Quarterback Draw

“I can’t.”

He nodded, then slid his hands up her arms. “I understand. Can’t say I’m not disappointed about that.”

She wanted to say she was, too, but those were dangerous waters, and she wasn’t about to wade into them. She was in way over her head already.

“Thank you again for tonight.”

“I’ll walk you out and hail you a taxi.”

“It’s not necessary.”

He shook his head. “Come on.”

He slid his fingers in hers, and she was surprised to find how much she liked the feel of his big hand in hers. She was tall, and she dwarfed most men. With Grant, she felt … small. A bit unusual, but she had to admit she liked it.

He signaled for the valet to hail a taxi.

“I’ll see you next week in St. Louis?”

“I’m going to be awfully busy with work and—”

Before she could finish, he’d slid his hands around her neck and his mouth was on hers. It was a soft, but demanding kiss, and she fell into it easily, her hands resting on the solid warmth of his wide chest.

It only lasted a few seconds, but God, she wanted so much more. When he pulled back, she licked her lips, tasting whiskey.

“Think about me when you’re at home doing … things.”

His lips curved as he tucked one of her curls behind her ear.

He walked her to the taxi and leaned in after she got inside.

“And I will see you next week in St. Louis, Kat.”

He shut the door and the taxi pulled away.

She wanted to turn around and look to see if he was still standing there watching, but for some reason, she knew he was.

She had no idea what she was going to do about Grant Cassidy.

Keeping him out of her thoughts and out of her life was proving more and more difficult all the time.

TWELVE

KATRINA HAD SPENT THE PAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS making care arrangements with the au pair to watch over Leo and Anya, who’d argued they were far too old for a babysitter and could handle spending a week alone.

Ha. She could only imagine the parties and the trouble those two could get into unsupervised. Once Cerissa showed up, Katrina had packed, taken her flight to St. Louis, and gotten settled into her hotel. First thing Monday morning she’d met with the photographer and the rest of the team.

They were doing a wedding shoot at the Jewel Box for one of the bridal magazines. She had the cover photo, and would be showcasing some of the features inside the magazine, so it was a pretty big deal, and she’d have several dresses to wear. Typically she didn’t give much thought to the outfits, but she rarely had the opportunity to model bridal wear. It was going to be a fun shoot.

Plus, the location was gorgeous. The Jewel Box was a greenhouse in one of the parks in the city, and her manager told her it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She’d looked it up while she was in her hotel room last night, and couldn’t wait to start the shoot today.

When she arrived on scene, she was whisked over to hair and makeup and spent a couple of hours there having makeup applied and her hair curled. They started out with her hair down, which went well with the strapless designer gown. It was an ivory satin full ball gown, luxurious and a striking complement to the gorgeous Jewel Box, with its Art Deco cantilevered design. They did the first pictures outside. It was the perfect day from a production standpoint. Though quite hot, little to no breeze helped to keep the dress and other paraphernalia in place. They had to stop in between the shots though, to keep patting her down to erase any sheen. The dress was ultra heavy and not at all suited for outside August weather in St. Louis, but she handled it just fine.

Fortunately, the photographer was quick, and before Kat knew it, she was out of that dress and into the next, this time a lovely white lace A-line with sleeves. She was lucky this series of photographs would be taken inside, next to some of the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen. They’d redesigned her hair for these photos, pulling it up so it was off her shoulders. After all, the lace on her shoulders and down her arms had to be seen.

After a couple of hours of various poses in that dress, they were finished for the day.

She went back to her hotel and showered off the heavy makeup, washing the excess product out of her hair. She let her hair air-dry outside on the balcony of her hotel room while she talked on the phone to Cerissa, who told her everything at home was fine. Leo was working out a lot and Anya was, as typical, always on the phone or with her friends.

At least she didn’t have to worry about the kids. After she hung up, she grabbed a book she’d started in the middle of her flight to St. Louis and spent about an hour reading. When her phone rang, she put the book down and looked at the display.