Dex frowned thoughtfully. A part of him didn’t want to leave Caitlin and he wondered why. Could it be because the last time he’d left her behind in San Antonio, he had ended up losing her? He quickly reminded himself that at the time, he’d been deeply in love with her. But now she was a woman he no longer loved and could never love again.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” he asked, taking a step back.
“I’m positive. I’ve accepted Dad’s death. I’ll miss him deeply, but I have to get on with my life.” Caitlin studied Dex’s features. His eyes appeared clouded, making it difficult to tell what was going on behind them. She had no idea what he was thinking.
“How about if we go out to dinner tonight to a really classy restaurant and celebrate my good news.”
Pleasure grew within Caitlin with the thought that he wanted to take her out to celebrate.
“Oh, Dex, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m sure Ms. Logan wouldn’t mind watching Jordan for a few—”
“Jordan’s coming with us.”
An embarrassing tint spread across Caitlin’s features. “Oh. I thought it would be just…” She quickly looked away. “Nothing. It’s not important. My mistake.”
Dex touched her hands and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “You thought it would be just the two of us,” he finished softly. His eyes filled with absolute understanding after she hesitantly gave a slight nod.
“There will be other times for us. Tonight I want the three of us to celebrate together as a family.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Caitlin, I—”
“No, you don’t have to explain. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” She racked her brain for an excuse to flee from his presence. There wasn’t any need hanging around and making another complete fool of herself. “I better go check on Jordan.”
She turned and quickly left the room.
Corinthians pulled off her reading glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She’d been working on a report since early that morning, unintentionally skipping lunch. And now it was three o’clock already. The report would be the one presented to Dex when he met with them on Friday. It would be so good seeing him again.
She smiled as she pushed herself out of the chair and stood staring around her plush office. She had come a long way since that day eight years ago when Adam had escorted her from the personnel department and up to the tenth floor. There he had shown her her working area or, more precisely, her space. It hadn’t been much larger than the smallest closet in her apartment.
Corinthians left the office to get a drink of water from the water cooler in the reception area. Darcy, Adam’s personal secretary, was still at it, typing furiously, trying hard like everyone else to get prepared for Friday’s meeting.
Returning to her office minutes later, Corinthians went to the window and stared out at downtown Austin. She wrapped her arms around herself, a habit of hers whenever she was happy about something. She wondered if Dex was as happy as she was. He wouldn’t be told the full extent of the Leabo Project until the last piece of land had been purchased. Only then would he realize just what a very lucky man he was.
Walking away from the window, she had seated herself behind the desk again when the buzzer sounded. She reached over and pressed the button on her intercom. “Darcy, I thought I asked you to hold all my calls for the remainder of the day.”
“I know, Ms. Avery, but Dexter Madaris is on the line. Before he left, Mr. Flynn told me to put Mr. Madaris through to you if he called.”
“Yes, of course,” Corinthians said, drawing air deep into her lungs. The mere thought of talking to Dex made a warm feeling pass through her. “Please put him through.”
“Dex? Hi. This is Corinthians. How are you? You’re right, it’s been a long time.” Too long. “I understand congratulations are in order.” She smiled as she slipped off her shoes and snuggled deeper into the comfortable chair.
“Yes, I know all about the project,” she said, grinning, deciding not to tell him just how much she actually knew and how close she was to it. “And no, I’m not telling you a thing about it. My lips are sealed. But I will tell you this, Dex, it’s big. Bigger than anything you could imagine.”
Corinthians laughed. “When will you be arriving? Not until Thursday afternoon?” She tried to keep her voice from exposing her disappointment. She’d hoped he had planned on arriving sooner.
“I have an idea. How about if I go ahead and make reservations for you to save you the trouble.” She looked only slightly sheepish. “No, it won’t be any bother at all, in fact it’ll be my pleasure.”
Corinthians’s smile widened. “All right, I’ll see you when you get here. ’Bye, Dex. Take care.”
She had barely hung up the phone, then she jumped up from her desk and wrapped her arms around herself. Moments later she picked up the phone to call the hotel. Her solemn expression didn’t mask the sparkle in her eyes.
Dex wouldn’t know what hit him until it was too late.
Chapter 8
“Do I look pretty, Daddy?”
Dex tossed aside the magazine he’d been reading. Jordan stood on the next-to-the last stair dressed in a pink dress trimmed with ruffles and lace. Pink and white ribbons were in her braided hair and small pearl earrings were in her pierced ears.
A proud smile tugged at his mouth. He reached his hand out to help her down. “Yes, sweetheart, you look very pretty.”
Jordan gave him a dazzling smile, obviously pleased with his response. She leaned closer to him. “As pretty as Mommy?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he admitted with a soft chuckle. “You look as pretty as your mommy.” Dex glanced up the stairway. Caitlin was coming down and look absolutely gorgeous dressed in a tailored pantsuit. The scent of her perfume seduced him. He inhaled it and recalled the first time he’d met her and how even then, that same fragrance had captured him.
When Caitlin reached them, Dex extended his hand to her. “I’m a very lucky man to have two such beautiful ladies with me tonight.” He took Caitlin’s fingers and pressed a light kiss on them.
“You can kiss my fingers, too,” Jordan exclaimed, presenting her hand to him.
Dex gave in to a low laugh before leaning down and kissing his daughter’s hand. “Are you ready?”
Jordan bobbed her head excitedly.
Dex chuckled. “Then let’s go.”
Dex had taken Caitlin and Jordan to an elegant restaurant where both the food and the service had been outstanding.
On the ride back, the car’s interior was quiet except for the soft music playing on the radio. He glanced back in the rearview mirror and saw that Jordan had fallen asleep.
When he stopped the car at a traffic light, he glanced at Caitlin. She was sitting beside him with her eyes closed. The car was flooded with moonlight, and he could see the perfection of her features. Her brown skin glowed like smooth satin, and a few strands of her hair whipped around in the wind coming through the car’s window. He couldn’t help staring at her lips, thinking how good they looked and knowing just how good they tasted.
Dex turned his gaze back to the road when the traffic light changed to green. But he couldn’t stop the outpouring of memories that hit him—memories of that night long ago when, thanks to Clayton, he’d had to admit to himself that he loved Caitlin.
After hiring her to work at his uncle’s ranch, he’d kept his distance, especially after discovering he was attracted to her in a way he’d never been attracted to any woman before.
Dex fought back a smile. He’d been doing a pretty good job avoiding her until Clayton had shown up. Even now, he could remember that short conversation with his brother in his uncle’s barn as though it had been yesterday….
“Dex?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you, um…” Clayton looked at him speculatively. “Is something going on between you and Caitlin Parker?”
“No,” he replied tersely. “Why?”
“Because.” Clayton smiled faintly. “If you’re not interested in her, I’m sure I can be.”
He gave his brother a hard glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Clayton laughed. “Don’t be dense, Dex. You know how attracted I am to beautiful women.”
He caught Clayton’s arm in a hard grip. “Stay away from her. She’s not that kind of girl.”
Clayton raised a brow. “Give me less than a day and I’ll find out just what kind of girl she is.”
For the first time in his life, he wanted to beat his womanizing baby brother to a pulp. Instead he gave him a hard look that spoke volumes. He tightened his grip on Clayton’s arm. “I mean it. Stay away from her.” He released Clayton and with fury in his eyes, he walked out of the barn…
Dex shook himself, bringing his thoughts back to the present. These insistent memories were making his life a living hell, he thought, pulling the car into the driveway of Caitlin’s father’s home.
He never got the chance to find out if Clayton would have heeded his warning, because from that night on, Dex stopped avoiding Caitlin.
Dex looked over at her when he brought the car to a stop. No woman should be this beautiful, he thought, letting his gaze move over her. She looked so damned desirable, he’d do just about anything to make love to her again.
“Caitlin, wake up. We’re here.”
Dex’s voice sounded oddly tender, Caitlin thought, slowly opening her eyes. Her gaze locked with his. The look in his eyes made her breath catch. It was the same look of desire she’d seen in them last night and the night before that.
Somehow she managed to tear her gaze from his and straighten in the seat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snooze on you,” she said, unbuckling her seat belt. “I guess I wasn’t much company was I?”
“You were a lot of company,” he said, reaching across and caressing the side of her face. “Asleep or awake, you’re all the company I need.”
Caitlin didn’t want to read more into his words than was actually there. “Why? Because we’re celebrating tonight?” she asked in a whisper, not even daring to look at him. She was too afraid to do so. When he didn’t answer her immediately, she took a chance and looked at him. He’d been waiting for her to do just that, she thought, because he was looking intently at her.
His gaze held hers for a long, taut moment, warm and sensuous. Then he smiled and Caitlin was aware of nothing but his gaze, his smile and the irregular beat of her heart.
Dex’s fingers, which had been caressing the side of her face, moved to her lips. Slowly, tenderly, he outlined her upper lip with his thumb, then moved down to her lower lip.
“No, it’s not because we’re celebrating.” When he’d finally answered her question, she had to think hard to remember just what she’d asked him.
“It’s because I want you,” he continued, leaning toward her. “Plain and simple.”
Her lips parted when she saw the deliciously male mouth slowly coming toward hers. She felt the delicate tip of Dex’s tongue touch her. She took it into her mouth, joining it with hers. He continued to kiss her slowly, thoroughly. Instinctively her hands reached up and touched his shoulders, then curled around the back of his neck.
Dex finally drew his mouth from hers and brushed back a wisp of hair from her face to gaze into her eyes. “I think we should go inside, put our daughter to bed then finish this. I don’t like the idea of giving the neighbors something to talk about, sweetheart.”
“I know,” she said softly, tracing his handsome face with her eyes. It had completely slipped her mind as to where they were. “Kissing in a parked car while our daughter is asleep in the backseat is kind of crazy, isn’t it?”
“Depends on how you look at it,” Dex whispered. And then he was kissing her again, more passionately than before.
“I think we’d better go inside,” Caitlin murmured against his mouth a minute or two later. Her gaze was pinned to his lips that were still hovering close over hers.
“Yeah, I guess we’d better,” he said, slowly pulling away from her. “I’ll carry Jordan inside. Just remember what I said, Caitlin. This is far from finished tonight.”
He got out of the car whistling the old Temptations’ tune, “Get Ready, ’Cause Here I Come.”
Chapter 9
Caitlin stood awkwardly at the bottom stair watching Dex carry Jordan up to bed. She should help him with Jordan, but for now she just wanted to stay in place and get her bearings. Dex had a way of rocking her precariously balanced emotions.
She should never have allowed things to get so far out of hand with him tonight. No doubt he expected them to finish what they had started in the car. But she wasn’t ready to renew the intimate part of her relationship with him. She still felt uncertain and insecure about a number of things, especially his feelings for her.
She finally walked up the stairs, too confused and too filled with doubt to think straight. When she entered the room, Dex was removing Jordan’s shoes and socks. She joined him and together they finished undressing Jordan and got her into her pajamas and under the covers.
Needing to get away from Dex, Caitlin quickly left the room, leaving him standing beside the bed watching their daughter sleep. Walking across the hall to her bedroom, she turned on the light and closed the door behind her. She paced the room for several minutes before hearing the faint knock on the door. “Come in.”
Caitlin met Dex’s gaze when he entered the room, closing the door behind him. She could feel the sizzle of sexual awareness and attraction between them. She forced the thoughts from her mind of just how good he looked standing there, leaning a shoulder against the closed door with his hands thrust into the pockets of his pants. He stared at her with eyes that could melt her very soul, not to mention her resistance.
“Why are you acting so skittish, Caitlin?”
“I’m not acting that way.”
Dex straightened from his position against the door. He walked farther into the bedroom. “Yes, you are. Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
“I think you already know what’s bothering me,” she informed him in a brisk tone. She came to stand in front of him. For a while, she was unable to continue speaking. From where she stood, the heat of his body was warming her. His scent was all male, a combination of clean, masculine freshness. “You’re doing it again, Dex,” she accused.
He looked at her and smiled slightly, acknowledging that he knew exactly what she was talking about. “Trying to seduce you?”
“Yes.” Her voice was hoarse when she answered.
Dex’s smile widened. “I plead guilty as charged.”
She lifted her brow. He hadn’t tried denying it. “Well, stop it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They stood motionless in the silent room, facing each other for an eternity. The slow, even rhythm of Dex’s breathing was all Caitlin could hear. She refused to acknowledge the hard pounding sound of her own heart beating rapidly.
Suddenly, Dex leaned close and put his mouth against her ear and whispered, “You need relaxing.”
There was more silence for a moment, then Caitlin’s trembling voice replied, “No, I don’t.”
He reached out and touched her hand, feeling her tremble with his touch. “Yes, you do. Go ahead and take your shower. By the time you’re through, I’ll be back with just what you need.”
“Dex, I don’t think—”
“Have I ever forced myself on you, Caitlin?”
She looked at him without comment for a moment, then shook her head. “No.”
“And I don’t ever plan on doing so. I’ll be back in a little while. Enjoy your shower.” He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Worry lines knitted Caitlin’s delicate brow. She shook her head, clearing her mind. Four years ago it had never occurred to her that Dex was too much for her to handle. At twenty-one she had felt completely at ease and comfortable around him, even when he was helping her to
realize, acknowledge and accept the full extent of her sexuality. During those two weeks before they had married, he had taken the time to actually court her properly. She would always remember their daily horseback rides, their occasional picnic lunches and the times he had taken her dancing at a country and western dance club not far from Whispering Pines. At no time had he come on too strong. His kisses had always been passionate, leaving her breathless, wanting more. But he’d always stopped before things got too out of hand. And he had never forced himself on her. They had made love for the first time on their wedding night. What she had experienced in his arms had been so beautiful, it had brought tears to her eyes. He had not just made love to her, he had used his body to cherish her. She smiled, remembering those heated nights after they had married. The memories were electrifying, and for a moment Caitlin couldn’t catch her breath for the force of them.
But what about now, Caitlin? Can you handle Dex Madaris now? her mind screamed. She shook her head. For some reason, she wasn’t as sure of herself as she had been at twenty-one. She felt completely out of her element with Dex. He was more sensuous, more rugged, more appealing, and if possible, more male.
Caitlin shivered, then realized she was standing in the same spot where she’d been when Dex had left the room. Sighing, she went into the connecting bath to take her shower. Dex had said he would have something to relax her. She couldn’t help wondering just what that was.
During her shower, Caitlin forced herself to focus her thoughts on other things, like how Dex’s family would react to the news of their reconciliation, and what would they think of Jordan.
Stepping out of the shower, she toweled herself dry. After lotioning her body, she slipped into her nightgown. When she heard a knock at her bedroom door, she grabbed her robe and hurriedly put it on. As she approached the door, she held her breath, not certain what to expect. Slowly she opened the door.
“I told you that I had just the thing to relax you.”
Caitlin smiled. Dex stood in her doorway carrying a serving tray that held a teapot and two cups. “Tea? Is it too much to hope that it’s Whispering Pines’ own special blend?”
Whispered Promises Page 11
