OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

She cleared her throat. "Okay."

  "Unfortunately, going to my little brother's event won't give us much chance for that. The noise level will be horrific. And I can't leave too early or he'll think I didn't like it."

  "Then we need to go and stay as long as necessary."

  "I'm afraid so. But after that…" He didn't dare put what he was thinking into words. He hoped she was thinking exactly the same thing.

  "After that, we'll … we'll see what happens."

  So she wanted to hedge a little. He didn't buy her act. He'd been there during the fireworks and he knew she was flammable. "I think we both can guess what will happen, given half a chance."

  "I thought you wanted to get to know me first."

  "I do." He gave her a quick, hard kiss. "And I will."

  * * *

  Chapter 4

  «^»

  Somehow Kasey crossed the street without getting run over. That probably had something to do with Sam's tight grip on her hand and his take-charge attitude. Thank goodness he was watching out for them, because she was too dazed by that kiss to notice traffic signals.

  So when had kissing become such a big deal? She'd kissed guys before and been able to analyze the process in clinical detail, even during the act itself. She'd evaluated kissing techniques and rated them for firmness, taste and the all-important slipperiness factor. Then she'd taken into account the groping, or lack of groping, and whether that added to the experience or detracted.

  Then along came Sam with a kiss that destroyed every analytical brain cell she possessed. Instead of being a mildly amusing mouth exercise, this kiss had thrown her into the center of a tornado where she'd clung helplessly to Sam as winds of lust tugged at her from every angle. Whatever he was offering, she wanted to be first in line.

  All her sexual experiences so far had been motivated by curiosity. This driving urge was nothing like that. There was desperation mixed in with carnal desire, as if she might go crazy if she couldn't satisfy the need he'd created with one simple kiss. No, not simple. That had been a very complicated kiss. Because of it, she had to reevaluate her entire campaign.

  Her original plan had included more control. She'd judged her ability to stay in control based on her experiences with men so far. She hadn't factored in a kiss that would turn her knees to jelly. She'd always thought that was a silly expression, someone's wild exaggeration of normal sexual impulses.

  Apparently not. Apparently there were men like Sam who could accomplish the knees-to-jelly thing. Who knew? In any case, she had a combustible situation on her hands. He wanted to sleep with her. That was the good part, because she really had made him drool. The bad part was that she wanted to sleep with him, too.

  So now what? A big juicy flirtation was what she'd intended. A full-blown affair hadn't been part of the equation. Obviously that's what he wanted, though.

  And so did she, but it wouldn't be a wise move. In fact, it would be an extremely foolish move. The deeper her involvement, the more likely he'd find out who she was. She didn't want that to happen.

  Instead, she wanted to be the sexy mystery woman who got away. She might still be able to pull that off, but she'd have to keep her wits about her. No more of those high-octane kisses. And this would be their one and only date.

  By the time she'd reached that conclusion, Sam had opened the door to the Cactus Club. A warm-up band had already taken the stage and the air vibrated with the sound of drums and acoustic guitars.

  Kasey dug into her small purse and pulled out her fake ID. Showing it always made her nervous, but tonight provided a double dose of angst. Nothing could be more embarrassing than getting busted in front of Sam. Fortunately the interior was dim, the guy checking ID knew Sam, and there was no special scrutiny of her card.

  "Colin's saved you a table up front," the guy said, leaning close to be heard above the music. "He also said the first round's on him."

  "We'll see about that," Sam said with a smile. Then he guided Kasey to an empty table right next to the crowded dance floor.

  Once there, he held her chair and leaned down to speak directly into her ear. "What do you want to drink?"

  She turned to answer him and her mouth nearly collided with his. When she pulled back, he caught her chin with his hand.

  "Hey, there." He stayed in close, a gentle smile on his face. "You're not having a shyness attack, are you?"

  Shy was the last word she wanted him to associate with her. "Not in the least." She smiled back. "But I didn't want to be the cause of you getting teased, in case your brother's around."

  "Let me worry about that." His expression grew warmer and he stroked her chin with his thumb. "I sure wish we didn't have to be here."

  "But we do."

  "Yeah. So what do you want?"

  She'd watched enough movies and read enough books to know that a happening chick would pick up on that opening. "Whatever you're offering, Sam."

  He groaned. "Later. Later you can have whatever you want. Right now all I can give you is a drink."

  "Mineral water, then."

  His smile widened. "I like that. A woman who wants to stay alert. I think I'll have the same."

  "Don't abstain on my account."

  "Oh, it's completely on your account. Normally I enjoy the band much more when I'm a little sloshed. But for tonight, I'll forgo that crutch."

  "For heaven's sake, at least have a beer."

  "Nope." He shook his head. "Considering what's at stake later on, this will be no sacrifice."

  Her heart beat like crazy as she absorbed his meaning. If only she could go with the flow, but she didn't dare, not with this man. "You seem to have forgotten about getting acquainted first."

  "No, I haven't." He dropped a slow, lingering kiss on her lips.

  She couldn't stop him without making a scene. And from that first magic taste, she didn't want to stop him. Once again, she was lost to the world. The music faded and the crowd noise disappeared. There was only the sweet pressure of his mouth on hers, and she wanted more, so much more…

  He ended the kiss and took a shaky breath. "There."

  She opened her eyes, feeling like Sleeping Beauty. But this was no fairy tale and she was not going to be swept away by the handsome prince. Not if she could help it.

  "I know you better already," he murmured.

  "You can't find out anything from a kiss."

  "Sure I can. For example—"

  "Can I take your order, sir?" called out a waiter who'd appeared behind Sam.

  Kasey glanced over Sam's shoulder and caught the waiter's eye. He winked at her. Being with Sam had already elevated her status. No waiter had ever winked at her before.

  Sam straightened and turned around. As he gave the guy their order, Kasey took a moment to dredge up some of her famous self-discipline. She hadn't graduated from college at eighteen by allowing distractions to ruin her game plan. This was no different. Well, it was a little bit different. Okay, it was a lot different.

  But if she'd been disciplined in her studies, she could be disciplined in limiting the amount of kisses that went on. No, not limiting—eliminating. She couldn't afford any more moments of oblivion. She quickly reviewed her list of reasons and vowed to keep them firmly in mind.

  Sam took his seat across from her and plopped the waiter's ordering pad on the small table.

  She raised her voice to make herself heard. "What are you doing with that?"

  "Borrowed it for a while!" He scribbled something on the pad, tore off the top sheet and handed it across the table, along with the pen he'd apparently scrounged from the waiter.

  She glanced at the paper, where he'd written, "Are you a morning person or a night person?" She started to laugh. No wonder he'd built a successful business. He was an extremely resourceful guy. She admired that in people, and she was gradually coming to admire Sam, not to mention wanting to jump his bones.

  After writing "night person" on the paper, she handed it back. That kind of information should
n't get her in trouble. Mainly she had to avoid biographical information like where she went to high school, which was also his high school.

  Sam wrote "me, too" under her answer and held it up so she could see it. He seemed pleased to have that in common, but then he probably expected this was the start of something spectacular. She was starting to feel guilty, because it wouldn't be the start of anything. Unfortunately, she thought of him as sexual training wheels, and that wasn't fair to him or any guy. Maybe she should give some excuse about hating the music and make her exit.

  She didn't need to hang around any more to see she had temptress potential or even to have stories for the women at the office. Her goal of making him want her had been accomplished and then some. She'd earned her first stripe as a Bad Girl, so she could stop the charade now.

  He would be hurt and confused, would probably try to contact her again, but she could handle that. What she couldn't handle was getting in deeper with him and then forcing herself to back away. Right now she'd inflict only superficial wounds on his ego, but the longer she played this game, the worse it would be on him.

  Meanwhile Sam was busy writing another question. He pushed the paper across the table and tossed her the pen.

  This was her chance to leave. All she had to do was lip the page over and write "Have to go—music's giving me a headache." He wouldn't be able to leave with her, not when his brother's band was about to take the stage. He'd probably call her a cab, and that would be that.

  If she meant to leave, she shouldn't read whatever question he'd come up with, because the question wouldn't matter. But she'd been born with an extremely inquisitive mind. The trait had been a blessing for the most part, but was a curse, now.

  Chastising herself for doing it, she read his question. "What was your favorite book when you were seven years old?" Damn it, she knew she shouldn't have read his question. He wasn't just playing at this get-acquainted business. He really wanted to know who she was. Okay, she'd answer his question, and maybe that would send him running for the hills.

  She picked up the pen and wrote "Megatrends for Women. Yours?" Then she scooted the paper across the table and waited for his reaction, the reaction she usually got from all except the genius-level guys.

  Sure enough, his eyes widened and he glanced up. She could almost read his thoughts—system alert: brainiac in the house. Then he smiled and picked up the pen. He continued to smile as he wrote down his favorite book and added another line, maybe another question.

  When he pushed the paper over to her, she hesitated before picking it up. She was supposed to be out of here by now. Instead she was still trading notes with Sam. But she had to find out what he'd written, and what his next question would be. Without realizing it, he'd chosen a method of communication that tapped right into her curious nature. She found the suspense contained in each note irresistible.

  Glancing down, she read "Goodnight, Moon was my favorite book. I think you're probably a lot smarter than I am. Is that a problem for you?" She looked up and saw the uncertainty in his expression. He wasn't rejecting her because of her brains—he was afraid she'd reject him.

  Her heart turned over. She couldn't leave now. Instead she wrote "No way" across the bottom of the page and gave it back to him.

  His face relaxed into another broad smile and he flipped the paper over to write something across the back. This time he didn't give her the pen, only the small sheet of paper.

  When she read what he'd written, her pulse rate jumped. "I promise to compensate in other areas." Sweet heaven, the man was ready to guarantee that he'd love her so well she wouldn't care about his IQ.

  * * *

  Tin Tarantulas' opening number put an end to the note writing for a while, but that was okay with Sam. Thanks to that maneuver, he was getting a handle on Kasey Braddock. What he'd taken as a standoffish attitude might be related to her heavy-duty smarts.

  She hadn't wanted him to know she was a brain. Understandable. He wasn't oblivious to the problems that could have caused with the opposite sex once she started dating. Some guys reacted poorly if they found out a woman was more intelligent than they were.

  Sam happened to think it was cool. He liked hanging out with smart people. He'd discovered that early in his life during interactions with Colin, who had inherited more brains than he had. When discussing things with Colin, he sometimes lost his way in the conversation, but he was never bored. So if Kasey didn't mind the gap in mental abilities, he sure as hell didn't.

  Good thing he'd thought up the note idea, or he might never have found out her secret. She must have decided to test him when he asked about her favorite book as a kid. Maybe she'd thought that would be the end of the attraction for him.

  It was far from the end. This woman had beauty and brains. What a combo. He'd also decided something else about Kasey. She wasn't nearly as sophisticated as she wanted everyone to believe.

  He wondered if she'd gone through school as a nerd, then transformed herself when she got into the working world. Tinted contacts, a different hairstyle, a new wardrobe, a sexy little car—they could be the props of her new image.

  In the PR business, her brains wouldn't get her shunned, they'd get her promoted. In the dating game, unfortunately, there were still a lot of men who had to feel superior to woman in all ways. Kasey might have bumped up against a few of those, so she was careful how much she revealed about herself. And she might not have had the busy social life he'd imagined.

  All that was good news as far as he was concerned. If she was searching for a guy who appreciated everything about her, including all that mental firepower, Sam was her man. This was turning into a very exciting evening, and it wasn't even half-over.

  At one point Kasey leaned across the table to ask which member of the band was his brother, and Sam pointed him out. That reminded him that watching Colin was the reason he was here, and he needed to pay better attention. Colin played lead guitar. The band included a bass guitarist, drummer and a keyboard player who was also the vocalist.

  The dress code for the Tin Tarantulas was black. Anything was acceptable if it was the color of soot. T-shirts, silk shirts, cargo pants and bell-bottoms appeared in various combinations.

  Colin wore low-slung jeans and a plain black T-shirt. His long black hair flew in all directions and his gold earrings caught the light as he went wild on his electric guitar. The in-your-face musical style obviously satisfied the customers filling the tiny dance floor and crowding around the tables.

  Sam hoped Kasey was tolerating it okay. At the end of the first number she applauded with such enthusiasm that he couldn't believe she was faking it. Much to his amazement, she actually seemed to like the music. That was a bonus—a surprising bonus, but a bonus nevertheless. He'd been afraid she'd be suffering through this club scene.

  Instead, she tapped her feet and moved in time with the music. He was so fascinated watching her that it took a few minutes before he figured out she might want to dance. Standing, he held out his hand.

  She seemed startled, and then quickly shook her head. "That's okay," she murmured. Immediately she stopped tapping her feet and twitching in response to the beat

  He leaned closer so he wouldn't have to shout. Man, did she smell good. "Oh, come on," he coaxed. "I'm no twinkle toes, myself."

  "I'm definitely not a twinkle toes." She folded her hands on the table, as if that would keep her from moving with the music.

  "Look, the floor's so small, all we have room to do is stand there and wiggle."

  Apparently that got to her. She glanced up at him and grinned. "I'm going to risk embarrassing myself just so I can watch you do that."

  "Good deal." He pulled her to her feet and they edged onto the crowded floor.

  He hadn't done this kind of bump and grind in a while, so he felt a little self-conscious, but he wanted to give her every reason to let loose. That meant forgetting that his little brother was up on the stage and would no doubt comment on his dance moves at
great length. Sam surrendered to that inevitability and began to shake his booty.

  And praise the Lord, so did Kasey. She started out with small, tight movements, but when Sam challenged her by exaggerating his own moves, she laughed and threw herself into it. Before long she was making those gorgeous breasts of hers shimmy.

  Sam wanted to stop dancing and simply watch, but then she might stop, too, and he couldn't have that. So he kept dancing and encouraging her with laughter and smiles. She was amazing. If he'd ever thought the bass was too loud, he didn't think so now. That rhythm echoed through his body and hers, linking them together in a way that was almost like sex.

  He'd never danced like this in his life, not even when he was drunk. Tonight he was dancing under the influence, though—the influence of Kasey, a woman who knew how to shake his world.

  * * *

  Chapter 5

  «^»

  Kasey abandoned her slightly bored routine. She'd loved the bold music played by the Tin Tarantulas when she'd heard them at ASU. Sitting right up front at the Cactus Club, where the beat felt like tennis balls bouncing in her veins, made her long to move with it. But she hadn't meant to dance.

  Then Sam had proposed that they could stand there and wiggle, as he'd put it, and she'd been unable to resist seeing how he'd look on the dance floor. Passing up that chance might lose her the Bad Girl's stripe she'd already earned. As it turned out, Sam knew how to wiggle.

  Watching him lose himself to the music tripped a switch in her, and she abandoned herself to the heavy beat. Back in school she'd danced away her stress alone in the privacy of her dorm room where no one could comment on what she looked like doing it. Tonight the combination of the dress, the shoes and Sam gave her the confidence to shake it up in public.

  When no one seemed to be pointing and laughing, she let herself go a little more with each number. What fun. What a huge relief to know she could play with the big boys and girls at the nightclub.

  Sam looked at her as if he'd like to find a more secluded playground for just the two of them. She didn't know how she'd deal with that hunger in his eyes, especially because dancing to the wild beat was turning her on, too. But for now she wanted to revel in the feeling that she owned this dance floor. She'd never felt that way, and it was a big step in her evolution from nerd-girl to hot babe.