voice as he watched the tension gather in her shoulders. He wanted to massage it away, but she'd balked every time he touched her.
"Look, I really am sorry. I want you to believe that."
"It's over, Gabe, apology accepted. Let's just forget it."
Casey's comment felt like a sharp kick. It wasn't over. She had a right to be angry, but she couldn't deny the attraction between them.
And she was lying. It wasn't because he separated his damn vegetables. She looked terrified.
"It's not over, Casey. If you think I can forget you after today, you're wrong."
Casey tugged at the door to shut it. "Let me go, please."
The distress in Casey's voice almost made him back off, but he refused to give up. "Just tell me one thing," he said softly.
"What?" In that one word, Gabe recognized fear.
"Was the dream real? Did you make that up just to torment me, or was it real?"
Casey glanced around the car, anywhere but at him. When she finally turned to face him, anger and hurt glittered in the violet depths of her eyes.
"You'd like for me to tell you that it was real, wouldn't you? You'd like to hear that while you were home making fun of me, I was in bed dreaming about sleeping with you?"
Gabe didn't move a muscle. He forced his face to remain stoic so he wouldn't give away his thoughts. His insides burned with memories of her erotic words. Of course, he wanted her to say that. What man wouldn't?
Maybe he was the crazy one.
Casey shoved the key into the ignition. Her voice came out low and strained. "I can't do that, Gabe."
Gabe's heart pounded. "You can't because it isn't true, or because you refuse to?"
Casey started the engine. "I guess that's something you'll never know." She closed the door, gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot just as a bolt of lightning struck the sky.
* * *
"Mommy crying?" Henry S. patted various kinds of cereal onto the glue-streaked paper.
"No, Mommy's fine," Casey said, swiping at her eyes. "That's good, Henry S. When you finish that, we'll dip the cookie cutters and toy cars in paint and make prints."
Jenna pulled up a stool, munching on chips as she watched the mother-son art project. "I can't believe you teased the guy that way, Casey. He deserved it, but you're usually so... so shy with guys."
Casey groaned and mopped up a glob of glue running across the counter. "On the paper, Henry S." She glanced at Jenna. "Don't remind me. I can't believe it either. I felt like a different person when I was with him. I mean he looked so turned on that it just got me turned on." It was just like in my dream. Except better.
Jenna chuckled, her red ponytail swinging wildly, her green eyes widening. "Uh-huh. So that's the way it goes."
Casey wrinkled her nose. "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly how cute is this guy, Casey?"
Casey guided Henry S. to the paint and helped him choose a toy car, then instructed him how to make car prints. Then she flipped her computer screen toward Jenna.
"On a scale of one to ten, I'd say a three-thousand on sex appeal, five-thousand on heartbreaker material."
Jenna gasped "Oh, my god, he is hot. If he wants to see you again, why not give him a chance?"
"You know why not. I told you about his father. And besides, he thinks I'm brainless. What if he found out I was a juvenile delinquent? A teenage thief. There's Henry S., too. He probably wouldn't want to get tangled up with a woman involved in a custody battle with a known gambler."
"Maybe, maybe not." Jenna twisted her ponytail around one finger. "By the way, have you heard from Travis again?"
Casey picked up a letter and waved it in the air. "I got this today. A little warning note that I'll be sorry if I don't give him Henry S."
Jenna sighed. "That creep is the worst. Maybe Gabe would help you."
"I don't need anyone's help," Casey said, tapping her fingernails against the white counter. "Besides, I'm just not Gabe Thornton's type. He needs someone classy and sophisticated. Look at me and my house. I'm
"Look, I really am sorry. I want you to believe that."
"It's over, Gabe, apology accepted. Let's just forget it."
Casey's comment felt like a sharp kick. It wasn't over. She had a right to be angry, but she couldn't deny the attraction between them.
And she was lying. It wasn't because he separated his damn vegetables. She looked terrified.
"It's not over, Casey. If you think I can forget you after today, you're wrong."
Casey tugged at the door to shut it. "Let me go, please."
The distress in Casey's voice almost made him back off, but he refused to give up. "Just tell me one thing," he said softly.
"What?" In that one word, Gabe recognized fear.
"Was the dream real? Did you make that up just to torment me, or was it real?"
Casey glanced around the car, anywhere but at him. When she finally turned to face him, anger and hurt glittered in the violet depths of her eyes.
"You'd like for me to tell you that it was real, wouldn't you? You'd like to hear that while you were home making fun of me, I was in bed dreaming about sleeping with you?"
Gabe didn't move a muscle. He forced his face to remain stoic so he wouldn't give away his thoughts. His insides burned with memories of her erotic words. Of course, he wanted her to say that. What man wouldn't?
Maybe he was the crazy one.
Casey shoved the key into the ignition. Her voice came out low and strained. "I can't do that, Gabe."
Gabe's heart pounded. "You can't because it isn't true, or because you refuse to?"
Casey started the engine. "I guess that's something you'll never know." She closed the door, gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot just as a bolt of lightning struck the sky.
* * *
"Mommy crying?" Henry S. patted various kinds of cereal onto the glue-streaked paper.
"No, Mommy's fine," Casey said, swiping at her eyes. "That's good, Henry S. When you finish that, we'll dip the cookie cutters and toy cars in paint and make prints."
Jenna pulled up a stool, munching on chips as she watched the mother-son art project. "I can't believe you teased the guy that way, Casey. He deserved it, but you're usually so... so shy with guys."
Casey groaned and mopped up a glob of glue running across the counter. "On the paper, Henry S." She glanced at Jenna. "Don't remind me. I can't believe it either. I felt like a different person when I was with him. I mean he looked so turned on that it just got me turned on." It was just like in my dream. Except better.
Jenna chuckled, her red ponytail swinging wildly, her green eyes widening. "Uh-huh. So that's the way it goes."
Casey wrinkled her nose. "What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly how cute is this guy, Casey?"
Casey guided Henry S. to the paint and helped him choose a toy car, then instructed him how to make car prints. Then she flipped her computer screen toward Jenna.
"On a scale of one to ten, I'd say a three-thousand on sex appeal, five-thousand on heartbreaker material."
Jenna gasped "Oh, my god, he is hot. If he wants to see you again, why not give him a chance?"
"You know why not. I told you about his father. And besides, he thinks I'm brainless. What if he found out I was a juvenile delinquent? A teenage thief. There's Henry S., too. He probably wouldn't want to get tangled up with a woman involved in a custody battle with a known gambler."
"Maybe, maybe not." Jenna twisted her ponytail around one finger. "By the way, have you heard from Travis again?"
Casey picked up a letter and waved it in the air. "I got this today. A little warning note that I'll be sorry if I don't give him Henry S."
Jenna sighed. "That creep is the worst. Maybe Gabe would help you."
"I don't need anyone's help," Casey said, tapping her fingernails against the white counter. "Besides, I'm just not Gabe Thornton's type. He needs someone classy and sophisticated. Look at me and my house. I'm
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