The Mistletoe Affair

shirt, but now she had stiffened her back and pulled away. He knew she felt the same desire, but she clamped down on her emotions. Why?

The music suddenly changed from a waltz to a slow romantic dance and Jared, expecting her retreat, tightened his arm around her waist. No way, she wasn't going anywhere until he got her where he wanted her-eating out of his hand. “I thought maybe we might go out on a date sometime.'

She moved away slightly and looked up at him. “A date? Like Laura Brown's? Or the woman you had such a lusty conversation with the day before, after we'd been tree shopping?'

He grinned, his gaze blatantly sensual. “You were eavesdropping?'

“Hard not too when you're standing no more than ten feet away.'

Without a word, he lifted his hand and touched her bottom lip with his finger again. “You know from the conversation that if I wanted her here, she'd be here. You're in my arms tonight, because that's where I want you.'

“According to the town gossip and People magazine, you date a bevy of willing women who have sex with you.” Her eyes gave him a hard, cold stare and she whispered, “I'm afraid I don't qualify for a date with you. I don't have casual sex, and I won't share the man I do have sex with.'

His jaw muscles tightened, and his stomach jumped like she'd sucker punched him. How had she managed that? The last time a woman had surprised him was when his fiancee ran out of the church. Since then, he'd spent a year indulging in meaningless relationships, creating earthshaking sensations in women without ever really touching them emotionally or being touched emotionally himself. Somehow though, Katherine Cahill had broken through, unsettled him, just a little, but it unnerved him and fascinated him.

Retreating into cynical humor, he smiled. “Wow, that's a first. I've never had anyone turn down sex with me before I even asked.'

When her jaw dropped like he'd intended, he tugged her closer and bent by her ear, back in control. “For the record, I don't have a bevy of sex slaves.” He chuckled. “Although that thought's probably crossed every man's mind at least once in their lives. I define a date as dinner, dancing, or a movie, not a roll in the hay. You name it, we'll do it.'

She leaned into him. Maybe she was wavering. He laughed. “Of course, if you're into whips, chains, kinky things, I'd have to tell you I don't really go in for that type of stuff. However, you're welcome to change my mind, just be gentle with me.'

When she laughed at his joke, he pulled her closer. “I always respect a woman's right to say no. What are you so afraid of?'

Her eyes rounded. He studied her beautiful face and it looked like she might be seriously considering dating him, as if she actually questioned her hesitancy to accept his offer. Giving her a moment to think, Jared swung her away and back again, asking her once more, “Do you want to go on a date?'

Katherine raised her head, her eyes searching his, her mouth opening to reply when a man tugged her away and drew her into his embrace, flattening her against his chest. “It's my turn.'

Her jaw dropped and all the color drained from her face. “Oh, my God, Paul!'

Chapter Five

“Katherine, breathe deeply. Don't pass out on me,” Paul pleaded, staring down at her and pulling her more tightly against him.

Her vision blurred and Katherine took a deep breath as his steel-gray gaze held hers.

“I drove to Grace's to find you and saw the birthday party announcement on the bulletin board. When I spotted your car in the parking lot, I decided to surprise you,” Paul said.

Her rubbery knees wobbled. “You succeeded,” she whispered between deep breaths as they slow-danced across the oak floor.

“Do you need to sit down?'

Feeling the blood returning to her limbs, she fought to keep her tone casual. She didn't want to alarm her mother or Matt by causing a scene. And, no way did she want to let Paul know how upset she felt at seeing him. “No, I'm fine.'

His fingers slid through the length of her hair, tugging it lightly, moving to wrap a strand around his palm in an old, familiar, unwanted way. She jerked her chin up, stepped backward, and he released her slowly, unwillingly. A lock of her hair remained curled around his fingers. She pursed her lips together, and her gaze raked from his fingers to his eyes. He released her hair, and she placed more distance between them as they continued to dance.

Glancing at the charcoal suit covering his lean frame, she lowered her gaze and stared at his pearl gray tie. Every time she inhaled, his sharp peppermint scented aftershave angered her. It reminded her of the day she broke every damn bottle of cologne and aftershave he'd left behind and had The Salvation Army haul off his clothes and their bedroom set.

She hadn't been alone with him since the divorce two years ago. And she could count on one hand the times Matt had seen him. She seethed inside. It would take two hands for her to count the times he'd called at the last minute and cancelled Matt's visits with him. Why had he suddenly shown up without any warning?

What was he really after? Would he get Matt's hopes up, just to callously disappoint him again?

“Who's the man you were dancing with? He's giving me the evil eye from across the room,” Paul said.

Looking around Paul's narrow shoulder, she glanced at Jared. With his muscular arms across his broad chest, he stood and studied them from the other side of the room.

He mouthed the words, “Are you all right?'

Katherine nodded.

Instead of returning to their table like she'd expected Jared to do, he moved to the outer edge of the dance floor, directly in the path where they would exit.

She blinked, shocked at the events of the last few minutes. How in the hell could this have happened? One minute she innocently considered dating Jared. Well, not so innocently she admitted, remembering his devastating good looks and his joke that had caught her off-guard. Then wham, she stood locked in her ex's arms. Damn.

“Your hair still reminds me of midnight.” Paul pushed a lock behind her ear and sighed softly when she didn't respond to his compliment, or his previous question. “I guess I don't have a right to ask about your love life.'

Love life? She refused to admit it didn't exist. “No, you don't.” Let him think what he likes.

They both fell into an awkward silence. He coughed lightly. “I'm sorry I haven't been there for Matt like I should. You have a right to be angry about that, too.'

She rotated her shoulders to fight the tension and jumped when his hand moved to massage her back. “I'm not the one you should apologize to-apologize to our son. He needs you. Don't you think Matt notices when you cancel visits?'

He frowned. “Yes, I do. Is there some place private we can talk?'

She fought to keep herself calm, whispering her reply for his ears only. “About what? The past? Walking into our bedroom and finding you with your-mistress? The lies I was forced to tell about why we divorced because my father lay fighting for his life and didn't need the added stress? Or maybe you want to talk about now. The way you repeatedly hurt our son.” Shoving against his chest, she stepped out of his embrace and glared at him. “If you'll excuse me.'

Her jaw muscles ached from clenching them so tightly as she marched toward the ladies room. She fought to control her temper and not make a worse scene. At least not in public. Matt didn't need to see his mother and father fighting. But when they were alone, if it took a battle for Paul to treat Matt better, he would find himself in the fight of his life. But this wasn't the time or place for that battle.

What a mess, but she couldn't think of a solution that didn't involve hurting her mother or Matt. How could she possibly explain to her mother that she'd lied originally because she felt ashamed at how badly her marriage turned out? Maybe if she'd been a more experienced lover, she could have kept Paul happy and saved their marriage. In the beginning, she wanted to keep the circumstances of their divorce private. Later, when her dad took ill, it grew