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Authors: Candace Havens
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shoulders and guided her to the entrance.
“Wait, you can’t leave Kiwi,” she said seriously.
“It’s Kiki.” Linc laughed. “And I was just her ticket in the door. There was someone she really needed to see. She’s a friend, and I helped her out. You did the same for Nick tonight. Let me take you home.”
It wasn’t as though Nick would care. Sure, he’d been handing out the compliments earlier, but she knew the way he truly felt now. Turns out all guys were jerks, no matter how pretty the package. “Thanks. My head is killing me, and I’m fairly certain these shoes you made me wear have bonded to my feet. I can’t feel my toes any more.”
“Beauty requires pain,” Linc said as he guided her to the entrance.
“Probably why I live in T-shirts, jeans and sweat pants,” she said.
Her monkey pajamas would feel like heaven. The cool November air wisped around her face, but it didn’t help her grogginess.
“Well, you’re lucky you look beautiful in everything.” He guided her into the back seat of a black limousine.
She snorted. “I bet Nick paid you to be nice to me. You guys are quite a pair,” she said as he tucked her dress beneath her.
“You aren’t fond of compliments are you?” Linc sat beside her and handed her a bottle of water. “Here, you need to drink this so you won’t get dehydrated.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat. “I don’t think that’s going to help my headache,” she said.
“It’s more a precaution for the headache you’ll have later. When you get home, you can take something for the pain. Drink,” he ordered.
She sipped.
“I don’t suppose you’ve had anything to eat tonight?”
Casey chewed on her lip. “Uh, two pieces of cheese and a lot of wine and champagne. I’m fairly certainly wine counts as fruit because it’s made from grapes.” She giggled and couldn’t stop.
He shook his head. The worry from a few minutes ago was gone from his eyes.
She couldn’t keep the questions in. “Why did you run down the hall? So what if they found me? It’s not like they could do anything.”
“Stop changing the subject. You need to eat.”
Casey reached for his hand. “Just once, I need someone to tell me the truth tonight.”
Linc held her hand. “Believe me, Nick wants to tell you the truth, but he can’t. This business he’s involved in, well, it’s tricky.”
“Why does everything with him have to be so complicated? And why can’t a guy like him like someone like me?” Nick’s words shot back at her, and she frowned. She means nothing…
Linc laughed. “He likes you more than you think, which is one of the reasons I’m not going to show you just how much a guy like him can like you. That and I don’t sleep with drunken women. I want them to remember every moment.”
Did he just say he wanted to sleep with her? “I’m not that drunk.” She tried to wink, but it was probably more of sneer. Her face wouldn’t cooperate.
“Casey, love, you’re such a temptation. But I value my head staying on my neck. Nick would never forgive me, and he’s one of my true friends.”
“So am I. At least that’s what he used to say. Tonight he told that Alvin chick that I was nothing.” She sighed. “That hurt my feelings, but I get it.”
She lost her train of thought. “Oh, he wants me to date a better quality of men,” she said as if she remembered. “That should have been my first clue, right? You fit that bill.”
He took a long steadying breath. His fingers wrapped around her chin so that she faced him.
“Casey, if Nick wasn’t a part of this, I would take you up on that offer so fast your head would spin. I realize you don’t understand what a treasure you are, but you will never be nothing. You are as special as they come.”
“You’re so nice,” she said. “I’d give you my last ten dollars for saying that, but I don’t get paid until Friday. A girl has to eat.”
Linc let go and chuckled. “You are a
“Wait, you can’t leave Kiwi,” she said seriously.
“It’s Kiki.” Linc laughed. “And I was just her ticket in the door. There was someone she really needed to see. She’s a friend, and I helped her out. You did the same for Nick tonight. Let me take you home.”
It wasn’t as though Nick would care. Sure, he’d been handing out the compliments earlier, but she knew the way he truly felt now. Turns out all guys were jerks, no matter how pretty the package. “Thanks. My head is killing me, and I’m fairly certain these shoes you made me wear have bonded to my feet. I can’t feel my toes any more.”
“Beauty requires pain,” Linc said as he guided her to the entrance.
“Probably why I live in T-shirts, jeans and sweat pants,” she said.
Her monkey pajamas would feel like heaven. The cool November air wisped around her face, but it didn’t help her grogginess.
“Well, you’re lucky you look beautiful in everything.” He guided her into the back seat of a black limousine.
She snorted. “I bet Nick paid you to be nice to me. You guys are quite a pair,” she said as he tucked her dress beneath her.
“You aren’t fond of compliments are you?” Linc sat beside her and handed her a bottle of water. “Here, you need to drink this so you won’t get dehydrated.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat. “I don’t think that’s going to help my headache,” she said.
“It’s more a precaution for the headache you’ll have later. When you get home, you can take something for the pain. Drink,” he ordered.
She sipped.
“I don’t suppose you’ve had anything to eat tonight?”
Casey chewed on her lip. “Uh, two pieces of cheese and a lot of wine and champagne. I’m fairly certainly wine counts as fruit because it’s made from grapes.” She giggled and couldn’t stop.
He shook his head. The worry from a few minutes ago was gone from his eyes.
She couldn’t keep the questions in. “Why did you run down the hall? So what if they found me? It’s not like they could do anything.”
“Stop changing the subject. You need to eat.”
Casey reached for his hand. “Just once, I need someone to tell me the truth tonight.”
Linc held her hand. “Believe me, Nick wants to tell you the truth, but he can’t. This business he’s involved in, well, it’s tricky.”
“Why does everything with him have to be so complicated? And why can’t a guy like him like someone like me?” Nick’s words shot back at her, and she frowned. She means nothing…
Linc laughed. “He likes you more than you think, which is one of the reasons I’m not going to show you just how much a guy like him can like you. That and I don’t sleep with drunken women. I want them to remember every moment.”
Did he just say he wanted to sleep with her? “I’m not that drunk.” She tried to wink, but it was probably more of sneer. Her face wouldn’t cooperate.
“Casey, love, you’re such a temptation. But I value my head staying on my neck. Nick would never forgive me, and he’s one of my true friends.”
“So am I. At least that’s what he used to say. Tonight he told that Alvin chick that I was nothing.” She sighed. “That hurt my feelings, but I get it.”
She lost her train of thought. “Oh, he wants me to date a better quality of men,” she said as if she remembered. “That should have been my first clue, right? You fit that bill.”
He took a long steadying breath. His fingers wrapped around her chin so that she faced him.
“Casey, if Nick wasn’t a part of this, I would take you up on that offer so fast your head would spin. I realize you don’t understand what a treasure you are, but you will never be nothing. You are as special as they come.”
“You’re so nice,” she said. “I’d give you my last ten dollars for saying that, but I don’t get paid until Friday. A girl has to eat.”
Linc let go and chuckled. “You are a
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