He made the call to the pizza place from the car so it was ready when he pulled into the lot. He dashed in and picked it up, then made the short drive to the house.
They set up in the kitchen. Katrina put out plates, while Grant poured drinks for them.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask you how your day went,” she said as she grabbed a slice of pizza.
“Practice was fine. We’re ready for the game this weekend.”
“Still pre-season, right?”
“Yeah. You should stay the weekend and watch the game. In fact, we should fly Leo and Anya out for the game. You all can hang out here at the house.”
She paused, mid-bite. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
Her brain was fuzzy and she couldn’t think up a legitimate excuse. It was summer, nearing the start of school. Camp was over, and the kids had nothing going on. “I …”
He grinned. “Great. I’ll make travel arrangements for them. We’ll fly them out tomorrow.”
She blinked, feeling like she’d just been bulldozed. But she was too tired to fight it. The kids would enjoy seeing another game. Plus, they’d never been to St. Louis. “All right.”
They finished their pizza.
“Would you like to take a swim?”
Normally she’d jump at the chance, but as she stifled a yawn, she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
He nodded. “How about we sit on the sofa and watch a movie instead? I can make travel arrangements.”
“Okay. I’ll call the kids.”
She made a quick phone call, talking to both Leo and Anya, who were very much on board with the trip. She wasn’t surprised at all about that. Anya barely spent three minutes on the phone with her before saying she had to pack, so she turned her over to Leo, who then gave the phone to Cerissa.
Katrina peeked over at Grant’s laptop as he finished up the travel arrangements. She gave him Cerissa’s e-mail, and Grant forwarded the information to Katrina, copying Cerissa as well so she’d have the pertinent information when she took the kids to the airport tomorrow.
She finished her phone conversation, then laid the phone on the table.
“All set. Wasn’t that easy?”
Surprisingly, it had been. “Thanks for this. Leo and Anya are very excited.”
“I am, too.” He turned the television on, and scrolled through the movie selections. “See anything you like?”
“I like comedies. Action movies. Suspense. You choose. I’m fine with anything.”
She leaned back on the sofa, kicked off her sandals and put her feet up.
He settled on a channel where a movie was just starting. “Here’s a suspense.”
“Perfect.”
She didn’t make it ten minutes into the movie before she yawned again.
“Lay your head in my lap.”
She wasn’t going to say no to that. It was much more comfortable lying down.
And then, when he started rubbing her back, she knew she was a goner. His hand glided over her skin, not rubbing hard. Just gentle, soft, strokes.
She was asleep in minutes.
TWENTY
ONCE AGAIN, GRANT TOOK KATRINA BACK TO HER hotel, but this time it wasn’t after only a few hours’ sleep. Sometime after she’d fallen asleep on the sofa, he’d picked her up and carried her to his bed. She remembered him lifting her dress over her head, and he’d helped her unhook her bra.
And that was it, because she’d slid under the cool sheets, her head had hit the pillow, and she’d been out for the entire night.
Some hot date she’d been.
She’d apologized for that the next morning, but he’d laughed and said he’d been pretty tired, too. He’d even admitted to falling asleep on the sofa with her, and that he’d awakened around midnight to put them both to bed.
So maybe she wasn’t the only dud in the bunch. But they’d both had a very exuberant, very late night the night before, so now they were both very well rested.
Unfortunately they both had to work today, so he dropped her off at her hotel with a quick brush of his lips across hers, and then he was off to practice. She took a quick shower and headed out again. At least they only needed her for half a day, because they were shooting with other models.
In the afternoon she was meeting the kids at the airport and they were going to Grant’s place.
The photography went fast, which she was grateful for. This had been a great photo shoot. The director knew exactly what he wanted, which meant there hadn’t been a lot of waiting around, which could be interminable hell on models. Clothing and hairstyle changes had gone quickly, and, when they’d finished, she’d thanked the entire production team and her fellow models.
After scrubbing off her makeup, brushing out her hair, and changing clothes, she’d grabbed a taxi to the airport. She picked up Leo and Anya, and at the baggage claim there was a driver who had her name written on a large white card.
“I’m Katrina Korsova,” she said.
“Mr. Cassidy sent a car for you and your party.”
“Ooh, we’re a party,” Anya said over her shoulder. “Let’s rock this.”