Cassie was angry with him. With three younger sisters, Troy knew the look—narrowed eyes and lips that couldn’t decide between tightening and pouting. So he took his time changing into his shorts, brushing his teeth and screwing the cap on the toothpaste. But he couldn’t stay in the bathroom all night.
No sense putting this off any longer. Opening the door, he took three steps into the room. From out of nowhere, something soft smashed down on his head. “What the—”
Cassie stood next him, armed with a pillow. Her unbraided blond hair fell past her shoulders in waves, reminding him of a lion’s mane. She wore his too short, too transparent T-shirt. Underneath he could see the outline of her full breasts and her black panties. “That’s for kissing me.”
And what a kiss. Thinking about her sweet taste sent his body temperature up, way up. “That wasn’t my fault. Blame your father. And Emily and Eric, too.”
“How could you kiss me like that?” Eyes gleaming, she stalked him. Troy was so busy looking for peeks of those black panties of hers, he didn’t move quickly enough to avoid a feathered blow to his stomach.
“We were supposed to act like the perfect couple. Can I help it if my little peck didn’t do the trick? Dixon wanted a real kiss.”
“Real kiss, my foot.” Turning, she whacked him on the back. “That was for telling Emily she could throw us an engagement party. How could you?”
“How could I say no? She accused me of being ashamed of you. I couldn’t back down.” He eyed Cassie’s pillow warily. “Don’t forget, I’m your McKnight in shining armor.”
“Do I look like a damsel in distress?” She faked him out and thwacked him in the stomach. “We had an agreement. You’re supposed to be my fiancé for the weekend.”
“So I’m your fiancé for two more weeks. It’s not that bad.”
“What do you know about bad?”
“Two weeks, Cassie.” Troy tried hard not to stare at her long legs. “Then I’m out of your life forever.” He didn’t like the sound of forever. Not at all.
“I wanted you out of my life tomorrow.”
Liar. He could see it in her eyes. He knew it from the way she responded to his kiss. “You can’t always get everything you want, Cassie.”
“Wanna bet?” She tried hitting him again, but Troy ducked out of the way, leaving her to swish the air. He grabbed his pillow off the bed. She wanted to play rough, did she?
Two could play at this game. Troy’s gaze locked with hers. They stood facing each other, two duelers armed with pillows and a lust for vengeance. He had to smile at the serious expression on her face.
“Are you sure you want to do this? I must warn you—I can hold my own.” Troy felt it was only fair to warn her. The oldest of six children, he’d earned his stripes as the pillow-fighting champion of the McKnight clan. “I’m ready to let it drop if you are.”
She met his peace offer with a smug smile and a swing of her pillow that hit him solidly on his arm. She had declared war.
“You asked for it.” Tightening his grip on the pillow, Troy swung and smacked Cassie on her stomach.
“No fair.” She ran to the other side of the room.
Why wasn’t it fair? He’d given her a chance, but she’d chosen not to take it. She knew he was bigger than she was. Still the surprised expression on her face told him he’d caught her off guard. “We’ll see what’s fair.” He staged a full-frontal assault.
She swung her pillow back and forth. Like a welterweight boxer trying to fight the heavyweight world champion, she landed few hits. If she knew what was good for her, she would take his advice and give up. But as far as he could tell, Cassie never did what she was told. Nor did she ever admit she was wrong. Dixon had warned him about that.
“Are you ready to give up?” Troy asked.
She smiled, but defiance flickered in her eyes. “No.”
Stepping toward her, he raised his eyebrows. “It’s your choice.”
With a yelp, Cassie flailed wildly with her pillow. He easily blocked her efforts. “Always the gentleman, Troy, aren’t you?”
Smiling wickedly, he swung the pillow down on her head. “Of course.”
“I’ll get you for that.”
“I don’t think so.” Troy laughed. Cassie was like a Chihuahua trying to take on a rottweiler. She didn’t stand a chance. As she climbed on her bed, Troy cornered her against the wall. “Do you give up, now?”
She swung her pillow, but he ducked. The pillow swooshed over his head. “No.”
His pillow hit her legs, nearly knocking her over. She held her arms out to balance herself. Somehow she managed to stay on her feet. “Now?” he asked.
She crouched lower. Using her pillow as a shield, she peeked over it. “Never.”
Troy laughed. He’d give her another reason. “I’m bigger than you.”
“I’m smarter than you.”
She made a final swing.
Enough was enough. Troy grabbed her pillow in midair and threw it across the room.
Cassie glanced at the pillow lying on the floor. Her mouth gaped open. Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him. “You—”
He aimed his pillow at her and she stopped talking. “Can’t think of anything to say, Cassie? If you were one of my brothers or sisters, I’d make you say I was ruler of the universe.”
“Well, I’m not going to say it.”
No, she wasn’t. He wouldn’t be that cruel. “You can say I’m the perfect fiancé.”
“Perfectly insane fiancé.” She attacked him, tickling him.
“Stop it.”
“So, I’ve found a weakness,” Cassie said, sounding triumphant. “Give me my pillow.”
He backed away, but she followed. “No.”
“Then suffer, insane fiancé of mine.”
She attacked him, tickling his sides until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He tried to pin her arms, but couldn’t because she kept squirming away. She continued tickling him. He tickled her back. She wouldn’t stop; neither would he. Cassie giggled like a child, her face mere inches from his.
The tickling stopped.
One look into Cassie’s eyes was all it took. His heart rate accelerated. The desire to kiss her overwhelmed him.
Her slightly parted lips were the only invitation Troy needed. He lowered his mouth to hers. She opened her mouth further. This wasn’t a pretend kiss to please her parents; this one wasn’t for show. No one was watching them; no one else cared.
But Troy did.
Feeling as if he would never be able to get enough of her, he savored the taste of her. Warm, wet, sweet. Addictive, her kisses were definitely addictive.
She leaned her head back so he could kiss her neck. “Oh, Troy.”
So sweet. No expensive perfume could compete against the simplicity of her scent. She smelled like fresh cut flowers on a spring day.
Her T-shirt inched up. Her bare stomach touched his, igniting a fire within him. He ran his hand along her flat belly, her soft skin, until he cupped one of her breasts.
She was perfect.
Cassie moaned. The sound drove him crazy, nearly pushed him over the edge. He wanted her; he’d never wanted anything more in his life. “Cassie.”
She felt so soft, so right.
She rolled over and straddled him. Leaning over, she showered kisses from his lips to his chest, then kissed one of his nipples.
His breath caught in his throat. His erection pressed against her belly. “Cassie, we have to stop.”
She rubbed her hand along the length of him. “No.”
He couldn’t take much more. The things she was doing with her mouth, with her hands were driving him crazy. Closing his eyes, he tried imagining an icy winter scene. Instead he pictured a beach on a hot Caribbean day. The beating sun, sweat-drenched skin, the taste of salt.
He couldn’t think; he didn’t want to think. But he had to for both their sakes. “Stop.”
“Do you want to stop?” she whispered, then ran her tongue along the edge of his ear to the lobe.
Don’t stop. All of the things he’d imagined at the ice-cream parlor, she was doing. “I…” he said, his breathing ragged.
“I don’t want to stop.” She smiled, accelerating the speed of her hand. “I don’t think you want to stop, either.”
Gain control. But it was so hard. Not only her words, but the seductive tone of her voice told him she wanted to take this all the way. He wanted it, too, but…“This will complicate things.”
“I don’t—” she paused to nibble on his ear “—care.”
Of course she didn’t care. Cassie never worried about the consequences. She acted from her heart, for the moment. But he wasn’t like that..
He was going to lose it. Troy gritted his teeth. This shouldn’t be happening. He was in Dixon Daniels’s house; Troy wanted to make love to Dixon’s daughter.
No way. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Grabbing her hand, Troy pushed it away. To soften the harshness of his gesture, he kissed her gently. “We can’t do this.”
She glanced at the floor and took a deep breath.
“Cassie.” Troy lifted her chin so she had to look at him. He’d done the right thing. She’d told him she wasn’t interested in dating. She probably wasn’t interested in a fling, either. “I want you, but not like this. Not when we’re in the middle of this charade. Do you understand?”
Her lips swollen from his kisses, her eyes wide with desire, she nodded.
“You are an incredibly beautiful and sexy woman.” He caressed her smooth cheek. “You know, you’re driving me crazy.”
“I—”
“Shh.” He placed his fingertip on her mouth. Talking about it would only make it worse. He would talk to her in the morning. “Let’s get some sleep or at least try to.”
Troy was on her bed, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to sleep tonight. Too many things had happened; too many things hadn’t. Holding Cassie would be pure torture, but not holding her would be more painful. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”
Cassie jumped off the bed. “No.”
“Where are you going?”
Glancing at the other bed, she bit her lip. Troy wanted to say something to tell her how she made him feel, but couldn’t. He couldn’t tell her the thought of her sent his hormones into overdrive. He couldn’t tell her he wanted to strip off the scrap of black lace she called underwear and make love to her. He couldn’t tell her the truth.
“I was hoping you would sleep here, too,” Troy said, unable to find any explanation for his need to sleep next to her. Maybe Cassie was right when she called him the perfectly insane fiancé. “Crawl in.”
She did. As she lay next to him, her breasts pressed against his chest. Troy held her, trying to keep his hands and his body under control. Slowly the stiffness faded from her body. The gentle, even sound of her breathing told him she must be asleep, but he was afraid to look, afraid of what he might do.
His hands wanted to stray and caress the softness of her moonlit skin. His lips hungered for a taste of her. His body ached for fulfillment, but it wasn’t going to happen.
Not tonight.
He would remain in control, even if he had to stay awake all night. Staring at the ceiling, he refused to wish upon another falling star. Look where it had gotten him. Troy released a slow breath. It was going to be another long night. And an even longer two weeks.
The next morning, Cassandra woke to the sound of Troy’s heart beating in her ear. His musky male scent teased her nose. The hair on his leg tickled her calf. She snuggled closer, basking in the warmth, the security he provided. He felt so good. Yawning, she let the soothing rhythm of his breathing and heartbeat lull her back to sleep.
She and Troy—a real couple.
What a wonderful dream.
Her eyes sprang open. Sunlight filled the room. This was no dream. Cassandra stared at Troy, a night’s growth of whiskers covering his face. His closed eyes and the carefree expression on his face told her he was still asleep.
Troy’s chest rose and fell with his even breaths. His normally tousled hair was even more disheveled. He looked like a little boy, but he wasn’t. Troy McKnight was a man, one hundred percent male. He’d shown a tenderness last night that touched her and a passion that left her begging for more. Wanting more now.
Oh boy, last night had changed everything and nothing. She sighed. Troy wasn’t hers. Wouldn’t ever be hers. Yet, it had felt so good, so right.
But it wasn’t real.
She touched Troy’s chest, fingering the light cover of hair. It felt real. More real than her dream the other night. She felt safe and peaceful. Odd feelings considering the disturbing effect Troy had on her senses. Strange, but she felt as though she belonged.
But it wasn’t real.
Cassandra brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. Once again, she imagined a flower-filled church, a tuxedo-clad Troy and her in the beautiful English garden gown. It wasn’t difficult to do.
They weren’t really engaged.
But that was a technicality.
Or was it?
Her mind countered every reason her heart brought forward. Suddenly a new awareness hit her. Cassandra swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. She was falling for Troy McKnight. Falling hard.
That was the only explanation for her actions. But falling for him, wanting to make love with him made no sense. She didn’t want to feel that way. She didn’t want to fall in love. Not with Troy, not with any man. Even if, and that was a big if, she did want to fall in love, Troy was everything she didn’t want in a man—a venture capitalist, materialistic, ambitious, predictable. A man exactly like her ex-fiancé. As she had once been.
So what if Troy was also intelligent, caring, gorgeous, polite? She knew better than to follow her heart. Experience had taught her that. She should have been more careful. What a fool. She’d set herself up for a big letdown, that’s what she’d done.
Troy opened his eyes. The dark circles under them told her he was tired, but he smiled when he saw her. “Good morning.”
Her stomach tingled. Tingles meant nothing, absolutely nothing. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I, uh,” Cassandra faltered, unable to find the right words. Troy’s smile turned her on. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to make love to him. But she didn’t want to make another mistake. In two weeks he would be out of her life forever. Taking this any further would be a big mistake. He was rigid; he had a life plan. It wouldn’t work.
He tensed. “Is something wrong, Cassie?”
“Of course not.” She pulled the comforter up to her neck. Cassandra wasn’t modest, but Troy made her feel shy. The thin fabric of her T-shirt and her panties provided scant protection from his assessing gaze.
It would be so easy to keep pretending he was really hers. Her parents looked happy; she felt happy. But if she continued it a little longer, she would get hurt. She’d been that route before and swore never again. But Troy…she remembered how her body responded to his kiss, his touch. She’d never felt that way before. Certainly not with Eric.
“Are you having regrets?”
Cassandra wished she had regrets, but she didn’t. Troy made her feel alive, beautiful and special. “No.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“Last night was…well, it was wonderful.”
Smiling, he kissed her hand. “Wonderful. I wish we could have gone further. I’m sorry we had to stop.”
He wasn’t making this any easier. How could she tell him she didn’t want to get hurt without making herself vulnerable? She pulled her hand away. “I know, but—”
His eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sea. “But, what?”
This wasn’t going to be easy. Not with her heart wanting one thing and her mind another. She knew what to do, the only thing to do. “I started thinking about the, uh, complications of our actions.”
“And?”
I’m falling in love with you. I can’t let that happen. “We have nothing in common, but there is some kind of—”
“Chemistry,” he said.
Understatement of the year. “Yes, but you were right to stop.”
Silent, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m glad you agree.”
“I do,” Cassandra said, wishing for once Troy hadn’t agreed with her.
Cassandra rinsed off the last of the breakfast plates and placed it in the dishwasher. She gazed out the kitchen window. A slight breeze rippled the clear water in the pool. Her family and Troy sat on the patio outside. Five people drinking coffee on a Sunday morning under a sunny, blue sky. Five people who shared outlooks and goals. Five people who she didn’t want to be like.
She poured powdered detergent into the soap tray, wondering how the situation had gotten so out of control. In one weekend Troy had managed to do two things—fit in with her family and worm his way into her heart. He’d helped her handle her meddling parents and she appreciated that, but she hadn’t expected to go away from the weekend caring about him. She wanted to forget about his kisses, his warmth. She wanted to forget about Troy McKnight. Except it wasn’t going to be easy with their engagement party in two weeks.
Damn. Cassandra slammed the dishwasher door and locked it.
Troy tapped on the window. “Are you almost done, Cassie?” he asked through the screen.
She didn’t want to go outside. She felt safer, more comfortable inside. The more time she spent with Troy, the more she wanted to spend with him. A loselose situation. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
He glanced back at her family. “You’d better hurry.”
Troy wore a white T-shirt under a blue chambray shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He looked as though he’d stepped off the pages of a Gap ad. Her mouth went dry. “What’s wrong?”
“Your family is getting carried away.”
“I told you—”
“It’s more than that. You won’t believe who Dixon wants to invite to the engagement party.”
Maybe a puppy would make her feel all warm and fuzzy the way Troy did. Or a kitten. Cats were easier to deal with than dogs. And she could take a cat to the bookstore. “Who?”
He rambled off a list of names, including several of the power brokers in Silicon Valley. It was an up-andcoming V.C.’s perfect guest list. Troy would be in heaven; she would be in hell. “That’s quite a list.”
He shrugged.
A shrug? “Aren’t you excited?”
His forehead wrinkled. “What if something goes wrong? I’ve worked so hard and am so close.…This could turn into a complete disaster.”
It already was a disaster, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “Nothing will go wrong. I will be the perfect fiancée and you will impress them so much they’ll all wonder why you aren’t working for them.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that.” He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “But you should get out here. Emily and your mother are deciding where we should register.”
“Register?”
“For wedding presents.”
His smile sent her pulse racing. Cassandra wiped off the counter. “That isn’t funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
“But we aren’t engaged.” She lowered her voice. “We can’t accept presents.”
“We’ll return them after you break my heart.”
Very funny, McKnight. He’d exit the relationship without a scratch. “How come you get to be the one with the broken heart?”
“That’s right.” She washed her hands. “You don’t want to offend the mighty Dixon Daniels.”
“It’s not that.”
“Yes, it is.” Remembering Troy’s main concern was his career put things back into perspective for her. Just like Eric. He and Eric could be twins. She dried her hands on a dish towel.
“Please, come outside.” Troy shoved one of his hands into his shorts’ pocket and jiggled some change. “I need you.”
If only you did need me.… She turned on the dishwasher. “I’m coming.”
How hard could this be? A little chitchat, then she could go home. Home to an empty apartment and no messages on her answering machine. Maybe she did need a pet.
Carrying the coffeepot, Cassandra walked outside. “Anyone need a refill?”
Dixon took the pot from her and set it on the glasstop table. “Have a seat, Cassie,”
Troy patted the pillow on the empty wrought-iron chair next to him. “Come here, sweetie pie.”
Vanessa smiled. “Cassandra, we’ve been discussing the engagement party. You need to register for wedding presents.”
“That isn’t necessary, Mom.”
“But it is,” Vanessa said. “I know the perfect place. I’ll make an appointment for you this week.”
“I have to work.”
“I know, sweetheart, but you have employees who work for you. I’ll make an evening appointment and go with you. We’ll have so much fun like we did shopping for your wedding dress.”
Cassandra wanted her parents out of her life, not driving up midweek to help her pick out china and crystal patterns. Think positive, she told herself. Two more weeks and it would be over. No more interference, matchmaking or wedding plans. Two weeks wasn’t that long. Wars had been lost in less time. “Sure.”
“About the engagement party.” Emily tossed her shiny black hair behind her shoulder. “We’ve decided a black-tie affair might be too much, considering the short notice.”
“Of course, black-tie optional won’t work, either,” Eric added. His words earned him a smile from his wife.
“You are right, as usual, Eric.” Emily patted his hand like a woman petting her trained lap dog.
Cassandra wondered why she ever thought she was in love with Eric Wainwright. Marrying him would have been a disaster. Being with Troy made her realize how wrong Eric was for her. She also saw how right Eric was for her sister. Emily could be as bossy and demanding as she wanted and Eric wouldn’t complain. He would ask how high she wanted him to jump. The two were a perfect match.
“We wouldn’t mind if you moved the date.” Troy entwined his warm fingers with Cassandra’s. Her stomach fluttered. She tried pulling her hand away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that.” Emily pursed her lips. “Let’s make it semiformal dress. We can go shopping next week. I know all of the best boutiques in the city. We’ll go every day until we find something…spectacular.”
Cassandra appreciated the offer, but wasn’t ready for spending that much time with Emily. Lunch would be a good start, not shopping every day. And Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder if Emily meant finding her something suitable, rather than spectacular, to wear.
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Troy said. “But I’ve been wanting to buy Cassie a new outfit and this will give me the perfect opportunity to buy her something special.”
Unbelievable. This couldn’t be happening. But it was.
Cassandra stared at Troy, at everyone. She’d invented her fiancé to stop her parents’ meddling. But it wasn’t working. She not only had her parents involved with making engagement and wedding plans, but her sister and brother-in-law, too.
And Troy. Didn’t he realize he wasn’t helping? Enough was enough.
“I have an idea that will solve all of our problems,” Cassandra said. “Why not make the party clothing optional?”