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 And I have dinner in the crock-pot. I will see you at The Tonk later
on. You look beautiful, Cassie. Penny joined Maggie and Liv at the door
and they all headed out, leaving Cassie in the quiet, alone with her
thoughts and her racing nerves.
Luckily, they d all eaten up so much time, it was just a few minutes
until the doorbell sounded and after a peek through the peephole, she
saw Shane standing there.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. It would be step one of
the challenge to be comfortable with him alone in her apartment. She
hadn t had a panic attack in a few weeks and the mental exercises her
therapist had given her really seemed to help.
His smile fell off his face as he stared at her.
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70 Lauren Dane
 What? She smoothed down the front of her dress.  Do I look awful?
He shook his head slowly.  No. You look fucking amazing. He
blinked quickly.  Oh shit, I m sorry. Oh, he grimaced,  sorry, I tend to
get a bit profane when I m nervous or agitated. That outfit has me in both
states. You look beautiful. Sexy. Outrageously hot.
His flattery washed over her, making her feel warm and tingly. She
smiled, blushing.  What are you standing out there for?
 I was waiting for you to invite me in. I know you ve been
uncomfortable alone with Matt, I didn t want to scare you.
Her euphoric mood was cut by the reality of her insane life.  Come on
in, I m sorry. My manners are bad. I m all right. I didn t know Matt then,
I do now. I m really not crazy, I swear.
He caught her hand and raised it to his lips.  I don t think you re
crazy, Cassie.
They stayed long enough for her to gather her wrap and a bag and
they were on their way to the restaurant.
Vincent s was a small, family-owned Italian restaurant. The interior
was beautifully intimate. Candles in pretty glass holders cast a golden
glow about the room, bouncing off the sheen of the polished wood
furniture. The place smelled of garlic, marinara and roses from the two
large bouquets at the hostess stand at the front door.
The hostess smiled at Shane, her expression all but turning into a
snarl when her eyes reached Cassie.
 I had reservations, Stella. For seven. Shane was crisp and efficient
and kept his arm around Cassie s waist. It wasn t possessive, though, so
Cassie relaxed a bit and walked ahead of him with his hand, warm and
solid at the small of her back as they went to their table in a far back
corner.
The hostess was ready to break her own neck as she vascillated
between flirting and simpering at Shane, who did his best to ignore it,
and shooting daggers at Cassie. At last, seeing she didn t have a chance,
she flounced off.
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Taking Chase 71
Cassie smirked at Shane.  My. I think I ve upset your admirer. Is she
an ex?
 Stella? Shane s voice was shocked.  Cassie, the girl is barely twenty.
I m thirty-four years old. I assure you, I don t date women who are
fourteen years my junior. I m not a letch.
Cassie laughed then and he stilled, closing his eyes a moment.  You
do know that your laugh should be a registered aphrodisiac, right? Your
voice in general but your laugh& well, if I could bottle it, we d make a
million dollars.
 You re full of compliments tonight and I haven t even told you how
handsome you look. I really like that color on you.
She did. The dark blue dress T-shirt he had on brought out the
chocolate hues in his hair and the blue in his eyes. The Tommy jeans
were a rust color and hugged a very nice ass and hard thighs. He was a
seriously dreamy man. And he smelled good, too.
 What cologne are you wearing? I like it.
 Oh, it s Ralph Lauren Black. A birthday present from my momma,
believe it or not. He blushed.
 Are you blushing? Don t tell me you aren t used to women falling
over themselves to compliment you, Shane Chase.
 I m not going to answer that. I ve been a man long enough to know
better than that. But I will say that what matters is that you re the one
complimenting me.
They ate a leisurely dinner and got to know each other better. Cassie
found herself more able to relax with him each time they got together.
Those lunches had made a difference because he wasn t really a
stranger.
 You ready to go grab a dance or five with me? I have to show you off.
I bet you ll fit against me just right. He stood and they walked out to his
car.
 Do you write all this stuff down? Seriously, you re smooth.
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72 Lauren Dane
He laughed and avoided the answer as he navigated into a spot to
park.  Wow, crowded tonight. It s not usually this bad on a Tuesday.
 We can do it another night if you like.
 Oh hell no. You owe me a dance. Come on now. Let s show  em how
it s done.
He sprang out and walked around but she d gotten her door open. He
frowned and she took his arm.
 I can open a door, Shane. Stop pouting. I already see you have nice
lips.
 I don t pout. And I like to do things for you.
She stiffened and halted.  Let s get this straight before we go inside. I
can do things for myself. I m a grown woman. I am capable of opening
doors, making phone calls, ordering my food, buying my clothes and
generally living my day-to-day life without being managed and done for.
He narrowed his eyes, ready to argue but saw her eyes and took a
step back instead. Fear and anger. He d pushed a button and his cop
brain began to piece together whatever the hell her ex must have done.
But he wasn t going to be put in the same category as some control
freak asshole who fucked her over either.  I never said you weren t
capable of doing things and I didn t order your food or manage you. I just
wanted to open your door. But if it bothers you, I won t.
She sighed and looked him up and down.  Listen, maybe you should
just take me home.
He closed the distance between them slowly, careful not to spook her
or frighten her with his body. Gently, he took her hands in his own.
 Cassie, clearly I ve struck a nerve. I didn t mean to upset you. And I
didn t mean to sound pissy. You have a right to be treated how you want
to be treated. It wasn t my intention to offend you. I am a bossy guy, it s
just how I am, but I m not trying to control you. Come on, let s go inside.
Okay? He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the inside of her
wrist.
Slowly, he felt the tension leave her body and she nodded.
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Taking Chase 73
Inside, the place was chaos. Cassie was thankful for his size when he
plowed his way through the crowd and led her to the table where their
friends had gathered.
Matt s eyes widened and he whistled when he saw her.  You look
fantastic, Cassie.
Shane pulled a chair out and then indicated that she sit. She
appreciated that he didn t do it all for her. Appreciated his control and
the fact that he seemed to be trying hard to let her be.
She chatted with Maggie and the others and tried to ignore Matt
teasing his brother.
Shane leaned over and spoke in a low voice.  Eyes back in your head,
Matt. Don t let the fact that you re my baby brother stop you from
understanding I ll hurt you if you continue staring at Cassie.
Matt threw back his head and laughed so loud and hard that
everyone turned to look at him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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