New and…Improved? & Andrew in Excess (23 page)

“Before we married, Nick said he wanted a family. But once we were married, he changed his mind.” In an instant, all their old arguments crowded in. “He said he wasn't father material, that he'd make a lousy father. It was one of the few times he bothered with the truth.”

Andrew remained silent. Except for his continued creasing of the hibiscus leaf, he could have been asleep. Kat knew she'd opened this Pandora's box with her career question, but Andrew had taken it one step further. Now it was her turn. The dark invited confidences.

“Why haven't you ever married?” He
was
married. To her. She needed to remember that. “Before now?”

His fingers stilled. The leaf fluttered to the ground. “Because, much like your first husband, I'm neither husband nor father material.”

His cold words shattered the soft warmth of the night that cocooned them. An instantaneous denial sprang from her core at Andrew comparing himself to Nick. Until she reminded herself that bedtime back rubs, nighttime confidences, great procreational sex and a purple Volvo did not a marriage make.

 

“T
OTO, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU
, I'm not looking forward to tonight.”

The little dog cocked his head toward Andrew questioningly.

Waiting for Kat to finish dressing, Andrew and Toto watched fish dart about in the aquarium. They hadn't even left for the reception yet and Andrew already wished it was over.

“Well, let's look at the guest list. My father-in-law despises me as a professional rival. Then there are my parents who despise each other. As a rule of thumb, I generally avoid spending time with them, especially when they're together.”

Toto whimpered his sympathy.

“Kat's father and my father despise each other. And Gloria, who knows more gossip than flies on the wall do, told me Claudia wangled a date with Trent Braxton.”

Toto performed his dead dog routine, rolling onto his back with all four paws sticking up in the air.

“Yeah, that's what I say.”

And his delectable wife was driving him mad. More than once this week, thoughts of Kat and their baby had disrupted his concentration. He'd found himself considering the reality of being a real, long-term husband and dad. Nothing had ever interfered with his work before.

And then there were the endless nights with her curled up beside him, when she would slide a silky leg between his in her sleep. But there was no need to share that with Toto.

“Sorry I took so long. I'm ready.” The cause of his insanity, or at the least, his insomnia, glided down the hall. Exotic. Elegant. Maddening.

Her dress, patterned in vibrant colors, clung and flowed in the appropriate places. He cleared the knot of desire wedged in his throat.

“This is for you. I hope you like it.” He thrust a small bouquet of flowers toward her, feeling—and sounding—
as gauche as a teenager on his first prom date. “They're for your hair.”

“What, no muzzle?” Her sapphire eyes sparkled.

“It wouldn't be fair to deprive our guests of your delightful wit. It's half your charm.”

Her eyebrows skewed a question. “And the other half?”

Unbidden, a list formed in his head. Her sunny smile, her enthusiasm for her work, her loyalty—that wreck she called a car was parked in the garage because she refused to consign it to a scrap yard—her fierce independence, the feel of her hips beneath his… Andrew shook his head in mock disapproval. “A lady never digs for a compliment.”

“And a gentleman never makes her.” She dropped her head forward to admire the bouquet, revealing a freckled expanse of neck that tempted him to trail kisses along its satin smoothness. “But thanks for these. How'd you know they're my favorites?”

He shrugged off her thanks and thrust his hands into his pockets. “I've seen them around the house.”

Kat arched a brow. “And you knew the name of them?”

Dammit. Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone?

“No. I picked them out at the florist.”

“You actually picked out flowers that're just going to die?” A cheeky grin relieved her comment of any sting.

“They're only required on a temporary basis, as long as they last through the evening. I thought tonight might be difficult for you, and knowing how you feel about flowers, I thought you'd enjoy them, that's all.”

As Kat smelled the bouquet, Andrew inhaled
her
uniquely sweet scent. She eyed him over the flowers. “Why'd you think tonight would be a problem?”

Did she have to examine everything under a microscope and then discuss it?

“I didn't say ‘problem.' I said ‘difficult.' You once mentioned boycotting cocktail parties.” He wasn't deaf to vicious society gossip, and he knew she'd borne the brunt of many wagging tongues with Nick's desertion. He'd just wanted to make tonight a little easier for her.

“It's true, I'd prefer a quick and tidy flogging.” She stepped over to the mirror hanging in the hallway and clipped the flowers in her hair. “But then I wouldn't have gotten these, and they're beautiful.”

“No. You're beautiful.”
Just where in the hell had that come from?

“Thanks. We both know I'm not.” She tugged a curl into submission. “But thanks anyway.” Kat eyed him from his combed hair to the tips of his polished shoes, her blatant approval tightening his groin. “You don't clean up too badly, yourself.”

Her flippancy about her appearance annoyed him. Facing the crowd at the reception tonight would be tough for her—hell, his parents alone would be enough to send anyone running. She needed every ounce of available self-confidence.

Besides, he spoke the truth. She was beautiful.

“Stop it, Kat.”

She halted in the middle of putting on her earrings, eyeing him as if he'd suggested they dance naked in the street. “What? It's just an earring.”

He waved a hand. “I couldn't give a damn about the earring. Don't tell me you're not beautiful.”

A hint of vulnerability shadowed her blue eyes before she masked it. “There's no audience here. Save it for the party, Andrew. You don't need the practice.” Kat turned away from him. “I'll be in the car.”

Andrew watched the play of silk fabric over her hips and rounded behind in bemused fascination. He'd always considered himself fairly adept with women.

Until his wife.

“D
O YOU KNOW WHAT
he had the nerve to say to me tonight?” Kat fumed.

Bitsy backed her further into the empty corner of the club ballroom. “What?”

“He told me I was beautiful.” She all but spit out the last word.
And she'd believed it for one brief moment.
Her choices had been indignation or puddling at his feet. She'd opted for the safest and tidiest of the two—indignation. “Can you believe it?”

“String him up. That's the sentence I'd hand down for something so offensive.” Bitsy waved a cheese cracker for emphasis. “Imagine. He called you beautiful.” Rolling her eyes in mock disgust, she popped the cracker into her mouth.

A uniformed waiter flourished a champagne-laden tray before them. Kat passed a glass to Bitsy.

“Go ahead. Make fun. It just gets worse.” She touched her hair bouquet, careful not to damage the fragile flowers. “To top it off, he gave me these.”

Kat swigged the effervescent wine.

“That brother of mine! It's barbaric—a compliment and flowers for his wife.”

“For goodness' sake, Bitsy. He's not supposed to do these things.” She lowered her voice as a guest drifted by. “He only wants his stinking partnership. And I only want my baby.” A baby with gray eyes and a thatch of black hair.

“Are you sure about that?”

Kat wasn't sure of anything anymore. She felt as if she was standing on shifting sand. And she loathed sand. “We signed an agreement.”

“Well, hey. You've got your agreement, so I don't see what the problem is.” Bitsy peered over Kat's shoulder, “Unless you consider that Mother and Father just arrived. Oops. And there's Claudia bringing up the rear with her date.” Bitsy grabbed Kat's arm. “Come on. It's party time!”

 

“Y
OUR PARENTS ARE HERE
.” Playing to their guests' expectations, Kat slid her arm about Andrew's waist, and was surprised to find odd comfort in his solid warmth.

“I know.” Andrew dropped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her closer. His breath stirred against her temple, unleashing a rising tide of need. “Let's get this over with.” With a subtle movement of his broad shoulders, he nudged her in the direction of the older Winthrops.

The band segued into a classical piece reminiscent of a funeral dirge. Kat considered it an omen on her imminent meeting of the in-laws. Actually, with Andrew by her side, she wasn't nearly as uptight as she'd anticipated.

Nodding and smiling at guests, they skirted the room.

“There's no doubt who you look like.” Andrew was a replica of his father, except for A.W.'s gray hair and lined face—and a ruthless air mercifully absent in Andrew. Her husband might possess an aloofness, but she'd seen more than a generous amount of kindness in him, as well. A.W. didn't look as if “kind” existed in his vocabulary.

“Yes, I've always been my father's son.”

And none too pleased about it, if his tone was anything to go on. Did he base his own supposed shortcomings as a husband and father on the fact he shared sim
ilarities with his father? Kat tucked the thought away to examine later.

“Your mother looks much younger than your father.”

“Actually, only a year or so. Mother believes in aging as gracefully as financially possible. It's the up side of keeping one of the finest plastic surgeons on retainer.”

As they navigated around a small cluster of people, Andrew's hand bumped against her silk-clad breast. An instinctive and instantaneous response rippled through her, tightening her nipple into a bud of want and anticipation. Had he tensed as well?

“Oh. What's the down side?” She managed to keep her voice steady.

A shadow of a smile softened the hard line of his mouth. “It costs the old man a hell of a lot of money.”

The older couple awaited Kat and Andrew—regents receiving peasants. Kat quelled the urge to genuflect before their haughty bearing.

“Good evening, Mother. Father.” Andrew's arm tightened around Kat's shoulders until it was as rigid as his tone. “Kat, I'd like you to meet my parents, A.W. and Margaret Winthrop.”

No hint of softness cushioned the steel of A.W.'s gray gaze. “You seem to have a penchant for scandal, girl. That's not something we Winthrops embrace.”

“Consider yourself lucky, darling.” Andrew retorted, earning himself a scowl from his father and a star from Kat.

A waiter paused at the group, proffering a tray of canapés. Kat sighed and loaded up a small napkin. Good Lord, what she wouldn't do for a pint of Chunky Monkey right now. Instead she popped an anchovy into her mouth.

Margaret Winthrop stared down the length of her surgically perfected nose, a chilly smile revealing even, white teeth. She fairly dripped West Palm, understated elegance, from her perfectly coifed blond hair to her
designer gown. “Wherever did you find that dress, darling? It's so…well, quaint.”

And welcome to the family.
Kat had spent the better portion of a paycheck on her dress, determined to uphold her end of the bargain with panache. She'd help Andrew secure his partnership, but she wouldn't be a doormat for these people with more money than manners.

Andrew began to say something, but she silenced him with a slight nudge.

“There's a great thrift store near my old house. Maybe we can go shopping together sometime.” Andrew's arm, slung across her shoulder, relaxed considerably, and in that instant she knew everything was okay. Whatever this evening brought, they'd face it together.

Margaret's nose wrinkled as if she'd caught a whiff of something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “I don't think so. My schedule's terribly busy.”

Far too busy to make time for a little boy with a string of nannies.

Andrew dropped Kat a lazy wink of approval before turning to face his parents. “Kat's got a great nose for a bargain. It's one of the things I love about her.” He squeezed her close, planting a kiss on the end of her nose. “Isn't it, Bunny?”

She recognized Andrew's act for what it was, nonetheless, his declaration of love set her heart rate to double time. “Oh, Muffin…” She didn't have to try to sound breathless. She was.

“For God's sake…” A.W. grumbled.

Margaret sniffed an admonishment. “Really, Andrew! You seem to have forgotten yourself.”

“Kat tends to affect me that way.” On the Richter scale, his cavalier grin registered a ten. The husky note in his bourbon voice stroked her like an arousing caress.

She liked him on a good day. When he switched on the devoted husband routine, he turned lethal. She
munched another cracker under her in-laws' disapproving stares.

A.W. and Margaret prepared to excuse themselves and Kat prepared a sigh of relief at their impending departure. All the preparation proved for naught. Claudia wafted over on a cloud of perfume and the arm of a bespectacled man.

Kat swallowed her sigh, bracing herself for round two. Claudia exchanged perfunctory kisses with A.W. and Margaret, cooing, “A.W., you're looking as handsome as ever. And, Margaret, you're stunning tonight.”

In the momentary lull, Kat heard the opening strains of “The Party's Over.” She couldn't check a grin. Even if tonight turned out to be a total wash, the band leader had impeccable timing.

Ignoring Kat, Claudia eyed Andrew as if he were her next meal, her lips puckering into a practiced pout. “And you're certainly looking well.”

Kat noted with satisfaction that Andrew didn't show even a hint of interest in his former girlfriend. His eyes reflected only a cool remoteness.

“Marriage agrees with me, Claudia.” Reaching past her proffered pout, Andrew shook hands with her date. “Glad you could make it, Trent. I'd like to introduce my wife, Kat.”

Andrew turned, his smile tugging at her. “Kat, Trent Braxton and Claudia van Dierling.”

Murmuring a greeting, Trent retreated, looking for all the world as if he'd rather be anywhere than in the middle of the unfolding power play. Kat empathized, but she'd be damned if she'd let these people intimidate her.

Claudia struck a model pose, bony hipbones evident beneath her dress, her store-bought breasts jutting at Kat's eye level. “So, you're the little woman.”

“That's me. And I've heard so much about you, Claudette.”

“Claudia.” Claudia and Margaret corrected in unison,
matching frowns marring the perfection of their respective brows.

“Oh, of course. Claudia.”

“Exactly how did you and Andrew meet? It seems as if one day he and I were an item and the next the two of you were married.”

“We'd all be terribly interested to hear,” Margaret chimed in, glancing significantly toward Claudia. “We expected, well, it was certainly a surprise to learn Andrew had married a stranger.”

A.W. stood silent, a spectator enjoying the sharks circling.

“Love at first sight,” Andrew smiled.

Kat had no idea Andrew could sound so…sappy. “I suppose I just knocked him off his feet.”

Kat and Andrew exchanged a smile borne of a shared experience. He obviously remembered his landing in the sand as clearly as she did.

“How clichéd,” Claudia drawled.

“It's a good thing you and I were just pals, Claudia, because this woman has left me breathless from the moment I met her.” Andrew spoke to Claudia, but he gazed adoringly at Kat.

Despite the audience and the playacting, the heat in his eyes left her shaken.

Claudia's eyes narrowed to catlike slits. “Well, since Andrew and I are
pals,
perhaps you and I can do lunch one day.” Claudia tilted her head, pretending to study Kat before she lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “I'd be delighted to introduce you to an excellent plastic surgeon.”

A retort trembled on the tip of Kat's tongue, but Andrew jumped into the verbal fray ahead of her. “I can assure you, Claudia, every inch of Kat is perfect.” Steel threaded his smooth tone.

Kat laid her hand on the rigid muscles of Andrew's arm, thanking him with a slight squeeze. She'd made
her own way for a long time, depending only on herself. It felt good to have Andrew standing beside her. Somehow it felt right.

Claudia shared an arch look with Margaret, clearly implying that Kat's lack of inches could use some help.

Trent Braxton shuffled uncomfortably while A.W. nursed a drink and a smirk.

Mustering a confiding smile, Kat leaned toward Claudia. “It's such a relief you're taking this so well, Claudine, with you and Andrew being pals and everything. I wasn't sure what to expect.” She lowered her voice to the same stage whisper Claudia had affected earlier. “Mean-spiritedness can be such an unattractive trait, don't you think?”

“Absolutely, my dear.” Claudia's tight smile promised retribution while conceding Kat had backed her in a corner.

One second Kat was watching Claudia's feline snarl and the next she felt a thud against her back as an overenthusiastic dancing couple bounced off her. The two canapés sailed out of her hand as if flung on a planned trajectory. Everything slowed down to slow motion, just like in a bad dream. She watched in horrified fascination as the caviar-covered crackers soared straight toward Claudia.

Plop.

With unerring accuracy one landed between her eyes. The other smacked her chest. Fish roe slid south, disappearing between her two mounds of surgically perfected breasts.

Trent broke the silence. “Good shot!”

Claudia, wearing fish eggs and dripping venom, silenced him with a murderous look before rounding on Kat. “You…you…moron! How dare you attack me like that.”

“I'm sorry. It was an accident.” Kat tried not to laugh as she apologized.

Someone pounded a choking A.W. on the back.

“A couple bumped into her, Claudia. We'll take care of the cleaning bill,” Andrew offered.

Trent pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the murky mess on her chest. Claudia slapped his hand away and turned to wreak further verbal havoc on Kat.

Andrew tugged at Kat. “And now, if you'll excuse us…they're playing our song.”

Kat laughed with delight at Andrew's escape tactic as he pulled her into his arms, settled her against his hard angles and whisked her away from the mess. “Since when is the orchestral rendition of ‘Old Man River' our song?”

A devilish grin echoed her amusement. “As of about one minute ago, when I decided you'd been subjected to enough nastiness.”

Held close against his lean body, awareness of every thoroughly male inch of him tingled through her. The play of sinew and muscle against her palm, her hips and thighs, her aching breasts. The sound of his breathing mingled with her own, playing like a sensuous symphony in her head. Kat trembled with the hot heat that flooded her and pooled into a slick wetness at the juncture of her thighs. She ached for this man, and this man alone.

Concern darkened his eyes to storm gray as he sobered. “Are you okay?” His hand tightened on her waist.

No.
She wanted to shout at him.
You could break my heart if I let you.
Actually, he was well on his way without her permission.

And she'd better remember where she was and her role for the evening.

“I'm fine. It really was an accident, you know.” Kat smiled adoringly at Andrew and picked an imaginary speck of lint off his lapel for the benefit of their guests.
“Admit it. I did you a big, big favor when I saved you from Claudia. She's dreadful.”

Andrew pulled her closer still, the rush of charged sensuality sizzling between them echoed in the pounding of his heart beneath her cheek and the hard ridge pressed intimately against her. “Mmm. I suppose I owe you a favor in return.”

A wolf had jumped into the clothing of the safe, although sexy, sheep she'd married. Short of dying from desire, which seemed imminent, she pretended not to hear his suggestive comment.