.”
“Me?”
“Oh hell, what do you care anyway? You’ve been so tied up with your new boyfriend we’ve hardly seen or spoken to each other this week.”
“Just because I’m dating Reilly—” Cassandra swallowed against the lie that rolled so easily off her lips, “—doesn’t mean I don’t have time for my fri—”
“Oh please, don’t say ‘friends’.” Willard spat out the word. “I don’t get you, Cassandra. You haven’t dated anyone more than twice in the last six years and now you’re living with this guy? A guy you’ve only known for a week?
“My private life is none of your business.”
“Oh really? A year ago I busted my balls to keep your private life just that, private. It was what you wanted, in fact, begged for.”
“I know, Willard, and I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me and Mother—”A knock at the door stopped Cassandra. She could make out Reilly’s muffled voice calling for her from the other side and she hurried to let him back inside.
“We’re all set. Are you ready to head out?” Reilly’s eyes raked over her, then Willard before his piercing glare captured hers. “What the hell is going on? Where’s the butler?”
“Nothing is going on.” Cassandra broke free of his acute stare. “Willard was checking on me after he heard what happened.”
“Is that right?” Reilly’s tone rang with disbelief at her explanation.
“What happens between Cassandra and me is none of your business,” Willard sneered. “I came here to check on her, to see if she’s all right.”
When he took a step toward her, Cassandra unconsciously leaned close to Reilly.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Can’t say the same thing about you, can we?”
Willard looked at Reilly. “What do you mean?”
“That’s the beginning of quite a shiner you’ve got near your eye. By tomorrow, it should be a real nice shade of black and blue. Care to explain how you got it?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I was upstairs in a meeting with my father when we heard a woman scream. We both went for the door at the same time and collided.”
Reilly’s muscles shifted against the length of her body. He and Willard held their stare until Willard looked away. The tense silence in the hall rose steadily, becoming as much a palpable presence as the three of them.
Cassandra knew she had to be the one to break the stillness. “Reilly, I want to go home now.”
Thankfully, he complied with her request, ignoring Willard’s feeble protest.
They stepped outside into the cool night air. It took only a moment to get inside the limo, but thanks to a traffic accident and an inept driver who didn’t know the city as well as he should have, it took longer than usual to get to her apartment.
While each step was more painful than the last, Cassandra managed to make it into the lobby, wave off the doorman’s concern and hobble to the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors closed she gave in, placing all of her weight against the man who’d rescued her twice tonight.
She’d tried to block out Willard’s horrid kiss during the ride home. It was so unlike him to force himself on her like that. And the drinking, that was totally out of character. He’d spent his youth cleaning up after his mother’s alcohol-induced messes that included everything from broken furniture to getting her out of embarrassing situations with guests. After all that, he never had more than two drinks in a row.
Was it because she was seeing Reilly?
Pretending, Cassandra corrected herself, pretending to see Reilly.
Nothing about their relationship was real despite the emotions his kisses stirred deep inside her. And why had he done that? Why’d he kissed her both here at her apartment and again in the Bancrofts’ library?
Too exhausted to contemplate it anymore, she leaned into Reilly’s strength, placing her hand in the middle of his chest. Walking had caused beads of sweat to pop out on her forehead, but she kept her face pressed against his chest, his heartbeat steady and strong in her ear.
“I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay?”
His words vibrated against her cheek. She was immediately taken back to the first time he’d asked her that question. She’d lain sprawled across him in her storeroom and here she was again, practically in the same position, only this time standing upright.
Seven days. Had she really only known this man for seven days? This man who was sleeping in her living room? Who was kissing her? It had been months since she’d kissed a man, and never one like Reilly Murdock.
Never.
Reilly placed his fingers at her jawline, careful to keep her shoes away from her face. He lifted her chin until she was forced to look into his eyes. “Did you hear me?”
His voice had dropped to almost a whisper, his breath caressing her skin. His arm tightened around her waist, lifting her gently along the length of him until she was balancing herself on the toes of her uninjured foot. She could see his question in his eyes as he waited for an answer.
She also saw another question, unspoken in words, but she knew what he was asking. Her gaze dropped to the long straight edge of his nose and to his open lips. His lips were only inches away, but at the same time the distance seemed to stretch on for miles.
Did he want her to breach that distance? Did she?
A bell chimed as they reached her floor, breaking the spell. The door to the elevator slid silently open and waited.
“Reilly, I don’t think… I mean, I can’t—”
“Your wish is my command, princess.”
This time he said the name with tenderness as he lifted her with ease and stepped out of the elevator, mindful of her ankle. Cassandra still had one hand tucked behind his back, but she grabbed her shoes and purse with the other as he started down the hall.
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