Chapter Two
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From the moment Cassieentered the room, all of Tristan’s senses were attuned to her.She stood off to the side, tall and slender in snug, dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket that hugged her trim frame.Then she looked his way, and when their gazes met, that hot leap of attraction hit him.
It was hard not to get trapped by her gaze.Her eyes were stunning.Startling silver with darker flecks, a sharp contrast to her cap of short, black hair and long, black lashes.
“Hi,” she said to him, making no move to sit or come any closer.
“Hi.”She was still hard to read, even after all the jobs they’d worked and all the training they’d done together over the past several months.Even during what had happened with Bristol, he’d only seen glimpses of what lay beneath the polished, professional image she kept.
He’d gotten the impression that she’d felt the need to conceal her true self from him.No matter what he did, she seemed determined not to let him in.He wanted to change that.“So the concert was good?”He’d received the few pictures she had texted him from it earlier.
“It was amazing.Thanks again.”
“Yeah, glad you had a good time.You too, Bristol?”
“Yes, it was a great day.Plus, we stopped for pie on the way home.”She came around the couch and slid into TJ’s lap.
Tristan turned his attention back to Cassie.
“You a soccer fan?”she asked as the others all watched the game.
“I don’t mind it.”But he definitely wasn’t as into it as Warwick and TJ.He shifted over slightly.“Wanna sit down?”
“No, thanks, I’m gonna head out.”
“Us too.We’re just about to leave for Carly’s volleyball game.”
“We?”
He stood when Marley walked into the room from the hallway.His sister stopped, smiled.“Hi, Cassie.You come to watch the game?”
Cassie smiled back politely.“Just dropping Bristol off.”Her gaze moved back to him, and he felt that same internal leap again.“See you at the office tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll walk you out.Meet you at the truck, Mar.”Without giving Cassie a chance to argue, he started for the door, slipped on his shoes and grabbed his jacket.Outside the early autumn air was turning cool, long purple shadows creeping across the street and up the walkway to Bristol’s front door.
Cassie was already waiting halfway to the curb.She half-turned toward him.“You wanna talk about tomorrow?”she asked.
She was always civil and friendly enough but made a point of keeping her interactions with him about business.He respected that and understood that working together could make things messy if their relationship got personal, but he’d never felt this visceral, magnetic pull to anyone but her.
He would understand if she wasn’t interested in him.But he was pretty sure the attraction wasn’t one-sided.And that made it even harder to let it go.
“Sure.”If talking about work was what it took to make her comfortable enough to talk to him alone, he’d take it.
