Twins on the Way
Janice Maynard
She’s pregnant on his doorstep in this novel from USA TODAY bestseller Janice MaynardWorkaholic Cassidy Corelli was a virgin…until her one night with Gavin Kavanagh. Now the daughter of a Vegas mogul has two little problems–the twins she's carrying! When her father disowns her, she's left with only one place to go–back to Gavin.But the millionaire’s been burned before. He wants a paternity test. Until then, he's determined to keep this woman out of his bed—for his own good. But once he's enjoyed a perfect passion, can a starving man deny himself one more taste?
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
Arching her back, she pressed her body even closer to his. “I didn’t want to, but I did.”
Gavin nibbled a sensitive spot beneath her ear, making her squirm. “Why didn’t you want to miss me?”
“I had plans to take over the world. To be somebody. You were a temptation I had to resist.”
He knew the feeling.
Worse, now that he had tasted her again, he hadn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of pretending he didn’t want her. One look at her sweet face and mischievous eyes and he was a goner.
He thought of the babies in her womb … and their mother.
Cassidy Corelli troubled him. He was vulnerable where she was concerned. And vulnerability was the enemy of control.
If he was going to navigate these next few weeks, then he had to stay away from her. No touching, no kissing and certainly no sex. He would make that very clear.
Convincing Cassidy was one thing. Convincing himself was going to be a whole lot more difficult.
* * *
Twins on the Way is part of the Kavanaghs of Silver Glen series: In the mountains of North Carolina, one family discovers that wealth means nothing without love.
Twins on the Way
Janice Maynard
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
JANICE MAYNARD is a USA TODAY bestselling author who lives in beautiful east Tennessee with her husband. She holds a BA from Emory and Henry College and an MA from East Tennessee State University. In 2002 Janice left a fifteen-year career as an elementary school teacher to pursue writing full time. Now her first love is creating sexy, character-driven, contemporary romance stories.
Janice loves to travel and enjoys using those experiences as settings for books. Hearing from readers is one of the best perks of the job! Visit her website, www.janicemaynard.com (http://www.janicemaynard.com), and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
For Charles—
I enjoyed our Vegas/Zion trip. I’m not much of a gambler, but I won big when it came to you. :)
Contents
Cover (#u0dc25878-4048-5a20-8149-040e032ec9e4)
Introduction (#u1d706327-5624-52d7-8636-2b18fe137463)
Title Page (#ub6e472bf-98be-50b7-a1a9-34c24dd598c1)
About the Author (#u76dfa4f3-4729-5921-b955-462bfda28aa8)
Dedication (#u11a88315-b28d-5c2b-8dd2-3f1bf62a7f4d)
Chapter One (#ulink_17960a63-c673-5284-9e05-4d73c5325f5f)
Chapter Two (#ulink_fffec4c6-60fa-5ee8-9d70-afe7b3c347d8)
Chapter Three (#ulink_9ee8d930-62f4-55ec-904c-36166f70746c)
Chapter Four (#ulink_43faaca6-2a39-5227-996d-502fe457ed0c)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#ulink_305beac3-e0b8-5871-8941-d8b1d4254943)
Gavin Kavanagh needed a woman. Badly. He wasn’t very good at relationships. He was too damn selfish, and he had trust issues. Which meant his only choices for sexual satisfaction were typically one-night stands. Since he was too fastidious to find much pleasure in that, he usually endured months of self-imposed celibacy until the day or the week he finally decided he couldn’t stand it anymore, and he cracked.
This time, what tipped him over the edge was being in Vegas. He’d pitched in at the last minute to help out a sick friend by giving an address to several thousand cybersecurity experts. Though public speaking didn’t bother him, he much preferred to be alone in his man cave back in North Carolina.
Winding his way past noisy slot machines and crowded gaming tables, he headed for the exit, desperate to inhale fresh air and see the sky. He’d been incarcerated in this over-the-top hotel since lunchtime, and it was now almost ten at night.
On the sidewalk, he paused, taking in the garish display of neon and traffic spread before him. Vegas. Land of opportunity and lost dreams. Home of wild bachelor parties, just-past-prime entertainers and the siren lure of the big win.
He could see the appeal. The outrageous city pulsed with an almost tangible energy. If New York was the city that never slept, then Las Vegas was its manic twin. With enough disposable income and plenty of unencumbered time, a man could entertain himself here indefinitely.
But not Gavin Kavanagh. He couldn’t wait to go home.
Good lord, Kavanagh. Bullshitting himself was a new low.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. He did want to go home. But there was something else he wanted more. The need writhing inside him was a voracious beast, reminding him that he was smack-dab in the land of legal hookers. For a few hundred bucks, the primeval urge to mate with a woman could be appeased.
He wasn’t going to do it. What kind of man had to pay for sex? Maybe one who was too much of a curmudgeon to play nice with a decent female? To compliment her dress and ask about her day?
If that was the cost of sex as normal people enjoyed, he was out of luck. Pressing his fingertips to his temples, he winced as a shard of pain lanced its way through his head. He’d been up since 3:00 a.m. to catch a flight out of Asheville. Hell, even with a hooker, he might fall asleep before he could take care of business.
Heaving a sigh, he strode off down the street, trying to avoid looking at scantily clad women and signs for “adult” clubs. It was like putting an alcoholic in the middle of a distillery tour.
Weaving his way among tourists and time-share hawkers, he marveled that no one batted an eye at the occasional eccentrically dressed pedestrian. Perhaps Gavin was the oddity tonight.
He walked swiftly, needing the exercise to clear his head and regain control of his libido. It was almost one in the morning back home in Silver Glen. Exhaustion made him weave on his feet, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep unless he was tired to the bone, not as buzzed as he was by the craving to feel a woman’s soft skin and curves.
If he had his way, he’d be able to sublimate his sexual desires. He was a loner. Which meant that women either thought they could change him or were a little scared of him.
As the middle child of seven brothers, he had learned to be self-sufficient at an early age. He’d viewed his younger brothers as babies and wanted to avoid their company. His older brothers had been far too cool to tolerate little Gavin hanging around.
Even the community had unwittingly isolated Gavin. The Kavanagh brood had been referred to as the Three Musketeers—Liam, Dylan and Aidan...and the Three Stooges—Conor, Patrick and James. Gavin was often overlooked, partly because he didn’t make waves.
He liked school. He never got in trouble. And though he grew to six feet in height by the ninth grade and two years later had filled out his gangly frame with muscles, he was often found with his head in a book. He knew how to fight. He could hold his own in a brawl.
But why do that when there were so many more interesting ways to spend his time?
He cut down a side street and followed it several blocks. Then, reversing his original course, he headed toward the hotel. Back here, away from the strip, there were not as many streetlights...less activity...fewer temptations to do something he might regret later. Unfortunately, he was not the only one to choose this route.
As he drew even with an alley that accommodated delivery trucks, he overheard a heated exchange. Pausing just out of sight, he listened.
The female voice surprised him. This was no place for a woman. She made her displeasure clear. “Leave me alone,” she cried. “You can’t have everything your way.”
Gavin peeked around the corner just as the man put his hands on the woman’s shoulders and shook her. The guy was about twice her size. “Stay out of it, Cass,” he said. “Or you’ll be sorry.”
That was enough for Gavin. Hurling himself into the alley, he shouted, “Let go of her.”
The petite dark-haired woman struggled, but the man had her wrists now, holding her hands away from his body. Gavin’s yell distracted the guy for a split second, enabling the woman to land a blow.
“Ow, damn it.”
Gavin seized the opportunity. With one efficient uppercut to the chin, he caused the bully to stagger backward. The guy was huge and wouldn’t have fallen, but his foot slid in loose gravel. He lost his balance and went down hard, his shoulder striking the ground first. He didn’t move.
“Hurry,” Gavin said, taking the woman’s arm and dragging her behind him. “We don’t want to be here when he wakes up.”
“But what if he’s hurt?”
Gavin paused beneath a security light to examine her face with incredulity. “Do you really care?”
Big dark eyes framed in impossibly long lashes stared at him. Small white teeth worried a lower lip that was plump and shiny. “I suppose not,” she said quietly. But she glanced over her shoulder nevertheless.
She was not the kind of woman Gavin needed tonight. Innocence framed her in an almost visible aura. His gut responded to that innocence on a visceral level with caveman lust, but he wanted sex that was hard and fast and insane. This sweet young thing was not in his league. He would scare her to death.
Still...he couldn’t resist the urge to touch her. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “You’re okay,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear.”
Her gaze clashed with his. He felt as if he knew her somehow, a strange sense of déjà vu as if he had dreamed this moment before.
“You’re very kind,” she said.
“No. I’m not. But I don’t like men who use their size to threaten women.” He could have stood there looking at her all night. She made him feel things that confused him. Aroused him.
Dragging his concentration back to the matter at hand, he touched her arm. “We should go now.” He urged her along, glad to see that even wearing four-inch heels, she was able to keep up with him. She kept a death grip on the small purse slung over her shoulder. “My car is parked at the hotel,” he said. “I can give you a ride home.”
“No.” The negative was forceful. “He knows where I live.”
Hell’s bells. “Okay, then. But we need to call the police. You should make a formal complaint.”
It was difficult to carry on a conversation when both parties were almost running. And perhaps speed was no longer called for, because there was no sign they were being followed.
“My side hurts,” she complained. “And I don’t want to involve the police.”
Slowing reluctantly, he exhaled as she leaned against a mailbox, her chest heaving.
He tried not to notice her breasts.
“How much farther?” she asked.
He named the hotel in the next block. “Did he hurt you?” Though the man’s threat had sounded menacing, Gavin hadn’t seen the guy do more than shake the woman, though that was bad enough. The argument had been escalating, however, so no telling what would have happened if Gavin hadn’t been around to stop it.
The woman straightened. “I’m fine.” Her steady gaze took him in with a head-to-toe inspection that made him mildly uncomfortable. “You could take me to your room,” she said. “So I can calm down and catch my breath.”
Gavin froze, his nostrils flaring as if he could actually inhale her scent like a wild animal recognizing its mate. “I don’t know if that’s wise.” Was this some kind of sick cosmic test of his character?
“I won’t bother you. Unless you want me to,” she said with a quick mischievous grin. “But I don’t want to be alone right now. Please.”
God help him, there was sexual interest in those beautiful eyes. He cleared his throat. “If that’s what you want. Let’s go.”
This time, as Gavin traversed the acres of gaming floor in his hotel, he barely noticed the crowd. All his focus was on the woman he had rescued. He held her narrow wrist in one hand, sure he could feel the blood pulsing in her veins as he threaded his way through the throng, pulling her behind him. In the elevator he finally had a chance to see her clearly.
While she stared at the carpeted floor, he studied her, his heart thudding, his muscles jerky with leftover adrenaline. Chin-length curly hair somewhere between dark brown and black framed a heart-shaped face. Though she couldn’t be more than five foot four at most, she appeared taller thanks to the outrageous shoes.
God, he loved those shoes. He could see her wearing nothing but those shoes as he laid her out on his big soft bed.
Down, boy. He told himself he wouldn’t take advantage of her vulnerable state. But he had lied to himself once tonight already.
She was rounded in all the right places, including generous breasts that threatened to spill out of the neckline of her low-cut silver dress. The material was some kind of metallic fabric that sparkled when the lights hit it. Every time she moved, the dress moved with her.
Gavin reeled from the punch of sexual hunger. Any woman would have affected him the same, he told himself. She was nothing special. “What’s your name?” he asked.
When she lifted her head and smiled, the hunger intensified. “Cassidy. Cassidy Corelli. My friends call me Cass. And who are you?”
“Gavin Kavanagh.”
The elevator dinged. Together, they stepped out. Gavin’s room was down the hallway and around the corner. He inserted the key card, opened the door and stood back for his guest to enter.
Cassidy surveyed the plush suite with raised eyebrows. “You’re either a high roller or somebody very important.”
“Not exactly.” He sprawled in an armchair, trying to appear relaxed. It was probably not a good idea to let her see the beast that rode him. “I don’t gamble. My friend was supposed to do the keynote at a conference here, but he got sick. I’m subbing.”
Casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Cassidy slipped off her shoes and went to the minibar. Without waiting for permission, she extracted a soft drink and a jar of macadamia nuts. “Do you mind? I missed dinner, and I’m starving.”
“Help yourself.” When she took the chair opposite his, he nearly swallowed his tongue. The skirt of her dress was unforgiving. As she curled her legs beneath her, he caught a glimpse of bare thighs all the way to the mother lode.
He swallowed hard. “Do you have a phone, or do you need to use mine?”
She took a swig of soda, managing to look entirely comfortable and yet ladylike. “Why do I need a phone?”
“To call the authorities?” Her artless stonewalling scraped his nerves. Was she deliberately tormenting him?
Cassidy wrinkled her small, perfect nose. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea. This is sort of a family squabble.”
His gut tightened. “As in the mob?”
Her jaw dropped. “Good grief, no.”
“Are you married to the guy?” She wasn’t wearing a ring, but that didn’t mean anything. The scene he had interrupted could have been a domestic dispute.
Cassidy stared at him. Her lips were painted the same deep red as her toenails. “I’m not married,” she said, enunciating each word carefully. “I don’t have a significant other. I’m entirely unencumbered. And I don’t have to be anywhere until ten in the morning.”
The look she gave him tightened the back of his neck...and other body parts. Still, caution won out. “Are you a working girl?” he asked. In Vegas it could be hard to tell. Cassidy Corelli more than lived up to male fantasy, but she seemed awfully young.
She pursed her lips, suddenly looking more like a schoolmarm than a woman for hire. “I work,” she muttered, glaring at him. “But not like that. I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered.”
“How old are you?” In other circumstances, he would never ask such personal questions, but he also didn’t want to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.
“I’m twenty-three,” she said flatly, erasing most of his misgivings.
“Good.”
She cocked her head. “Why is that good?”
He gave her a gentle smile. “Because if I follow up on your invitation, I want to make sure I don’t end up in jail.”
“What invitation?” she asked, feigning innocence, though in those huge expressive eyes, feminine excitement lingered.
His customary distrust of unknown women cautioned him to slow down. But Cassidy was light and warmth and spontaneity, all the things that were missing from his life. He was irresistibly drawn to her vibrant personality like the proverbial moth to a flame. But he’d been burned once...badly. So the doubts remained.
“Don’t be coy. A woman doesn’t outline her relationship status quite so succinctly unless she wants a man to know the score.”
“Ah.” Cassidy popped a nut into her mouth and chewed it slowly before swallowing and taking another sip of her drink. “Why don’t you gamble?” she asked.
The non sequitur caught him off guard. He shrugged. “I’m good at math. But the house always wins. I prefer to control the outcome.”
She gave a mock shiver. “So intense. I like that in a man.”
“Is that why you were hanging around with Bozo the Bruiser?”
“Trust me,” she said. “There’s nothing romantic there.”
“What were you arguing about?”
“I’d rather not discuss it.”
“You’re willing to have sex with a stranger, but you won’t answer a simple question?”
She tossed her head and stood up, cheeks flushing. “Who said I’m willing to have sex?”
He gazed at her intently, letting her see the arousal that had built since he looked her over in the elevator. “No games, Cass. You tossed out a pretty blatant lure. Stay or go. Your choice.”
* * *
Cassidy shivered inwardly. Gavin Kavanagh was a man, not a boy. He’d rescued her from what he thought was a dangerous situation, not pausing to consider the consequences. Though she was more than capable of taking care of herself, Gavin’s masculine assurance triggered all sorts of non-PC feminine emotions.
He was a beautiful man. Tall and broad...exuding confidence. The combination made her damp in places she’d rather not ponder. His streaky brownish-blond hair was short and spiky, not expertly styled, but like a man who didn’t care to fool with anything he considered a waste of time.
His gray eyes with the hint of blue were cool and distant at the moment. “Which is it?” The question was rife with masculine demand.
“Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy.” She wanted more time to think about this, but if she let the moment pass, she would never see him again. She was tired of being her father’s good little girl. Everyone expected her to live like a nun. And she had. But why? Her whole life was about work, work, work, and earning the love that should be a gift.
She’d been edgy and stressed for weeks now, arguing with her brother and going head-to-head with her father. Perhaps if she’d had a mother, she could have talked frankly about the fact that she felt like the world’s oldest virgin. About her choice to wait for the right man. And the fact that she’d never even met a guy who honestly tempted her.
Being raised in Vegas had exposed her to a whole lot of mature situations that gave her an insight into all kinds of adult behavior. But it also took some of the bloom off the rose when it came to romance. She was probably holding out for a fantasy that didn’t even exist except in books and movies.
She took a deep breath, feeling a funny spin in the pit of her stomach. To hell with her status as the firstborn who never strayed from the straight and narrow. She could blame Gavin for her sexual epiphany, but truthfully, this moment had been coming for a long time. She’d been saving herself for some unknown white knight, but surprisingly, the tarnished armor of a gruff, no-nonsense, make-my-day kind of guy punched all her buttons.
Though it took a measure of courage and nonchalance she wasn’t sure she could pull off, she went to him and perched on his lap, curling one arm around his neck. “You could kiss me. It might help me make up my mind.”
A firm hand gripped her hip. He smelled amazing. Woodsy cologne and warm male skin. She wanted things from him. Wild things. Wicked things. And that was saying a lot for a girl who had grown up in sin city.
“I should toss you out on your butt,” he muttered. “You’re a menace to the male sex.”
“Really?” Could he be telling the truth?
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
The suspicion in his hard eyes was perhaps warranted, but it stung. “Don’t be that way,” she said. Putting a hand to his stubbly cheek, she smiled wistfully. “I’ll go if you want me to. But I’d really like to stay.”
He made her wait a miserably long time. Maybe thirty seconds. Or more. She actually felt the moment she won the standoff. Though she was technically on top, Gavin took control right out of the gate. One big hand settled in the curls at the back of her head, pulling her down until his lips could reach hers.
“Gavin...” She had no idea what she meant to say. When his mouth settled over hers, her brain short-circuited. He was a great kisser. World-class. On a scale of one to ten, a thirteen. The only unlucky thing about that number was that they were both fully dressed.
He took his time, drawing attention to the fact that her experience was limited at best. Unapologetic, he slid his tongue into her mouth, mimicking the act they both wanted.
When she was starved for oxygen, he pulled back, his heavy-lidded gaze searching hers. “I don’t know why you’re here,” he said gruffly, with perhaps the slightest note of accusation in his voice.
“I can leave.” It would probably be best if she did. What had started as a personal declaration of independence suddenly seemed far more serious.
“Do you do this often?”
The insinuation infuriated her. “No,” she snapped. “How about you?”
He grinned. “Never. Maybe we’re experiencing Vegas madness. I’ve heard about it.”
“I wouldn’t know,” she sniffed. “I’m a native.”
“And I’m a novice.”
“You’re not a novice anything,” she said drily. “But I could show you the sights if you’re interested.”
“I fly home tomorrow.”
“We have tonight.” She was skating a fine line between taking what she wanted and being totally reckless. But after four years of college and two years of grad school without a break, she wanted to know how it felt to be a woman. In every way.
He toyed with the neckline of her dress. The feel of his slightly rough fingertips on her bare skin made her nipples pebble. “The only sights I’m interested in at the moment are in this room.”
The words were flat. Unadorned with emotion. The blaze in his eyes more than made up for it. So much so that she almost chickened out. To him, she had been a damsel in distress. He had acted honorably, protecting her from a perceived enemy. Only a man with high moral standards did that...right?
She’d always been a good judge of character. It was a necessary skill growing up in Vegas, particularly when your family had a lot of money. Every gut instinct she possessed told her that Gavin Kavanagh was one of the good guys. He was leaving in the morning. Was there any point in starting something that would never amount to anything more?
Playing by the rules was a first-child burden. Good grades, never breaking curfew, always trying to satisfy the parental units. Tonight she was damned if she was going to miss out on something incredible because she was too afraid to take a walk on the wild side.
“I’d like to take a shower.” The follow-up didn’t need to be spelled out.
“May I join you?”
So polite. But it wasn’t really a question. She swallowed hard. “I suppose.”
He shifted her out of his lap onto her feet. Her legs felt like overcooked pasta and her heartbeat was none too steady.
“I like your hair.” He ruffled his hand through it, mussing the style.
Every time she thought she had him pinned down, he surprised her. Men in general had little patience when it came to sexual gratification. At least the ones she knew. Gavin, on the other hand, possessed remarkable restraint.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t get shy now.” He chuckled, taking her hand and leading her across the thick carpet that made her toes curl.
The bathroom was palatial and decadent. She spared a glance for the hot tub, but Gavin shook his head. “Later.”
He turned the faucet control in the glass enclosure. Triple showerheads sprouted streams of water. “Last chance.”
They were both still fully clothed except for her shoes. Though he might not like it, she knew she could turn around and leave the suite. He wouldn’t chase after her. Her confidence wavered. Was she really about to get stark naked with a handsome stranger in his opulent shower stall?
She spared a glance in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman who stood there. “Do you have any wine?”
“Needing a bit of Dutch courage, are we?”
“Don’t make fun of me,” she said. “You’re an intimidating man.”
“Which is why you insisted on coming to my room and throwing yourself at me.”
Hot color swept from her throat to her hairline. From where he was standing, it must have seemed that way. How could she explain that he had dazzled her without even trying? “You’ll be disappointed if you think I’m a pro.”
“I thought we already established that you’re not a pro.”
“That’s not what I mean. I haven’t done this kind of thing.”
“Sex? Or seduction?”
“I have not seduced you,” she said primly, secretly charmed that he thought she could.
He nodded briefly, his firm lips curved in a sensual smile. “I’ll admit to being predisposed. You’re a very appealing woman.”
The die was cast. “How about fetching us some of that wine while I get undressed?”
Two (#ulink_611ecef4-8d0d-53f5-9f9f-bf5ce60bdf56)
Gavin’s hands shook as he opened a bottle of Zinfandel. He managed to pour two glasses without spilling anything, but it was a close call. In his bathroom was a naked young female...the most beautiful woman he had seen in a very long time. If he had to create a sexual partner from scratch, she would look a lot like Cassidy Corelli.
Her sun-kissed Mediterranean coloring and cheeky personality were irresistible. He’d never particularly believed in fate as the arbiter of his destiny. He was too much of a control freak for that. But some unseen force or quirk of timing had put him near that alley at exactly the right moment. It was his choice how to proceed.
He carried the wine into the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that Cassidy was already undressed. She had donned one of the hotel’s signature bathrobes. It was much too large for her.
“Most people wait until after the shower to cover up,” he said drily. The acres of terry cloth might as well have been armor. But what his guest didn’t realize was that bare feet and flushed cheeks gave her an air of innocence. The juxtaposition of smart-mouthed banter with youthful naïveté brought tenderness into the mix.
“I was cold,” she said.
Since the bathroom was steamy, he took that with a grain of salt. Though he had turned off the water when he saw they weren’t getting in immediately, the room was plenty warm.
“Drink some wine,” he said, handing her a glass. “It will settle your nerves.”
She scowled at him over the rim of her crystal flute. “Who says I’m nervous?”
Leaning a hip against the counter, he drained half his glass. “Aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be?”
“Not unless you’re a twisted psychopath.”
“It’s a little late to worry about that now, don’t you think?”
She set down the glass of wine she had barely touched and shoved her hands in her pockets. Her chin lifted. “I can read people.”
“Do tell.”
“You were a Boy Scout. Eagle, if I had to guess.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “I’m impressed.”
“So I’m right?” Her pleased smugness amused him.
“One lucky shot doesn’t qualify you to read the Tarot cards.”
“I don’t need cards. You’re an open book.”
He emptied his glass and set it gently on the counter with a little clink. “Then what am I thinking now?” He unfastened his belt and drew it from around his waist. When he dropped it on the floor, he was pretty sure she gulped.
“Stop that,” she said.
“I seldom shower with my clothes on.” His solemn joke lightened the look of panic on her face, though she still eyed him warily.
“Maybe we should get to know each other first.”
“Did I mention that I’m flying out in the morning? Leave if you want to, Cass, but soon. I don’t want to go any further with this if you aren’t sure.”
She paled, her brown eyes round with a mix of emotions he couldn’t decipher. “I want to be sure.”
“But you’re not,” he said, reading her fairly well.
“I thought I could be spontaneous and adventuresome. But it turns out I’m not really that girl.”
He swallowed his disappointment. “I understand. Get dressed and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
She took a step in his direction, placing her small hand on his forearm. “How about a compromise?”
It became painfully clear that Cassidy Corelli didn’t know much about men at all. She was naked for all intents and purposes, in his bathroom, and yet somehow she expected him to play nice. Even her fingers on his skin made him shudder with hunger.
Moving out of reach, he ran two hands through his hair. “What kind of compromise?” He was asking for more physical torture, but he didn’t have it in him to kick her out.
“This is your first trip to Vegas, right?”
“Yes.”
“I could show you the sights for a couple of hours. Enjoy the ambiance.”
“And then what?”
“Whatever we want to do next.”
Her smile seemed genuine. Was she deliberately teasing him, or did she honestly want to go to bed with him but was uncertain about the wisdom of that plan?
He was hard and ready. It wasn’t conceit to think he could coax her into having sex right now. But he’d been raised to be a gentleman. Despite the demands of his body, he was well aware that Cassidy was not 100 percent on board with the idea of intimacy. Even if she had been the one to come on to him in the first place.
The smart thing for both of them would be for him to boot her out before somebody got hurt. He couldn’t give her anything beyond tonight. And it was pretty clear that she was not a woman who went in for casual sex.
But she fascinated him, intrigued him...and he couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman more. He was not in the habit of picking up strange females, especially not ones like Cassidy. Too many unknowns. Too many warning bells.
He’d learned the hard way not to be taken in by a seemingly innocent come-on. Cassidy was more than that, though. He believed it, or told himself he did. Otherwise, he was about to break his personal code into tiny unmanageable pieces.
His desire for her and her undeniable appeal could be blamed on Vegas, but whatever compelled him was strong and urgent.
“Fine,” he said tersely. “Put your clothes on, and we’ll see the sights.” He’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours, but what the hell. Carpe diem it was...God help him.
* * *
When they reached Gavin’s rental car, Cassidy was delighted to see it was a convertible. “Why don’t I drive so you can enjoy yourself?” she said.
Gavin yawned and nodded. “Probably a good idea. I’m sleep-deprived.” He went around to the passenger side. “You’re in charge.”
She didn’t think he meant that statement to be provocative, but the image it conjured made her shift restlessly as she settled behind the wheel. Gavin Kavanagh was an imposing man. Imagining him nude and at her mercy made her mouth dry and her cheeks hot.
Once they folded back the top and exited the parking garage, her passenger slumped in his seat with his head against the headrest. She drove down the strip, pointing out places of interest that were unique to Vegas. The fabulous architecture, the neon lights, the endless spectacle and the marquees touting famous entertainers.
When she paused at a traffic light, Gavin waved a hand. “You love it here, don’t you?”
His perception surprised her. “I suppose I do. We take the good with the bad. There’s nothing like it anywhere in the world.”
“I wasn’t too impressed with Vegas before tonight. You’ve convinced me it has a lot to offer.”
When she glanced sideways at him, the look in his eyes made her shiver. He wanted her. And he planned to have her.
Sweet heaven. Without asking, she turned the car around and headed out of town. She barely remembered her name. Sexual arousal flooded her veins, hot and sweet. Exhilaration, laced with anticipation, made her feel as if she could fly.
Fortunately, gravity kept her grounded. Driving in the desert at night was a special pleasure. The road was straight, traffic sparse and the spring air invigorating.
She was a good driver, and she knew her limits. Pressing down on the gas, she watched the speedometer hit sixty, then seventy, then eighty. In her peripheral vision, she saw Gavin straighten. “I’m not paying for any tickets,” he said.
The implied but laconic warning made her grin. She pushed it to ninety and laughed out loud as the wind tangled her hair. “Don’t worry. I know every law enforcement official in a fifty-mile radius.” She had to raise her voice for him to hear her.
A rush of adrenaline took over, encompassing an odd mix of sexual hunger and sheer fun. Her hands were steady on the wheel. Anticipation rose in her chest like a wave of bubbles. The night was hers...the open road, as well. Earlier, she had panicked, plain and simple. She had second-guessed her decision to change the status quo. But now she was ready. She wanted Gavin Kavanagh, and she wasn’t going to let her inexperience stand in her way.
Only the late hour curtailed her road trip. At last, she eased off on the accelerator and dropped back to a more sedate speed. At a pullout on the right, she slid the car to a stop and turned off the engine. The sudden silence was deafening. Overhead, a million stars twinkled and sparked.
Gavin reached for her before she had a chance to take her hands off the wheel. His kiss was urgent. Thorough. Masterful. She had assumed he was half-asleep. Which proved how wrong a woman could be. This was a hunger that had been building since she went to his hotel room.
The kiss was firm and demanding. It sent little squiggles of lust into every cell of her body. His hands anchored her head, one on each side of her jaw. Tilting her face to his, he ravaged her mouth, barely giving her a moment to breathe.
For Cassidy, it was earth-shattering. She’d never been too impressed with foreplay. In the course of her limited experimentation, it had proven to be awkward and usually disappointing. Apparently her subconscious had recognized Gavin Kavanagh as the man to prove her wrong.
Desperately, she pondered the logistics of getting naked in the backseat. But while she didn’t mind being pulled over for speeding, getting caught in sexual flagrante delicto was another matter entirely. This was Vegas, true. But her father would have a coronary, and this was not a time she wanted to court his displeasure.
Gavin had more control than she did, apparently. He eventually gentled the kiss and released her, though his chest heaved. “You dazzle me, Cassidy Corelli.”
His rough praise stroked her ego. Coming from a man like Gavin, that was a compliment worth savoring. “The feeling is mutual.”
He snorted. “You sound like a little girl practicing her social etiquette. Tell me honestly. Why are you here in this car with me?”
“I really don’t know,” she said, recognizing the truth as she spoke it. “But I never had a choice. There’s something about you I can’t resist.” She paused, grimacing. “We get lots of flimflam artists in Vegas. Con men, gaming sharks, wannabe Don Juans. So I’ve learned how to spot them. But you’re different, Gavin Kavanagh. You’re the real deal. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do...”
He leaned back in his seat with a sigh, but he took her hand in his. “This is the first time all day I’ve felt comfortable. The stars are just as bright in North Carolina.”
His thumb played lightly over the pulse point at the back of her wrist, making her dizzy. “Do you live at the beach?” she asked.
“No. In a place called Silver Glen. It’s in the western part of the state...in the mountains. My ancestors discovered a silver mine back in the day and restored the family fortunes after the Depression.” He pointed to a group of stars. “Do you know your astronomy? Those are the Pleiades...the seven sisters. And over there is Orion. The fuzzy spot in his dagger is a nebula.”
“You’re very smart, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “Any third grader worth his salt can spot those.”
She half turned in her seat, forcing him to release her hand. She couldn’t see his expression very well. “There’s one more place I need to go, just a quick stop, and then I’d very much like to return to your hotel. For real this time. You know...to—”
He put a hand over her mouth. “Don’t say it out loud. I’m on a hair trigger. But I’m trying to behave myself.”
A sudden gust of wind made her shiver. At night the desert temperatures plummeted. She wanted to cuddle into the warmth of his embrace, but if she did, they might not make it back to the hotel. And while she was prepared to lose her innocence with him, she would prefer her first time to be in more traditional surroundings.
She settled for nipping his fingers with her teeth. The naughty bite drew a groan and a curse from him. He gripped her shoulders. “You’re playing with fire, Cass. I’m not averse to taking you over the hood of the car. Is that what you want?”
The possibility that he might decide to do just that made her melt inside. She could see herself, spread-eagled, Gavin lifting her skirt from behind and moving against her. She felt lost in an emotional desert, desperate for water. The inside of her mouth was like sand. “No.” Yes. Yes. Yes.
He released her and sat back in his seat. “Then let’s get out of here.”
* * *
Gavin wondered if she had spiked his wine somehow. He was more aroused than he could ever remember, his body trembling with the need to mate with hers. Perhaps it was the magic of this perfect night or her radiant beauty or the laughter they shared. But whatever the reason, he scarcely knew himself.
Going along with her lead was a signal of his trust, though he might be falling through a rabbit hole for the second time in his life. His hunger eradicated most of his reservations, though the wariness lurked at a subterranean level. Once they were back in sight of neon and fake waterfalls and massive pleasure palaces, it occurred to him to ask where they were going.
Cassidy gave him an impish grin. “No visit to Vegas is complete without seeing an all-night wedding chapel. My cousin is an Elvis impersonator. I want you to meet him. Besides, I promised him I’d stop by and see him tonight, because he’s bored.”
“Now?” It was the wee hours of the morning.
“Yeah. Robbie is being punished with the overnight shift for a few weeks. He didn’t renew his license when he was supposed to, and he married several couples whose weddings turned out to be illegal. He almost got fired over it, but the boss has a soft spot for him, because Robbie can actually sing. So while they’re waiting for his new license, he’s stuck vacuuming the chapel and doing paperwork.”
“What happens if a couple actually comes in wanting to get married?”
“Robbie calls the boss and wakes him up so he can dash over here.” She parked the car at the curb in front of an improbably pink edifice decorated with white doves. It looked as if a bottle of Pepto-Bismol had thrown up.
“Good lord. Do people actually do this?”
Cassidy shook her head as she got out of the car. “You’d be surprised.”
Inside, Robbie was visibly grateful for the company. “How’s it hangin’, Cass? I haven’t seen you since Uncle Bobo’s birthday party.”
“I’m good,” Cass said. “This is my friend Gavin.”
Robbie appeared to be about the same age as Cass, but it was hard to tell for sure. He wore a white Elvis suit with a matching cape lined in electric-blue satin. His hair, and it looked real, was coal black with huge sideburns. “Very nice to meet you, sir.”
Gavin winced inwardly. Sir? Did he really look that old? “Cassidy has been giving me a tour of Vegas. She said we had to stop here to make the night complete.”
Cass’s eyes met his. She shot him a look to which Robbie was oblivious...a look that said something entirely different would make the night complete. Gavin’s brow dampened. How long could a man wait for a woman like this?
Robbie lifted a hand. “Follow me. I’ll show you the Chapel of Love.”
When Gavin muttered under his breath, Cass smacked his hand. “Be nice,” she whispered. “This is the first job Robbie has been able to keep. We try to encourage him.”
Gavin curbed his impatience as Robbie gave them the grand tour. When they stood in front of the altar, Robbie donned a white robe and stepped behind the podium. “Take her hands,” he said pompously.
“Is this a shotgun wedding?” Gavin was only half kidding. But he took Cassidy’s hands in his and faced her.
His faux bride frowned. “Not to worry. We don’t have the paperwork. But I’m pretty sure Robbie could use the practice, if you don’t mind.”
Robbie grimaced. “Forgot something already.” He stepped to one side and picked up a bottle of champagne. Popping the cork with a surprisingly practiced motion, he filled two flutes and handed one to Cassidy and one to Gavin.
Cassidy took a sip. “Wait a minute. Are you going to charge me for this?”
“On the house,” Robbie said, snickering.
Gavin drained his drink, eager to finish whatever it took to get Cassidy back to his hotel room. When the room spun just a tad, he second-guessed the champagne.
Cass set her mostly full glass aside and took his hand again. “Go ahead, Robbie. What comes next?”
“Um...” He fumbled for his notes. “Do you, Cassidy Lavinia Corelli, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Gavin grinned. “Lavinia?”
His bride scowled at him. “Oh, hush.” She turned to Robbie. “You’re doing fine,” she said. “And yes, I do.”
Robbie gave Gavin a sober stare that lost something in the translation thanks to his attire. “Do you, Gavin...?” He stumbled to a halt.
“Gavin Michael Kavanagh...” Gavin felt sorry for the kid if he was really this inept when it came to his job.
“Do you, Gavin Michael Kavanagh, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
For a split second, Gavin felt the earth shift beneath his feet. His brain was mush, definitely impaired thanks to lack of sleep and alcohol. But one thing was perfectly clear. If he had ever daydreamed of his wedding day—and that was something a guy definitely did not do—the woman he might have envisioned would be a clone of Cassidy Corelli.
Clearing his throat, he forgot about the late hour and the goofy Elvis and the fact that he hated Vegas. Instead, he looked into long-lashed eyes that were clear and guileless. A tiny smile played around lips curved into a perfect ruby bow. The only flaw he could see was her wind-tossed hair, and even that wasn’t so bad, because it made him think of sex.
Robbie backed up and started again. “Do you, Gavin—”
Gavin held up his hand, stopping the vow prompt midsentence. Gripping Cassidy’s fingers, he imagined what it was going to feel like when she was soft and naked in his bed. “I do,” he muttered. “I definitely do. And now I’m going to kiss my bride.”
Three (#ulink_ffd2a555-2bec-59a3-8aa9-30b1f41e6ac2)
Cassidy had heard the term swept off her feet, but she had never actually experienced the phenomenon. The moment when Gavin scooped her up against his chest was both emotionally and physically exhilarating. Her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered.
It was ridiculously retro to be aroused by a man’s physical strength, but damn...Gavin Kavanagh was a sexy beast. Ever since Rhett Butler carried Scarlett O’Hara up that grand staircase to have his wicked manly way with her, women had secretly judged a guy’s swoon factor by how easily he could heft his lover.
Cassidy could stand to lose ten pounds. But Gavin lifted her as if she weighed no more than a child. Oh, my...
She tasted desperation in his kiss, laced with a nuance of the nice champagne. Her breasts were squished up against a hard rib cage. Kissing him back eagerly, she might have forgotten a thing or two. Like the fact that they had a witness.
Robbie moved restlessly. When she sneaked a sideways peek at him, he was slack-jawed, perhaps stunned. “I need to get back to the office,” he muttered. “You two can show yourselves out.”
Cassidy wiggled until Gavin released her. There was a look in his eyes that made her a little crazy. But she concentrated on her cousin. “Thanks for showing us around, Robbie.”
“Thanks for stopping by to see me.” He lifted a hand. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
She hugged him and kissed his cheek. “You’ll get the hang of this. Just stick with it.”
Moments later, the little chapel was silent. Gavin crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her with an expression that could have meant anything.
Following an impulse, she held out her hand. “Let me have your phone. I want you to have a picture to remember me by.”
She was somewhat bemused when he cooperated. Scooting up against him, she tapped a couple of icons and held the phone at arm’s length. “We have to document this night.”
Unfortunately, her arms were short and Gavin was tall. She couldn’t actually hold the camera far enough away.
He took it out of her hand. “Give me that.” With one hard arm curled around her waist and the other extended, he framed the two of them in the small screen. “Say cheese,” he muttered.
Just as he hit the button, she reached up and kissed him on the chin. Afterward, she bounced on her toes. “Let me see, let me see.”
The shot was surprisingly sweet. She studied Gavin’s face in the image. Even if she hadn’t met him in person, she would be impressed with the man in the picture. He looked like a throwback to the steely-eyed cowboys of the past. All brooding machismo and sizzling intensity. “I like it,” she said. “You’re very photogenic.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “No. I’m not. Let’s get out of here.”
She followed him obediently, smothering a smile. Apparently a man like Gavin took her compliment as an affront to his masculinity. Since she had wounded his pride, she held out the car keys. “I don’t have to drive.”
He shook his head and slid into the passenger seat. “Yes, you do,” he said, his eyelids drifting shut. “I’m taking a nap between here and the hotel so I’ll have the energy to rock your world.”
Laughing out loud at his tongue-in-cheek boast, she started the car. Maybe he was serious. He didn’t even flinch when she whipped out into traffic. But minutes later when she eased into a spot in the parking garage, he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.
Cassidy glanced at the dashboard. “Almost four.”
He grimaced. “There’s something unnatural about a city where no one sleeps.”
“They sleep,” she protested, vaguely defensive about her hometown. “But not necessarily from midnight until morning.” Though Gavin Kavanagh would never be anything other than handsome, he definitely looked the worse for wear. Dark circles beneath his eyes and a pale undertone to his skin bespoke his exhaustion. “I should go,” she said impulsively, squashing her disappointment. “You need to get some rest before you fly out.”
The look he gave her sizzled nerve endings in some very interesting places. “I can sleep when I’m dead,” he growled. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The arrogance was justified given her propensity for throwing herself at him tonight. But it rankled nevertheless. “Is that a threat?”
He cupped her neck with one hand and pulled her into his kiss. “Call it what you want, Cassidy Corelli. But if I’m going to be a guinea pig in your goofy cousin’s wedding charade, then I think I’m entitled to a fake honeymoon, too.” He claimed her mouth with knee-weakening mastery. “C’mon, Cass. I need a bed. ASAP.”
“Because you’re tired?”
He got out and came around to her door, helping her to her feet. “Because I need you. Now.”
* * *
Gavin had never been more serious or more desperate to have a woman. Granted, it had been several months since the last time he’d been naked with a female. In addition to his youthful catastrophic history in misjudging the fairer sex, when he lost himself in his work, his hermit leanings tended to take over. He liked people. But solitude gave him energy. Sharpened his mind. Spurred his creativity.
When it came to Cassidy, however, he was neither clearheaded nor particularly intelligent. His brain was not in the driver’s seat. He wanted her. Fiercely. Madly. In a way that wiped out all his normal reservations. With an insanity no doubt induced by sleep deprivation and champagne and recent celibacy. But insanity nevertheless.
Later, he would not be able to recall the exact sequence of steps that took them from the artificially illuminated parking garage to the thickly carpeted hallway where his room was located. But through it all, he kept Cassidy by his side, hip to hip, his arm around her shoulders.
She laughed at him when he fumbled the key card from his shirt pocket and took three tries to open the door. “Are you sure this is your room?” she whispered.
The door swung wide. “Don’t you remember? You were here not that long ago.”
She passed him, entering the suite with a swish of hips and a low chuckle that went straight to his gut and hardened his aching sex even more. “All these hallways look alike.”
The door closed with a muffled sound. For the first time, his charming, funny tour guide seemed momentarily abashed. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. Graceful hands fluttered as if not knowing where to land.
He restrained the urge to grab her, an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Problem, Cass?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
The simple negative didn’t sound convincing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She kicked off her shoes as she had earlier, still not looking at him. “Would you mind if I take a quick shower...alone?”
He frowned, immediately suspicious. “If you think waiting will make me want you more, you’re crazy. I’m far past teasing, I promise you.”
Her chin came up at last and she grimaced. “I’ve never showered with a man. It may not seem like it, but I’m shy in certain situations. I won’t linger, I swear. I want this, too.”
Something about the vulnerability and honesty in her bittersweet chocolate gaze convinced him she wasn’t playing games.
Nodding tersely, he put some distance between them. “Go, then.”
When she disappeared, he drew in oxygen with a sharp inhale. Was Cassidy Corelli some kind of scam artist? Would he awake to find his billfold missing? Or was she what she seemed...an artless, far-too-young-for-him ingenue with a propensity for flirtation?
He paced automatically, doing everything he could think of to get himself under control. The last woman he’d slept with had been an artist in Asheville. They’d met at the home of mutual friends and acted on a quiet attraction that proved to be physically satisfying. Despite having much in common, their relationship had ended after six months due to a lack of fire.
That wasn’t going to be a problem with Cassidy. Though this current encounter had all the earmarks of a one-night stand, what he felt at this pivotal moment was far more volatile than simple attraction. It wasn’t that he wanted Cass. He craved her...with an intensity that alarmed his well-ordered existence.
Thankfully, she was true to her word. She reappeared in a very short amount of time wearing the same robe she had modeled earlier. He cleared his throat. “All done?”
She nodded, staring at him.
“Give me three minutes,” he said. In the shower, he washed rapidly. The taut skin covering his erect sex was almost too sensitive to touch. Imagining Cassidy’s fingers on his body made him groan.
When he stepped out of the shower, he caught his reflection in the mirror. It gave him pause. His eyes glittered with feral hunger, and his cheekbones were slashed with hot color. Every vestige of civilized male had been stripped away. He shuddered, closing his eyes as he imagined the moment when his body would penetrate hers.
She was so alive. He wanted some of that warmth for himself. Whether he had isolated himself deliberately or whether it had been a quirk of his birth order, he found it difficult to let people get close. With Cassidy, it was the opposite. He wouldn’t be satisfied until they shared the same space, the same air, the same hushed anticipation.
His hair was still wet when he tucked a towel around his hips and returned to the living room. He found Cassidy sitting on the edge of a chair, feet planted flat on the floor, knees pressed together. She looked like a schoolgirl waiting for punishment to be doled out.
“Are you ready?”
She jerked when he spoke, as if she had been lost in thought. He saw her throat move as she swallowed. “Of course.” She stood up so fast she stumbled and had to catch herself on the arm of the chair.
If he could have reached out a hand, he would have, but he was afraid that if he touched her, he would take her right there on the carpet. Extending an arm in the direction of the bedroom, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “After you, Cass.”
When she slid by him, careful not to touch, he caught a whiff of the shower gel he had rubbed over his own skin. The scent got in his head, imprinting her in his psyche.
Beside the king-size bed, she paused, her back to him. “Do you have condoms?”
“Of course.” Though he had forgotten to fetch them from his shaving kit in the bathroom. In moments he rectified that glaring omission. Tossing a handful of packets onto the small bedside table, he glanced at the clock. It would be dawn soon.
Placing a hand on her narrow shoulder, he turned her around. Without her outrageous heels, the top of her head barely reached his collarbone. Using one finger, he tipped up her chin so he could see her eyes. Though she was by no means a helpless woman, her small frame seemed delicate next to his.
The expression in her gaze was difficult to read. Despite the fact that her hands rested trustingly at his waist, he sensed defensiveness in her posture. Perhaps she, too, saw the disparity in their physical sizes and felt threatened.
“I would cut off my arm before I would hurt you,” he said. “I may be under the spell of a wicked arousal, but I’m not an animal. All you have to do is say stop...anytime. Do you believe me?”
She searched his face. “Yes,” she said. Only that one word, but it was enough.
She had tied the sash of the robe tightly at her waist. If the knot was supposed to slow him down, she didn’t know much about men. He dispatched it in seconds and slid the entire garment off her shoulders and down her arms. When it fell to her feet, he thought he heard her gasp. Or maybe it was him.
All night he’d been desperate to hold her...to take her...to make her his. Now that the time had come, he had to pause a moment to take it all in. “You’re beautiful,” he said. The compliment was trite and commonplace and totally inadequate to convey the truth.
A more feminine woman, he had yet to find. Her skin was golden, a light, warm color that conjured up Italian olive groves and barefoot maidens running laughingly from ardor-filled suitors. Her glossy hair, black as a raven’s wing, curled around his finger when he tested a strand.
He tried to fix his attention above her neck, but it was impossible not to notice the bounty below. Full, rounded breasts...curved hips...pert bottom. He scooped her into his arms, though the bed was no distance at all. It was a ploy to test the softness of her skin, to relish the naked magnificence that was Cassidy Corelli.
Her arms linked around his neck. “When do I get to undress you?”
“It’s only a towel. I’m pretty sure we can manage.”
“I notice it’s kind of poochy in front.”
Her mischievous teasing made him want to smile in the midst of his sexual frustration. “Are you calling me fat?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
“You don’t seem to be in other places,” she said. “But there’s definitely a bulge beneath that terry cloth.”
He flipped back the covers and dropped her on the bed. Her breasts jiggled nicely when she bounced. “Feel free to investigate.”
Sprawling beside her, he settled on his back. What he wanted was to pounce and take. But then again, anticipation was half of the pleasure. It took everything he had, even so, to feign relaxation.
Cassidy reared up on one elbow, fascination in her gaze as she looked him over. “I guess you work out.” When she placed a hand, palm flat, on his abs, he flinched. It was too much and not enough.
“I’m not much for gyms,” he said. “But where I live we spend a lot of time outdoors.” His skin was several shades darker than hers for that reason. Except for a pale strip around his hips, he was tanned all over. He and his brothers had ranged free as kids, playing wild in the woods until they’d heard the bell summoning them to dinner.
She traced a scar below his rib cage. “What’s this?”
“My brother Dylan shot me with a bow and arrow when we were in grade school.”
“That’s terrible,” she exclaimed.
When she ran a fingertip over the puckered, long-ago-healed wound, he squirmed. “He didn’t mean to. He was aiming for a squirrel. I ran into the line of fire at the wrong moment.” The words were guttural, barely audible. He had broken out in a cold sweat, every cell in his body leaning toward the moment when she would remove the towel that tented lewdly upward.
Finally, when he thought he couldn’t bear it a second longer, Cassidy curled her fingers beneath the edge of the damp towel and tugged. He lifted his hips. She finished the job.
“Holy crap.” Her eyes widened. “Do you have a license to carry that thing?”
His penis was neither abnormally large nor embarrassingly small. But Cass stared at it as if she had unearthed a rare and exotic treasure. Her rapt regard increased its length and girth another increment.
“Trust me, Cassidy. We’ll be a perfect fit.”
Without replying, she wrapped one small hand around his shaft and squeezed lightly. He closed his eyes, holding his breath, as yellow spots danced against a black canvas. God in heaven. He was a goner.
Fluid leaked from the head. His would-be lover touched the slick wetness. Then she placed her fingertip in her mouth, tasting the evidence of his arousal. She seemed enthralled. Or perhaps postponing the inevitable out of some misguided notion that she was in control.
His patience eroded like sand in the midst of a storm. “Enough,” he groaned. Forcing her onto her back, he used one hand to spread her thighs. Her sex was perfection, pink and wet and inviting. She smelled like lemons and need.
It never occurred to him to warn her before he tasted her essence. Her shriek might have awakened half the hotel had not the walls been so very well insulated. She shoved at his head. “Stop that. It tickles.”
He had told her she could call a halt at any point. He just hadn’t expected it to be now. Resting his forehead on her firm, soft thigh, he breathed harshly. “What’s wrong? Surely you’ve had oral sex before.”
“Of course I have. You startled me, that’s all.”
“Then may I continue?”
Her silence lasted about as long as it took earth to turn on its axis. Eons. Decades. “Cass?” He shivered like a man with ague.
“Yes...”
Her response was a tiny breathless syllable.
Returning to his task, he set about making her absolutely as insane as she had made him. Even as he pleasured her slowly, images filled his head. Driving hell-bent on a dark Nevada highway. Kissing wildly in the middle of the desert. Watching her body move like poetry in motion beneath that silver dress. Standing in front of an Elvis impersonator and promising forever.
At this precise moment all of it seemed perfectly reasonable.
He felt the instant when she neared the edge. Her hips lifted off the mattress. He held her down. Her breathing accelerated. He bit gently at the spot where she was most sensitive.
Holding Cassidy Corelli as she climaxed made every criticism he’d ever expressed about Vegas fade away into nothingness.
This was her town. And he’d staked a claim.
Four (#ulink_1dc5d360-4d08-5293-9285-9e612506fcda)
Gavin shifted up in the bed so he could kiss her. On the mouth. The room was dim. When he moved his lips over hers, he was alarmed to taste salty tears. “Are you crying?” he asked, aghast.
She cupped his cheek. “Only a little,” she whispered. “I didn’t know it could feel that good.”
“I haven’t even gotten started yet.” He said it to make her smile, but damned if it wasn’t the truth.
“You’re a dangerous man, Gavin Kavanagh.”
“Dangerous how?”
“Addictive. Like gambling or alcohol.”
“Are you saying I’m bad for you?”
“Maybe. Probably.”
“Isn’t that why people come to Vegas? To sow their wild oats? To cast off convention and morality? To take a walk on the wild side?”
As he argued his case, he stroked her breasts. They filled his hands as if she’d been created just for him. Not too large, not too small. He was beginning to think everything about her was eerily perfect. As if he were dreaming and any moment he would wake up and find the TV running some lower-than-B-movie porn flick.
He shook his head, trying to clear the fog and the feeling that he was letting down his guard at the worst possible moment. Cassidy’s pert nipples fascinated him. Her little pants and groans urged him on as he played with the sensitive nubs.
She tossed her head, her hands gripping the sheets as he tormented them both. He usually preferred long hair on women, but Cass’s chin-length curls framed her face and suited her personality so well, he couldn’t imagine her any other way.
At last, he knew he couldn’t hold out any longer. Testing her readiness with two fingers, he found her damp and welcoming. He grabbed a condom and rolled it on. As he moved between her legs and positioned himself at her entrance, he felt a flicker of unease. “Do you want this, Cass? No regrets in the cold light of day?”
At twenty-three, he’d been an immature ass. But Cassidy seemed far older than her years. Surely she knew her own mind.
Her smile was small but genuine. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Surging forward, he cursed softly as the welcoming caress of her body squeezed him like a velvet fist. But icy shock slithered down his spine when he met with resistance. “Cassidy? Hell, Cass... Are you a...? Is this your...?”
Disbelief rendered him speechless. Along with another shot of suspicion and cynical doubt.
Slender legs wrapped around his waist. “Don’t be mad. I know what I’m doing, Gavin. I realized not long after I set foot in your hotel room earlier tonight that I wanted you to be my first. It took me a little while to make up my mind, but I’m so glad I met you.”
Something about that statement struck him at a raw spot, but he didn’t have the mental acuity to process why. Instead, he focused on her deliberate omission. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You would have left. Accused me of being too young for you. Done the noble thing and denied yourself.”
To hear her assess him so accurately stung. “Or I would have taken what you offered regardless.”
Her smile was wry. “I don’t think so.”
It wasn’t as if he had a choice now. It would cripple him to leave this bed. Dazed and exhausted, he didn’t have the strength of will to call a halt to things. She said she wanted this. And lord knows, he did.
Gently, he pressed forward. Her helpless wince stopped him cold. “I’ve never done this with a virgin,” he croaked. “It’s going to hurt you, Cass.”
“Only for a minute. We’ll muddle through, sweet man.”
He was selfish and emotionally withdrawn and often cranky. Clearly, she didn’t know him at all. He was torn in a dozen different directions. His body clawed for release like a junkie craving a hit. His brain shouted a warning. But Cass had done something to him. He couldn’t bear the thought that this moment might be as bad for her as it was good for him.
Her fingernails dug into his butt cheeks. “It’s okay, Gavin. I like it, really.”
It was a brave lie, but nothing could disguise her cry when he pushed the final distance and found himself seated fully within her inner embrace. “I’m sorry, Cass,” he muttered. It killed him to know he had caused her pain.
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s not so bad now. I like how you feel inside me. Big and thick. Filling me up.” Little flutters caressed his length as she exercised muscles that would give them both pleasure. “This is good. Truly. You’ve already given me an orgasm. It’s your turn. Take what you need. I won’t break.”
Her altruism was charming but misguided. He would only go the distance if he could take her with him. He began to move slowly, shallow thrusts that applied pressure where her recent climax had left her ultrasensitive.
“Gavin!”
He knew the moment she crested again. Determined to make her forget the initial unpleasantness, he moved in her with care, staving off his own release until he felt her shudder and cry out.
Then it was all or nothing. He took her wildly, almost insensate, his world flaring into a hot white light before going black as incredible pleasure washed over him and carried him to a place of peace and unconsciousness.
* * *
Cassidy had done her share of impulsive things during her short life, but this was the most cataclysmic. Her body still hummed with aftershocks of sensation that made her toes curl against the soft cotton sheets.
Gavin Kavanagh was magnificent. Too bad she hadn’t met him at a different time and place. If her father discovered that she had initiated sex with a virtual stranger, he would freak out, and he would certainly never take her seriously. He would question her judgment, and rightly so.
Now that school was done, it was the pivotal moment for her to take her long-coveted position at her father’s side, despite her brother’s wishes. It wasn’t exactly a job that could be transferred cross-country, even if Gavin had been interested in more than a fling.
Still, she didn’t have any regrets. Most of the guys she knew were shallow and egocentric. Boys, really. Not men. Not like Gavin. She ran a hand over his hard male chest, feeling the faint dusting of hair, the delineation of muscles, the flat belly. He was beautifully built.
When she moved lower to touch him more intimately, a large male hand clamped down on her wrist. “Give me five minutes, Cass. I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours and you just turned me inside out.” But even as his rough-toned voice asked for mercy, his sex flexed and lifted.
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