Page 16 of Casey's Hero

Casey cupped his cheek. “I’m not going to change my mind, but I have conditions.”

His brow dipped. “Conditions?”

She nodded. “They’re easy.” Her finger brushed across his lips. “Never kiss and tell.”

“My lips are sealed.” He captured her finger and sucked it into his mouth.

She met his gaze directly. “And no strings.”

In most situations, Jacob wouldn’t have hesitated a moment with her second condition. Something about this woman and her dedication to the plan made him hesitate for a nanosecond.

Her brow furrowed. “Is there a problem with my conditions?” She smiled. “I would have thought it was a slam dunk.”

“No problem,” he said when he came back to his senses. “I’m on board.”

“Then let’s kiss on it.” Her smile spread across her face. Then she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss that sealed the deal.

Jacob pushed through the door and kicked it shut behind him.

For a man who wasn’t into weddings, Jacob was well on his way to fulfilling his promise as his friend’s best man. He’d gotten through the bachelor party and brought Hawk back to the hotel unharmed. All he had to do was get the man to the wedding on time on Saturday.

The rest of the night was his, and it was looking up.

CHAPTER 4

The incessant soundof a phone ringing dragged Casey out of a deep, deep sleep. She reached over to her nightstand for her cell phone only to touch warm skin and hard muscle.

What the?—

She blinked and opened her eyes, staring up at a ceiling she didn’t recognize. Where was she?

The phone rang again, the bed shifted beside her and a deep voice answered, “Fowler.”

Digging her way out of the fog of slumber, Casey looked to her right at the naked back of a solid, tanned male.

“Casey?” A female voice came from the cell phone. “Who is this? Where’s Casey?”

Casey shot to a sitting position and reached for the device. “Give that to me,” she demanded.

Jacob handed her the phone and flopped back down on the pillow.

“This is Casey,” she said.

“Casey, where are you?” Kalea wailed. “Why aren’t you with me? I can’t get hold of Hawk. He’s not answering his cell phone. And who was the man who answered your phone?”

Casey pushed the hair out of her face, pulled the sheet up to cover her naked breasts and focused on the question she had the best chance of answering. “Take a deep breath, Kalea. What do you mean Hawk isn’t answering his phone? He could be in the shower.”

“I called an hour ago,” she said. “I thought the same thing, so I gave him time to shower and then called a few minutes ago. The call went straight to his voice mail.”

Casey’s pulse leaped. “Are you all right?”

“No. I’m a little freaked out.” Kalea paused, inhaled and let her breath out loud enough for Casey to hear. “This is a big step, and I needed to talk to Hawk. We should have gone to a JP instead of doing this wedding.”

“Breathe, Kalea,” Casey said. “I’ll check on him. You know everything that needs to be done today. It’s all set up. All you have to do is relax at the spa. The facial and massage will make everything better. I’ll let you know what’s going on. Have a Bellini; the fixings are in the refrigerator along with finger food to keep you from passing out.”

Kalea sighed. “Thank you. I needed a voice of reason. And when you find Hawk, tell him to call me. And after that, you can tell me who the guy is that answered your phone. I want all the details.”

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Casey said, avoiding that particular conversation. She ended the call and looked down at Jacob. Her first urge was to toss the sheet aside and run down the hallway to check on the groom. Being completely naked, she wasn’t comfortable moving about the room in the presence of a man she’d known for less than twenty-four hours, even if they’d made love all night long and into the early hours of the morning. “You’rethe best man. Your groom is AWOL and not answering his phone. Go. Check on him.”

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