She just shrugged. “We needed some time. I bought us some time. You’re innocent, so I don’t have to worry. We just need to find the person who killed your father.”
She looked so damn determined. Beautiful, smart, incredibly sexy, and fiercely determined. Wanting hit him, deep and primal, stronger than ever.
“I’d really like to kiss you,” he said. Though he wanted to do far more than that.
Cassidy just shook her head. “I’m not going there with you, Beau. I’m not sleeping with you now or anytime in the future. I’ll help you clear your name, but that’s it.”
“You said you were attracted to me. You admitted it. Why shouldn’t we act on our mutual attraction?”
“I’ll tell you why. Because you’re Beaumont Reese, Texas heartthrob. You’re famous for your love-’em-and-leave-’em affairs, and I’m not interested in becoming one of your statistics.”
He grinned. “Heartthrob. I’ve been called a lot of things but never that.”
“I’m not kidding, Beau.”
He ran a finger down her cheek. “I want you, Cassidy Jones. You have no idea how much. If you did, it might scare you.”
Her chin firmed the way it had when she had faced Briscoe. “I’m not scared of you, Beau.”
“Good, because I’m the kind of man who goes after what he wants. I don’t stop until I get it. It’s only a matter of time, Ms. Jones.”
A flush crawled up Cassidy’s throat and spread over the cleavage above the bodice of her soft knit sweater. He could see a tiny pulse beating wildly on the side of her neck.
“We have to find Dooley Tate,” she said. “And I want to know as much as possible before we talk to him.”
Her reminder of the murder hit him like a pail of cold water, sweeping away his need and putting his head back on straight. “You’re right. For the moment I have more to worry about than taking you to bed.”
A tiny sound escaped Cassidy’s throat before she turned and walked toward the sliding glass doors leading out of the family room on her way back to the guest house.
Beau just smiled and fell in behind her.
Chapter Nine
Cassidy could sense Beau’s tall, broad-shouldered frame close behind her as she stepped up on the porch and opened the door to the guest house. Her heart was beating too fast. Her palms felt damp. She couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said, that it was only a matter of time until she wound up in his bed.
Just hearing him say it turned her on, the conviction in his voice, the way his mouth edged into a faint, sexy smile when he spoke. Beau was right. She wanted him. It was impossible to deny. She fought the urge to just stop and turn around, grab the front of his shirt and drag his mouth down to hers for a scorching-hot kiss.
Beau was determined to get her in bed and the more she was around him, the more she wanted exactly the same. She couldn’t remember feeling such a powerful attraction to a man.Ever. The sparks between them could set off a dynamite charge. Maybe she should just give in. So what if she slept with him? There would be emotional consequences, yes, but maybe it would be worth it.
What would sex be like with a gorgeous, incredibly hotmale like Beau? Experiencing the kind of white-hot lust she read in those amazing blue eyes could be an exciting new adventure.
Or maybe not. Maybe sex with Beau wouldn’t turn out to be any more thrilling than sex with Rick or the other few men she’d had brief, unfulfilling affairs with over the years.
A slow, deep kiss might give her a clue. Maybe she should try it. Just once. If it wasn’t pure melting heat—
“How will you find him?” Beau asked, jerking her back to reality and sending a second flush into her cheeks. “I wouldn’t think a lowlife loan shark like Tate would be listed in the yellow pages.”
“You’re right. But he’s fairly well-known in Dallas. It shouldn’t be that tough to come up with his location. First, let’s try it the easy way. I need to make a phone call.”
Pulling out her cell, she hit the contact button for Jason Maddox, the bounty hunter she worked with in her office. Jase knew every underworld figure in the city. His contacts were one of the ways he located the scumball bail skips he brought to justice.
Cassidy’s tracing skill was another source he used. She had helped him bring in the Night Watchman, a notorious serial killer. The reward was big-time. Cassidy had received a fat percentage for tracing the killer to the half brother in Phoenix no one had known existed.
She pressed the phone against her ear. “Jase, it’s Cassidy.”
“Hey, darlin’. What’s up?”
“Jase, I need a favor. I’m looking for a loan shark named Dooley Tate. I figured you might know where I can find him.”
