LITMIR.BIZ

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you made it to the wedding, Jake,” Alicia said, smiling.

      “Jake is with the rodeo, Alicia. He had a competition today and made it just in time,” Cassie offered in explanation.

      “Oh, then the captain must be a fan of yours. He said he wouldn’t leave the dock until a very important guest arrived. I take it, that was you, Jake?” Alicia asked, her curiosity written all over her face.

      Jake cleared his throat, darting her a glance. “I guess so. Lucky for me, he didn’t shove off right on time.”

      Brian leaned in to kiss Alicia’s cheek. “The music is starting up. It’s time for me to take my new wife for a spin on the dance floor. They’re playing our song, sweetheart.”

      Cassie watched Brian whisk his bride away. They stepped onto the small parquet dance floor as a five-piece band began to play. After the first song the bandleader welcomed all other couples to join in.

      “Well?” Jake asked, a crooked smile gracing his mouth. “You wouldn’t dance with me last night. How about it? Want to dance now?”

      He ran his hands up and down her arms; a brief touching that heated her skin instantly. Inwardly she flinched at the raw power he had over her, the way a single touch could make her come alive. She gazed into a set of dark, appealing eyes and knew she should refuse. Jake had been by her side all afternoon, touching her at every turn, creating more heat inside her body than a fiery furnace. He’d been attentive, aware of curious eyes and playing the game, but Cassie had begun to enjoy his attention a little too much. He almost made her forget that this wasn’t real. He’d be leaving after the rodeo tomorrow and she’d return to Los Angeles. They’d head off in different directions and never see each other again.

      “I’d love to dance with you,” she blurted.

      His grin reminded her of a swashbuckling pirate, of a handsome rogue, but most of all, that particular lifting of his lips reminded her of a devilish outlaw ready to ride into the sunset with the girl.

      He lay a possessive hand to the small of her back and led her onto the dance floor. “I don’t remember you asking me to dance last night,” she said as he took her into his arms. She’d better keep a conversation going, she thought, or she’d get too wrapped up in the soft music, the sway of their bodies and the solid, warm feel of him.

      “Doesn’t surprise me. You weren’t thinking too clearly yesterday.” There was a note of irritation in his tone.

      Cassie pursed her lips. “What do you mean by that?”

      “I mean,” he said, loosening his hold on her to gaze directly into her eyes. “Brody Taylor would’ve been your worst kind of nightmare, Cassie. I couldn’t stand there another second and watch him manhandle you.”

      Cassie lifted her chin with defiance. “I don’t recall any manhandling.”

      Jake pulled her in close with a strong tug, causing the air in her lungs to swoosh out. She fell against the solid wall of his chest, her breasts crushing into him. A little groan escaped his throat. He sucked in oxygen then continued. “Exactly my point.”

      Cassie didn’t want a lecture from Jake. She didn’t need to be reprimanded. She’d done what she’d had to do last night and only by the grace of good fortune had things worked out in her favor today. Well, she mused, that still remained to be seen. If Jake was going to bully her, then neither of them was going to have a good time tonight. “Nothing would have happened with him, Jake. I knew enough to keep my head, achy as it was.”

      “How can you be so sure?”

      Why did he care? They’d only just met and he acted as though they were a real couple. From his tone he seemed to be more than a little curious about her answer. Had he been jealous of Brody?

      “Because, Mister-Know-It-All Cowboy, I told you before, I didn’t find him the least bit attractive.”

      “Rii-iight,” he replied with a twist of his mouth. “The perfect guy for you. Someone who doesn’t make your hair curl.”

      He made her hair curl, and her toes and her stomach. Darn him. Why did she have to find him so attractive?

      “And I don’t claim to know it all, but I do know what’s on a man’s mind when he’s holding a beautiful woman in his arms.”

      He thought she was beautiful. Cassie’s heart fluttered.

      “Care sharing those insights with me?”

      He shook his head. “Not a chance, honey.”

      “Doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for anyone, anyway. I’m through with men.”

      “Uh-huh.”

      And if he were the type, he would have rolled his eyes, but Cassie heard disbelief in his tone. “You don’t believe me?”

      “Nope. You’ve got too much going for you to live the rest of your life alone. You’re hurting right now, but you’ll heal. And then some lucky guy will hog-tie you to him.”

      She stopped dancing to make her point. “I’m over the hurt, Jake. I need…space and freedom. I’ve never had that before. Brian’s been wonderful to me, but he’s overprotective. He’s made my life too easy. He’s been accommodating and I’ve allowed it. I think that’s why I’ve made so many errors in judgment lately. It’s my own fault for not being stronger. But now, well…things are about to change.”

      “Are they?”

      “Yes, they are,” she replied firmly.

      “How?”

      “I’m giving up my position at Brian’s company. I’ve accepted a job near my hometown that I’m very excited about. I’m through with the big city. I haven’t told Brian yet, so please don’t mention it. I don’t want my older brother to go into cardiac arrest anytime soon, especially right before his honeymoon.”

      “What do you do, exactly?”

      “I’m an accountant. I’ve always been good with numbers. I’m forever calculating things in my head. It’s almost an obsession.”

      He stopped to gaze at her. He spoke softly with an appreciative gleam in his eyes. “You don’t look like an accountant.”

      “I, uh…is that a compliment?”

      Jake chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

      “And to set the record straight,” she added, “the last thing I want is to have some Neanderthal hog-tie me to him.”

      “If you say so,” he said a little too smugly. Heck, what did she care if he didn’t believe her? It wasn’t as though they meant anything to each other. They were reunited acquaintances who would soon say their farewells tonight, and that would be that.

      Jake must have been on the same wavelength, because the conversation died and he brought her up close again, pressing her to his solid body.

      They moved fluidly across the dance floor, Cassie falling into step with him. He draped his hand down her lower back, dangerously near her derriere, while the other hand played with the ends of her hair. His warm breath caressed her lightly as he nuzzled his nose into her neck, breathing her in, creating exciting thrills throughout her body.

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