Dance With Me (15 page)

“
That you do. She loves you with everything she has, too. I know, I saw it when we were all worrying together.” He grinned, showing the dimple in his left cheek. “Hell, even Cassidy saw it.”

“
Cass apologized yesterday.”

That stopped Caleb cold. Cassidy and apology didn't belong in the same sentence. “Say what now?”

“
She told Kat she believed she wasn't a drug dealer.”

“
Took her long enough.” He stood from his crouch, choosing to lean against his desk this time. “I know you feel like you should have done a lot of things differently, but it doesn't matter now. What matters is you're here, you're whole and you have a woman who loves you, who would walk through fire for you. What are you going to do about it?”

Mason stood. Now he knew why he'd come to see his brother. “I'm going home.”

ELEVEN

Kat hoped she had everything perfect and Mason wouldn't balk at her seduction attempt. She needed to reinforce her love, her need, her want for him. She was afraid he shied away from her not because he didn't want her, but because he felt she wouldn't want him. She pulled the filet off the grill, shook the vinaigrette and smoothed her dress. The red dress made her smile. A gift from Mason when he'd taken her to the ballet, she knew he had watched her in the backless dress more than he had the prima in the toe shoes on stage. She just hoped it worked again.

Mason came home to incredible smells emanating from his kitchen and a gorgeous brunette pouring wine in his dining room. Instead of making himself known although he knew she had to be aware of his arrival, he made his way to the bedroom. She had prepared a meal, had put on his favorite dress, and she deserved him at his best. The last time he'd worn a tuxedo, she had been wearing that same dress. He couldn't recall one detail of the ballet, but he remembered every detail of that dress. He smiled. He loved that dress, but he loved what went under it even more.

Kat finished plating dinner and lit the candles. She knew Mason was home and worried he had chosen to ignore her. She stood in the dining room, unsure what to do next. She didn't want to sit at the table alone, so leaned against it instead, wineglass in hand. Taking a sip of her wine, she wondered how long she should give him, but no answer came. Four sips later, she found she needn't have worried. Mason hadn't been ignoring her. No, he had been dressing for dinner. A smile on her lips, she placed her glass on the table and crossed to him, wrapping him in her arms. Her heels put her at the right height to claim his mouth, so she did just that, melting against him as she did.

He made love to her mouth, taking over the kiss as soon as she initiated it. He luxuriated in her, his hands in her hair, her body flush to his. It was all he could do to pull away. She had worked so hard on this dinner and he wasn't about to jump the gun. “As much as I love kissing you, let's eat.” He flashed a grin. “We can kiss later.”

“
I've heard that before,” she tossed back with a saucy wink, but agreed. As much as she wanted him, she was happy he wanted to play along with her. She slid from his arms and made her way to the table. “Bacon wrapped filet mignon, crab-stuff flounder, and a green salad.” She'd prepared his favorites, even though it had made choosing a wine terribly difficult. “For dessert, we have chocolate mousse.”

He counted his blessings. How many men came home to this? “My favorites,” he said as he caught her in his arms, her back to him. “All my favorites.”

“
I wanted to show you how much you are loved.”

He kissed her ear, her cheek, her jaw. “I never questioned you.”

She turned to face him. “No, you questioned you,” she corrected. She pressed another kiss to his lips. “I love you, Mason, and I always will.” She gestured to the table. “Shall we eat?”

He chuckled. “We shall.”

Mason marveled at his fiancee. While he had been searching for a way to reconnect with her, she had planned a seduction. He had a feeling this would be a quick dinner.

“
Did you eat lunch today?”

“
Your call to Kelly helped with that,” he answered with a smile. “She ordered in Italian for the entire office.”

Kat sputtered in laughter. “That's not quite what I asked her to do.”

“
It turned into a welcome back party of sorts.” He grimaced. “I was only gone for three days.”

This wasn't what she wanted to talk about, but she wasn't about to redirect. “We were all worried. Anything could've happened.”

He finished his last bite of filet. Damn, but his woman could cook. “I love coming home to you,” he said instead of acknowledging his brush with death. Tonight wasn't about that. Tonight was about them. “I want you to stay.”

The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, but she didn't want him to offer out of gratitude. “You've already asked me to marry you.”

“
Yes, and I thank the Lord you agreed.” He pushed away from his empty plate, taking the few steps to the other side of the table. “I don't want you to go. Stay here with me.” He took her hands in his. “We can sell this place and get a new one if you'd like, but I need you with me.”

“
I love this house, but...” She stopped, pulled in a shaky breath. “I don't want to leave you.”

“
Perfect.” A grin lit his face as he pulled her from her chair, guiding her to the built in sound system. “Dance with me, Kat.”

“
Forever.”

~*~

She smiled wh
en she heard the opening piano. He'd chosen a waltz with lyrics she adored. She had worried about the disparity in their income, in their families, in their lives, yet he loved her. Now she wanted to prove she loved and wanted him, no matter the circumstance, no matter Priscilla and her evil plans. He lead her beautifully, singing along with the chorus, “
Some people want it all, but I don't want nothing at all... If it ain't you baby, if I ain't got you baby.
”

She pulled her hands from his practiced ballroom hold to cup his jaw and bring his mouth to hers. She reveled in the taste of him, the combination of wine and man. When he swept his tongue in her mouth, she was lost. “Make love to me, Mason.”

Any doubts he'd had evaporated when he'd walked in his house to find her waiting for him. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed except this woman, this moment of perfection. He wanted her in his bed, and he wanted her now. He claimed her lips in another searing kiss as he released first the tie, then the zipper of her dress. He was loathe to relinquish her mouth to slide the straps down her shoulders, but the effect was incredible. His woman stood before him in nothing but a tiny pair of red panties, her jewelry, and sexy black sandals.

She pushed her breasts out, her nipples diamond hard. “I am yours, Mason.”

Oh how he loved those words. He stood still for long moments, drinking in the sight of her. Carefully, he turned to shed his jacket and shirt, then his shoes and pants. He chuckled at himself—he'd worn his tux for a little more than a hour, and he was taking it off again. When he was down to just boxers, he crossed to take Kat in his arms.

She hated the bruises and cuts on his body, but focused on the fire in his espresso gaze. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Do with me what you will.”

He caught her behind the knees, swinging her into his arms. “I think I'm ready to try a bed again.” He took her lips in a long kiss. “More than ready.”

He laid her in the center of the bed, skimming her panties and shoes off as soon as he put her down. He shed his boxers before bracing himself above her. Nothing between them, he reveled in her lush curves, the feel of her perfect against him.

She loved the weight of him pressing her into the mattress. She tugged his mouth to hers, the kiss consuming as he shifted against her, his cock long and hard against her. Oh, how she wanted it, how she wanted him. “Come into me,” she beckoned.

He deepened the kiss, swallowing her moan as he surged into her in one long stroke. She closed around him like a velvet fist, hot and wet and his. This was where he belonged. He drove into her, loving her whimpers as he withdrew, her groans when he slammed in as far as he could go, her nails biting into his shoulders. When she shattered with a cry, her muscles clamping down like a vise, he followed, emptying himself deep within her.

~*~

Dylan glared at the attorney questioning him. “Yes, I covered Mason Everett's body with my own to shield him from fire. It was instinct and training.”

“
This was one day after you entered into a contractual agreement with my client to do what, exactly, Mr. Black?”

He gripped the arm of the chair so tightly he was afraid it would crumble in his hands. It took effort to unclench his jaw, but he managed to answer, “Ms. McClaren led me to believe her children were endangered by Ms. Nemecek.” He lifted his golden eyes to stare at Priscilla. “I agreed to extract and protect her children if necessary.”

“
But there were no children, were there?” Gregory Peters asked, his lips turned up in a smug half-smile.

Dylan shook his head. “No, there were not.” He flicked his eyes to the judge before continuing. “When it became obvious there were no children present, and no evidence of children ever living on the property, I concluded Ms. McClaren had hired me in order to distract the operatives hired by Mr. Everett to protect Ms. Nemecek.”

“
A distraction?” Peters prompted, his muddy eyes dimming.

“
Yes. When it was apparent to me Mr. Everett was in danger, I teamed up with Mr. O'Dell.”

“
Sergeant O'Dell just accepted you at face value?” Peters asked, his tone incredulous.

Dylan's lips twisted in a wry smile. “If you insist on using Sergeant O'Dell's rank, I ask you extend me the same courtesy.”

“
I apologize, Master Sergeant Black,” Peters replied smoothly.

He smiled before answering the question. “No,
 
Sergeant
 
O'Dell did not accept me at face value. He had his partner run me, and I have no doubt he was prepared to take me out should it appear I was a threat to his charge.” He winced. The hard wooden chair was not comfortable in the slightest and Peters was questioning him like he'd done something wrong by protecting Mason.

“
How would you characterize Ms. McClaren's mental state when she obtained your services?” Peters asked.

Dylan tilted his head, catching Cassidy's narrowed eyes from her seat behind the prosecution. “If you're asking if I thought she was insane, I am not a medical professional. All I can say is she was hysterical.”

“
Hysterical over the endangerment of her non-existent children?” Peters asked, a laugh in his voice.

He knew he was being goaded, but answered anyway. “She was afraid she would never have them.”

Cassidy glanced at her watch. She hadn't expected Dylan to be questioned at all during Priscilla's competency hearing, much less for such a long time, but Peters had other plans. She poked J.D. Easton, giving him an eye roll. “Are you going to do anything?”

Her equivalent in the Commonwealth's Attorney's office turned slightly. “Your boyfriend is fine, Cassidy.”

“
He's not,” she automatically started, stopping because arguing would only perpetuate the rumor. Instead, she whispered, “He was shot three days ago, and Peters is questioning him like a suspect.”

“
He's trying to get him to say Priscilla is crazy,” J.D. surmised. “Just wait. I'll object if he gets really aggressive, but your boy is holding his own.”

Dylan Black was anything but a boy. She crossed her arms. She hated that she had to be a spectator here, even if it was just a hearing. She ground her teeth in frustration as she turned her attention back to the witness stand.

“
You assumed Ms. McClaren meant her children were missing?” Peters asked.

Dylan shifted in his chair. What the fuck did this man want him to say? He wasn't the one on trial here. His side hurt, his arm was in a sling, and this pissant was making him mad. “Look, if you want to stand there and point out to the judge that I was played by a woman, fine. It's true. I believed her enough to go out there the next day. I'm thankful I did, since there is a chance Mason Everett wouldn't have made it through that day if I hadn't.” He shot a pained look at Judge King. “I am tired and sore and I was shot twice in defense of an innocent man.” He directed his gaze back at the attorney. “I will not sit here and tell you what you want to hear. As far as I'm concerned, I was coerced into a situation by a cunningly manipulative woman.”

Peters blanched. “No more questions, Your Honor.”

Dylan gingerly made his way off the stand. “I wasn't expectin' that,” he murmured to Cassidy as he took a seat beside her. He hadn't been kidding when he'd told the judge he was tired and sore, but he wanted to stick around to see who Gregory Peters called to torture next.

“
You were awesome,” she said, admiration in her dark eyes, “Master Sergeant Black.”