Or was he? She casually glanced downward and saw one very impressive erection.
Which only made her own dilemma worse, especially when she pulled her gaze back to his face and caught his knowing smile.
Damn man.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Do you?”
“Yes. I have to pack and … things.”
“Okay. Don’t want to keep you from your … things.” He signaled for the waiter, who brought the check. By the time Grant had signed off on the bar tab and stood, whatever impressive hard-on he’d sprouted had dissipated, much to Katrina’s disappointment.
He stood, and so did she, following him outside the bar.
In the lobby, he stopped and turned to her. “Come up to my room. Spend the night with me.”
For a fraction of a second, her spirits soared. She’d been surprisingly deflated when he’d cut off their teasing banter so easily in the bar. She appreciated his being a gentleman and all, but at the same time, she’d been disappointed, too.
Conflicted much, Katrina?
No. She knew where her responsibilities were, and they weren’t in Grant Cassidy’s bed. She forced herself to remember the reason she was independent. And all the reasons she didn’t want a man in her life.
“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.