A Catered Romance (17 page)

She laughed softly. “We saw each other this morning.” Remembering what they’d done this morning in her bed made heat radiate through her and she looked down.

“Never be ashamed of what we do together,” he said softly.

She raised her gaze to his. “I’m not. I love what we do. Maybe I love it a little too much.”

His lips tilted in a tender smile. “Keep loving it, Cat Eyes. I could never get enough of you.” He took both her hands in his. “Whenever you’re not with me I miss you. You are the most intriguing woman I’ve ever known.” eat

His words reinforced her fears that she’d lose him once she stopped being a challenge. She pushed the feeling away. Tom was here now, with her. The past and the future didn’t matter.

“You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever known,” she said, pretending a lightness she didn’t feel. Tom always made her feel special, but he never said he loved her. She couldn’t let him know how much he meant to her.

He gathered her to him and brushed a feather-soft kiss on her temple. His tenderness warmed her with a bittersweet yearning.

“I sat in a budget meeting most of the afternoon,” he said. “But I couldn’t concentrate. All I could think about was you. Seeing you. Being with you.” His husky voice held her as securely as his strong arms. “It’s a good thing my family owns the company or I’d be out of a job. You’ve cast a spell on me.”

She laid her head against his hard chest and breathed in his unique masculine scent mixed with the faint hint of wool and starched cotton. Longing, mingled with sadness, coursed through her. She loved him so much. If only he loved her too.

His hands bracketed her waist and he drew back to stare down at her. “Let’s go out to dinner for a change. Gretchen’s in Greenville makes the best pizza and their patio is still open.”

Tension stiffened her spine. Thursday was the big night for the trendy eatery. Half the city would be there. The more people who knew about her and Tom, the more witnesses to her heartbreak when their relationship ended.

She freed herself and slid her gaze from his. “I have to put some things away and I’ll be ready.”

Trying to collect her thoughts, she grabbed the bag of carrots from the counter and walked to the refrigerator.

“Why don’t we go back to your place,” she said, opening the refrigerator and dropping the vegetables on a shelf.

She closed the door and leaned against it, tossing a glance toward Tom. “We can order pizza from Ernesto’s. It’s almost as good as Gretchen’s and we don’t have to go out.”

“Damn it, Mary Beth.” Frustration filled Tom’s voice. Loosening his tie, he moved closer. “What’s the problem?” He stood inches from her. A muscle worked in his jaw.

She wanted to shrink from his anger. She straightened and met his gaze.

“Every time I mention going out,” he said, “you find an excuse to stay in.” He ran his hand over his hair and moved away to pace the kitchen like an angry panther.

She narrowed her eyes and watched him. Why was he so upset? They spent lots of time together. Why should he care if they went out?

He stopped his pacing and pivoted to face her across the room. His features were harsh and his mouth set in a grim line. “Am I such a horrible person that you’re afraid to be seen with me? Are you hiding from someone? Is there another man?”

The fear that flickered in his eyes made her heart twist with hope. A false hope that would only hurt her in the end. She blinked back tears.

“That’s not it, Tom. None of those things.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

She flinched but stood her ground. They stared at each other. Tension arced between them.

She looked down at the floor. She couldn’t tell him the truth and admit her fears. And her love. The habits of a lifetime that had protected her heart all these years, first from her father’s desertion, then Tom’s betrayal, wouldn’t break.

He let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll give in to you. Again. But I want you to go to the Harvest Ball with me. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

She swung her gaze back to him and shook her head. “I can’t.” She fingered the gold chain at her neck. “You know I have to work the ball. It’s our biggest job so far and I can’t leave Gail to do it alone.”

His jaw set in a stubborn line. She braced herself for the storm to come.

“And you know Gail can hire all the help she needs. She’ll be fine without you.” His quiet, deliberate tone told her the effort it cost him to control his anger. She pressed against the cold stainless of the refrigerator.

With tension in every line of his lean body, Tom moved slowly closer. She thrust her chin out, ready to do battle. The Harvest Ball benefited several prestigious private schools, including St. Anselm’s. Many of their old classmates would be there. No way would she put herself on display by attending with Tom.

“Talk to me, Mary Beth.” His blue gaze searched hers. “Tell me what’s going on behind those green cat eyes.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” he said in a tight voice.

He wrapped his hand around her braid, tipping back her head. “You always seem happy to see me. You’re more than willing to share my bed. But you won’t go out in public with me. What kind of game are you playing?”

He meant so much to her, but she knew when this was over she’d be shattered. And she couldn’t bear his pity when the inevitable happened.

She pulled free and placed her hand on his chest, lifting her gaze to his. His heart beat fast and strong through the soft wool of his jacket.

“I’m not playing games. I swear. It’s not what you think.” Her need for him was real, filling her waking hours and peppering her dreams. She loved his smile, his easy laugh, and the sparkle in his deep blue eyes. She sensed a depth to him, a caring nature that he tried to hide under the fun and the laughter.

He wasn’t hers to keep. He’d never been hers. If she couldn’t have him forever, she would take whatever he offered now.

“What is it?” he asked. “You don’t trust me enough to open up to me.” Hurt colored his voice.

“I can’t talk about it.”

He braced his hands on the refrigerator over her shoulders. Frustration flashed over his chiseled features.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Mary Beth. I’m proud to be seen with you. I want the whole world to know about us.” His gaze softened and he skimmed a finger over her bottom lip. “I want the world to know you belong to me.”

“Let’s just enjoy being together. Please don’t ask me things I can’t talk about.”

She took his face between her hands and reached up to kiss him with the longing she couldn’t confess. He returned her kiss with an urgency that made her pulse race.

Releasing her, he folded her into his embrace. “You’re mine, Cat Eyes,” he whispered.

But for how long?
She curled her arms around his neck, clinging to him. She never wanted to let him go.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I
have to hang up now, Mary Beth.” Her mother’s happy voice hummed over the telephone wires. “I have a golf lesson, then I’m meeting Victor for dinner. Such a nice man.”

“Wait, Mom. Don’t—” Dial tone replaced her mother’s babbling. Mary Beth slowly hung up the phone and sank into the thick cushions of her sofa.

“Wow,” she said to the empty room. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

She’d had enough stress in the last two days just dealing with Tom. Despite her protests, he wouldn’t let up his pressure on her to attend the Harvest Ball with him.

Now this. Her mother’s decision to stay in Arizona permanently with Aunt Linda was shock enough. But Dorothy Kendrick learning to play golf? Working for a florist in Phoenix? Dating a man? Mary Beth’s head spun.

She stared around her quiet living room as tears filled her eyes. Her mother didn’t need her anymore. She, Mary Beth Kendrick, was completely on her own for the first time in her life.

“Get over it,” she said, running her fingers through her hair, still damp from the shower. The familiar gesture couldn’t ease the loneliness that had taken root.

Her mom had been a challenge for so many years. She should be relieved to see her happily settled somewhere else. So why did she feel as if a huge chunk of her life had been torn off and thrown away like a bad piece of meat?

Sadness formed a lump in her throat. She grabbed a small pillow from the couch and hugged it. Tom didn’t need her either. At least not permanently.

Her world had changed the day Tom returned. Her ailing business was healthy again. Soon she and Gail could afford to buy their company back from Sackett Industries.

Despite Tom’s hurtful actions all those years ago, he’d been good to her these last months. Had he been trying to make amends? Would he bail out once he felt he’d paid his debt to her? She wanted his love, not his pity.

Rubbing her aching temples, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Images from her past played out in her mind like an old movie. The laughter and happiness when her family was intact. The terrible hurt and loneliness when her dad walked out on them. Her mother’s steadfast refusal to allow Mary Beth to talk about her father.

She swiped at a tear. Tom’s betrayal at the formal had reinforced what her mother had always taught her. Men couldn’t be trusted. They always left in the end.

Yet her mom, whose wounds cut so deep, had summoned the courage to shake the pain at last and open to life again. Could she do the same?

Unable to sit still, she got up to pace the room, trying to digest the mix of emotions coursing through her. Stopping in front of a low table, she picked up a small snow globe—a gift from her dad on their last Christmas together. She turned the toy over and watched the flakes fall over the smiling figures sledding down a slope.

She stared at the happy family encased forever in glass, then opened the table drawer and tucked the globe inside, closing the drawer tight. The past was over. It wouldn’t hurt her anymore.

Wind rattled the windows. Leaves swirled by on the strong currents. Like the trees, she had to shed her old insecurities to make room for a new beginning.

And Tom? Where did he fit in? She loved him deeply, but was she brave enough to set aside her fears to love him openly and freely regardless of the consequences? The Harvest Ball meant a lot to him. And he meant the world to her.

Tension sliced through her, but she pushed it away. She would do this. For Tom. For herself. She picked up the phone and punched in the familiar number. “Hi, Tom,” she said when he answered. “I’m calling because...” She took a deep breath. “I’ve reconsidered and if your offer still stands, I’d be happy to go to the Harvest Ball with you.”

<><><>

“Wow!” Tom said when Mary Beth opened her apartment door. He let out a low whistle.

He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring at her. The form-fitting satin gown, green as her eyes, hugged her lush curves. Her beauty stole his breath.

She smiled, that dazzling smile that always made his heart skip a beat. His Mary Beth. Smart, proud, passionate. Possessiveness, and a new emotion, a realization long denied, clutched his gut. He wanted her—needed her—by his side. Forever.

“I take it you like,” Mary Beth said. She did a slow pirouette.

“I like very much,” he said, finding his voice. “You’re beautiful.”

Her happy laugh sent warmth coursing through him.

He devoured her with his gaze. “You wore that to the auction. The color matches your eyes.”

Feeling like a bumbling idiot, he stepped closer. She stared up at him with those uptilted cat eyes that could make him forget his name.

He reached out a trembling hand to trail his finger along her jawline. Could she read the truth in his eyes? Did she feel the same way? Afraid of the answer, he couldn’t ask the question.

Her low laugh tinkled through the room like crystal. “You look amazing in a tux.” She ran her fingers slowly down his lapels.

He pulled her to him. He inhaled her perfume, musky and exotic. Different from the flowery scents she usually wore. Despite her reluctance to attend the Harvest Ball, she’d taken care to make this night special. For him? A glimmer of hope opened in his heart.

He lowered his head to kiss her. She tasted sweet, like cinnamon and apples. She melted against him, lacing her arms around his neck.

With an effort he pulled away. She let out a small cry of protest. Strands of hair had worked loose from her elegant hairstyle. She looked wild, like a gypsy. His heart lurched.

He leaned his forehead against hers. He wanted to claim her as his, but he’d been hurt once. Despite their closeness these past months, Mary Beth held part of herself back.

“I could make love to you for hours,” he whispered. “I want to stay here and rip that dress off you, and take down your hair to see it spread out on the pillow.”

He pulled back and kissed the tip of her nose. “But we’re not missing this party. I want to show you off, to let everyone know you’re mine.” Was it his imagination, or did she stiffen slightly?

He traced his finger over her delicious lips. “Someday, Cat Eyes, you’re going to trust me enough to let me in.”