All the Right Moves(55)

“You bet. I think I can help with those shoulders of yours. And quizzes. If you need a quiz, I am definitely your man.”

Her smile lit up her eyes. Not the way they did when she was rested and hadn’t had a major blowout with her brother, but still, he was pleased to see it. “I’ll think better after I wash my face,” she said, and then she was off.

He chose a cola for her, and a ginger ale for himself. The cracking of the ice made him thirstier still, and he’d downed a considerable amount by the time Cassie came back.

Little fringes of hair around her face were wet. She did seem somewhat more alert as she lifted her soda. “Here’s to caffeine and memorization.”

He urged her to the couch, where she handed him the textbook open to a list of study questions. It took them several minutes to arrange themselves so that he could massage her shoulders while she answered his questions. As the night went on, her answers came less quickly and were interspersed with yawns.

When the worst of the knots had been teased out of her muscles, he sat beside her. Twenty minutes past midnight, her body rested fully against him, her head on his shoulder.

“Why don’t we wrap this up?” he asked. “You can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I don’t need to see when you’re asking the questions. Keep going.”

He obeyed, knowing her determination wasn’t going to win over her exhaustion.

Finally, she didn’t answer a question. He was loath to move her. Not only did she look impossibly young and beautiful, but there was also a certain privilege that came along with her trust. He’d wanted to protect her at the bar, wanted to care for her now. She’d have objected. And it was true, she could take care of herself. Still...

He moved very carefully, slowly, arranging her on the couch until he could stand. A quick trip to her bedroom let him throw back the covers.

Once he returned to the living room, he didn’t pick her up immediately. Some urge he didn’t linger over had him crouching beside her, pushing back the wisps of now-dried hair. Touching her with his fingertips as he watched her sleep.

As far as distractions went, Cassie had exceeded his expectations. He’d thought of her as an attractive novelty. Perfect for ten days of something different.

That wasn’t the half of it. She’d surprised him many times. He’d found her very pretty when he’d first seen her, but now that he knew her, she was gorgeous. There were all her smiles, some still not catalogued. He liked to think understanding her body language was his homework. He didn’t mind studying one bit. He wanted to know her by heart before he went back to work.

Of course, the bad part about being so caught up in Cassie’s life was that he still had decisions to make about his own.

He stood again, and she stirred when he lifted her, but even in her groggy state she managed to snuggle against his chest and hold on with an arm around his neck. “What time is it?”

He smiled at the slur of her words. “Bedtime.”

She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “’Kay.”

By the time he turned out the lights, he’d made sure her alarm was set for seven-thirty, that they were both shoeless, although still dressed, and that he would be there in the morning to make sure she made it to her class on time.





14



“WHERE ARE YOU?” Cassie asked, clutching her cell phone, looking down the street to her left for his Corvette. It was past noon and she’d just finished writing her exam. John hadn’t said he’d be picking her up, but she’d bet the farm he was somewhere nearby.

“You’re cold.”

She straightened, her gaze going across the street.

“Warmer.”

Smiling, she turned to her right, and there he was, looking like a star on a sexy car billboard, one hand in his pocket, one up to his ear and his legs crossed as he leaned against the driver’s door. “How long did you work on that pose, pretty boy?”

“Um, what time did I drop you off?”

She laughed. “Come on. I’m starving. One piece of toast does not a breakfast make. You need to buy me lunch. I’m thinking deli.”

She watched as he climbed inside the car, but she couldn’t hear the engine turn over. “Hold on. I’m putting you on the speaker.”

He didn’t talk again until he’d merged into traffic. “For takeout, yes?”

“What? Oh, I hadn’t thought—”