Bronwyn Jameson - Fortune's Mergers

Case had called Gina, as promised, just before noon. After talking for a few minutes, he had invited her to a dinner party at his parents’ home. Still suffering the same sexual frustrations that had kept her awake half the night, she’d been tempted to tell him to forget the party and come to her loft instead, as she had different plans for him that night.

Coward that she was, she’d accepted his invitation instead, then prayed that she wouldn’t embarrass herself by groping him in front of his family. How could she do anything less, she asked herself, when she’d had nothing but sex on her mind since he’d left her the night before?

Thankfully, selecting the proper outfit consumed most of her afternoon and took her mind off her sexual frustrations. Case had mentioned that it was a black-tie affair, which didn’t help at all, as that could mean anything from a cocktail dress to a ball gown, considering the crowd he ran with. Hoping to err on the underdressed side of black-tie, rather than the over, she’d chosen a winter-white pant suit and dressed it up with a pearl-beaded shell to wear beneath the mandarin-style jacket.

She’d spent an hour on her hair, trying to find a style that made her look more glamorous and less like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Deciding that was impossible, she’d finally swept her hair up in a loose knot and secured it with pearl-studded hairpins.

When Case knocked at her door at precisely seven, she was sliding her feet into heels the same winter-white as her pantsuit. Out of breath—and a whole lot nervous—she hurried to the door.

Her first glimpse of Case nearly brought her to her knees. He was dressed in a dark brown dinner jacket, and had left the collar of his cream-colored shirt open. The contrast in formal versus casual proved devastating to her system, leaving her mouth dry and her speechless.

He gave her a slow look up and down. “Wow. You look like a snow princess.”

Pleasure warmed her cheeks. “And exactly what does a snow princess look like?”

He slipped his hands around her waist and clasped them behind her back. “Like something that would melt in my mouth, if I dared taste her.” He lifted a brow. “Is there any danger of that happening?”

Emboldened by his appreciative look, she smiled coyly. “I don’t know. I guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.”

Taking the challenge, he stroked his tongue in a lazy arc over her lips that sent a jolt of desire all the way to her toes.

When he withdrew, she inhaled a ragged breath, then blinked open her eyes. “Did I melt?”

Frowning thoughtfully, he swept his tongue over his lips. “Can’t tell. Maybe we should try again.”

She pressed a hand against his chest to stop him from kissing her again, fearing that if he did, they’d never make it to his family dinner.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” she said with regret. “We don’t want to be late.”

Gina gave Case’s arm a tug, stopping him before he could open the front door of his parents’ home.

“Skylar is the one with the long, light brown hair, right?” she asked in a frantic whisper. “Kind of a tomboy?”

“More than kind of. There’s nothing frilly or fussy about our Skylar.”

“And Eliza has blond hair and blue eyes?”

Chuckling, Case bussed her a quick kiss. “Quit obsessing. No one is going to be offended if you forget his or her name.”

His assurance did little to ease Gina’s nervousness as she followed him inside.

“Sounds as if everyone is in the den,” he said, guiding her in that direction.

Gina’s uneasiness increased ten-fold, when she saw the number of people already gathered. Besides the members of Case’s family she’d already met, there were some new faces, as well.

Tightening her grip on Case’s arm, she nodded toward the fireplace. “Who is that with Maya?” she whispered.

Case followed her gaze. “Her boyfriend, Brad.”

Gina watched Maya and Brad for a moment, then lifted her face close to Case’s ear. “If Brad’s her boyfriend, why does she keep sneaking peeks at Creed?”

Chuckling, Case shook his head. “You women. Always trying to stir up trouble.”

“I’m not trying to stir up anything,” she said indignantly, then poked her elbow against his ribs and tipped her head discreetly toward the couple again. “See for yourself. She may be talking to Brad, but it’s Creed she’s got her eye on.”

Case followed her gaze and frowned thoughtfully. “It does appear that way,” he replied, then shrugged. “It’s probably nothing. Come on,” he said, drawing her further into the room. “Let’s get something to drink.”

Though Gina didn’t agree with Case’s assessment of Maya’s covert interest in Creed, she kept her opinion to herself and allowed him to lead her to the bar.

As he handed her a flute of champagne, Eliza joined them, slipping an arm through Gina’s. “Better watch him,” she warned, eyeing Case suspiciously. “He tries to get women drunk so that he can have his way with them.”

Gina blinked, then sputtered a laugh, when she realized that Eliza was teasing her. “Don’t worry. I’m wise to his devious ways.”

Smiling, Eliza stretched to her toes and planted a kiss on Case’s cheek. “Hi, big brother.”

He made a show of wiping away her kiss. “Don’t try buttering me up now.”

Laughing, Eliza caught the hand of a woman passing by and drew her into the group.

“Gina, I’d like for you to meet a friend of mine, Diana Young. Diana, this is Case’s current flavor-of-the-month, Gina Reynolds.”

“Would you stop?” Case complained. “You make me out to be some kind of playboy.” Turning to Diana, he smiled warmly and extended his hand. “It’s always a pleasure seeing you, Diana,” he said, then shot Eliza a scowl and added, “in spite of the company you keep.”

Laughing gaily, Eliza looked around the room. “Quite a crowd, huh?”

Gina followed her gaze and stifled a shudder at the number of unfamiliar faces. “And then some.”

“Oh, look!” Eliza cried excitedly. “The Australians have arrived!” She lifted a hand high, catching the attention of the two men who had entered the room and motioned for them to join her.

“You’re going to love these guys,” she said in an aside to Gina and Diana. “Max is a cousin of ours. Mom and Dad met up with him while they were in Australia and invited he and his business partner, Zack Manning, to visit us in the States. They’re interested in horse breeding and want to check out Skylar’s setup.”

As the men made their way through the crowded room, Gina noticed the recognition that flared in Diana’s eyes, as well as the shock.

Eliza caught Max’s hand and pulled him into the group. “You already know Case,” she said, beginning the introductions. “And this is his date, Gina Reynolds, and this,” she said draping an arm at her friend’s waist and hugging her to her side, “is Diana Young.”

Diana tipped her head in greeting. “Hello, Max.”

Max muttered something that Gina couldn’t quite hear, then said to the group as a whole, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to Patricia and Nash.”

Gina watched him stride quickly away, his friend Zack following, and wondered at the odd exchange.

“Let’s mingle,” Eliza said, and turned away, with her friend Diana in tow.

“That’s odd,” Gina said, with a frown.

“What’s odd?” Case asked.

“Judging by Diana’s expression when Eliza first pointed Max out, I would’ve sworn she already knew him. Yet, they greeted each other as if they were total strangers. And did you notice his expression? He looked almost … angry.”

Case reared back to look at her suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re a children’s author and not a detective? That’s two clandestine incidences you’ve noticed since arriving.”