Dark Promise. M. L. Guida

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СКАЧАТЬ She stared. “Well, did you?”

      Cassandra’s heart skipped a beat. She stepped into her long underwear and pulled them midway up her leg. “Lilly.”

      The man had reduced her to an out-of-control sauna. She was surprised their scorching heat hadn’t melted the snow into a puddle.

      Lilly laughed. “Looking at your face, yeah, you did.”

      Cassandra jerked her long underwear up her left leg. “Shut up.”

      Lilly crossed her legs. “Each time we come up to Frisco, we go to that park. I swear you’re obsessed with it.”

      “Maybe.” Cassandra pulled her hair into a ponytail. Outside the frosted window, snow drifted onto the quiet street and aspen and pine trees shimmered in the morning sun. “Frisco’s beautiful in the winter. I love it up here.”

      “Okaaay.” Lilly stood and walked to her suitcase. She shook her head as she pulled out a navy University of Denver sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. “You’re tripping girl.”

      “I swear someday I’ll buy a house next to Walter Byron Park.”

      “You keep saying.” Lilly pulled on her pants and gave her a doubtful smile.

      Cassandra folded her arms. “You watch. I will.” How could she tell Lilly the park was her home, her own personal sanctuary?

      Winter or summer, Cassandra had often walked along the path or sat at picnic bench. She loved listening to the roaring music of the thundering Ten Mile River that propelled her troubles down its path. She’d gone there to heal after Luke cheated on her. He hadn’t tried to apologize instead justifying his infidelity and telling their friends she was the Frigid Snow Queen. For the last couple of weeks, she had cried her eyes out.

      Homes near Walter Byron Park cost over five hundred thousand dollars, but she’d find a way. She might not be J.K. Rowling, but somehow she’d get the money.

      “Hon,” Lilly said, straightening her sweatshirt. Her trim figure rivaled a high school senior’s, but she was a high-powered attorney, who would sell her mother to win a case. “I hate to do this to you, but speech and language therapists don’t bring in the dough. I don’t know why you’re going back to school for your masters in speech. Go to law school or business school.”

      “I don’t want to be a lawyer or a business woman. I can be a speech and language therapist and live in Frisco.” She blotted her lips on a tissue and threw it in the trash.

      Lilly lifted her hands. “All right, all right. Forget I brought it up.”

      Tired of this argument, Cassandra put her hands on her hips. “You want some coffee?”

      “Sounds good to me. Are you going back to Copper?”

      Holding her sweater and ski pants, Cassandra sat on her bed. “Yeah, I want to use the last of my four passes. I wish you could go.”

      Lilly flicked her hair behind her shoulders. “Me, too, but I’ve got to pack to go out of town tomorrow. Can’t wait to go to Indianapolis in the winter time.”

      “That’s what you get the big bucks for.” With her brand new shiny black Cadillac Escalade parked outside, Lilly wasn’t hurting for money. Cassandra couldn’t afford to buy the Escalade's hubcaps. One day without her expensive jewelry, designer clothes or chic restaurants, Lilly would go into shock.

      Lilly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. When I get back, we’ll go to Winter Park one last time.”

      Cassandra pulled her sweater over her head and yanked on her white ski pants. “You’re on.”

      Cassandra and Lilly headed down the stairs for breakfast. The aroma of waffles, sausages, eggs and coffee made Cassandra’s mouth water.

      Cassandra headed for the coffee table with three silver coffee urns and poured herself a cup. She doctored it with half and half.

      “Let’s go sit by the window,” Lilly said.

      “Sure.” She followed Lilly to a two top green table between a young couple and a group of women. Outside a bay window, the snow fluttered onto the quiet street. Carrying her cup, Cassandra slipped between the tables.

      One of the women said, “He’s so damn yummy.”

      The man of her dreams sat reading a newspaper at a table set for two, but this look-alike had on a tight black sweater that covered his broad chest. She was drawn to those bulging arms, remembering how he’d held her tight last night.

      Her heart pounded blood between her temples. Oh, shit. It couldn’t be.

      Lilly ran into her. “Cassandra, what’s wrong?”

      Cassandra shook her head. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. She was skiing out of control down a run about to hit a huge pine tree dead on.

      “Cassandra, what’s going on?” Lilly spoke too loudly, and the man glanced up from his coffee.

      Their eyes met and she remembered how his had burned with passion. He raised his eyebrow.

      Cassandra winced. Had he guessed what she was thinking?

      In her dreams, he had smoldering dark brown eyes. She had run her hands over his naked chest, exploring every rippling muscle, every sculpted crevice. How could the man from her sexy dreams be sitting in a green Avalon chair next to the patio doors?

      Her fingers itched to run through his thick black hair the way she had done in the dream to see if it felt as silky as it had been last night. His kisses had left her skin chafed and she loved it, craved it. Heat swept over her body.

      “You’re white as a ghost.” Lilly snapped her fingers in front of Cassandra’s face. “Hello, Earth to Cassandra?”

      “God, I’m losing my mind.”

      Lilly grabbed Cassandra’s arm. “Come on.” She marched her across the room to their table. “Now sit. You’re pale as a ghost.”

      Heat rushed over Cassandra’s cheeks. Lilly sat across from her and gave her a quizzical look. Dizziness swept over Cassandra. She put her elbows on the table and rested her forehead in her palms.

      Lilly tapped her long red nail on the table. “What is your problem?”

      Cassandra’s stomach tightened and she whispered, “It’s him.”

      Lilly scanned the room. “Him. Him who?”

      “You know the guy I keep dreaming about?” She hoped the man couldn’t hear.

      “Yeah, so?”

      “Well,” She leaned closer. “He resembles the man sitting over there.”

      “He’s cute, very cute.” She turned and winked at Cassandra. “You wish, girl.” She put both of her hands on the table and stood. “You can sit here and drool, but I’m getting coffee.”

      Lilly was right. She had to get a hold СКАЧАТЬ