Chapter 9
Sensations screamed along her nerve endings, making her limbs all but tremble. It was three weeks since the airlines had changed ownership. It seemed more like three months. During that time, she had been dodging and evading the inevitable: falling into bed with her childhood sweetheart.
She figured she was doing pretty good, even if when she was alone at home and in bed at night, she was having a tough time falling asleep.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror inside her bedroom, she studied her reflection with more than a touch of nerves and anxiety.
It was the grand opening of the new airline.
A lot had happened since the takeover. New planes had been purchased and the old ones remodeled.
The uniforms were chic and modern, giving the men and women who worked on the planes an added zest in their steps.
She had to admit that everything Landry had done was right on the ball.
The dress had been an extravagance. A Romano's original, she had splurged, but it had been worth the extra chunk out of her credit card.
A shimmering, ice-blue color, it settled on her skin like a whisper of silk.
The front was deep and plunging, making it impossible to wear a bra.
Thin straps crisscrossed at the back, plunging to her bottom. It was scandalous, or nearly so.
She hesitated in front of the mirror, wondering if it was too much or too little, she amended with a shaky laugh.
Top executives would be there, associates of Landry's, whom he was hoping to rope into making investments.
His parents. She sucked in her breath at the thought of seeing them again and wondered if she looked like an expensive escort.
Lifting her chin, she took one last look in the mirror at her expertly made-up face and shook back the hair she had shampooed and conditioned at the salon earlier today.
She was a professional, and there was absolutely nothing wrong in flaunting her physical assets.
She was a woman, and tonight, she was determined to be seen as one.
Besides, she would have her brother as a shield, in case she needed one. Picking up the cashmere wrap, she took one last look at herself before leaving her bedroom.
***
It would be tonight, Landry decided as he shrugged into his navy-blue jacket. They had been playing the game for the past three weeks, and it was about time.
Any longer and he was going to burst wide open from unfulfilled desire and fiery passion.
He had been at the airline in meetings two or three times a week, and each time it was getting decidedly worse.
He had to have her. He had made up his mind.
No more nonsense. Yes, bloody hell, he had hurt her, crushed her to pieces by his leaving, something that wasn't his damn fault, but they wanted each other.
He wouldn't be forcing her. And if he didn't have the pleasure of her delectable body under his, he was going to explode. It was as simple as that.
Hating the fact that his hands were trembling, he rocked back on his heels and eyed his reflection in the mirror. His parents and sister would be at the party. It was a grand event, and his assistant, the very capable and efficient Leonora, along with his sister, had arranged everything.
It was being held at one of their hotels, a recent acquisition along the Plaza.
He had invited a considerable number of people who would be interested in hopping onto the bandwagon and finding the prospect of owning a piece of the airline a pleasing one.
He knew people, wealthy people with money to burn and ones who loved to be in bed with the Crenshaws.
He was counting on that.
If he could just get her out of his mind for a few seconds, he could manage to concentrate on the business aspect of things.
But Christ, it was getting to be more and more difficult to stop thinking of her.
Wanting her was a constant ache inside his chest, not to mention his loins.
If this continued, he was going to end up with blistered balls.
It was going to be tonight, he resolved firmly. No longer.
***
Her brother's whistle of appreciation had her turning in a circle.
"What do you think?"
"I think that if you were any less clothed, you would be as bare as the day you were born." His eyes narrowed as he took her in. "Scratch that, you are as bare as the day you were born. What the hell?"
"I like it."
"And so will all the men at that damn party. Christ, sis. You're going to have a damn riot on your hands." His thick brows lifted. "Or is that what you're hoping?"
"I don't know what you mean," she told him breezily, wrapping the cashmere around her. "You don't look too shabby yourself."
In fact, her brother looked sharp and very handsome in tan trousers and a navy blazer over a baby-pink shirt, opened to reveal his strong throat. His hair was brushed, the natural waves lying close to his scalp.
"Ready?"
He was still staring at her with a tiny frown pleating his brow. "I should send you back upstairs to put some clothes on."
Her brows lifted. "You're forgetting that I'm a grown-ass woman."
"Ass being the operative word," he muttered. "Yours is all but bared to the public. And I happen to be your big brother."
"All of five minutes," she reminded him.
"Still..."
He seemed to be deciding whether to exercise his five minutes of seniority, but when he just stood there, she simply sailed ahead of him and unlocked the door.
"Coming?"
Hissing out a breath, he walked toward her. "If you have men pawing you in that dress, don't expect me to come to your rescue."
"You'll always come to my rescue," she reminded him sweetly.
***
He was bored out of his mind and wishing he were anywhere else.
In contrast, his sister was having the time of her life, flirting with some associates from New York.
She was late. Where the hell could she be?
He was about to take a drink from the glass of champagne when he heard a commotion at the entrance.
His mouth went dry as soon as she stepped into the crowded ballroom of the elegantly renovated hotel. What the hell was she wearing? He wondered furiously as he took in the outfit. He barely spared a glance at her brother before coming back to her.
His breath was strangled inside his chest as he continued to stare at her. If her intention had been to create a sensation, she had succeeded. Jealousy and anger vied for supremacy when he noticed the men practically licking their lips as she made her way further into the room.
Forcing himself to stay where he was, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a gulp, almost choking when she turned her back to speak to someone.
Christ Jesus! What the hell was she wearing? Damn her! How dare she leave her place wearing next to nothing. His fingers tightened on the delicate stem of the glass. He was about to march over to her and drag her from the room when he felt a hand sliding through the crook of his arm.
"Not a good idea, darling."
His head jerked toward his sister, who had a breezy smile on her lips. She was exerting enough pressure to give him pause. "Reporters and such, as well as our parents."
"You think I care?"
"I think you do not want to cause an ugly scene. You do not own her, and from the scowl on your handsome face, a scene is what you're going to cause. Besides, knowing Kady, I doubt she'd allow you to get away with it."
Hissing out a breath, he took another gulp of the champagne and tried very hard to calm down.
"She's almost naked," he muttered.
Kathy laughed softly, green eyes twinkling.
"I happen to think the dress is classy and she wears it very well indeed.
" Her eyes skimmed over the woman's curves, and she could not prevent the envy she felt.
"Why don't you calm down enough to have a normal conversation with the men from Texas?
There's definite interest from Jack Hardy, with the big laugh and ugly scar at the side of his left cheek.
Too much money and not enough sense. He wants to own 'a little ole piece of the airline. '"
Her perfect imitation of the man's Texas drawl had him grinning. He felt the tension draining.
"Why don't we let him?"
Feeling the relief coursing through her at his altered mood, she went on her toes and kissed his cheek. "That's the spirit."
Across the room, Kyle had been watching the scenario playing out and had read the expression on the man's face. He also knew his sister was deliberately not looking in Crenshaw's direction, which made it very obvious that she was trying hard not to.
Shaking his head, Kyle nodded to several women who were eyeing him. He wasn't interested. That is, not in them. Kathy Crenshaw caught his attention. He liked the look of her.
That was definitely not somewhere he wanted to go, but he felt his gaze drawn to her. She was wearing green, something slinky and sexy. Her blonde hair was to her waist, and even from across the room, he could feel the power of her smile.
Shaking his head again, he turned away. It would be madness for another member of the family to get involved with a Crenshaw. Besides, she was way out of his league.
***
Kady was so acutely aware of him that it took a concentrated effort not to turn around and look at him.
She was circling the room, making conversation.
His parents had greeted her cordially enough, but she saw the underlying coolness, reminding her that they had never really approved of her.
It didn't matter. She was no longer involved with their son.
And she was no longer a teenager, trying to impress the parents of the boy she was in love with.
Those days were long gone.