Page 94 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“All right,” he agreed.
“I’ll make a pot of coffee.”
With a heavy sigh, Joe abruptly released her. Cait half fell against the sofa arm, requiring its support while she collected herself enough to walk into the kitchen. She unconsciously reached up and brushed her lips, as if she wasn’t completely sure even now that he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her.
He hadn’t been joking this time, or teasing. The kisses they’d shared were serious kisses. The type a man gives a woman he’s strongly attracted to. A woman he’s interested in developing a relationship with. Cait found herself shaking, unable to move.
“You want me to make that coffee?” he suggested.
She nodded and sank down on the couch. She could scarcely stand, let alone prepare a pot of coffee.
Joe returned a few minutes later, carrying two steaming mugs. Carefully he handed her one, then sat across from her on the blue velvet ottoman.
“You wanted to talk?”
Cait nodded. “Yes.” Her throat felt thick, clogged with confused emotion, and forming coherent words suddenly seemed beyond her. She tried gesturing with her free hand, but that only served to frustrate Joe.
“Cait,” he asked, “what’s wrong?”
“Paul.” The name came out in an eerie squeak.
“What about him?”
“He phoned me.”
“Yes, I know. You already told me that.”
“Don’t you understand?” she cried, her throat unexpectedly clearing. “Paul is finally showing some interest in me and now you’re kissing me and telling anyone who’ll listen that the two of us are married and you’re doing ridiculous things like...” She paused to draw in a deep breath. “Joe, oh, please, Joe, don’t fall in love with me.”
“Fall in love with you?” he echoed incredulously. “Caitlin, you can’t be serious. It won’t happen. No chance.”
ChapterSix
“No chance?” Cait repeated, convinced she’d misunderstood him. She blinked a couple of times as if that would correct her hearing. Either Joe was underestimating her intelligence, or he was more of a... a cad than she’d realized.
“You have nothing to worry about.” He sipped coffee, his gaze steady and emotionless. “I’m not falling in love with you.”
“In other words you make a habit of kissing unsuspecting women.”
“It isn’t a habit,” he answered thoughtfully. “It’s more of a pastime.”
“You certainly seem to be making a habit of it with me.” Her anger was quickly gaining momentum and she was at odds to understand why she found his casual attitude so offensive. He was telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. But she hadn’t expected her ego to take such a beating in the process. The fact that he wasn’t the least bit tempted to fall in love with her should have pleased her.
It didn’t.
It was as if their brief kisses were little more than a pleasant interlude for him. Something to occupy his time and keep him from growing bored with her company.
“This may come as a shock to you,” Joe continued indifferently, “but a man doesn’t have to be in love with a woman to kiss her.”
“I know that,” Cait snapped, fighting to hold back her temper, which was threatening to break free at any moment. “But you don’t have to be so... so casual about it, either. If I wasn’t involved with Paul, I might have taken you seriously.”
“I didn’t know you were involved with Paul,” he returned with mild sarcasm. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his pose infuriatingly relaxed. “If that was true I’d never have taken you out. The way I see it, the involvement is all on your part. Am I wrong?”
“No,” she admitted reluctantly. How like a man to bring up semantics in the middle of an argument!
“So,” he said, leaning back again and crossing his legs. “Are you enjoying my kisses? I take it I’ve improved from the first go-around.”
“You honestly want me to rate you?” she sputtered.
