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“Well, in many cases it is,?
? he agreed with a deep chuckle. “You’re a dangerous woman, Catherine Brooks. You have an eye for the heart of any matter, and I’ll bet that makes most people damn uncomfortable.”
“Yes, frequently with disastrous results, but life is too short for evasion and pretense.”
His expression darkened, and he sat back to regard her with an accusing gaze. “I explained why I don’t want the kids to know we’re seeing each other.”
She was surprised by his curt rebuke. “I wasn’t referring to you.”
“I think you probably were, so I better get out while the getting is still good.”
Before he could stand, Catherine reached out to coil her fingers around his arm, and his skin held an inviting warmth. “Wait. I wish you’d stay.”
“Why, do you have some old National Geographics you need to sort?”
She was glad she hadn’t just taken a sip of tea, because she would have blown it all over him. “What a goofy idea, but that’s what I like best about you.”
He rose and pulled her from her chair. “You think goofy is appealing?”
“Not in anyone else, but you can be so delightfully playful at times that I wonder if that isn’t the real you.”
“You want to see the real me?”
A daring gleam had entered his eye and when Catherine nodded, he grabbed hold of her waist and, with a seemingly effortless lift, set her atop the nearby counter. She was wearing a skirt, and between deep kisses, he peeled off her panties and ran his fingertips up her thighs to trace teasing circles along her cleft.
She was amazed he could move with such astonishing speed from a wary skepticism to a heated hunger, but she welcomed his affection gladly. She was already wet and spread her legs wide to encourage him to delve deeper. She reached for his belt and quickly unfastened it and his zipper. She slid her hand over his erection, fondling, enticing, guiding him, until he drew back to yank on a condom. For one dreadful instant, she feared the counter was too high for what he intended, but then he moved back between her legs and, with an easy jab, slid right into her.
With his next lunge, he stretched her depths, and she rocked forward to lock her legs around his hips and created a perfect fit. When he quickened his thrusts, she gasped way back in her throat in a low, keening purr. She ran her hands through his hair to gather him close and clung to his shoulders. Awash in desire, she rode him, bucked with him, and finally joined him in an explosion of pleasure that tumbled them both crazily to the floor.
When she could again draw a deep breath, she rose up slightly and was astonished to find her whole kitchen wasn’t in complete disarray, but except for a pair of tangled lovers, nothing was out of place. The width of Luke’s smile convinced her he was feeling no pain, and she leaned over to whisper in his ear.
“Will you still have time to sort National Geographics?” she asked.
The provocative question was so surprising, he laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks, and in an instant, Catherine fell in love. She enjoyed prompting his laughter almost as much as sating his passion. He didn’t laugh nearly enough, and she vowed to remedy that sad situation as often as humanly possible.
Eventually they were able to pull their clothes back into place and feed the cat. They climbed the stairs and found her bed far more comfortable than the kitchen counter, but as Catherine fell asleep in Luke’s arms, his unrestrained laughter still echoed in her heart.
Luke was away from Lost Angel for much of Thursday and again missed seeing Catherine, but he was there bright and early Friday morning ready to help her and Dave judge the mural contest. Too curious to remain in the office, Pamela walked over to the hall with him.
“What is it you’re looking for in the winner?” she asked.
“Damned if I know, but I imagine we’ll recognize it when we see it,” Luke answered. He had the sinking suspicion he and Catherine would never agree on the winner, but because they still hadn’t chosen a site, he refused to be overly concerned.
Dave had on a colorful Aerosmith T-shirt that day, and he’d already pinned up most of the drawings on the long bulletin board reserved for flyers. “I’m particularly fond of Tina’s trash cans and cat,” he remarked. “Let me know when you find one to your liking.”
Luke spotted Catherine talking with Nick, but he cautiously remained beside Dave while Pam began perusing the drawings. “I hadn’t thought we’d get so many entries.”
“Neither did I,” Dave responded, “but interest just sort of mushroomed during the week. Looks to me like we have enough ideas here for a dozen murals. Have you made up your mind about Toby’s place yet?”
“No, but I’m praying something more suitable will occur to me in the next few minutes.” He jumped when Catherine brushed against his side.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she apologized. “What do you say to having the kids sit down while we study the entries? If we start at opposite ends, and Dave begins in the middle, we won’t constantly be in each other’s way.”
“Good plan,” Luke said, and he strode off toward the kitchen end of the bulletin board to wait while Dave pinned up the last few drawings. “Do you want to help judge, Pam?”
The secretary backed away. “No, thanks, now that I’ve seen everything, I don’t believe I could choose. I better just get back to the office. Good luck, kids.”
Dave turned to Catherine and dropped his voice. “I don’t think Luke is much interested in this, so it’ll be up to us to pick the winner. I sure hope we agree.”
