“I’m not sure what we should do about this,” he whispered. “I can’t even stand here without touching you, without wanting…”
Katherine opened her eyes as she felt herself sway toward him, as he drew her into his arms and slowly, impossibly slowly, lowered his mouth to hers.
Just when she thought he was finally going to kiss her, he stopped, his lips a whisper away from hers. “This is just going to be a good-night kiss,” he told her. “Just one. Just a kiss. Tomorrow we can try to figure it all out, okay?”
He brushed his lips against hers, lightly, tasting her before sweetly claiming her mouth. It was a gentle, almost careful kiss, but enormously thorough, and Katherine melted against him. It was all wine and soft music and moonlight, it was the kind of kiss a lover would give after vowing never to break her heart. ‘Til death do us part…
Trey pulled back, breathing hard, and she realized how very hard he’d had to work to keep that kiss as soft and gentle as he had. The heat in his eyes belonged to other kinds of kisses. Wild, passionate, soul-deep kisses that would set the very air around them aflame.
And there was no way she was going to say goodnight and walk away without a taste of that.
Katherine stood on her toes and reached up around his neck, pulling him down to her. And she kissed him. Not carefully, not gently. She kissed him the way she’d been dreaming about kissing him since she first saw his picture back in Colorado.
She heard him groan as he wrapped her in his arms, as his hands swept over her body. He cupped her derriere with one hand, pressing her hips hard against him, his other hand tangled in her hair as he kissed her back just as fiercely.
This was a kiss worth breathing hard for. This was a kiss neither of them would forget—probably not within the next decade, maybe longer. This was a kiss.
It was hot, it was deep, it was endless. She ran her fingers through the thick silk of his hair, down the smooth wool of his tuxedo, across his muscular back and athletic rear end, daring to fill the palms of her hands with the sheer power of the man. She found the edge of his jacket and slipped her hands up, wanting to touch him, wanting to find the heat of his skin.
She inhaled him, devoured him, welcoming him into her own mouth, claiming his tongue, his teeth, his lips for her own. He slanted his head to give her more of what she wanted—long, hungry kisses that made her ache with the magic of their exquisite possibilities.
He pulled free just as she worked his shirttail from his pants, just as her hand skimmed the satin smoothness of his bare back.
“My God!”
As he finally pulled free, he wasn’t simply breathing hard, he was gasping for air.
His eyes weren’t merely hot, they were molten.
And his gaze lingered on her mouth before he looked up into her eyes, and she knew it was all he could do to keep from kissing her again.
“Suddenly, I’m not sure I want to wait until tomorrow to figure this out,” he whispered.
He touched her shoulder and she realized one sleeve of her dress had fallen slightly down, exposing the brightly colored strap of her bra. “I’ve got to confess, I’ve been thinking about this pretty constantly since Stacy first mentioned it.”
Katherine let herself drown in the blue depths of his eyes. “It’s just underwear,” she said, but she knew better.
“You better go upstairs, before I try to talk both of us into letting me see the rest of it.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea,” she said softly.
He shook his head. “It is,” he told her. “Kathy, I didn’t expect this. It’s one thing to fantasize, but when it’s real…We’ve got to talk before this goes any further. There are things you need to understand before…God, I don’t want you to get hurt. We need to be on the same page right from the start. And I’m afraid…” He shook his head. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”
“Of course.” It wasn’t easy, but she pulled free from his arms. “I guess it’s good night, then. I had a lovely time.” She smiled at him before she turned away. “Especially the kissing part.”
She heard him laugh as she left the room. “Yeah,” he said. “Me, too.”
Chapter 12
Someone was crying.
Katherine paused in the hallway, listening, wondering if it was only the wind, or maybe even just her imagination.
But no, there it was again.
Doug and Stacy were in school. She’d dropped them off just a few hours ago, and had returned home, half hoping Trey would be there.
But he must have left for his office early this morning. And his car was still gone when she’d returned.
She was both nervous and eager to see him, terrified and elated. Last night’s kiss had been spectacular. But Trey’s insistence that they move slowly alternately worried or made her impossibly hopeful, depending on her mood of each passing minute.
Her darker, more terrified moments were spent filled with self-doubt. She’d kissed him. She’d approached him. The chemistry she’d felt while they were dancing hadn’t been real. The words he’d said to her, about their mutual attraction, were a little bit harder to shrug off, but she’d even managed to come up with an excuse for them—he’d only said it so as not to embarrass her, after she’d touched him.
Her less dark moments had doubts of their own. He was somewhat attracted to her, particularly while she was wearing the WonderBra. But the brunt of her attractiveness came from her proximity. She was here, all the time, living in Trey’s house. She was convenient—a rather ugly word that Stacy had used as well.
But then Katherine would remember that kiss, the feel of his mouth on hers, the way he had held her, the power of his passion, and his strength as he’d made certain they not move too fast. He surely cared about her, or else he would have realized what little effort it would have taken to finesse his way into her bed. Instead, he wanted to be sure they had the chance to truly think, to talk before getting in too deep. How could that be anything but a good thing?
Katherine had spent half of the night trying to clarify her own thoughts. What did she want from a love affair with Trey Sutherland? Did she dare take a chance, see if something real, something strong and lasting could grow between them? It would be risky. She was already half in love with the man. And he’d always have Helena’s vibrant memory with which to compare her.
And if there was one thing of which Katherine was completely convinced, it was that Trey had truly loved Helena. And he probably loved her still. That could only bring her heartache.
She heard it again. That soft keening sound. The sound of a heart breaking.
Anita had gone out to the store. Poindexter was downstairs lying near the heating vent in the warm kitchen.
Katherine was alone in the house.
Alone save for the spirits of Sutherlands past.
The hair on her arms stood on end as she listened harder. No, it was definitely not her imagination. Someone was crying. She followed the ghost of the sound down the hallway toward Stacy’s room.
The girl had claimed her mother still walked these halls, and in the dreary morning light, Katherine could almost believe it. She could almost picture Helena, pale and otherworldly, wandering this enormous house, weeping.
Weeping today, perhaps, because Katherine had spent a rather good amount of time last evening kissing Helena’s husband.
Perfect. Add that guilt onto all the anxiety and trepidation she was already feeling. Katherine shook her head, still following the sound, determined to prove it had far more earthly origins.
She stopped outside Stacy’s room. The door was tightly closed. That was odd. Stacy always kept it open when she left for school.
She stepped closer. Yes, the crying sound was definitely coming from within the girl’s room.
She knocked on the door, and the crying stopped. She knocked again, and, after several long moments, the door opened.
It was Stacy. Sullen and red-nosed, she glared expressionlessly at Katherine, pret
ending that she hadn’t been weeping.
Katherine was astonished. “How did you get home?”
“I walked.” The girl left the door open, turning her back on Katherine and crossing to her bed.
“But—”
“School sucks, so I left, okay?”
“Well,” Katherine said, stepping into the room, “actually, no. It’s not okay for you to just walk away from—”
“Tina Maretti tripped me in homeroom.” Stacy flung herself down on her bed, gripping her pillow as if it had the power to keep her afloat in the roughest of seas. “She said it was an accident, but I know she did it on purpose. I fell down, and my pants split. Just like that, I was standing there in front of twenty-two kids with my butt hanging out.” She closed her eyes in misery. “In front of Craig. God, why did he have to be there?”
“Oh, dear.” Stacy’s pants—a pair of light cotton bellbottoms—were on the floor. Katherine picked them up. Sure enough, they’d torn right along the back seam. About ten inches. Stacy wasn’t overreacting—there was no way a tear that enormous would have gone unnoticed.
“I wanted to die.” Stacy’s eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled. “Kathy, I just wanted to die.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Katherine sat down next to her and pulled her into her arms. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“Mrs. George wrote me a pass to the nurse so I could call you and get another pair of pants,” Stacy said, her tears flowing down her cheeks as she gasped for breath. “And Craig gave me his sweatshirt to tie around my waist—she must’ve made him do that. I knew you wouldn’t be home yet because you just dropped us off, but I couldn’t wait in the nurse’s office. I couldn’t. I know you told me never to leave school without telling you first, but I couldn’t stay there!”
“It’s okay,” Katherine murmured. “This sounds as if it were something of an emergency.”
“I can’t go back,” Stacy sobbed. “Not today. Not ever!”
“You can take today off,” Katherine promised her. “I’ll call the school, tell them you’re here. And then it’s a long weekend. By Monday, everyone will have completely forgotten.”
“Craig will never forget! Or Tina. God, I just wanted to smack that smirk off her face! I wanted to…I wanted to kill her!” She lifted her tear-streaked face, completely aghast. “Kathy, what if I’ve got bad blood? My ancestors were all thieves and murderers.”
Katherine was floored. “Murderers?”
“Daddy probably told you the polite company version, right? Cattle rustlers and gamblers? That’s only half true. Ford Sutherland was a hired gun—like a hit man. And his father killed at least two railroad men when he robbed a train. Two we know he killed for sure. Who knows how many others? What if I’ve got something awful inside me, and one day when someone like Tina trips me again, I just snap?”
Katherine smoothed back Stacy’s hair. The question was completely absurd, but she answered her seriously, somehow managing not to smile. At least not very much. “You don’t have bad blood. You have very, very good blood. Your father and mother—”
“My mother. Great. Cheer me up by bringing her up.” She pulled away, turning her back to Katherine. “Do you mind just letting me be alone for a while?”
Berating herself for mentioning what she should have known would be a touchy subject, Katherine gazed at the girl’s narrow shoulders, wishing she could give her another hug, wishing she could make the entire awful morning just disappear.
Instead, she stood up. “I’ll go call the school, let them know where you are.”
Stacy didn’t look up.
“Maybe we could have lunch together,” Katherine suggested. “Talk about your plans for tomorrow’s dinner?”
Stacy turned at that. “Tomorrow?”
“It’s Thanksgiving,” Katherine reminded her.
“Yeah,” Stacy said, rolling her eyes. “Right. Thanksgiving. Whoopie.”
Trey had a whole hell of a lot to be thankful for this year.
Doug was back from his residency on the Planet of the Canines. And Trey’s own musical meetings with Stacy were a raging success. Although they still hadn’t gotten to the point where they were doing much talking, they had found a common bond that enabled them to be together without triggering World War Three. They’d given an impromptu recital this morning for Kathy and Doug, and after, Stacy had smiled at him. The entire day had passed—so far—without a single outburst or voice raised in anger. Their relationship was still far from perfect, but thanks to Kathy, they were well on their way.
Thanks to Kathy.
Trey had to smile as he watched out the kitchen window as Stacy taught Kathy how to skateboard. Kathy was up for the challenge, laughing as she rolled across the driveway. She was good at it. She had a good sense of balance, and she wasn’t at all afraid of going too fast.
Unlike Trey. Who was terrified of going too fast.
He’d been avoiding Kathy.
Ever since Tuesday night. Ever since she’d kissed him and turned his life completely upside-down.
He’d purposely canceled their scheduled meeting last night. In fact, he’d made a point to be out of the house all day, only coming home briefly to practice with Stacy and throw a ball around with Doug.
He knew Kathy was confused. Hell, she had every right to be, the way he’d kissed her.
But he’d done a lot of soul-searching, and had come to the dismal conclusion that he couldn’t risk getting involved with her.
He couldn’t start something knowing that she was going to end up hurt. He liked her so much. He liked everything about her—her loyalty, her honesty, her integrity, her smile, her body….
He watched her skim past him, knees bent, arms out, her T-shirt hugging the full swell of her breasts. He closed his eyes. Don’t go there. Don’t go there!
Kathy deserved so much more than a tired, cynical, jaded man who was only looking to get laid. She didn’t want him—couldn’t possibly want him.
And what he wanted didn’t matter.
Although now that he knew beneath her quiet, competent air was a volcano of passion, it sure as hell didn’t make it easier to deal with his desire. The bottom line was that he was afraid to be alone with her. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from taking everything she so sweetly offered.
He was afraid to talk to her about it, afraid she would offer him a completely guilt-free, no-strings arrangement, all the while hoping he would somehow change his mind, hoping he would stumble into that true love she was searching for, as if it were merely something he’d misplaced.
And he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
If he were going to get physically involved with a woman, she should be someone as cynical and jaded as he was. Someone whose hope had been worn down. Someone who expected nothing more than briefly shared pleasure and a body to help warm her bed at night.
That definitely wasn’t Kathy. He had to stay far away from her.
Problem was, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
She jumped off the skateboard, still laughing, and looked up—directly into his eyes. She froze as she saw him watching her through the window, her smile fading. And Trey knew that he’d already hurt her, he’d already dashed her expectations by staying away all yesterday. There was no doubt about it. He had to talk to her. Soon. He had to be as honest as he could be and tell her there was no chance of this thing between them working out.
He’d vanished yesterday under the guise of a work emergency. Yes, there had been a deadline that needed to be dealt with, but it didn’t really require his around-the-clock attention, especially not the day before Thanksgiving. But Kathy didn’t know that, and he had been intending to return to his downtown office even tonight, after Doug had gone to bed, determined to keep his distance until the mere sight of her was no longer enough to make his blood race through his veins.
But before he left for the office, he had to talk to Kathy.
She lifted her hand in a sort
of half wave, and somehow managed to smile. It was a very sad smile, though, and he realized that she’d already figured out the decision he’d come to. He’d already told her through his body language today. And suddenly talking to her tonight wasn’t soon enough. He had to do it now. Apologize.
Doug was deep in discussion with Poindexter, so Trey went out the kitchen door and down the steps to the driveway. Kathy was standing off to the side, watching Stacy demonstrate her balancing technique.
“She’s very good, you know,” she said to him as he approached, somehow knowing he was there even though her eyes never left Stacy.
“Yeah,” Trey agreed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Her shoulders were tense, and he doubted it was from fear of Stacy falling. But still, she laughed. “Me on a skateboard. Can you believe it?”
“Not your preferred method of transportation, huh?”
“Actually, it’s tremendously fun,” she told him. “You really should try it.”
“I have. Who do you think taught Stacy?”
“Really?” She turned toward him, and her smile was completely genuine, her eyes sparkling with interest and amusement. It battered against his resolve, forcing him to look away. And when he glanced back at her, she was significantly subdued.
He was glad he was going to talk to her now, in the broad light of day. At night it would be far harder to resist taking her into his arms and—
Trey cleared his throat. “Could we…Would you mind taking a walk with me?”
She was surprised. “Now?”
“Yeah.” He raised his voice. “Hey, Stace, mind if I borrow Kathy for a little while?”
Stacy stopped short, popping her skateboard up and gracefully catching it. “Is something wrong—someone in trouble?”
“No.” Just Trey. And he was sure Stacy hadn’t meant it that way.
She shrugged, still clearly curious. “I don’t mind.”
“Will you tell Doug where we’ve gone?” Kathy asked. “We won’t be too long.”
“Take your time,” Stacy said.
Undercover Princess Page 15
