down below. He and Collin were chatting comfortably.
“You don’t need to change,” Lacey said excitedly. “You are going to take his breath away. You look fabulous,” she added as she gripped Katrina by the shoulders and pushed her toward the door. “Now go have fun!”
Katrina was suddenly gripped with fear. What she was wearing was so uncharacteristic for her. Feeling completely out of control, she couldn’t begin to imagine the evening going well at all. She should have worn the navy suit, she thought, blowing a deep sigh past her thin lips. But it was far too late for regrets, and she had no time at all to change into something else. Matthew Stallion was standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at her.
* * *
The muffled whispers on the stair landing above drew Matthew’s eyes upward. Collin was leaning against the railing, his own gaze drawn to the movement at the top of the steps.
“Hey!” he exclaimed loudly, surprise painting his expression. “Is that you, Mom?”
Katrina rolled her eyes, ignoring him. Lacey bounded down the stairs in front of her, grinning broadly.
“Hi. I’m Lacey,” she said, extending a hand in Matthew’s direction. “Let’s go, kiddo,” she said to Collin. “You’re hanging with me tonight.”
“Do I have to?” the boy whined. “I’m old enough to stay here by myself!”
“Now! Let’s move it,” Lacey responded, tossing a quick glance back over her shoulder in Katrina’s direction. Her hand was already on the front doorknob. “Make sure she has a good time,” she said, directing her comment toward Matthew.
He nodded eagerly, his gaze still locked on the woman slowly descending the stairs. He was at a complete loss for words.
Stunning was hardly the word to describe the exquisite woman who was moving slowly in his direction. But Katrina Broomes was absolutely stunning. Gone was the conservative style that he had half expected. The dress that adorned her curvaceous frame was a formfitting cotton bouclé sheath with a sexy V back and an empire waist decorated with clear faceted jewels. The fabric stopped midthigh. Her lean, graceful dancer’s legs were complemented by four-inch platform sandals.
Her hair cascaded in easy waves around her face and down about her shoulders. Her makeup was soft, complementing her angelic features. The woman was beautiful beyond words, and Matthew suddenly felt like she was a much-needed breath of fresh air. He inhaled her, drawing in a deep breath. It felt as if the sweet scent was nourishing his soul.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, the one and only word he could muster, though it was more an exaggerated gust of air blowing past his full lips. “I mean, wow!” he exclaimed a second time, his utterance feeling more substantial.
Katrina laughed nervously, a blush of heat tinting her cheeks. “Does that mean you approve?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am! I most certainly do!” His eyes were wide with appreciation.
“You clean up quite nicely yourself, Counselor,” Katrina said teasingly. And he did. Right then, the man looked like a GQ model. She couldn’t help but admire his black sports coat, gray slacks and white dress shirt, unbuttoned casually at the collar. A light tuft of black chest hair peeked from beneath his shirt, moving her to wonder what he might look like with his shirt off. Imagining him shirtless suddenly took her breath away.
Matthew felt like his face was on fire, heat flooding his dimpled cheeks. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited about a woman. But Katrina had him excited beyond words. He blushed profusely, embarrassed at being so tongue-tied. He took a deep breath to calm his excitement, his broad smile widening. “Shall we go?” he asked, trying to keep his voice casual.
Katrina nodded, moving toward the door. As Matthew pressed a large hand against the small of her back, the two of them paused briefly, the heat sweeping between them suddenly consuming. Matthew met her gaze and held it; the lingering look she returned spoke volumes.
As they walked out the door, both cutting an eye toward the oversize mirror hanging in her front foyer, neither of them could miss just how attractive a couple they were together.
Chapter 8
“Was a limousine absolutely necessary?” Katrina questioned as they settled down against the leather seats.
Matthew nodded. “I didn’t want to waste any of my time on anything but you tonight. If I don’t have to drive, then you have my full and undivided attention.” His smile was confident as he crossed an ankle over his knee. The comment moved Katrina to giggle ever so slightly, giggling not something she’d ever been known to do. Matthew’s smile widened even more at the sweet sound of it.
“I should have asked if there was something special you wanted to do tonight,” Matthew said sweetly.
“Dinner’s good,” Katrina responded with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
“You don’t date much, do you?” Matthew said, the comment more a statement than a question.
“I make it a rule not to date at all,” Katrina answered.
Matthew leaned toward her, using his index finger to brush a wayward hair from her face. He allowed his finger to linger lightly against her cheek. “Then thank you,” he said softly. “I’m glad you found me worthy of breaking one of your rules.”
Katrina found herself stammering for a response. “I…well…I…”
Matthew laughed. He reached for her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “Relax. You don’t need to be nervous. I just want you to have a good time tonight. Your friend put me on notice, remember?”
Shaking her head, Katrina laughed with him. She took a deep breath and then another. She couldn’t help but note that her hand felt good locked beneath his. “I don’t know why I’m so anxious,” she said.
Sliding his body closer to hers, Matthew grinned. “I was hoping my devastating charm had you off-kilter.”
Sliding across the seat to put some distance between them, Katrina smiled back, rolling her eyes skyward. “No,” she said, her smug response moving him to laugh heartily.
He nodded. “I think you just told me a fib,” he said teasingly.
She laughed with him. “You’d be right,” she said.
With the ice broken, the two chatted comfortably and laughed easily as their vehicle glided toward the downtown area. Minutes later the limousine pulled up to the entrance of Cowboys Stadium and came to a stop. As the driver opened the door to let them out, Katrina stared in awe.
“Oh, my!” she exclaimed as she stepped out of the vehicle. Despite everything that had been written about the 1.3-billion-dollar building, it was like nothing she could have imagined. The enormity of its size made it seem as if an alien spaceship had landed smack-dab in the middle of Arlington, Texas.
Saying nothing, Matthew winked an eye as he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to the glass doors at the entrance.
The doe-eyed woman who met them there smiled in greeting, flipping a luxurious mane of bright red hair over her shoulders. “Good evening, ma’am. Mr. Stallion, sir. Welcome to Cowboys Stadium.”
“Good evening, Melissa,” Matthew answered, his head nodding ever so slightly. “Is everything ready for us?”
“Yes, sir. Everything you requested is in place. We’re ready when you are, sir.”
Katrina looked from one to the other, unable to decipher the cryptic conversation between them. Matthew winked at her again.
The woman named Melissa turned her attention toward Katrina. “Ma’am, may I take your wrap?”
Katrina shook her head, not quite certain that she was ready to let go of