Savin' Me (12 page)

He turned to stare out the window and
muttered something about dumbass reactions, strangling Mazze, and
getting a grip.

Confused by his odd behavior, and hoping he
was kidding about the strangling part, Kat watched his expression
alternate between angry and confused like a flashing light. He
seemed as baffled by his reaction as she was, and after taking a
few deep breaths, he turned his brooding gaze on her. “I don’t want
you to going to Myrtle Beach with Kevin.”

“What?” She laughed. “Why? Is he
dangerous?”

The movement of his jaw indicated a whole lot
of teeth grinding, and she was clueless as to the cause. He swiped
at his water glass and said, “I want you to go to the beach with me
this weekend.”

Good grief, rather than sitting at a table in
a diner, she felt like she was in a carnival fun house, getting
tossed one way and then the other by the rolling floor. “I’m having
a really difficult time following you.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that… you’ve
been working like crazy, both at work and at home. Sometimes the
only way to get a break is to leave town. I know. That’s why I have
the Topsail Island house. There’s a bunch of us going, so it won’t
be just the two of us. You set the rules—whatever makes you
comfortable.” He rolled his head around in a circle and she was
pretty sure there was more teeth grinding going on… and… Did he
just growl? “I think Mazze’s going too. You two could stop there on
your way back from Myrtle Beach.”

Oh boy. Talk about dangerous waters. She’d
gotten the impression from Kevin that he and Erik were friends, but
she didn’t realize they were that good of friends.

Could she spend the weekend in a house full
of mostly strangers?

The slut brigade let out a rowdy laugh. She’d
had no problem spending the night with Erik when he’d been a
complete stranger. Now, he knew her more intimately than any other
human being on the face of the earth.

Okay, bottom line… if she went to the beach
with Erik, she wouldn’t be able to keep her distance. No way would
their relationship remain strictly business.

What was she thinking? She was an idiot to
even consider it. Had she learned nothing from the past?

But Rusty didn’t have a problem with her
seeing Erik, so that wasn’t really a valid excuse anymore. And
spending the weekend at the beach, away from the rest of the boxes
that needed unpacked and the inevitable stack of work she’d take
home, sounded wonderful. Spending a night or two with Erik would be
heaven.

Erik reached across the table and took her
hand. He stroked his thumb across her wrist, which sent a flutter
through her heart and stomach. “You want to go. I can see it on
your face. Come with us and have fun.”

The arrival of their meal distracted Erik and
saved Kat from having to make a decision on the spot. He was right;
she did want to go. It sounded like the most fun she’d had since…
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken off for the weekend
and had a good time. Shoot, she couldn’t remember the last time
she’d had fun, period.

But to spend the whole weekend playing and
not working? Did she even know how to do that?

***

Several hours later, Kat was sitting at her
desk, preparing for her meeting with Kevin Mazze, when a flurry of
activity at her office door snagged her attention. Luanna, the
young but usually unflappable receptionist, was slumped against the
doorframe, struggling to catch her breath. Her face was flushed,
and her forehead glistened with a sheen of perspiration, like she’d
just run five miles.

Kat was on her feet in an instant. “My God,
Luanna, what’s wrong?”

Luanna waved her hand to shush Kat, then
tipped her finger to her lips. “Shhh… he’ll hear you.”

Alarmed, Kat peered out of her office, but
didn’t see anyone. Heart pounding, she took a tentative step
through the doorway and stretched, struggling to see around the
arching doorways into the lobby. It appeared empty, so she stepped
back into her office and whispered, “Who’ll hear me? What’s going
on?”

Luanna locked gazes with her and burst into a
fit of giggles.

Okay, Kat was thoroughly confused.
Apparently, “he” must not be dangerous, so she took a calming
breath and stepped away from the doorway, giving Luanna breathing
room.

Covering her mouth, Luanna tried,
unsuccessfully, to contain her giggles. She seemed almost giddy,
and Kat couldn’t help but laugh along with her. “I have never, in
my life,” Luanna whispered, “met anyone as scorching hawt as that
man who just walked in here.” She straightened and fanned her face,
trying to get a grip on her composure. “I thought Erik was hot?
Whoa, boy. He said his name is Kevin Mazze and he’s here to see
you.” She giggled again. “If you’re busy, I’m sure I could find a
way to keep him entertained for a while. A long while.”

“Jeez, Lu,” Kat said, returning to her desk
to gather her things. “You scared the crap out of me. I thought
there was something wrong.”

“There is something wrong,” Lu said, laughing
as she stepped fully into Kat’s office. “That man isn’t here to see
me, and that’s just wrong.”

Kat laughed and slipped her feet into her
shoes. “Where is he?”

“I put him in the conference room. I didn’t
know how long you’d be, and I couldn’t have him in the lobby. I was
afraid I’d orgasm just looking at him.”

“You need to find a boyfriend,” Kat said as
she brushed past Lu and headed for the conference room.

“I have one, but I’m afraid I’d give him up
in a heartbeat for just five minutes with that man.”

“Well, you’ve piqued my interest.” As Kat
rounded the corner at the end of the hallway she yelled over her
shoulder, “I’ll let you know what I think.”

At that instant, she ran into a wall of
muscle. Her head was fuzzy and breathing was difficult, but she
assumed the man with his arm snaked around her waist to steady her
was Kevin Mazze.

Struggling to breathe from the impact, she
gasped and said, “Oh my God. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he said in a deep voice that
vibrated through her chest.

It was déjà vu, just like that night with
Erik. His arm was wrapped around her waist, her body pressed
against the solid mass of his and… nothing. No sparks, no
quickening of the pulse, no earth-shattering, bone-melting flashes
of heat. Nothing.

Which made it nothing like that night with
Erik, because all of those things had definitely accompanied that
collision.

He let go of her and took a step back while
giving her an apprising look. “Are you okay?”

Having mostly recovered, she smiled and stuck
her hand out for a formal introduction. “I’m fine. I’m Kat Owens.
It’s nice to meet you.”

A sly smile eased across his chiseled face as
he took her hand in his. It was an odd smile, like he had a secret,
and his deep chocolate eyes shimmered. “The pleasure is all mine.”
He released her grip, and said, “I left the map of the development
in my truck. I had that on my mind and wasn’t paying attention to
where I was going. Sorry for the harsh meet and greet.”

Kat giggled to herself, thinking about how
Luanna would’ve handled the situation. She probably would’ve
fainted in hopes of receiving mouth to mouth resuscitation. To him,
she said, “No problem. You get the map, and I’ll wait in the
conference room.”

As she watched his tight, muscular
buns—encased in soft, well-worn denim—disappear around the corner,
she sighed. Short, dark hair. Dark, really dark, intelligent eyes.
Sensual, suggestive smile. Smooth, southern drawl. Luanna hadn’t
exaggerated one bit. He exuded confidence and charm and a strong
animal magnetism. Yep, she imagined Kevin Mazze would be a sexual
powerhouse.

And yet, he hadn’t prickled a single physical
response from her.

Taking her seat, she had a thought.
Could
Erik be jealous of Kevin?
He didn’t seem like the jealous type,
especially since they weren’t involved. But something about her
going with Kevin had set Erik off in a big way. And now that she’d
gotten a good look at his friend—both coming and going—she
certainly had to wonder.

As soon as Kevin returned, they dove into
business. She took an instant liking to his easygoing nature and
the way he joked easily and laughed often. He was knowledgeable and
professional, but didn’t seem to take life too seriously. He liked
her ideas, was excited about the cross-promotional aspects, and
they agreed a trip to Myrtle Beach to see the development should be
the next step.

Still unsure about Erik’s invitation, but
comfortable enough with Kevin to broach the subject, she said, “I
have a question that might sound odd.” She paused, considering the
unprofessional aspect of spending the weekend with not one, but two
clients. One of those relationships would remain platonic and could
actually end up being a great opportunity to further develop good
rapport and maybe even get a little work done. The other
relationship was destined to… get messy.

“Is this about going to Erik’s?”

Surprised by his insightfulness, she jerked
upright in her seat as heat spread over her face. “How did you
know?”

He chuckled and his eyes twinkled with
mischief. “Erik called me about it a while ago.”

Her face grew even hotter, trying to imagine
that conversation. “It sounds wonderful, but…”

“Erik said you were worried about the
impression it would make."

It was odd to feel so at ease with Kevin
after knowing him for such a short period of time, but she laughed
and relaxed back into her chair. “Yeah, maybe just a little.”

“The choice is yours, obviously. But I plan
to spend the weekend there anyway, so if we stop on the way back,
it would save me about four hours of drive time.” He added, “I
don’t mind bringing you back here, if that’s what you want. But I
promise, if you decide to stay, it’ll all be ‘off the record,’ so
to speak. What happens at Topsail,
always
stays at Topsail.”
He laughed and pushed back in his chair. “Actually, most of us
don’t remember enough about what happens to tell anyone,
anyway.”

Kat drew in a deep breath and chewed on her
lip. “So, I’d actually be doing you a favor if I stayed.”
Way to
spin it, Kat.

He laughed low and deep while gathering his
papers. “More than you can imagine.” As he stood to leave, he
added, “I can’t tell you how much fun it would be to have you
there.”

Chapter Eight

Leaning over her desk, lost to the world of
Mazze Builders and their new development, Kat jumped when Seth
bounded into her office. “Hey, girlfriend. Ready to go?”

Ready? Go? She looked up at him and blinked
in confusion.

“Aren’t you going to The Office with us?”

“Oh, yeah. Right.” She glanced at the clock.
Five-thirty? Already? Crap. “Can you give me five minutes?”

“Sure,” he said, in his typical
I-don’t-have-a-care-in-the-world manner. “Take your time. I’ll be
rocking away on the front porch.”

She glanced around her desk at the scattered
mess. Normally, when she left for the evening, she locked
everything in the filing cabinet. But she had so much to do,
especially if she was considering being gone for the weekend, she
really needed to come back and work a few more hours. Not wanting
to make Seth wait, she organized several stacks on the corner of
her desk, then locked her office door behind her.

Maggie and Cyndi, the agency’s media
coordinator, were waiting on the porch with Seth. “Elise went
ahead,” Seth said, grinning at Kat. “She wanted to get there first
and scope out all the good potential clients before you had a
chance to come in and swoop them away from her.”

Kat laughed, but she knew he spoke the truth.
She didn’t like this rivalry between herself and Elise. She didn’t
like conflict of any kind, but she couldn’t do much about it.
Although Kat didn’t know why, Rusty had his reasons for not giving
Elise the VP position, and it wasn’t Kat’s place to question it.
Nor was it in her best interest.

The group made idle chitchat while walking
the two blocks from SMG to The Office, and Kat used the chance to
decompress from the busy day. Several groups of people congregated
outside the front door and on the side patio. Maggie stopped to
visit with someone she knew while the rest of them filed into the
upscale establishment.

A bar and high cocktail tables filled the
left third of the building; the dining area occupied the rest. A
brass railing ran between the two, acting as a divider. Tonight,
however, both sections were filled to capacity with clusters of
people standing and talking. To the right of the entrance, a
staircase led to an area marked “private” where a large, rowdy
crowd was enjoying a not-so-private party.

Within moments, Kat became separated from
Seth and Cyndi and was on her own. She recognized a few faces from
the agency’s open house, but not anyone she felt compelled to stop
and converse with. Which worked out well, because even though she
was here to network, she’d much rather have a drink.

She’d just settled in with her SoCo and lime
when the rambunctious crowd in the loft drew her attention. Sipping
her drink, she watched a pitcher of beer and baskets of food get
passed around the crowd. As she turned away, a familiar figure
snagged her attention and drew her eye back to the crowd.

She squinted, trying for a better look, even
though she didn’t want to see. “Well, I’ll be damned,” she
whispered to her shot glass. She slumped on her barstool and
watched a blonde wrap her arms around Erik’s neck and pull him in
for a tight hug. Kat’s throat knotted, catching her last sip of
SoCo in its grip, as Erik reciprocated the hug and even went so far
as to nuzzle his face in a nest of curls at the blonde’s neck.