by Jo Leigh
John’s deep laugh made everything worse because she could picture the smile that went with it. “You up for a party?”
She watched Lisa fill a mug with beer and chat with the men. “Party being a euphemism for...?”
“Uh...” He trailed off to a brief silence. “No hats, no balloons, but it really is a party.”
“Where?”
“A friend’s house, about twenty minutes from here. By the way, I want to know how your exam went, but I figured we’d talk on the drive. If you want to join me.”
For all her internal lecturing, Cassie wanted to see him. She wouldn’t pretend otherwise, but hanging out at a party with his friends wasn’t what she had in mind.
“I promised I’d show up,” he said, as if sensing her hesitation. “We don’t have to stay long.”
“I’m thinking.”
“Should I come in? I thought you wouldn’t want me asking in front of customers.”
“You’re right.” She glanced down at herself. The top would do, but the old jeans were horrible. “Maybe you should go ahead on your own. I’d have to go home and change and—”
“Nah, it’s not like that. They barbecued earlier, and now it’s drinks and snacks around the pool. You’re dressed fine.”
“You don’t know what I’m wearing.”
“But I know you look good,” he said, his voice low and smoky.
Smiling, she realized she was twisting her hair around her finger like a smitten thirteen-year-old and snapped out of it. Damn. Lisa was watching her. “Give me ten minutes.”
He might’ve said something about waiting on the street instead of the parking lot, but she’d pretty much hung up on him.
Avoiding Lisa’s gaze, Cassie muttered, “I’ll be right back,” then grabbed her purse and hurried to the ladies’ room for some damage control. Nothing to do about her clothes, but her hair and makeup probably needed touching up.
If she made it out the door without having to field a dozen questions from Lisa and Tommy, it would be a miracle. And then all she had to do was survive the night with John. No problem. Though another shot of tequila might be just the ticket.
* * *
“CASSIE, THIS IS SHANE and Nancy, our hosts.” John kissed the woman’s cheek, while Cassie smiled and shook hands with her husband.
She should’ve known better. The rule was a basic one, for God’s sake. Never trust a man when it came to his opinion on clothes. Even if he swore you looked like a million bucks. Of course John hadn’t used those words, but he’d assured her she looked perfect. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
“Glad you guys could make it.” Shane glanced at the label on the wine John had given him, his brows arching in approval. “Too bad you missed dinner. We should have some leftover steak and chicken. Honey, how about bringing out the—”
“No, not for us....” John pressed a hand to Cassie’s lower back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t speak for you, Cass.” He looked into her eyes, his dazzling smile for her alone. “Hungry?”
His touch startled her as much as the nickname. He stood close, the pressure of his palm steady, and anyone watching would think they’d known each other for a whole lot longer than four days.
Okay, she could forgive him for not warning her that she’d look like a toad next to all these gorgeous women. There was an assortment of blondes, brunettes and even two redheads lounging around the pool, or talking and laughing under the small palm trees strung with hundreds of white glittering lights. The landscaping was primo, with lots of trees and flowering shrubs, and a ton more lighting.
“Cassie?” John rubbed his thumb near her spine.
“Oh, sorry. Yes.” She looked blankly at him, then to Nancy and Shane. “I mean, no. Not hungry. But thanks.”
“Let me know if you change your mind. It’s really no trouble.” Nancy was a blonde, and damn, a natural one it seemed. Very nice. Very tall. Stunning, actually, dressed in white capris and a white strappy top. “Excuse me, I have to check on the ice.”
“You know where the bar is,” Shane told John. “Help yourself,” he said, with a smile for Cassie before he followed Nancy toward the covered patio.
Cassie stared after him. He had dark hair like John, same height, gorgeous blue eyes, but John was still much better-looking. “They seem nice.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Do I?” She turned to see him smiling at her. But her move forced him to break contact, and she was sorry about that. “I don’t know why. I can’t imagine you hanging out with jerks.”
His grin broadened. “How about a drink? This time I’m pouring.”
“Yes, you are.” She hesitated when he gestured for her to go first. “Which way’s the bar?”
“The patio, left of the sliding doors.”
She’d been kind of hoping he’d take her hand, but that was expecting too much. At least they didn’t have to circle the pool. Most of the guests mingled over on the other side, but that hadn’t stopped the curious looks aimed at her and John. He nodded to a woman sitting at the edge of a lounge chair, then slowed to tell a couple of guys—had to be pilots—he’d catch up with them in a minute.
“Do you know everyone here?” Cassie leaned on the high bamboo bar, watching him make her a tequila sunrise. He’d set out the right ingredients, plus lime juice for some reason.
He glanced out at the pool and the couples sitting at the umbrella tables. “About half. I work with most of the guys. I think the two couples talking by the diving board are neighbors.”
“Are the women wives, or what?” She was careful not to stare because some of the women were looking back, and in fact had been watching her and John since they arrived. Hard to tell if they were curious about her or bummed that John hadn’t come solo. Probably both.
“A few wives,” he said, returning his attention to her drink. “I think the rest are Nancy’s friends.”
“Jeez, they all look like models.”
“They could be.” He was so careful to measure everything precisely it made her smile.
“Notice something else?”
His head came up again, his gaze going from her to the pool, back to her. “What?”
“None of them are wearing jeans.”
“The guys are. Including me.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” After taking in her face and hair, he looked directly into her eyes, his lips lifting in the faintest of smiles as if they shared a secret.
A shiver of pure pleasure danced up her spine. Bless him for making her feel as if she were the only woman at this shindig. “You know what—forget it.”
He handed her the tequila sunrise. “Tell me if I made this right. You’re the expert.”
“An expert at what?” The man’s voice behind her was close enough to make her jump.
She stepped aside so she could turn to look without bumping into him. He brushed her arm, making her tense until he lifted his hands in apology.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” He held an empty glass that should stay that way, judging by his flushed face and bloodshot blue eyes.
“Rocky.” John gave him a polite nod but she got a negative vibe. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“John meant that he didn’t know I was invited,” he said, winking at Cassie, his attention focused on her. “Introduce me to your girl, Devil.”
“I haven’t been a girl in a decade.” She decided she didn’t want to shake his hand but she wouldn’t be rude. “I’m Cassie,” she said, then glanced at John. “Devil?”
“Call sign.” His grim expression made it clear he didn’t want to explain further. Not now anyway. “His name is Kevin.”
Kevin set his glass on the bar, then somehow stumbled over his own foot, nearly knocking the glass over. He just laughed and said, “Scotch-rocks for me, bartender.”
John cleared his throat. He didn’t seem upset, just trying to keep a straight face. “You driving?”
“I’m not drunk,
so don’t worry about it.”
“There you are.” Nancy came from behind Kevin and slipped her arm through his. “I haven’t talked to you all night.”
“Nancy.” Kevin gave her a sloppy grin. “My favorite hostess. Where’s that son-of-a-bitch husband of yours? I hope far away.”
“I’m a bit warm. Mind if we sit inside?” She smoothly steered him toward the glass doors and mouthed a thank-you to John and Cassie.
John waited until they were in the house to turn and catch Cassie’s arm. His kiss surprised her. It was brief, but no less shocking. Someone had to have seen them. Speechless, she gazed at him, and he looked as if he might’ve surprised himself. “You really do look beautiful.” Lowering his head to peer at her through his lashes, he said, “Believe me?”
“Hmm, not really. You may have to repeat it.” Her bluff would’ve been more effective without the nervous laugh.
Amusement gleamed in his eyes. “Now or later?”
Neither of them had checked to see if anyone was watching.
She elbowed him, then sipped her drink. “This is good, by the way.” She glanced at the sliding doors, hoping Nancy’s evening hadn’t been ruined. “Does Kevin work with you?”
“Indirectly.” His expression tightened. “He doesn’t fly anymore. In a few months he’ll have put in his twenty and he’s out.”
“I thought he looked older than the rest of you.” She glanced across the pool. Funny how the guys all seemed to share a certain image—physically fit, yes, but also the way they carried themselves. Nobody would mistake them for ordinary airmen. Kevin was different. He looked...soft. “Would you say most people retire after they reach the magic number?”
“Not necessarily. Depends what their military job is and whether they have something else lined up in advance.” He sipped his beer, and she followed his gaze toward the backyard.
A willowy blonde wearing tight leggings under a filmy tunic waved to him. She’d been one of the women who’d sporadically kept an eye on John.
Like the men, the women shared a particular image. And like Kevin, Cassie was odd person out. She wondered if John was thinking the same thing.
“I know it’s early but do you have plans for a second career?”
“I don’t want to talk shop, you mind?”
“No, of course not. I shouldn’t have asked.” She knew better. Talk about ignoring social cues. His body language had shifted and tension had transformed his expression. Though that might still be a reaction to Kevin.
“Hey, you can ask me anything.” He shrugged. “I may not have an answer, but I’ll tell you what I can. Come on, we should go mingle.”
She was not looking forward to rubbing elbows with the beautiful people. No offense to them. Maybe if she weren’t wearing jeans... No, that had nothing to do with it. But these were his friends and his party, and she’d signed up for date duty the minute she agreed to come. With a smile, she said, “Lead on.”
“Thanks,” he whispered.
Cassie had no idea what the gratitude was for, and she didn’t care. Especially not when his big warm hand closed around hers.
9
JOHN DISCREETLY CHECKED his watch. How could they only have been here an hour? It didn’t seem possible. But then he was impatient to be alone with Cassie, so yeah, time was dragging.
Since she seemed to be enjoying herself, he hadn’t suggested they leave yet.
As they mingled, sipping drinks, stopping for introductions and hellos, he couldn’t help notice the reactions being sent his way when Cassie wasn’t looking. Frankly, he was getting annoyed with the inquisitive eyebrow lifts from his fellow pilots and their plus-ones.
They paused near the deep end of the pool and Cassie got roped into a conversation about the correct way to make mojitos. As he took his next sip, listening to Cassie’s conversation with the female half of Shane’s neighbors, his eye caught on Nancy huddled with her friend Carolyn. He’d always liked Shane’s wife, but he was tired of her trying to fix him up. The beautiful and polished Carolyn, case in point. Then there was Rick’s date. She’d brought her sister—another attempt at matchmaking. So naturally Rick gave him the stink eye before pointedly frowning at Cassie.
John didn’t give a damn. His night wasn’t going according to plan, either. A few hours ago, he’d decided to skip the party altogether. The chance to see Cassie outside the bar changed his mind.
Next to him, she laughed and the warmth he felt for her, aside from the want that had been on simmer since that first day at the bar, made him glad that he’d brought her.
In the company of his friends, he felt adrift. In Cassie, a lifeline.
What the hell was going on with him?
Last night, after the frustration of being thoroughly decent for Cassie’s sake, he’d found himself caught up in memories of another decent man. His friend Danny. He and Sam and Danny had been a team since college. John’s thoughts had kept him up late—dark, circular and confusing thoughts. The tragedy of Danny’s death was something John fought to understand. It had been so senseless. Danny hadn’t made any mistakes. The fault had been in the jet. Something had gone wrong with two things that weren’t even parts of the same system. Completely unrelated. Neither of which should have happened at all, let alone at the same time.
And like that, Danny was gone, leaving his wife, his friends, his future.
As if obsessing over Danny hadn’t been hellish enough, John’s brain had insisted on replaying Sam’s phone call when he’d confessed that he’d been grounded. After surgery to correct his vision had somehow gone wrong, his eyesight had slipped just enough to ruin his career. By the time John had spoken to him, Sam had gotten his act together and tried to sound upbeat about his new plan. But underneath the forced calm, John had heard the devastation in his friend’s voice, had felt Sam’s bone-deep pain as clearly as if it had been his own. Never allowed in the cockpit again. The idea was unthinkable.
The morbid train of thought made its own kind of sense, he supposed. Helping Cassie study brought up memories of him and his friends. The three of them had been decidedly different yet they’d bonded over their passion for flying. They’d crammed for exams together, pushed each other to be better, stronger, smarter, even when the course load got so tough it would’ve been easy to switch dreams.
Damn it, John had no right to be judging the people at this party, no right to question his own amazing good fortune. Danny had given his life. Sam had soldiered on, willing to become an instructor instead of a pilot, when being a pilot was all he’d lived for.
It was easy to look down his nose at officers like Kevin who drank too much and screwed other officers’ wives. But John was guilty as well of too little gratitude for too much privilege.
Cassie’s tug on his shirt alerted him that he was about to guide them right into the pool. He hadn’t even realized they’d been walking, or where to.
She didn’t seem to mind. She smiled at him the same way she had in the Gold Strike and in her tiny overgrown kitchen. It was the first time in years that he hadn’t specifically sold himself as an air force pilot. That had always been his calling card, and it worked an amazing amount of the time. But Cassie didn’t care. When she looked at him she didn’t see the flight suit, just the man. She’d even promised she wouldn’t hold it against him.
“You’ve been awfully quiet,” she said.
“I apologize. I’m being a terrible date. I should be showing you off—”
“I’d rather talk with you.”
Before he could muster a response to that, a call came from near the house.
“John? Over here.”
He recognized Moony’s wife’s high-pitched voice before he spotted her waving him and Cassie over. But her name escaped him. He motioned that they’d join them, then he squeezed Cassie’s hand. Her lips tilted up at the corners and her eyes sparkled. No drink demands or an open textbook to distract her. She looked happy and relaxed, and he felt better than he had all day.
>
He wanted to kiss her. Sweep her away to somewhere private. But that would have to wait for a bit. “You’re about to meet two couples. Mike, known as Moony, and Scott, whose call sign is the uninventive Scotty, are in my squadron. Scotty’s wife is Ashley but I can’t remember Mike’s wife’s name so work with me.”
“Got it.”
Inevitably they were stopped twice on their way to the group by the house. The few who hadn’t already gaped at John’s companion made no effort to hide their stares. True, he rarely brought a woman to a party, but these idiots should know better than to be obvious. Cassie had to be aware of what was going on, but she was the picture of grace. She smiled a lot and sipped her tequila sunrise.
“I wondered why you asked me to come,” she whispered once they had a clear shot to Mike and company. “Now I know.”
“How’s that?”
“To save you from all these women.”
“Half of them are married.”
“Trust me,” she said, with a soft laugh. “You have enough to worry about with the other half.”
“Wrong, Freud, there are lots of single guys here.” He grinned at her warning squint, then leaned in until his lips brushed her earlobe. “I brought you because you’re hot.”
“Stop it.” She shook her head, color blossoming in her cheeks. “I’ll give you ten minutes, and that’s it, you have to stop or face the consequences.”
Chuckling, he let go of her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders. She didn’t seem to mind, if her snuggle was anything to go by. His own reaction could turn into a problem if he wasn’t careful. He’d give the party a half hour, and that was it. “Let’s not stay long, huh?”
“That’s fine,” she said. “I can think of a few things we could do instead.”
A few steps from the foursome, he looked down into her oh-so-innocent gaze. “You telling me you don’t have one more test to study for?”
“That’s what I meant. Studying.”
“Like hell.”
“Fine, so I might have been referring to something a little more...naked,” she said under her breath, then turned a bright smile to the others as she approached with an extended hand. “Hi, I’m Cassie.”
