His smile soft, he leaned down to press a lingering kiss against her lips, then withdrew to meet her gaze. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised.
Then he was gone.
Gina had heard the phrase “sexually frustrated” before, but she’d never truly known what it meant … until now. Hours after Case had left and she still burned with need, her body all but aching with it. She couldn’t believe Case would arouse her to such a level, then leave without ever attempting to satisfy her—or himself, for that matter. And he’d been aroused, too. She knew, because she’d felt his erection lengthen and harden against her side.
Why hadn’t he pressed her to have sex with him? she asked herself in frustration. Hadn’t he realized that she was as aroused as he was? That she wouldn’t have been able to stop him, even if she’d wanted to? Five more minutes at the mercy of his unbelievable sensual torture, and she would’ve stripped him naked and had her way with him.
I’m saving myself for marriage.
She rolled to her stomach with a groan and buried her face in her pillow, remembering what she’d told him the previous times he’d attempted to seduce her.
It’s all my fault, she thought miserably. By leaving, he was demonstrating his willingness to abide by the rules she’d set. If nothing else, she should admire his nobility.
But acknowledging he was noble didn’t take away the ache he’d left her with, or the need.
Across town, Gina’s father, Curtis Reynolds, knelt on the kitchen floor, his head gripped between his hands. Dizzy. He was so dizzy. And the pain! It was blinding, debilitating and growing stronger by the day. Unable to sleep, he’d been on his way to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice, when the pain had first hit him.
“Mr. Reynolds? Are you all right?”
It took a moment for his housekeeper’s voice to penetrate the dark bounds that vised his mind.
He drew in a deep breath, then another, before carefully lifting his head to find his housekeeper stooped over him. “I’m all right, Mary,” he assured her.
“Are you sure?” she asked in concern. “I can get you another pain pill, if you want.”
He shook his head, as much to clear the webs from it as in response to his housekeeper’s question. “No more pills. They muddle my mind.”
“But the doctor said—”
“I know what the doctor said,” he snapped, then softened the reprimand by giving her hand a reassuring pat. “When a man doesn’t have much time left, he should be able to live it with a clear mind, not in a damn fog.”
“Let me call Gina,” she suggested hesitantly. “If she knew—”
He shook his head. “No. I left her a message asking her to call and she hasn’t. If she came at your request, I’d know it would be out of pity, not because she cared.”
“But she’s your daughter,” she said in frustration. “She should be here with you.”
He shook his head sadly. “No. I was never there for her when she needed me. I can’t very well ask her to come running just because I need her.”
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.”
Five
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