Page 16 of Just Curious

Casey sighed. “When we were kids, he tended to get bullied because he was so smart and often had his head in the clouds. I just got used to watching his back, I guess. Old habits die hard.”

“Jackson did mention that the two of you had a pretty special relationship. He explained how… close you’ve become over the years.”

At that, Casey’s head jerked almost imperceptibly, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “Just what exactly did he tell you?”

“He told me that you were very good friends, and I’m not going to say anything else without him here with us. I don’t want to speak out of turn. We’ve said enough about him without his being here.”

“Fair enough,” Casey said quietly. He looked suitably chastened by Willa’s words. “I apologize again for coming off like a jerk. I can see now that you aren’t the gold digger I worried about. He’s just such a special guy, and he’s completely head over heels about you. I just worry sometimes, you know?” He extended his hand like an olive branch. “Friends, yeah?”

Willa narrowed her eyes but took his proffered hand anyway and instantly felt the strength of his warm grasp. It was a lovely hand, she thought to herself. And that attraction she’d felt when she first saw him returned with a vengeance. They stood there, hands clasped, for way too long until both of them began to look a little sheepish about it.

Finally, Casey took his hand back and said, “I look forward to seeing you at the party tomorrow night, Willa. It was good to meet you, even if I made things uncomfortable. I think Jackson is a lucky man after all. And I don’t mind saying that I’m just a tiny bit jealous of that.”

Willa nodded. “Uh-huh.” She wished she could have come up with a better response, but the man scrambled her circuits. She knew for a fact that she wanted more of that touch and more of his hands… all over her.

Chapter 10

The night of Casey’s party finally arrived. Jackson told Willa that it would be at Casey’s house, “or estate if that’s what you wanted to call it,” so all of his friends and clients could enjoy its beauty.

“Casey is quite the world traveler,” Jackson explained. “He goes on buying trips all over, looking for special things to import. Sometimes he comes home all excited about a new discovery he’s made. It’s fun to be around him when he’s all fired up about a new artist or craftsman. Actually—it’s always fun to be around him. You’ll see.”

“He sure did an amazing job with your house. I’m anxious to see him again.” She winked at Jackson, and he took that to mean that she was interested in more than Casey’s house. She’d told Jackson that she’d met Casey briefly the day before, but hadn’t said anything else about their conversation. He assumed they’d just shared a friendly, quick greeting.

“You look stunning tonight, Willa.” She was dressed in a short, slinky red cocktail dress that was curve-hugging, and she wore heels that made her legs look even more amazing than usual. Her long hair was down and curled in waves he wanted to bury his face into. Not wanting to mess her up, however, he just stood close and breathed her in. “You smell delectable,” he murmured and kissed her neck. “Let’s hit the road. Do you have a coat?”

Jackson looked pretty magnificent himself, dressed all in tailored black. He wore a soft cashmere sport coat over a silk shirt that begged Willa’s fingers to reach out and stroke. His wavy hair was tousled just right, and he smelled divine.

Forty minutes later, Jackson pulled his Tesla into a gated estate with ample parking in front of a magnificent Hacienda-style mansion. Willa smiled as she took in the traditional adobe brick and red-tiled roof of the house that sprawled seemingly forever on one level. The artfully illuminated landscaping around the house was a breathtaking combination of lawn, colorful groundcovers, fragrant eucalyptus trees, and beds and pots of desert plants in an amazing array of colors.

Guests arrived in droves, and Willa observed how stylish and lovely everyone looked. It was obviously a well-to-do guestlist.

“Ready?” Jackson asked.

Willa nodded, and Jackson grinned at her. He leaned across the car and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. “I can’t wait to show you off,” he murmured in her ear. Then he hopped out of the car and raced around to her side, opening her door for her. Willa grinned as he offered her his arm, a wave of affection buzzing through her. This guy was serious Forever material.

They didn’t find Casey right away, so she and Jackson mingled with the crowd, making polite conversation with people. Jackson seemed to know a few of them, though not particularly well. Willa was happy to laugh and chat with the wide variety of guests. For someone who didn’t do well with people, Casey sure seemed to know a lot of them.

Willa decided to keep that thought to herself.

They hadn’t caught sight of Casey yet, but Casey knew as soon as they walked in the door. Jackson was his best friend in the whole world, and as pleased as he was to see Jackson looking so happy with his arm around the waist of such a stunningly gorgeous woman, he couldn’t help but feel a little envious. From across the enormous living room, Casey observed the couple. He could see how Willa smiled and was polite to everyone and how she ignored the stares of men who ogled her cleavage or her legs.

Good lord, those legs! Wouldn’t it be something to have those wrapped around your waist? Stop it! Casey told himself. She’s Jackson’s girlfriend. Speaking of Jackson, he looks good enough to eat. Oh, stop.

From this distance, Willa came across as regally beautiful. Polite to a fault, and relatively reserved unless she was speaking to Jackson. When she did that, Casey imagined he could see the love pouring from her heart. He just hoped it was genuine and not a carefully crafted act.

Casey mingled, making polite small talk and accepting everyone’s compliments on his home, all the while keeping his eye on Jackson and Willa. He moved closer and closer to them in the enormous, crowded room.

Eventually they made their way to each other, and Jackson let go of Willa long enough to give Casey a tight hug. “Case! Great to see you finally.” He kept his arm around Casey’s shoulder as he said, “I understand you’ve already met Willa Camden, the woman of my dreams. Willa, as you know, Casey Melrose is my closest and oldest friend.”

A few heads turned to stare at Willa when Jackson made his announcement. Willa ignored the looks. Casey assumed women were jealous that Jackson had basically called Willa the love of his life. He was unaware that the people staring were more likely readers of her work and were amazed to be in her company. Jackson had not filled him in.

Casey was pleased to see the ice melt from Willa’s gorgeous blue eyes as she stared up at Jackson. “Good to see you again, Casey,” she said with a smile. She regarded him with genuine interest and delight, which set Casey’s heart pounding. When she leaned forward to hug him and give him a peck on the cheek, he couldn’t stop himself from breathing in her feminine scent. “Jackson has nothing but the best things to say about you, and I’ve been dying to get to know you better.”

Her smile and the look in her eyes penetrated him so profoundly, Casey was momentarily at a loss for words. He mentally shook himself and gave her a blinding smile.

Willa smiled back. She was drawn to the way his face crinkled around his eyes when he smiled. It was as if his smile was so big, everything else had to move out of the way. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him.So far, so good.

People moved in and out of their circle for the next hour, and servers drifted by with trays of food and drinks that the three of them ignored—too engrossed in conversation to notice the lobster toasts with avocado or patéde foie graswith truffles. Instead they stayed put, pulled from one topic to another, fascinated with each other.

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