“Try again?” she repeated. “What?”
He slid his arm behind her and for a breathless moment they looked at each other. “I don’t know if I’ve got a chance without trading a few baseball cards, though.”
Cait swallowed. “You want to kiss me?”
He nodded. His eyes seemed to grow darker, more intense. “For old times’ sake.” His hand caressed the curve of her neck, his thumb moving slowly toward the scented hollow of her throat.
“Well, sure. For old times’ sake.” She was astonished at the way her heart was reacting to the thought of Joe holding her…kissing her.
His mouth began a slow descent toward hers, his warm breath nuzzling her skin.
“Just remember,” she whispered when his mouth was about to settle over hers. Her hands gripped his lapels. “Old times’…”
“I’ll remember,” he said as his lips came down on hers.
She sighed and slid her hands up his solid chest to link her fingers at the base of his neck. The kiss was slow and thorough. When it was over, Cait’s hands were clutching his collar.
Joe’s fingers were in her hair, tangled in the short, soft curls, cradling the back of her head.
A sweet rush of joy coursed through her veins. Cait felt a bubbling excitement, a burst of warmth, unlike anything she’d ever known before.
Then he kissed her a second time…
“Just remember…” she repeated when he pulled his mouth from hers and buried it in the delicate curve of her neck.
He drew in several ragged breaths before asking, “What is it I’m supposed to remember?”
“Yes, oh, please, remember.”
He lifted his head and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders, his face only inches from hers. “What’s so important you don’t want me to forget?” he whispered.
It wasn’t Joe who was supposed to remember; it was Cait. She didn’t realize she’d spoken out loud. She blinked, uncertain, then tilted her head to gaze down at her hands, anywhere but at him. “Oh…that I’m in love with Paul.”
There was a moment of silence. An awkward moment. “Right,” he answered shortly. “You’re in love with Paul.” His arms fell away and he released her.
Cait hesitated, uneasy. “Thanks again for a wonderful dinner.” Her hand closed around the door handle. She was eager now to make her escape.
“Any time,” he said flippantly. His own hands gripped the steering wheel.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Soon,” he echoed. She climbed out of the car, not giving Joe a chance to come around and open the door for her. She was aware of him sitting in the car, waiting until she’d unlocked the lobby door and stepped inside. She hurried down the first-floor hall and into her apartment, turning on the lights so he’d know she’d made it safely home.
Then she removed her coat and carefully hung it in the closet. When she peeked out the window, she saw that Joe had already left.
Lindy was at her desk working when Cait arrived the next morning. Cait smiled at her as she hurried past, but didn’t stop to indulge in conversation.
Cait could feel Lindy’s gaze trailing after her and she knew her friend was disappointed that she hadn’t told her about the dinner date with Joe Rockwell.
Cait didn’t want to talk about it. She was afraid that if she said anything to Lindy, she wouldn’t be able to avoid mentioning the kiss, which was a subject she wanted to avoid at all costs. She wouldn’t be able to delay her friend’s questions forever, but Cait wanted to put them off until at least the end of the day. Longer, if possible.
What a fool she’d been to let Joe kiss her. It had seemed so right at the time, a natural conclusion to a delightful evening.
The fact that she’d let him do it without even making a token protest still confused her. If Paul happened to hear about it, he might think she really was interested in Joe. Which, of course, she wasn’t.
Her boss was a man of principle and integrity—and altogether a frustrating person to fall in love with. Judging by his reaction to her dinner with Joe, he seemed immune to jealousy. Now if only she could discover a way of letting him know how she felt…and spark his interest in the process!
The morning was hectic. Out of the corner of her eye, Cait saw Joe arrive. Although she was speaking to an important client on the phone, she stared after him as he approached the burly foreman. She watched Joe remove a blueprint from a long, narrow tube and roll it open so two other men could study it. There seemed to be some discussion, then the foreman nodded and Joe left, without so much as glancing in Cait’s direction.
That stung.
At least he could have waved hello. But if he wanted to ignore her, well, fine. She’d do the same.
The market closed on the up side, the Dow Jones industrial average at 2600 points after brisk trading. The day’s work was over.
As Cait had predicted, Lindy sought her out almost immediately.
“So how’d your dinner date go?”
“It was fun.”
“Where’d he take you? Sam’s Bar and Grill as you thought?”
“Actually, no,” she said, clearing her throat, feeling more than a little foolish for having suggested such a thing. “He took me to Henry’s.” She announced it louder than necessary, since Paul was strolling into the office just then. But for all the notice he gave her, she might as well have been fresh paint drying on the office wall.
“Henry’s,” Lindy echoed. “He took you to Henry’s? Why, that’s one of the best restaurants in town. It must have cost him a small fortune.”
“I wouldn’t know. My menu didn’t list any prices.”
“You’re joking. No one’s ever taken me anyplace so fancy. What did you order?”
“Grilled salmon.” She continued to study Paul for some clue that he was listening in on her and Lindy’s conversation. He was seated at his desk, reading a report on short-term partnerships as a tax advantage. Cait had read it earlier in the week and had recommended it to him.
“Was it wonderful?” Lindy pressed.
It took Cait a moment to realize her friend was quizzing her about the dinner. “Excellent. The best fish I’ve had in years.”
“What did you do afterward?”
Cait looked back at her friend. “What makes you think we did anything? We had dinner, talked, and then he drove me home. Nothing more happened. Understand? Nothing.”
“If you say so,” Lindy said, eyeing her suspiciously. “But you’re certainly defensive about it.”
“I just want you to know that nothing happened. Joseph Rockwell is an old friend. That’s all.”
Paul glanced up from the report, but his gaze connected with Lindy’s before slowly progressing to Cait.
“Hello, Paul,” Cait greeted him cheerfully. “Are Lindy and I disturbing you? We’d be happy to go into the hallway if you’d like.”
“No, no, you’re fine. Don’t worry about it.” He looked past them to the doorway and got to his feet. “Hello, Rockwell.”
“Am I interrupting a meeting?” Joe asked, stepping into the office as if it didn’t really matter whether he was or not. His hard hat was back in place, along with the dusty jeans and the tool pouch. And yet Cait had no difficulty remembering last night’s sophisticated dinner