A rush of adrenaline took over, encompassing an odd mix of sexual hunger and sheer fun. Her hands were steady on the wheel. Anticipation rose in her chest like a wave of bubbles. The night was hers...the open road, as well. Earlier, she had panicked, plain and simple. She had second-guessed her decision to change the status quo. But now she was ready. She wanted Gavin Kavanagh, and she wasn’t going to let her inexperience stand in her way.
Only the late hour curtailed her road trip. At last, she eased off on the accelerator and dropped back to a more sedate speed. At a pullout on the right, she slid the car to a stop and turned off the engine. The sudden silence was deafening. Overhead, a million stars twinkled and sparked.
Gavin reached for her before she had a chance to take her hands off the wheel. His kiss was urgent. Thorough. Masterful. She had assumed he was half-asleep. Which proved how wrong a woman could be. This was a hunger that had been building since she went to his hotel room.
The kiss was firm and demanding. It sent little squiggles of lust into every cell of her body. His hands anchored her head, one on each side of her jaw. Tilting her face to his, he ravaged her mouth, barely giving her a moment to breathe.
For Cassidy, it was earth-shattering. She’d never been too impressed with foreplay. In the course of her limited experimentation, it had proven to be awkward and usually disappointing. Apparently her subconscious had recognized Gavin Kavanagh as the man to prove her wrong.
Desperately, she pondered the logistics of getting naked in the backseat. But while she didn’t mind being pulled over for speeding, getting caught in sexual flagrante delicto was another matter entirely. This was Vegas, true. But her father would have a coronary, and this was not a time she wanted to court his displeasure.
Gavin had more control than she did, apparently. He eventually gentled the kiss and released her, though his chest heaved. “You dazzle me, Cassidy Corelli.”
His rough praise stroked her ego. Coming from a man like Gavin, that was a compliment worth savoring. “The feeling is mutual.”
He snorted. “You sound like a little girl practicing her social etiquette. Tell me honestly. Why are you here in this car with me?”
“I really don’t know,” she said, recognizing the truth as she spoke it. “But I never had a choice. There’s something about you I can’t resist.” She paused, grimacing. “We get lots of flimflam artists in Vegas. Con men, gaming sharks, wannabe Don Juans. So I’ve learned how to spot them. But you’re different, Gavin Kavanagh. You’re the real deal. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do...”
He leaned back in his seat with a sigh, but he took her hand in his. “This is the first time all day I’ve felt comfortable. The stars are just as bright in North Carolina.”
His thumb played lightly over the pulse point at the back of her wrist, making her dizzy. “Do you live at the beach?” she asked.
“No. In a place called Silver Glen. It’s in the western part of the state...in the mountains. My ancestors discovered a silver mine back in the day and restored the family fortunes after the Depression.” He pointed to a group of stars. “Do you know your astronomy? Those are the Pleiades...the seven sisters. And over there is Orion. The fuzzy spot in his dagger is a nebula.”
“You’re very smart, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “Any third grader worth his salt can spot those.”
She half turned in her seat, forcing him to release her hand. She couldn’t see his expression very well. “There’s one more place I need to go, just a quick stop, and then I’d very much like to return to your hotel. For real this time. You know...to—”
He put a hand over her mouth. “Don’t say it out loud. I’m on a hair trigger. But I’m trying to behave myself.”
A sudden gust of wind made her shiver. At night the desert temperatures plummeted. She wanted to cuddle into the warmth of his embrace, but if she did, they might not make it back to the hotel. And while she was prepared to lose her innocence with him, she would prefer her first time to be in more traditional surroundings.
She settled for nipping his fingers with her teeth. The naughty bite drew a groan and a curse from him. He gripped her shoulders. “You’re playing with fire, Cass. I’m not averse to taking you over the hood of the car. Is that what you want?”
The possibility that he might decide to do just that made her melt inside. She could see herself, spread-eagled, Gavin lifting her skirt from behind and moving against her. She felt lost in an emotional desert, desperate for water. The inside of her mouth was like sand. “No.” Yes. Yes. Yes.
He released her and sat back in his seat. “Then let’s get out of here.”
* * *
Gavin wondered if she had spiked his wine somehow. He was more aroused than he could ever remember, his body trembling with the need to mate with hers. Perhaps it was the magic of this perfect night or her radiant beauty or the laughter they shared. But whatever the reason, he scarcely knew himself.
Going along with her lead was a signal of his trust, though he might be falling through a rabbit hole for the second time in his life. His hunger eradicated most of his reservations, though the wariness lurked at a subterranean level. Once they were back in sight of neon and fake waterfalls and massive pleasure palaces, it occurred to him to ask where they were going.
Cassidy gave him an impish grin. “No visit to Vegas is complete without seeing an all-night wedding chapel. My cousin is an Elvis impersonator. I want you to meet him. Besides, I promised him I’d stop by and see him tonight, because he’s bored.”
“Now?” It was the wee hours of the morning.
“Yeah. Robbie is being punished with the overnight shift for a few weeks. He didn’t renew his license when he was supposed to, and he married several couples whose weddings turned out to be illegal. He almost got fired over it, but the boss has a soft spot for him, because Robbie can actually sing. So while they’re waiting for his new license, he’s stuck vacuuming the chapel and doing paperwork.”
“What happens if a couple actually comes in wanting to get married?”
“Robbie calls the boss and wakes him up so he can dash over here.” She parked the car at the curb in front of an improbably pink edifice decorated with white doves. It looked as if a bottle of Pepto-Bismol had thrown up.
“Good lord. Do people actually do this?”
Cassidy shook her head as she got out of the car. “You’d be surprised.”
Inside, Robbie was visibly grateful for the company. “How’s it hangin’, Cass? I haven’t seen you since Uncle Bobo’s birthday party.”
“I’m good,” Cass said. “This is my friend Gavin.”
Robbie appeared to be about the same age as Cass, but it was hard to tell for sure. He wore a white Elvis suit with a matching cape lined in electric-blue satin. His hair, and it looked real, was coal black with huge sideburns. “Very nice to meet you, sir.”
Gavin winced inwardly. Sir? Did he really look that old? “Cassidy has been giving me a tour of Vegas. She said we had to stop here to make the night complete.”
Cass’s eyes met his. She shot him a look to which Robbie was oblivious...a look that said something entirely different would make the night complete. Gavin’s brow dampened. How long could a man wait for a woman like this?
Robbie lifted a hand. “Follow me. I’ll show you the Chapel of Love.”
When Gavin muttered under his breath, Cass smacked his hand. “Be nice,” she whispered. “This is the first job Robbie has been able to keep. We try to encourage him.”
Gavin curbed his impatience as Robbie gave them the grand tour. When they stood in front of the altar, Robbie donned a white robe and stepped behind the podium. “Take her hands,” he said pompously.
“Is this a shotgun wedding?” Gavin was only half kidding. But he took Cassidy’s hands in his and faced her.
&nb
sp; His faux bride frowned. “Not to worry. We don’t have the paperwork. But I’m pretty sure Robbie could use the practice, if you don’t mind.”
Robbie grimaced. “Forgot something already.” He stepped to one side and picked up a bottle of champagne. Popping the cork with a surprisingly practiced motion, he filled two flutes and handed one to Cassidy and one to Gavin.
Cassidy took a sip. “Wait a minute. Are you going to charge me for this?”
“On the house,” Robbie said, snickering.
Gavin drained his drink, eager to finish whatever it took to get Cassidy back to his hotel room. When the room spun just a tad, he second-guessed the champagne.
Cass set her mostly full glass aside and took his hand again. “Go ahead, Robbie. What comes next?”
“Um...” He fumbled for his notes. “Do you, Cassidy Lavinia Corelli, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Gavin grinned. “Lavinia?”
His bride scowled at him. “Oh, hush.” She turned to Robbie. “You’re doing fine,” she said. “And yes, I do.”
Robbie gave Gavin a sober stare that lost something in the translation thanks to his attire. “Do you, Gavin...?” He stumbled to a halt.
“Gavin Michael Kavanagh...” Gavin felt sorry for the kid if he was really this inept when it came to his job.
“Do you, Gavin Michael Kavanagh, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
For a split second, Gavin felt the earth shift beneath his feet. His brain was mush, definitely impaired thanks to lack of sleep and alcohol. But one thing was perfectly clear. If he had ever daydreamed of his wedding day—and that was something a guy definitely did not do—the woman he might have envisioned would be a clone of Cassidy Corelli.
Clearing his throat, he forgot about the late hour and the goofy Elvis and the fact that he hated Vegas. Instead, he looked into long-lashed eyes that were clear and guileless. A tiny smile played around lips curved into a perfect ruby bow. The only flaw he could see was her wind-tossed hair, and even that wasn’t so bad, because it made him think of sex.
Robbie backed up and started again. “Do you, Gavin—”
Gavin held up his hand, stopping the vow prompt midsentence. Gripping Cassidy’s fingers, he imagined what it was going to feel like when she was soft and naked in his bed. “I do,” he muttered. “I definitely do. And now I’m going to kiss my bride.”
Three
Cassidy had heard the term swept off her feet, but she had never actually experienced the phenomenon. The moment when Gavin scooped her up against his chest was both emotionally and physically exhilarating. Her heart pounded and her stomach fluttered.
It was ridiculously retro to be aroused by a man’s physical strength, but damn...Gavin Kavanagh was a sexy beast. Ever since Rhett Butler carried Scarlett O’Hara up that grand staircase to have his wicked manly way with her, women had secretly judged a guy’s swoon factor by how easily he could heft his lover.
Cassidy could stand to lose ten pounds. But Gavin lifted her as if she weighed no more than a child. Oh, my...
She tasted desperation in his kiss, laced with a nuance of the nice champagne. Her breasts were squished up against a hard rib cage. Kissing him back eagerly, she might have forgotten a thing or two. Like the fact that they had a witness.
Robbie moved restlessly. When she sneaked a sideways peek at him, he was slack-jawed, perhaps stunned. “I need to get back to the office,” he muttered. “You two can show yourselves out.”
Cassidy wiggled until Gavin released her. There was a look in his eyes that made her a little crazy. But she concentrated on her cousin. “Thanks for showing us around, Robbie.”
“Thanks for stopping by to see me.” He lifted a hand. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
She hugged him and kissed his cheek. “You’ll get the hang of this. Just stick with it.”
Moments later, the little chapel was silent. Gavin crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her with an expression that could have meant anything.
Following an impulse, she held out her hand. “Let me have your phone. I want you to have a picture to remember me by.”
She was somewhat bemused when he cooperated. Scooting up against him, she tapped a couple of icons and held the phone at arm’s length. “We have to document this night.”
Unfortunately, her arms were short and Gavin was tall. She couldn’t actually hold the camera far enough away.
He took it out of her hand. “Give me that.” With one hard arm curled around her waist and the other extended, he framed the two of them in the small screen. “Say cheese,” he muttered.
Just as he hit the button, she reached up and kissed him on the chin. Afterward, she bounced on her toes. “Let me see, let me see.”
The shot was surprisingly sweet. She studied Gavin’s face in the image. Even if she hadn’t met him in person, she would be impressed with the man in the picture. He looked like a throwback to the steely-eyed cowboys of the past. All brooding machismo and sizzling intensity. “I like it,” she said. “You’re very photogenic.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “No. I’m not. Let’s get out of here.”
She followed him obediently, smothering a smile. Apparently a man like Gavin took her compliment as an affront to his masculinity. Since she had wounded his pride, she held out the car keys. “I don’t have to drive.”
He shook his head and slid into the passenger seat. “Yes, you do,” he said, his eyelids drifting shut. “I’m taking a nap between here and the hotel so I’ll have the energy to rock your world.”
Laughing out loud at his tongue-in-cheek boast, she started the car. Maybe he was serious. He didn’t even flinch when she whipped out into traffic. But minutes later when she eased into a spot in the parking garage, he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.
Cassidy glanced at the dashboard. “Almost four.”
He grimaced. “There’s something unnatural about a city where no one sleeps.”
“They sleep,” she protested, vaguely defensive about her hometown. “But not necessarily from midnight until morning.” Though Gavin Kavanagh would never be anything other than handsome, he definitely looked the worse for wear. Dark circles beneath his eyes and a pale undertone to his skin bespoke his exhaustion. “I should go,” she said impulsively, squashing her disappointment. “You need to get some rest before you fly out.”
The look he gave her sizzled nerve endings in some very interesting places. “I can sleep when I’m dead,” he growled. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The arrogance was justified given her propensity for throwing herself at him tonight. But it rankled nevertheless. “Is that a threat?”
He cupped her neck with one hand and pulled her into his kiss. “Call it what you want, Cassidy Corelli. But if I’m going to be a guinea pig in your goofy cousin’s wedding charade, then I think I’m entitled to a fake honeymoon, too.” He claimed her mouth with knee-weakening mastery. “C’mon, Cass. I need a bed. ASAP.”
“Because you’re tired?”
He got out and came around to her door, helping her to her feet. “Because I need you. Now.”
* * *
Gavin had never been more serious or more desperate to have a woman. Granted, it had been several months since the last time he’d been naked with a female. In addition to his youthful catastrophic history in misjudging the fairer sex, when he lost himself in his work, his hermit leanings tended to take over. He liked people. But solitude gave him energy. Sharpened his mind. Spurred his creativity.
When it came to Cassidy, however, he was neither clearheaded nor particularly intelligent. His brain was not in the driver’s seat. He wanted her. Fiercely. Madly. In a way that wiped out all his normal reser
vations. With an insanity no doubt induced by sleep deprivation and champagne and recent celibacy. But insanity nevertheless.
Later, he would not be able to recall the exact sequence of steps that took them from the artificially illuminated parking garage to the thickly carpeted hallway where his room was located. But through it all, he kept Cassidy by his side, hip to hip, his arm around her shoulders.
She laughed at him when he fumbled the key card from his shirt pocket and took three tries to open the door. “Are you sure this is your room?” she whispered.
The door swung wide. “Don’t you remember? You were here not that long ago.”
She passed him, entering the suite with a swish of hips and a low chuckle that went straight to his gut and hardened his aching sex even more. “All these hallways look alike.”
The door closed with a muffled sound. For the first time, his charming, funny tour guide seemed momentarily abashed. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. Graceful hands fluttered as if not knowing where to land.
He restrained the urge to grab her, an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Problem, Cass?”
She licked her lips. “No.”
The simple negative didn’t sound convincing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She kicked off her shoes as she had earlier, still not looking at him. “Would you mind if I take a quick shower...alone?”
He frowned, immediately suspicious. “If you think waiting will make me want you more, you’re crazy. I’m far past teasing, I promise you.”
Her chin came up at last and she grimaced. “I’ve never showered with a man. It may not seem like it, but I’m shy in certain situations. I won’t linger, I swear. I want this, too.”
Something about the vulnerability and honesty in her bittersweet chocolate gaze convinced him she wasn’t playing games.
Nodding tersely, he put some distance between them. “Go, then.”
Twins on the Way Page 3
