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He won the next hand because Kendra tossed out an ace without even looking. She fidgeted with her drink, twisting it round and round at the base. When the phone rang again, she jerked so hard she almost knocked the glass over.
Colton shoved his chair back. When he reached the counter, he snatched up the handset.
“Hello?” he barked, turning to look at Kendra. She’d twisted in her chair to watch him, her brown eyes wide with apprehension.
The voice on the other end compounded his frustration instead of easing it. “Oh, hi, Mom. Sorry.”
Relief flooded Kendra’s expression. He tucked her reaction away for later as he walked down the hall with the phone to assure his mother he didn’t mind picking her up for church Sunday morning. It took him a few more minutes to get her off the phone without being rude, and when he returned, Kendra was nowhere in sight. His tension returned full force. What the hell was going on? “Where’s Kendra?”
“She said she was tired,” Jordan offered.
Yeah, I bet. But it gave him an easy excuse. “I am, too, come to think of it.”
He caught Justin’s eye, who thankfully took the hint and started gathering cards. “It’s getting late, guys, let’s get going.”
“I’ll clean up.” Colton walked them to the door, but as the twins made their way down the steps, Cassie turned around to press against him.
Her mouth sought his, and he froze in surprise as her lips moved over his in an attempt to coax a response from him.
There was a time, not so long ago, that he’d wanted her. The kiss was nice, but there was no leap of his pulse, no kick of desire to his gut, no urge to wrap his arms around her and never let go. Never had been—with her. He refused to acknowledge the dark-haired image that surfaced in his mind.
He pulled back. “Cassie, enough.”
“Come on, Colton, it was good between us; it can be again.”
With a shake of his head, he grasped her shoulders and pushed her away. “We’ve been through this already.”
“It’s her—isn’t it?” she demanded suddenly.
“Of course not,” he scoffed. But he was afraid Cassie had hit the nail right on the head. “We both agreed—no strings.”
“Colton—”
He ignored the sheen of tears in her blue eyes as she beseeched him in the dim porch light. Guilt, combined with pressure, brought out a note of anger in his voice. “You knew it was casual when we started—you knew I wasn’t looking for a relationship and that marriage doesn’t figure into my plans. Ever.”
His voice shook, but he didn’t bother to explain why he could never get married. Even if he’d wanted to explain it to her, it wasn’t something he expected anyone to understand. But Cassie was too focused on her own emotions to identify with his.
“I didn’t mean to develop feelings.” She blinked and the tears spilled over. “It just happened.”
He sighed. She was a master at applying whatever technique she thought would get her the farthest. He’d seen it countless times growing up. “This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.”
“You took advantage of me,” she accused.
Indignation reared up. “No I didn’t, not once. The whole thing was your idea!”
“Yeah, one you had no problem jumping into the moment it was out there.”
“Cassie—”
“Just tell me this, why is it so easy for you men to use us and then toss us aside?”
“It was never like that and you damn well know it,” he denied in a furious undertone, fists clenched at his sides. “We were never exclusive—something you proved with your numerous dates over the past year.”
“You’re so stupid Colton, why do you think I did all that?” The tears flowed in earnest now.
The admission floored him. She’d always assured him she wanted nothing from him, until that night a few weeks ago. He’d never have guessed she dated a different guy each week to get his attention. “I’m sorry,” was all he could think to say. And he was.
Cassie drew herself up, wiping at her wet cheeks. “I won’t wait for you forever, you know.”
