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She stepped into view and winced. “There’s something that I forgot to mention.”
He laid Ty’s tuxedo jacket on the bed, crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow. “Oh?”
She licked her lips. This wasn’t that big a deal. “That—” the knock sounded again “—is my date for the evening.”
Without a word, Kyle turned and stalked to the front door. She hurried after him, admiring his long legs and tight ass in his black suit pants. Not the time, Calhoun. Even though she knew he didn’t have anything to be jealous over, this was crappy timing. Kyle grabbed the handle and swung the door open just as Rick raised his hand to knock for a third time.
“About time, Laney, leaving a cripple—Oh!” The two men sized each other up. One half-dressed and in her home. The other… “Hi. Rick Masters. I, uh, thought I was taking Laney to the gala tonight.”
She bobbed her head around Kyle’s shoulder. “Hey Rick. I’m sorry, I should have called. This is Kyle.”
“Her boyfriend.” For good measure, her boyfriend flexed his broad shoulders and she pushed back the instinct to roll her eyes. “I’ll be escorting Laney tonight. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
Kyle wasn’t actually sorry, but it wasn’t this shmuck’s fault that plans had changed. Shit happens. He made room for Laney to step forward to stand even with him. As much as he wanted to close the door and get back to watching her dress, this was her guest to deal with. He harnessed his inner caveman and deferred to her with a nod. She shot him a quick look that told him it was all a bit belated and he shrugged. Again, shit happens.
“Rick, would you mind heading on without me? We’ll see you there, I’m sure.” Laney smiled sweetly, and the guy on crutches nodded. “I’m sorry about this, I should have called. It just slipped my mind.”
“Of course.” He shot a quick glance at Kyle, then opened his mouth as if he was going to ask a question. Thinking better of it, he nodded again and turned to the elevator.
Laney turned and glided to her bedroom faster than Kyle would have thought possible. He made sure the front door closed firmly before following.
“You want to tell me what that was all about?” He filled the en suite bathroom doorway, his stance wide, his arms crossed again. She glanced at him for a moment before she resumed applying her makeup in the mirror. “When did you make this date with that guy?”
“Settle down. It’s not what you think. We’re colleagues, and Rick has escorted me to many of these events. He knew that tonight was just sharing a car.”
“So you haven’t had sex with him?”
Laney’s cheeks flushed pink, but the way her nostrils flared told him it wasn’t out of embarrassment. “We weren’t going to have sex tonight, and that’s what should matter to you.” She took a deep breath. “We used to...have a casual understanding. It ended before I went home for Christmas.”
His turn for nostril flaring. He couldn’t help it.
She sighed and softened her tone. “It was never like what we have.”
Kyle pressed his lips together. That wasn’t what he had wanted to hear, but she was right. The past didn’t matter. He took a deep breath and apologized for being a lunkhead. She flashed a ready smile and he relaxed against the door frame. She put the finishing touches on her face and turned toward him. She glowed. The professional hair and makeup she’d had done earlier were nice, but this was his Laney. Her hair was down, shiny golden waves spilling over her shoulders, and her makeup just accented her natural colouring.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said huskily, and her wide eyes and parted lips told him his earlier alpha male display was forgotten. Or at least forgiven. “Can I help you get into your dress?”
“Will it actually make it on?” she teased, moving toward her closet. A pale pink satin gown hung on the closet door, but she dropped her robe and stepped past it, searching inside.
Kyle sucked in a breath at the glimpse of her long bare legs topped by barely there nude-coloured lace boy shorts. “Maybe not.”
“I was going to wear that pink dress, but now I’m thinking this one might be more appropriate.” Laney drifted into view, holding a mass of red tulle to her chest. “It doesn’t have a hood, but...”
Kyle stepped back, not trusting himself to be within touching range. He cleared his throat and gestured for her to put it on. She turned her back to him, and his eyes devoured her heart shaped ass as it bobbed around in front of him. She smoothed out the tulle, and finding the centre of the dress, stepped in. Once she had the bodice up and around her chest, she looked over her shoulder.
“Mr. Wolf, do you think you could zip me up?”
“Only if you come closer, little one.” His cock strained at the fly of his tuxedo pants, and he thought about telling her to put on the pink dress instead. He wouldn’t make it through the night playing nice. She backed up, her eyes locked on his, and he reached forward. He grasped the zipper tag between his thumb and middle finger, letting his index finger blaze a trail up her spine as he inched the dress together, covering her delectable spine at a painfully slow pace.
After doing up the hook and eye just under her shoulder blades, he slid his hands to her hips and turned her around. She looked like an ethereal fairy, her skirt made up of a number of layers of floaty red tulle, her snug bodice covered in the same material. “We’d better go before I bite you.”
Her eyes flared bright at the suggestion, and he pulled her into the cradle of his hips. His chest was hot with excitement, like he just might rip his suit open and discover he was Superman. Laney did that to him, made him feel invincible. A quick glance at his watch reminded him that the love of his life had an important public event to get to, and he guided them to the door. She stepped into black pumps, grabbed her wrap and handbag, and they were off.
Tension zinged between them all night. The gala was in a modern event facility in the West Loop, and the glass and white decor was enhanced by a curtain of white lights along the far wall and large black and white photographs of staff and patients from the hospital hanging on the wall like precious art. Everyone that Kyle met raved about Laney’s dedication to her patients and her willingness to support the fundraising efforts. He learned about the extraordinary costs that families face when they have a child in the hospital for an extended period of time, and he understood why Laney couldn’t leave this community behind. He had accepted that as a fact before, but now it truly made sense.
Shortly before midnight he left her in deep discussion with a donor and went in search of something with which to toast the new year. Waiters were circulating with trays of champagne flutes, but they were being snapped up quickly. He managed to snag two glasses on the far side of the room and turned to find Laney again.
“So, you’re her...boyfriend.” Rick swung into view.
