“Because I don’t exactly trip her trigger.”
“Then she’s not worth your time.” With a scowl, Al fell into family defense mode. “You’re too good to put up with a bitch who can’t see what a great guy you are.”
“She not a bitch. But I could use your help to get her attention if you’re willing.”
The little boy, never far below the surface, popped up in Al’s eager grin. “What do you need from me?”
“Not much. Just be your usual social self.”
****
When yet another bartender passed her by, Kate let out an exasperated sigh.
Seriously?
Even the female member of the staff seemed to look above her head. She needed a freaking drink to help her forget about how much she’d wanted to stay in Connor’s arms. She had no one to vent to—Savannah and Gavin had ditched—and the inexplicable desire wouldn’t let up. He looked so damned potent in his tux. The athletic cut jacket emphasized his muscular shoulders and lean hips—a body designed to make a woman beg or yield to his every whim in any way he demanded.
Shaking off the sexy thought, she tried to stand on the stool, but her dress wouldn’t allow it. In fact, she seemed to be stuck. The fabric pressed tightly beneath her knees, ensuring she could not lift her leg up or down.
“Excuse me.”
She tipped her head back to stare into the golden-brown eyes of a gorgeous Arabian sheik. Well, he looked like one anyway. How embarrassing could one evening get? The slick material of her dress slid on the leather seat cushion, and she grabbed for something to stop her fall. Her fingers closed around the man’s jacket lapel, and the night got worse.
He caught her to his chest. A big hand settled at the base of her spine, a couple fingers dangerously low. “Seems you could use some help.”
Before she could regain her balance enough to get down with a bit of dignity, he boosted her upward and set her on the bar top. She clutched at his shoulders to keep from falling but quickly let go.
He snapped his fingers, and two bartenders practically raced to serve him. “What’ll you have, baby girl?”
“Kate.”
“Never heard of it.” A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. “What’s in it?”
The bartenders and nearby guests chuckled with him.
Smart ass
. “Not you, that’s for sure.”
The sheik’s laugh burst forth, loud and rich. “Touché, baby girl.”
With a groan, she shook her head and turned to the closest bartender. “Double Amaretto neat.”
The stranger dropped a twenty on the counter and ordered an Irish Whiskey for himself. “A purist in heels. Hard to find.”
She shook her head. “Are you always so arrogant?”
Holding out his hand, he waited until she offered hers. Long fingers closed around her palm. “Alonso Wallace but call me Al.”
“Connor’s cousin by any chance?”
“Yep. How do you know, Con?” He boosted himself onto the counter beside her. One of the bartenders protested, but he ignored the command to get down.
His broad shoulders invaded her space, and she shifted away from his imposing presence. “We’ve been friends for years. He and I have a mutual passion for the corner coffee shop near my apartment.”
He shook his head. “He hates coffee. Won’t drink the stuff.”
Obviously, the man did not know his own relative. “He has a double espresso every morning.”
“Really?” A dark eyebrow arched high while he took a swig of his drink. The casual movement drew her attention to his natural magnetism as if the whole world should focus on him at all times. “In that case, I’d say little cousin has it bad for the barista.”
Was he right? Connor often flirted with the cute, dark-haired beauty, but he’d never actually asked her out. At least, not where she could hear. In fact, she couldn’t remember him ever asking anyone out but her. “I doubt it. I’m not sure he likes women.”
Al snorted whiskey out his nose. He wiped his face on his sleeve all the while laughing like a fool. When he finally got himself under control, he set his drink down and turned to face her fully. “What the hell gave you the idea Connor’s gay?”
Shit!
She hadn’t meant to voice that thought aloud. She looked away. Every eye in the place seemed fixed on him. Did he have to be so noisy about everything? “There’s nothing wrong with it.” She dropped her voice in hopes he would follow suit until she could change the subject or bow out gracefully. “I mean if he is—”
“No, there isn’t, except he’s not.” He leaned closer, but his voice continued to carry. “My cousin has taught me more than one thing about women.”
“Well…” She let her voice drift off, hoping he would fill in the blanks. Gay men often liked and even understood women, didn’t they? They just didn’t sleep with them. Then again, Con had never seemed anything except a heterosexual man around her.
Al downed his drink and held up the empty glass for another, smiling when the bartender hurried to get him a refill. “Trust me on this. The man loves women, and I can’t say I’ve ever heard any complaints about how he does it either.” In an unexpected move, he jumped to his feet on the bar top, drawing even more attention as he towered above everyone else.
The bartender glared. “Hey, buddy. You can’t be up there.”
The arrogant bastard simply laughed. “Sorry, I need a stage. I’ll be quick.” The female bartender shushed her partner and shoved him farther away. Al grinned and reached down to pull Kate up beside him. “Hey ladies! How many of you know Connor Wallace?”
Women on the opposite side of the room turned to listen. Did the man have no boundaries?
“Shh. Have you lost your mind?” Did he intend to out his own cousin?
Oh crap
! He meant to prove her statement wrong publicly, though she already knew it was. Connor didn’t pay any more attention to men than he did women. He simply didn’t date. Maybe he didn’t want a relationship, but he had been looking when they first met. He’d asked her out several times then allowed her to shove him firmly into the friends’ category where he stayed nice and safe and controllable.
Alonso hugged her to his side so she couldn’t escape and laughed his obnoxious laugh again. The crowd joined in. Was everyone nuts? Couldn’t they see what a loud-mouthed jerk the man was? “This little lady here thinks my cousin might not like women. Anyone want to enlighten her?”
The mass of humanity moved closer. She searched desperately for Connor. Was he hearing this? Would he think she judged him? Tears burned at the thought of hurting him. She tried to escape Al’s tight embrace, but he did not yield.
“Stop,” she whispered. “Please, don’t.”
“Don’t what? These people have known my cousin most of his life. Not counting all the relatives, he’s probably dated half the women in the room.” He grabbed the glass the bartender held up to him and lifted it in salute. “Here’s to Con. Gentleman that he is.”
A couple women in the back giggled, and a blonde lifted her beer high and called out her own salute. “Here’s to Connor—definitely a man though I wouldn’t call him gentle.”
A few women around the room grinned or nodded.
Kate willed the bar top to open and swallow her. How had she ended up in this situation? Everyone around her appeared to be having a blast, laughing like fucking hyenas at her and Connor’s expense. They apparently didn’t even know her friend; he couldn’t be less than tender if he tried. She wanted to throw up. Instead, she stomped her heel down on Al’s instep and twisted away from his tight embrace.
“Ow!” He let her go and grabbed for his foot. “What the hell was that for?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She risked stepping close to him again so others wouldn’t hear her. “Maybe because you’re a braying ass?”
She spun to storm off, but Al caught her arm and pulled her back against his chest. “Wait a minute. Don’t go off in a huff. It was all in fun, baby girl.” His breath whispered across her neck, something that ordinarily gave her goose bumps. Anger blocked any sensation beyond the heat of resentment.
“I suggest you move your hands or I’ll remove them for you.” Holding her spine rigid, she waited until he released her then walked toward the end of the bar as far away from him as she could get. Before she jumped down and fell flat on her face like she expected to, she turned and tossed him a glare. “Connor’s worth three of you.”
Alonso grinned and lifted his glass. “Glad to hear you realize it, Ms. Kate.”
The crowd laughed again, but their attention shifted back to Alonso as he jumped to the floor and moved on to another topic to hold his audience enraptured.
“Pompous dick.”
Chapter Three
Connor wove through the crowd to the end of the bar where Kate stood fuming, unsure if he should be pleased she found his cousin insufferable or irritated she’d made him the butt of Al’s jokes. She stomped her foot and called out a last insult to his cousin.
A grin tugged at his annoyance. It was hard to get angry when the whole situation had worked out pretty much as he had planned. Okay, maybe not the gay part, but at least he’d proven she didn’t really want a man who needed to be the center of attention. Two requirements down, one to go.
“Turn around and let me help you before you fall on your gorgeous ass, Katelyn.”
She spun and lost her balance, tumbling into his arms. When he caught her, she blushed rosy pink, and his body strained toward her lush curves.
“Connor…I’m sorry. I never dreamed he would say such a thing.” Tears welled in her pretty blue eyes, and her lower lip trembled despite her efforts to hold back her emotions.
“Do you really think I’m gay?”
Without much hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck, her face snuggled against his shoulder. “No. Of course not.”
Shit!
How the hell was a man to carry on an intelligent conversation with a woman like Kate, all soft and warm, in his arms? Holding her close, he strode from the barn’s makeshift reception area and down a dark hallway. Her feminine scent enticed him to bury his face in her hair and breathe her seductive perfume deep into his lungs. Desire flared higher. Fortunately, he found an open office. He slipped inside and kicked the door closed, then set Kate on her feet and stepped back. “Now that we have less of an audience, would you care to explain yourself?”
Her big eyes flashed to his then around the room. Was she looking for a way to change the subject? “Should we be in here?”
Yep, definitely searching for a topic change.
With a grin, he maneuvered her into the corner. Her gown clung in all the right places, and his cock threatened to split the zipper on his tux. “Why’d you tell Al I don’t like women?”
“I didn’t—” When he lifted an eyebrow at her, her cheeks darkened further. “I-I mean…I did, but it was a random thought. I don’t really believe that. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Well, you don’t date. I mean I’ve never seen you with a woman.”
“Have you seen me with a man?”
“No, but….”
God, she was so damned cute all flustered and embarrassed. Catching her chin in his hand, he held her steady and claimed her mouth. Delicate fingers closed over his jacket lapels, clinging to him. Appreciating her uncharacteristically feminine response, he took what he’d fantasized about for far too long. She tasted of sweetened almonds, and her tongue tangled passionately with his. With a groan, he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and lifted her, deepening the kiss, claiming what should have been his years before.
Her tongue parried thrust for thrust, and his libido shifted into hyper drive. A soft moan slid from her mouth to his, and his balls drew up. Three years of self-inflicted semi-celibacy threatened to destroy his control, but she didn’t want him. She wanted some ideal image of what a man should be instead of the too short, too nice, too stable
buddy
she saw him as. No other woman had ever frustrated him to the extent his Kate did, and he was sick of being frustrated.
He invaded her personal space, boosting her higher until her feet dangled, his chest against her breasts, his aching cock pressed to the exquisite heat between her thighs. Her slender arms circled his neck, and her breath came in little puffs as she yielded to his kiss. Bracing her with the weight of his body, he worked her skirt upward until she could wrap her legs around his hips. Hands free to wander over her lush softness, he cupped her breasts and used his thumbs to stroke her nipples to budded peaks. The ready response made him hungry to strip her naked and taste the delicate flavor of her skin.
Kate whimpered and squirmed against him, her mound rubbing up and down on his cock, threatening his ability to think beyond his need to make love to her. He explored her hot mouth, then groaned and broke the kiss to nibble his way down her throat to the tantalizing curves rounding above her dress. Dipping his tongue below the red material, he wormed inside her lace bra to flick her nipple, circling the puckered bud.
“Connor!” His name rode a gasp from her lips, feeding desire, but it also reminded him she didn’t want anything he could offer.
Stepping back, he allowed her to slide to her feet. He kept a hand on her waist to steady her until she found her balance. Her sexy scent filled him. Her lips moist and swollen from his kiss, cheeks flushed with heat, breasts rising and falling with agitated breaths. Even with her sophisticated dress bunched around her hips, she looked the part of an innocent nymph. Once certain she wouldn’t fall over, he released her completely.
She fumbled to right her dress, her hands trembling a bit, lip caught between her teeth. Kate’s vulnerability, something she usually fought so hard to hide, stripped him to raw need. His hands shook. If he shoved her against the wall and claimed her, repeatedly, until she could do nothing but quiver and cry his name, would she admit she wanted him, Connor Wallace, and not some ridiculous fantasy of what a man should be?
He moved farther away. He’d never forced himself on a woman in his life and had no intention of starting with the only one who could shatter his heart. Glossy red-tipped fingers caught his attention as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides, and his cock jumped. What would those neatly trimmed nails look like sliding between her lower lips or circling his aching cock?