The Undercover Playboy (Captured by Love Book 3) by Miranda P. Charles

Cassie said, looking up at him with a nervous smile. “Are you doing anything for dinner?”
    His heart hammered in his chest. Was she asking him out?
    “No,” he heard himself say.
    “So... do you want to have dinner with me? I could cook or we could go out. Just for a quick bite,” she added hastily.
    He smiled, warmth suffusing him. Cassie was simply adorable when her cheeks were flushed.How could a brainy CPA about to attain her MBA, and who’d just got a financial controller job with stupendous pay, be so shy in asking a man out?
    And how the hell could he say no to that beautiful face, even if he really should?
    “How about we go out?” he answered. “Although I’m not exactly dressed for a fancy dinner.”
    “That’s okay. You still look hot to me. I’ll change to jeans.”
    He shookhis head as Cassie went to her bedroom. Whatever was he gonna do with her?
    You’re just going to take her out to dinner, and that’s it.
    Yes, he could do that.
    *
    C arter couldn’t believe how fast the time had flown. He was walking Cassie back to her place after spending a couple of hours with her at the Thai restaurant two blocks away.
    He was thoroughly enjoying this—their first dinner alonetogether. Could he call this a date? With Cassie grasping his arm as they strolled, they certainly looked like a couple.
    “Do you want to have coffee upstairs?” Cassie asked as she slotted the key to the front door of the building.
    “Sure.”
    “Great,” she said, smiling shyly at him.
    He smiled back, shoving his hands into his pockets to stop himself from holding her face and kissing her. She wassimply too cute.
    They rode the elevator in silence as Carter tried to get a grip of this weird jumble of feelings inside of him. The simple act of putting his arm around her earlier in the parking area of the gallery seemed to have released something. Or opened something. His heart had been dancing all night. And his chest just felt... expanded.
    And hell, he really, really, really wanted tokiss Cassie. Really.
    How could these emotions just have exploded? Sure, he’d always been interested in her, but he’d always been able to keep a lid on it before. Tonight, he was struggling to keep that lid in place.
    Maybe he’d suppress his lust for her for far too long, and Cassie being more touchy-feely than usual had burst its confines. Regardless, he couldn’t act on it right now, much ashe wanted to. He couldn’t afford to imperil his undercover role at Tellman Galleries.
    But nothing was stopping him from enjoying coffee with Cassie in the apartment. He wasn’t ready for the night to end yet.
    *
    “I better go,” he said, placing his cup back down on the coffee table.
    “Okay,” Cassie said, sounding disappointed.
    Heck, he was, too. He was having a great time, even if all they’ddone was talk and flirt a little, like they usually did. But for him, those flirtations had taken on a deeper meaning. Better leave now before his frustration from not being able to take it further escalated to annoying heights.
    “Um... Carter...” Cassie said, placing a hand on his arm to halt him from getting up the seat.
    “Yeah?”
    “I want to ask you something.”
    “Sure.”
    “First, I want you toknow that whatever your answer is will be fine with me, okay?” Cassie said.
    “O-kay,” he said, his curiosity spiking.
    “And that I won’t allow whatever happens to affect our friendship in any way.”
    He frowned, starting to get worried.
    “Don’t look like that,” Cassie said. “This really is a fun thing. I’m just nervous with asking you because... well, it’s you and you’re a friend. And I honestlydon’t want you to think that I won’t be okay if you said no.”
    “Now I’m beyond intrigued. Spill, Cassandra.”
    Cassie took a deep breath. “I promised myself a treat when I finished my MBA or find another job, whichever comes first. And I said that it will be something that I’ve never done before. And I thought