Kiss Me, Dancer (23 page)

Drew nibbled her breasts, his hands caressing her, one moving down to massage her sweet spot. But Casey couldn’t wait. All she knew was that she needed his skin on hers, needed Drew inside her. Now.

She straddled him as he sat. And with a whimpering moan she lowered herself onto his hard shaft. Drew’s hands held her waist, then cupped her bottom, pulling her closer as he drove deeper inside her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and moved with him in a blissful dance, going to a place only Drew could take her.

Heat radiated off his body. He shifted positions from one to the next. Moving on top of Casey, then spooning her from behind, or pulling her over his supine frame. Almost like a desperate attempt to make up for the missing weeks. He brought her to climax three times before he finally released himself in a cataclysmic surge.

But as they lay still, breathless and panting in each other’s arms, Casey fell from her ecstasy into a hollow emptiness.

During the past month the aftermath of their lovemaking usually meant tender touches and Drew growling sweet and sexy whispers in her ear. Not tonight. Tonight the animosity and resentment that was still palpable between them kept both parties self-consciously silent, avoiding each other’s gaze.

Casey shifted away and began dressing quickly. Drew did the same.

The tense, wordless ride back to North Cove was even worse than she’d thought it would be. Earlier she’d only been angry. But now Casey sat there fighting back tears.

As Drew slowed to turn into the dance school driveway, Casey said, “No need to pull in. I can get out here.”

Drew kept going anyway and turned onto the gravel lot.

“Have it your way,” Casey grumbled. As soon as the car stopped she reached for the door but heard a clunk as Drew hit the lock button. “Puh-leeze. Must we play games?”

“I have a question.”

“Unlock the door.”

“Not until you answer my question.”

“Such a gentleman.”

“Just tell me. How could you make it with that scrawny rock star?”

“I don’t have to answer to you.”

“Think he’s so great? Know how many beautiful women I could have in a single week?”

“Dozens, I’m sure. Which is why you are totally not right for me. You’re just another obnoxious womanizing scumbag.”

“Like Ravage isn’t?”

“Unlock. This. Door.”

Drew hit the button.

Casey bounded from the car and marched away, her waterlogged shoes squeaking with each step.

Chapter Twenty-Four

When Casey’s father died shortly before her sixteenth birthday she’d learned what it meant to let go. And what it meant to grieve. And what she needed to do when she was so numb with grief she couldn’t even cry.

That was the period in her life when she began dancing. No, Casey hadn’t yet taken any real dance classes. But she’d met Amanda, a retired Broadway dancer who inspired her to carry her cassette box and tapes of Madonna and Michael Jackson to the basement of her family’s house. Alone in the shadowy cellar she would dance out her sadness and rage until she felt spent and somehow clean and fresh like a garden after rain.

Over the last three weeks Casey danced out her pain alone at night in her studio. This was a far different kind of loss from her father’s death, but one that hurt almost as deeply. Especially since it was the loss of two dreams: her dance academy and Drew.

At first it surprised Casey to realize how much she had come to believe that Drew was the man who would be her loving partner for the rest of her life. In fact, somewhere inside she believed it so deeply that letting go was nearly impossible.

After their crazy night in the rain she’d almost expected to see him again. But as the final days of August came and went and he did not call, Casey had to accept the truth. She’d put off announcing the closing of the North Cove Dance Academy until the last week, telling herself it was better for business. But she knew a part of her still hoped Drew would come back into her life. That those few glorious weeks with him when they were looking for a studio and spending every night together were not just a whim on his part.

A fool’s wish. Deceitful players like Drew did not change their colors.

Now August would end in a handful of days, and Casey would move out of this place she loved. She slid three heavy boxes toward her brother. “This is the last for today.”

“Still room in the back of the truck,” Parker said.

“I’ll follow you down with the rocking chair.”

“Miss Daisy’s throne.”

Casey nodded. “It was really hard to send my kitty babies off to stay with their Aunt Jiao.”

“Sure they wouldn’t like my greenhouse?”

“Not with your big dogs running about. It’s only temporary. I’ll be finding my own place as soon as I can afford it.”

“You don’t have to do that, Casey. I told you I’d clean out that storage area in the back and make a room for you and the cats.”

Casey patted his arm. “You’re the best big bro anyone could ask for, but let’s be real. You like your solitude and I like to be warm in the winter. And since your idea of central heating is moving a portable space heater to the middle of the room, I’m going to find an apartment before the cold weather begins.”

Parker lifted all three boxes and headed down the stairs. Casey shook her head, amazed at his strength. After all the turmoil around her feelings for Drew, she actually looked forward to spending some time in the peaceful atmosphere of her soft spoken brother’s home. Even if that home was only a greenhouse with a couple cots, a rustic stove, ancient refrigerator and a bathroom that belonged in an army camp.

Casey hefted the wooden rocker and cast a gloomy eye around her apartment that was now stripped bare. Yup, another dream gone.

The North Cove Dance Academy was closed until further notice. She’d mailed out her official letter, posted signs at the desk, and this week made verbal announcements after every class. Several of the girls cried at the news, and Casey found herself holding them and promising to find another studio as soon as possible.

And she meant it. But she knew it wouldn’t be soon. It would take time to save up money from her new jobs with Natalie’s catering business and waitressing at the Coffee Cove.

No way would Casey take what little savings Parker worked so hard for or let him co-sign a loan and risk losing his own property if she failed. And Taz Ravage was out of the question. His offer was loaded with implied expectations and too many risks for her kids.

It was also clear by now that Drew had moved on. Whatever it was he and Casey had going was over and gone.

Parker met her at the truck and packed the chair in with her other belongings.

“Want me to take my own car so you don’t have to drive me back?” She still had some final cleaning to do.

“It’s no trouble, Casey. Get in.”

As they drove the few miles to his farm, Casey sensed her brother watching her. Afraid he’d ask things she didn’t want to answer, she started babbling. “So, the minister said a small donation is all they want in exchange for rehearsing my Cove Corps dancers in the church’s hall. They’ve already got a lot of activities going, but I might try to talk him into letting me teach a weekly class. Won’t do any good for most of my students, but at least it would help me keep some training going with my most dedicated ones.”

“Natalie told me Taz Ravage offered to invest in your school. Is that true?”

“Kind of. Except the only thing Taz offered was the use of a barn on his property. I checked it out and said no. It’s too close to where he holds parties the likes of which would put my students’ parents in a fit. Plus he’s so used to females throwing themselves at him that he clearly assumed a payback would be coming from me on that score.”

“Good to know I won’t have to risk a lawsuit for teaching Mr. Ravage to keep away from you.” Protecting his sisters was the one thing that turned Parker from an easygoing honey bear to an intimidating grizzly. “Speaking of which, what happened with Drew Byrne? And don’t give me that ‘he changed his mind’ nonsense. Your answers are evasive. Your eyes are red and bloodshot. And I know it’s not just about losing your studio because you have that look of a heartbroken female.”

She knew this was coming sooner or later. “Enough, Sherlock. You know, there are lots of other women who’d appreciate this kind of attention from you. Maybe it’s time you—”

“Byrne spun his tricks on you, didn’t he?” The taut anger in her brother’s face only made him look more handsome than usual with his dark, steamy eyes and sculpted jaw. Every time Casey went out with Parker she wondered if he noticed how many women stared at him.

“Look who’s talking. You stumble into hookups with women who are totally wrong for you and after three dates can’t understand why you’re no longer interested. You think none of them are hurt when you stop seeing them?”

He shrugged. “I don’t do it on purpose.”

“I’m not sure Drew does either.”

“You’re defending that little prick. This really
is
bad. I ought to—”

“Don’t you dare confront him. It’s done. Just leave it. I’ll be fine.”

“Will you? Why didn’t you listen to me? I told you not to get near him.”

“Okay, I’m a dope who makes a lot of mistakes, all right? And people who say ‘I told you so’ are incredibly offensive.” Casey turned away and stared out her window.

Parker’s deep voice sobered. “I’m sorry, Casey. I just hate to see you hurt.”

“Then don’t bring it up again.”

They reached Parker’s home turf. A defunct farmhouse and dilapidated outbuildings led to a meticulously kept greenhouse and broad, lush gardens. She decided it would take a unique woman to understand her odd, lovable, and annoyingly protective brother.

He drove the truck right up to a metal garden shed. The black-and-white mutt Skipper and the shepherd-collie Reef galloped toward them.

As they loaded the boxes of Casey’s belongings into the shed she told herself this was only temporary and swore that she’d find a way to come through for the kids who were counting on her.

But that old Calamity Richardson failure streak lurked like a shadow in the back of her mind, telling her she’d just go and bungle it yet again.

***

Drew needed to rant. His more than healthy male ego wasn’t used to this kind of bruising.
Why can’t I just be done with her? Cross the bitch off and switch programs?
If only he could chalk Casey up as just another mundane sexual conquest gone awry. But he couldn’t. For the first time in his life Drew had met a woman who’d totally dismantled him.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her every damn minute. It hadn’t been easy to stay away from her for the past three weeks. He’d practically had to lock up his car keys to keep himself from racing over to her studio. Memories plagued him of those few blissful weeks when he’d slept with her in his arms night after night. And their last episode of frantic, angry lovemaking on the muddy ground and the back seat of his car. Drew got hard now just thinking about her fierce passion and how good she’d felt moving against him.

To distract himself he’d scheduled hookups with other women, but that hadn’t worked before and again he ended up cancelling out. All he wanted was Casey. They were perfect together.

Too bad Casey didn’t think so. She’d called him an “obnoxious womanizing scumbag.” And she said he was “not the right guy for her.”

Correction. She’d said “
another
obnoxious womanizing scumbag.” Which meant more than one. And gave him hope, since the other was most likely Taz Ravage. Okay, so maybe there was some truth to her first point. But not second.

There wasn’t another man on this whole planet who was as right for Casey Richardson as Drew Byrne.

His phone rang and he snatched it. “Hey, Josh. Got your bags all ready?”

“I’m not coming.”

“What do you mean you’re not coming? I bent over backwards getting your mother to agree to this.” Drew gripped the phone, trying to control his temper that had been hair-trigger explosive lately.

He stopped, took a breath, and started again in a more positive tone. “Listen, Josh, I hired a decorator to work on those rooms we talked about. Got a media room for your video games. Even ordered all the
Spider-Man
movies. Made a practice room that’s like a studio for you. With a barre and trampoline and all kinds of music. Plus I got a set of those wireless helicopters you wanted and the mini rocket launcher.”

When none of this garnered a response, Drew asked, “What’s going on, Josh? Tell me.” He was fully prepared for his son to say he’d changed his mind because he didn’t want to leave his mommy to live with this guy he hardly knew. Who happened to be his father.
My own fault
.

But Josh spat out, “I’ve got no reason to stay here in the States.”

No reason? The boy had practically risked his life running away because of his reasons. “What about
Got Moves
? And Miss Casey’s—”

“Miss Casey’s a liar just like everybody else! I hate her. I don’t ever want to see her again.”

But Josh had adored Casey; practically deified her. “Why? What happened?”

“She’s closing her school. She doesn’t care about me or any of us.”

“Whoa. Slow down. Are you sure she’s not just moving to a new place?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. No more classes. Only Cove Corps rehearsals, and they’re in a church. But I’m not gonna show up. See how she likes that.”

A church? What happened to Taz and his barn? Had Casey realized what a flaming dickhead the guy was? Or had Taz dropped Casey for another one of his zillion groupies?

Even though Drew could wring her neck for choosing that druggy crooner over him, he didn’t like the idea of Casey being tossed out in the cold, upset and trying to cope. He remembered how she’d cried her eyes out in his arms that night her landlord told her she would have to leave.

Drew also recalled the way she rallied when he’d needed help. Hadn’t even hesitated for an instant. She was the one who’d found his son the night he ran away. And she hadn’t even minded slogging through the rain and mud to do it. He owed her.