Twins On The Way. Janice Maynard

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СКАЧАТЬ 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 СКАЧАТЬ