Page 25 of Say Yes

Gavin thought about abandoning the towel in favor of maintaining his consequence. Being hunched over with your backside exposed while you fought with an alley cat over possession of a towel wasn’t a very dignified position, certainly not one to impress the woman of his choice.

A quick peek at Sara showed she wasn’t impressed so much as stunned. “Dammit, Sara, get the cat.”

She seemed to shake out of her speechless stupor, and then leaned against the wall, folding her arms over her breasts. “Why?”

“So I can get the towel.”

She waved a negligent hand, her gaze glued to his backside. “Just let him have it. That would be easier than untangling you both.”

Her words were careless, but when she glanced up, the look in her eyes was pure dare. Now that his options had been severely limited and his plans had gone awry, Gavin knew he had little to lose. Unfortunately he felt embarrassed, which was stupid considering he’d been blatantly flaunting himself anyway. Not that he’d planned to flaunt to the degree of total nudity, but it was too late now.

He couldn’t let her have the upper hand, not tonight. He needed to get things moving; the sooner the better. So he stiffened his resolve, gave her a narrow look to warn her of his intentions and released the towel.

To his relief, Sara gave up the game and fled. He’d barely straightened before she rounded the corner of the hall, her wild hair flying out behind her, her startled gasp still filling the air. He frowned down at the cat, who only blinked back. “Any more stunts like that and I’ll put the damn bow back on you myself.”

The cat quickly followed in Sara’s footsteps. Gavin shook his head. “Onward to Plan B. And let’s hope it’s just a little more successful.”

* * *

SARA MANAGED TO AVOID any prolonged time with Gavin for the rest of the evening. She took an extended walk with Satan, leading the cat off a thick leash. Then she took her own leisurely bath, soaking for a long time in the Jacuzzi tub until her toes were wrinkled and her muscles finally relaxed.

Still, her mind churned in chaos, playing the same scene over and over again. The picture of Gavin totally nude wasn’t something she would ever willingly erase from her mind. The memory of it was enough to send a warmth of anticipation swelling through her body. So it was her own reaction that had her taking long walks and hiding in her tub.

She had literally run! It wasn’t to be borne. What had overcome her, she didn’t know, but part of it had been self-preservation, she was certain. If she’d stayed, she wouldn’t have only looked. Oh, no. Even now, her fingers tingled with the need to touch. The man was too fine for words, too much temptation to resist. She probably would have attacked him. He’d been naked, so therefore unable to offer much defense.

She had no idea what he had hoped to accomplish with his striptease act, but she had no doubt it had been deliberate, though maybe not the part where he actually lost the towel. After all, there was no way he could have prompted Satan to interfere. But the man was up to something. The question was: What?

After she’d finished drying and brushing out her impossible hair, she put on the gown she’d bought herself last Christmas. It was pretty, definitely the prettiest gown she owned, but it wasn’t very comfortable. Not that comfort mattered right now. Pretty mattered; comfort ran an insignificant second.

She needed the fortitude of knowing she looked her best before she faced Gavin again. They needed to talk, to clear the air, and she had no wish to wait until morning, giving herself the long night to fret over her cowardly race down the hall. And besides, he might want to kiss her again…or more. She voted for more, not that he’d asked her opinion.

She tried to gather her thoughts and organize them into some semblance of sanity, but they jumped here and there, filled with anticipation and hope and frustration. And as she entered her bedroom from the master bath, her hands busy smoothing the starched fabric of her gown, she stopped in midstride. The sight of Gavin’s large, masculine body sprawled across her bed in nothing more than leisure shorts with a magazine in his work-worn hands, swept her mind clean of even her insane notions.

He planned to sleep with her again?

She was at first shocked, then immeasurably optimistic. All day, even while picking out her pet, she had nurtured a small hope that Gavin would forget his reticence and let his basic instincts take over. She didn’t understand why he kept hesitating. They knew each other well enough, better than many married couples, she thought, considering how much they’d always talked, and six weeks had already passed since her breakup with Ted, assuring she wouldn’t react on the rebound, as he’d claimed.

Determined, she sidled toward the bed, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. The epitome of nonchalance, he held one finger in the air to indicate he needed a moment more to finish the article he was reading.

Irritation was a nasty element to add to an already confused female brain.

“Excuse me.” When he looked up, one brow raised at her waspish tone, she added, “What are you doing?”

“Reading.”

He plainly thought she should have figured that one out on her own. Irritation turned to a tinge of anger. “Okay. Why are you reading in my bed?”

“Oh.” He set the magazine down and scooted higher against the headboard. “I wasn’t able to move my bed on my own—it’s a king-size, you know. All I got transferred today were my clothes and personal items. By the way, I took the closet in the guest room. And since your stuff is in this bathroom, I thought I’d use the one in the hall.”

“So…you’re sleeping here tonight?”

“Where else?” He crossed his arms and tilted his head, his dark eyes sincere. “Your sofa is much too small. And I’ll tell you, the thought of the floor isn’t the least bit appealing.”

“So why not just sleep in your own house tonight?”

“Because all my clothes and personal items are here. Remember?”

He sounded so reasonable. She wasn’t buying it for a minute. He was up to something. Only she didn’t know what it was he wanted to achieve, and this time she knew better than to try to outmaneuver him.

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