A Hot Mess (12 page)

Cait was the first to look away. She jerked her gaze back to the stage, but her attention remained centered on Dylan. She told herself it was too soon. She’d just broken up with Simon. Dylan deserved more than to be the rebound boyfriend.

Boyfriend
and
Dylan
did not seem to belong in the same sentence. A boyfriend was someone she met and dated for a couple of months. Dylan wasn’t a boyfriend. He was the boy, the
man
, she respected above all others.

The show reached its stunning conclusion, and Cait was once again drawn in. When it was over, she stood with the other audience members and clapped loudly as the performers gathered in the center of the stage to make their bows. Dylan put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to his body. Cait tipped back her head and smiled up at him.

“Thank you for bringing me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Dylan dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You could do that.”

Cait lifted an eyebrow. “Do what?”

“That.” Dylan motioned to the stage with his chin. “I would be unable to tear my eyes from you.”

Cait burst out laughing. “Only because I would be dangling from the ceiling tied in knots,” she managed to get out once she’d stopped laughing.

“That would certainly be a sight,” Dylan agreed.

Cait looked at him, but the light in his eyes told her he would not see it as humorous but rather hot. She’d been correct about the ribbons giving him ideas. A vision of being tied up and awaiting Dylan’s pleasure made her want to drag him to bed that very instant, but Dylan had other ideas.

As they walked out of the theatre, he asked. “Do you want to go get a drink? There’s a lounge in the casino.”

“Sure,” Cait answered breezily. Although she was anxious to get Dylan back in bed, she didn’t want the night to end. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun.

The lounge was set in one corner of the casino floor. Black couches and red, velvet-upholstered chaise lounges were provided for seating. The counter of the bar was a metal-topped semi-circle that was manned by two male bartenders.

Dylan ordered a whiskey and coke, without having to ask what she wanted, and a beer for himself. Cait remembered how Simon hated that she drank whiskey, and she smirked. It was nice to know that some men didn’t mind it.

The lounge appeared to be filling up with the audience from the show they’d just left. They found an empty couch and claimed it before anyone else could. Cait carefully balanced her drink as she sank down onto the plush cushioning.

Dylan’s bottle made a clinking noise against her glass as he toasted the first sip. “Here’s to us. Cheers!”

Cait lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip. What did he mean when he said
us
? Did Dylan see a future for them? She didn’t ask. She needed to come to terms with her own feelings before she questioned him about his.

“Dylan!” Cait frowned at the sound of a high-pitched, feminine voice squealing Dylan’s name.

A tall, slender blonde woman hurried over to them. The beauty had to be six feet tall with legs that went on forever. She was dressed in a wispy piece of fabric that revealed more than it covered. She was absolutely stunning.

Cait sat up straighter, though what she really wanted to do was melt into the cushions. She felt like a mouse compared to the woman that stood in front of their couch.

“Dylan, what are you doing here?” the woman exclaimed with a wide smile that displayed perfect, blindingly white teeth.

She had to be a model, Cait decided.

Dylan got to his feet to greet her. “Hello, Rayanne. I’m on vacation.”

He did not appear overly excited to see her, which Cait thought was odd. What red-blooded American male would
not
be excited to see a vision like this?

Rayanne threw her arms around Dylan and embraced him. Jealousy reared its ugly head. Cait tensed and tried to appear as if she was not hanging on to their every word.

Rayanne released Dylan and tossed her chemical blonde hair over one shoulder. “I haven’t seen you since Bali. Where have you been hiding?”

“You know me. I’ve been around.”

Cait cleared her throat, and Dylan motioned to her. “Sorry. Cait, this is Rayanne. She’s a model I’ve worked with before. Rayanne, this is Cait.”

“Actually, Dylan, I’ve taken up singing as a career now. I’m working on my demo.”

A singer too? It figures,
Cait snorted to herself. She forced herself to give a polite greeting even though she wanted to claw out the girl’s eyes for talking to Dylan.

Rayanne’s cool green gaze brushed Cait and then returned to Dylan, whom she continued to fawn over. “What are you doing later?”

Cait’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Was this chick for real? Was she seriously trying to pick up on Dylan with Cait standing … err, sitting … right there? What was up with the gals in Vegas? She’d only been here two days, and she’d witnessed more tramps than she could shake a stick at.

Cait opened her mouth to say something, but Dylan spoke first. “Rayanne, I’m here with Cait.”

“Oh!” Rayanne exclaimed with forced innocence. “I’m sorry. I thought this was the Cait you were friends with.”

“She is. I mean…” Dylan’s voice trailed off, and he glanced over his shoulder at Cait. Confusion was clearly written on his face. Cait arched a brow at him, curious to know how he would respond.

He turned back to Rayanne, but he backed up and ran his hand across Cait’s shoulder. “We’re together.”

“Oh!” A wealth of meaning was conveyed in the single word Rayanne spoke.

Cait could fill in the blanks. She knew the beautiful model was probably wondering why Dylan was with a nobody like her. Cait hadn’t figured it out herself yet.

Rayanne tossed her hair again. “Well, I should get back to my friends.” She fluttered her hand at a small group of young model types. She leaned over and hugged Dylan again. “It was really nice seeing you.”

“You too,” Dylan answered.

As soon as she was gone, Dylan turned back to Cait and gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Cait.”

Cait assumed a nonchalant look. “For what?”

Concern flared in his eyes. “Rayanne. She can be a handful sometimes.”

Cait shrugged and then patted the spot on the couch beside her. “Did you photograph her?”

Dylan nodded. “Yeah, a couple of years ago for a bikini issue.”

“She’s very pretty.”

Dylan shrugged. “If you say so.”

She gave him a look of disbelief. “You don’t think so?”

“She’s okay I guess. A bit too skinny for my tastes.”

Cait rolled her eyes. “As if there is such a thing as too skinny.”

“There is, trust me.” Dylan ran a hand over the curve of her hip.

“How did she know my name?” Cait wondered if he made a habit of talking about her.

He glanced away for a millisecond.

A suspicion brewed in her mind. “Dylan?”

He still refused to meet her eyes. It wasn’t much of a giveaway, but it was enough for Cait to put two and two together.

“Did you sleep with her?” Cait wished she could take back the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. It was none of her business. Well technically, it could be, since the old saying was his sexual history was now her shared history.

Dylan didn’t say anything, and she assumed she had her answer. “You did!”

“Baby, it was a couple years ago. I barely even remember it.”

“Oh, don’t baby me,” Cait snapped at him and shoved his hand away from her hip.

Dylan scrubbed a hand across his face. “Seriously, Cait? Are you going to be mad at me for sleeping with someone two years ago when up until yesterday you were engaged to another man?”

Cait felt as if he had slapped her. “Are you calling me a whore?”

“
No
. Of course I’m not, Cait. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Cait lifted her hand and pointed her finger at him. She swirled it around in front of his face in warning. “I’ve got news for you, Mister Big Shot Photographer. I don’t care who you sleep with.”

“Wait … what?” Dylan’s brows drew together in apparent confusion. “What are we fussing about?”

Cait struggled to remember. Why was she mad? She couldn’t hold it against Dylan for sleeping with Rayanne. They’d been just friends then. Cait’s mind screeched to a halt. It shouldn’t matter even now. They were still
just
friends. When their vacation in Vegas was over, he would go back to his models and actresses, and Cait would return to Atlanta and an empty apartment.

“Nothing. I’m just being petty.” She forced a smile, and Dylan visibly relaxed.

Dylan framed her face with his hands and leaned in close enough for her to see the tiny freckle on the tip of his nose. “I adore you, silly girl.”

He kissed her, and Cait tried to pretend she didn’t want more.

Dylan could tell something was bothering Cait. He didn’t know if it was the run-in with Rayanne, or if she was thinking about her failed elopement. He hoped it wasn’t regret for being with him. He’d known her as long as he could remember. He knew when her cheery nature was sincere and when it was forced. For the hour they’d been at the bar, it was most certainly forced.

He finished his second beer and set it aside. He motioned to Cait’s empty glass. It was only her second drink as well. “Do you want another whiskey and coke?”

She shook her head in a quick motion. Her green eyes seemed dull. Something was definitely bothering Cait.

“Are you ready to leave?”

Cait nodded. “If you are.”

Dylan stood and held out his hand. She took it and rose to her feet. She did the shimmy thing she always did to straighten her dress, and Dylan grew rock hard. Despite all they’d done today, he wanted her again. His desire had not abated one bit. Pleasuring her in the car after dinner had made his cock feel like it would burst. He couldn’t wait to get her back to the hotel, strip that dress from her, and mark her as his.

She was his, whether she wanted to admit it or not. He had not missed the spark of jealousy in Cait when Rayanne had appeared. His Cait could be a spitfire at times. He had no doubt that if the model had not left when she did, Cait would’ve cussed her out.

On one hand, he was pleased Cait cared enough to be jealous. But on the other, he never wanted her to feel intimidated by the women in his past. None could compare to Cait. She was the end-all be-all in his eyes.

They left the lounge and headed back to the car. This time, Dylan did not try to touch her. Cait was sending out a vibe that told him now was not the time. Once they were back at the hotel, he could seduce her into a better mood.

“Did you have fun today?” His voice seemed overly loud in the compact car.

Cait’s was the opposite. Dylan could barely hear her when she answered. “Yes, thank you.”

He reached over and touched her hand. She did not pull away, which was a very good sign. “I’m glad.”

Cait turned his hand over and traced idle circles in his palm. “Why did you do it?”

“Do what?” He was distracted by the touch of her.

Cait lifted her free hand and waved it about in a circle. “All of it—the clothes, dinner, the show, everything.”

“I wanted to cheer you up.” Dylan bent his fingers upward, so he could give hers a squeeze. “I hated seeing you upset.”

“To tell the truth, I’ve barely thought of Simon today. Does that make me a bad person? Less than thirty hours ago, I was prepared to marry him. Now he hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

“I would say it makes you a smart person, not a bad one.”

Cait chuckled. “You never did like Simon.”

“Why would I? He had what I wanted.”

Cait’s eye twinkled as she tossed him a look. “And what was that?”

“You.”

Silence fell upon the car. Dylan risked a sideways glance at Cait, and she sat, facing forward, with a blank expression. She stopped tracing circles on his palm, yet continued to hold on to his hand.

Cait’s voice vibrated with tension. “You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I meant what I said.” Dylan rubbed his thumb along the rubber covering of the steering wheel and forced his thoughts into a coherent pattern. “You know I did, Cait, but it frightens you.”

Cait would not be
Cait
if she did not rise to his challenge. She lifted her chin and tossed her hair. “I’m not frightened.”

“Yes, you are. You’re scared you will lose me. I’m not like those losers you’ve dated, Cait. I’m not going anywhere.”

Cait let go of his hand and crossed her arms over her chest. “They were not
all
losers.”

“Damned close,” Dylan muttered. There had been a couple of guys that were not that bad, but for the most part Cait chose men that were completely wrong for her.

Of course, he was prejudiced. He knew there was no man as right for her as he was. “We don’t have to talk about this now if you don’t want to.”

They reached the hotel, and he pulled up to the valet. The lights from the lobby of the hotel spilled across Cait’s face as Dylan put the car in park. He turned toward her, putting his finger beneath her chin and tilting her face to his. Her green eyes glowed in the weak light.

“Just say you’ll give us a chance. I want so much more than this one night.”

Her lashes swept forward to hide her eyes. “It’s too soon, Dylan. Simon…”

“Fuck Simon,” Dylan said harshly. “That man is a dick.”

Cait’s eyes appeared suspiciously moist. “True, but it’s still too early. I don’t want you to be the rebound guy.”

Dylan’s expression softened. “Do you really think of me as a rebound?”

Cait shook her head from side to side. “No.”

“So don’t shut me out. Okay?”

“Okay.” Cait’s voice was low, but Dylan let out a sigh of relief at the softly spoken word.

The valet, who’d waited for them to finish their conversation, stood outside the door. He hopped to attention when Dylan opened the driver’s side door. Dylan tossed the keys to the young man and went to open Cait’s door.

Cait tugged her dress down and accepted the hand Dylan offered to help her out of the car. He led her toward the sliding glass doors of the lobby and draped an arm around her waist.