shooting from his mouth.
“What were you doing at the
kafeneon
?”
She blew a stray hair off her face. “Having coffee.” She nipped her bottom lip with her teeth.
His abs turned iron-hard. Her taste still lingered on his tongue, her perfume clinging to his shirt; his reaction to her sexually was nearing explosive levels. A muscle battered his jaw. He lowered his lids a fraction, studying her for any cue that his suspicions were unwarranted.
“You exchanged money.”
She eyed him back, her voice overly sweet. “I paid for it.”
“Nina…” Her name like sandpaper on his tongue abradedthe air, the warning tone unmistakable.
“I had coffee, I paid for it,” she snapped. “What do you want me to say, Cade?”
“The truth.” He collided with the blue fire in her gaze.
“The truth?” Nina murmured almost to herself, then chuckled. “I went shopping.”
“For?”
A smile curved her mouth, but didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Why, for our dinner date, what else?”
“What else indeed.” He rubbed his nape. This woman drove him to the brink. But he’d get the truth out of her one way or the other. “Well then, you’d better get dressed.”
She kicked off her sandals and paused, her hand on the snap fastening of her shorts. “Are you going to watch?”
“Thirty minutes max,” he growled, and stalked out.
CHAPTER SIX
“How ever did you land him, darling?” The woman raised her pencil-thin eyebrows and twisted her scarlet mouth in disdain. “Certainly not with your fashion sense.”
Nina gave the gossiper a coquettish smile. “By saying no.”
If she was going to play the role at this gala opening the famed Wine Festival, t hen she might as well go for an Academy Award. She placed her hands beneath her breasts as if adjusting her bra, squirmed in her too tight leather mini, trailed her fingers over her hip and downward, and adjusted the top of her thigh-high boot.
The woman and her cronies gawked, the men ogled, Nina winked and reached for a flute of champagne from the waiter passing by. Cade stood several yards from her deep in conversation with his uncle and, she was sure, not missing a thing.
Soon after they’d arrived, he made the quick intros and left her to the devices of the gossip squad. Every female eye had tracked him crossing the room, before turning a critical eye on her. His potent sexuality and devil-may-care attitude didn’t go unnoticed by the female set.
And the scowl he now tossed her way didn’t detract from it.
He’d glowered at her ever since he walked back to the shack from the barn, dressed in evening attire. Compared to him,she looked like a high-class call girl strutting the hotel foyer—exactly what she aimed for.
He’d nearly gone ballistic.
“No…oh no.” He’d given her the once over, swept up several outfits strewn on the bed by the hearth and tossed them to her. “Get into something else or—”
“Sure, Cade,” she murmured, an impish edge to her words. “Will this do?” She held up a skimpier outfit than the one she wore, then scooped up another, dangling it in front of him. “How about this one?”
His dark look seemed to settle in the grooves of his face. “Find something more decent or I’ll find it for you.” His words crackled, his eyes zeroing on the plunging neckline outlining her bosom. He squinted at the gold chain circling her throat, most of it hidden beneath the back of her dress. “Your necklace seems to have snagged—”
“No.” She tottered back a step on her stiletto-heeled boots and slammed her hand at the risqué neckline. The last thing she needed was for him to discover she kept her wedding ring, even if only on a chain around her neck.
He took a menacing step closer. “I’ll help—” A snap of his fingers. “Ring .” His hawkish gaze glued on her left hand. “Where—”
The sound of the chopper landing smothered his words. Disgruntled at the intrusion, he pivoted, and the momentum fluttered his
“What were you doing at the
kafeneon
?”
She blew a stray hair off her face. “Having coffee.” She nipped her bottom lip with her teeth.
His abs turned iron-hard. Her taste still lingered on his tongue, her perfume clinging to his shirt; his reaction to her sexually was nearing explosive levels. A muscle battered his jaw. He lowered his lids a fraction, studying her for any cue that his suspicions were unwarranted.
“You exchanged money.”
She eyed him back, her voice overly sweet. “I paid for it.”
“Nina…” Her name like sandpaper on his tongue abradedthe air, the warning tone unmistakable.
“I had coffee, I paid for it,” she snapped. “What do you want me to say, Cade?”
“The truth.” He collided with the blue fire in her gaze.
“The truth?” Nina murmured almost to herself, then chuckled. “I went shopping.”
“For?”
A smile curved her mouth, but didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Why, for our dinner date, what else?”
“What else indeed.” He rubbed his nape. This woman drove him to the brink. But he’d get the truth out of her one way or the other. “Well then, you’d better get dressed.”
She kicked off her sandals and paused, her hand on the snap fastening of her shorts. “Are you going to watch?”
“Thirty minutes max,” he growled, and stalked out.
CHAPTER SIX
“How ever did you land him, darling?” The woman raised her pencil-thin eyebrows and twisted her scarlet mouth in disdain. “Certainly not with your fashion sense.”
Nina gave the gossiper a coquettish smile. “By saying no.”
If she was going to play the role at this gala opening the famed Wine Festival, t hen she might as well go for an Academy Award. She placed her hands beneath her breasts as if adjusting her bra, squirmed in her too tight leather mini, trailed her fingers over her hip and downward, and adjusted the top of her thigh-high boot.
The woman and her cronies gawked, the men ogled, Nina winked and reached for a flute of champagne from the waiter passing by. Cade stood several yards from her deep in conversation with his uncle and, she was sure, not missing a thing.
Soon after they’d arrived, he made the quick intros and left her to the devices of the gossip squad. Every female eye had tracked him crossing the room, before turning a critical eye on her. His potent sexuality and devil-may-care attitude didn’t go unnoticed by the female set.
And the scowl he now tossed her way didn’t detract from it.
He’d glowered at her ever since he walked back to the shack from the barn, dressed in evening attire. Compared to him,she looked like a high-class call girl strutting the hotel foyer—exactly what she aimed for.
He’d nearly gone ballistic.
“No…oh no.” He’d given her the once over, swept up several outfits strewn on the bed by the hearth and tossed them to her. “Get into something else or—”
“Sure, Cade,” she murmured, an impish edge to her words. “Will this do?” She held up a skimpier outfit than the one she wore, then scooped up another, dangling it in front of him. “How about this one?”
His dark look seemed to settle in the grooves of his face. “Find something more decent or I’ll find it for you.” His words crackled, his eyes zeroing on the plunging neckline outlining her bosom. He squinted at the gold chain circling her throat, most of it hidden beneath the back of her dress. “Your necklace seems to have snagged—”
“No.” She tottered back a step on her stiletto-heeled boots and slammed her hand at the risqué neckline. The last thing she needed was for him to discover she kept her wedding ring, even if only on a chain around her neck.
He took a menacing step closer. “I’ll help—” A snap of his fingers. “Ring .” His hawkish gaze glued on her left hand. “Where—”
The sound of the chopper landing smothered his words. Disgruntled at the intrusion, he pivoted, and the momentum fluttered his
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