Cain left the suite and headed back to the Jag. He was eager to see his woman. And he was nervous, he realized. Not like him.
There wasn’t a parking place in front of the Copper Star. He circled around until he found one, then walked back to the hotel lobby to wait. He had texted Jenny earlier, told her he would be there at six-thirty to pick her up.
Officially, the party started at seven, though most of the out-of-town guests had arrived early to check into their rooms. Cain wanted to be there to greet them when they appeared at the door of the Grand Vista Salon. And he wanted Jenny beside him.
Waiting at the foot of the stairs in the lobby, he glanced at his watch. 6:30. Jenny was always prompt. At 6:35, he began to fidget, shooting the cuffs of his pleated white shirt, straightening his black bow tie. By 6:40, he was ready to go up and beat on her door, but a sound caught his attention, and he looked up to see her coming down the stairs.
His chest clamped down. She looked so beautiful his mouth dried up. The long black-velvet gown couldn’t have been a better showcase for Jenny’s sexy curves. He caught a glimpse of shapely legs in a pair of strappy high heels as she descended the stairs and felt a primal shot of lust he barely managed to contain.
She had swept her glorious golden-brown curls up on one side and held them in place with a rhinestone clip that matched the long rhinestone earrings dangling from her ears.
Cain had to remind himself to breathe.
When she reached the last step, he moved toward her, allowed his gaze to drift over the soft mounds above the neckline of her gown.
He bent and kissed her cheek. “Saying you look beautiful isn’t nearly enough.”
She gave him a tentative smile. “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.” There was something in her eyes. He wasn’t sure exactly, uncertainty maybe, and something more.
He took her hand and pressed it against his lips. “I made a mistake,” he said. “I was going to wait until later, but I need to say it now.”
Her face went pale. Keeping her hand in his, Cain led her over to the velvet settee in the lobby, and Jenny sat down. “This thing between us—”
“Wait! Please, Cain . . .” She pulled her hand from his, and it went to the base of her throat. She looked up at him, and her eyes filled. “If you do this now, I won’t be able to make it through the evening. Please, Cain, please wait till later.”
His chest tightened. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“I know you wouldn’t cheat. You said you would tell me when things were over. When you didn’t call, I knew, but just for tonight—”
“My God.” He hauled her up and into his arms, his throat tight as he held her. “You don’t understand. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you. What a mistake I made in leaving. I’m crazy about you, baby.”
Jenny clung to him. He could feel her trembling. “Cain . . .”
He realized he had dropped the corsage box onto the floor at his feet. Flowers weren’t enough. He needed jewelry, something beautiful to go with her dress. A ring, he thought and immediately blocked the notion.
He eased her away from him, saw a tear rolling down her cheek. He felt unsteady as he whisked it away with the tip of his finger. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I wanted . . . needed some time to sort things out. Please forgive me for being a fool.”
When Jenny said nothing, he bent and brushed her cheek with a kiss. “I missed you. So much.”
Jenny’s features softened. She managed a wobbly smile. “You did?”
“Yes.”
“I’m really glad you’re back.”
Cain drew her closer. “I thought of you every day.”
She smiled up at him. “I thought of you, too.” Her fingertips smoothed over the satin lapel of his jacket. “Every woman in the place will be jealous of me tonight.”
Cain smiled. “Every guy in the place is going to wish he were the man taking you home with him.” He tipped up her chin. “I have to do this. You’ll just have to fix your lipstick later.” And then he kissed her.
He’d meant it to be gentle, a sweet way to apologize and show her how much he cared. But the minute her lips softened under his, heat exploded inside him.
Cain deepened the kiss, taking what he had missed so badly. When Jenny clutched his shoulders and kissed him back, it took every ounce of his will to pull away.
He inhaled a steadying breath and slowly released it. “As much as I wish I could just skip all this and haul you upstairs to my bed, we have a party to attend.”
Jenny’s smile reached all the way to her beautiful green eyes. “I believe we do.”
