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“You sure you want to go in there?” He inclined his head to the boathouse door. To the small lockable room with cushioned seats and a small bed.
She wasn’t adept at hookups, but she knew how a man looked at you when he wanted you and Ryan’s gaze screamed desire.
If he was asking if she wanted him, the answer was yes. She wanted him. She just wasn’t sure she’d survive the experience. Snatching the bottle of champagne from him, she shoved open the boathouse door and teetered inside. She hadn’t been here in years. Entering now brought back decades’ of memories she’d pushed aside. Once, she and Ryan had spent their entire summers on this lake, paddling and swimming for hours, stealing snacks from the fridge, then sleeping in the hammocks stretched across the dock. In their wild innocence, they’d been inseparable.
The door clicked shut behind her. She turned. Ryan stood with his hand still on the knob assessing her. What did he hope to see when he looked at her? If he’d just tell her, she’d do whatever he wanted. For tonight, at least, she could be whatever Ryan desired.
* * *
Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off Cassie. As far back as he could remember, she’d been beautiful. But tonight. In that dress. And those stockings.Damn the woman was hot.“What did your mom say about the dress?”
She blinked, no doubt surprised by his line of questioning. “My mom? Why…”
“The two of us have never liked the same things. As much as I love that dress, she had to hate it.” The garment, or rather the lack of it, drew his gaze again.
A red blush worked up Cassie’s chest and throat to her cheeks. He’d always loved the way her pale skin reddened when she was flustered. Did the same thing happen when she was aroused? So far, only dumbass Levi had any knowledge of that side of Cassie.
“I’m not sure she even saw it. I was at the bookstore until about twenty minutes before the party. She was already downstairs.”
Some things apparently never changed. Through her childhood, Cassie had spent most of her free time at her grandmother’s bookstore rather than her mother’s home. But her grandmother passed away two years ago.
“I thought they were selling the store.” He forced his gaze off of Cassie’s body and took the champagne bottle from her hand.
“They are. I was just soaking up some last minute memories.” Her voice held just a bit of sadness.
“You could always take over. I’m sure with your creative mind and your love of books, you could revive the store.” Then she’d be here, and he could see her whenever he came to town. Over the past few years with her away at college and then starting a new life with Levi, she and Ryan rarely ran into each other. He’d missed her.
She shook her head. “I have other plans.”
He removed the foil from the champagne bottle and twisted the wire. The cork shot out and champagne spilled over onto his hand. He shook off the excess liquid then licked away the remainder. Cassie’s gaze followed his every move, her eyes growing dark and hooded as she watched his tongue swipe over his finger.Interesting.
“So what other plans do you have?” Since they hadn’t thought to grab any glasses, he handed her the bottle.
Accepting the champagne, Cassie put it to her lips and tilted her head back. Her hair fell away, exposing a long expanse of smooth neck. The muscles worked as she swallowed. Ryan forced himself to look away. A woman’s throat should not be that damn sexy.
She handed him the bottle. “I have an interview in a few weeks in New York.”
Choking on his swig of champagne, he blurted, “New York? That’s almost 700 miles.” He’d never see her if she moved there.
She shrugged. “Says the man going to Costa Rica in a few days. Why should you get to have all the fun?” She snatched the bottle back.
“You could come with me.” The words were meant as a joke, until they popped out of his mouth and all he could think about was Cassie lounging beside him in a bikini.
She laughed. “I’m sure the last thing you need is me in Costa Rica cramping your style. Besides, tropical islands aren’t for me.”
“And New York is?” Even as he asked, he could picture it. Cassie needed a place where she could get lost. This small town with its politics and gossip had always smothered her. In New York, she could reinvent herself and beCassieStarnesinstead of Ray and Sylvia Starnes’ daughter. As much as he wanted her here for him, he wanted that life for her more.
She nodded. “I want to start over. This whole thing with Levi—”
“Fucking idiot.”
She laughed, drinking again from the bottle. “Maybe, or maybe he did me a favor.” As she shrugged, her breasts threatened to spill over the top of her dress. “Either way, I can do whatever I want now. On my own.”
He took the bottle back, his head spinning a little. Somehow they’d downed almost half the bottle in the short bit of time they’d been sequestered in the boathouse, hidden from the party, guests, and the world beyond. “You’ve always been able to do whatever you want, Cass. You’re the most capable woman I know.”
Her blue eyes narrowed, turning almost black as she studied him. “Who wants to be described as capable? That is so boring.”
Not true.“You’re anything but boring. What would you rather I call you?”
