Against Her Odds: when dedication meets desire (3 page)

She took a sip of her water and waited for
his reaction. She’d given this speech on every first date that she’d had since
she’d left high school. Some men were fine with it. Others assumed they could
change her mind. Others thought that she was saying that she was fine with
having large amount of casual sex. He only waited, his dark eyes interested.
For some reason, that unnerved her even more. “I’ve known what I was going to
do since I was eight years old, and I need to get in on the ground floor and
start moving up as soon as possible. I actually need to work even harder,
since, in terms of my goals, I’m behind schedule. So I--”

“Okay,” Cason said easily. He didn’t
usually interrupt, but he had the feeling that she was only continuing to talk
to protect herself from hearing his rejection. He wasn’t about to reject her.
He liked her a lot. She was interesting. She was obviously smart and driven.
And...he gave an internal shrug as he admitted it, she was the sexiest woman
he’d ever been out with and someday he’d like to find out what she was like
between the sheets. “Guess you give that speech a lot?”

“Well, yes.” She scrutinized his face. He
didn’t look upset. He also didn’t look like he thought he was going to get her
into bed after dinner. He looked relaxed and slightly amused and her muscles
relaxed for the first time since she’d gotten into his truck. “Just like that?
Just okay?”

“Why not?” he asked practically. “I like
you. I want to get to know you.” He leaned forward, giving her his confident
grin. “I figure I can always get on my knees and beg you to change your mind if
I decide that I can’t live without you.”

His ease and openness made her laugh with
sheer relief. “I like you, Cason McDaniel,” she admitted as she twirled her
pasta between her fork and spoon with expert motions.

“Good,” he drawled, taking a sip of his
tea. “Because I like you too, Blondie.”

“I had fun tonight,” Val said, struggling
to find her keys under all the junk in her purse. The clutch was too small, but
a big bag would have looked ridiculous with her outfit and she still wouldn't
have been able to find anything, so fashion had won out.

He glanced down at her, wondering what she
would do if he gave in and kissed her like he’d been dying to do the whole
night. “Me too.”

After the restaurant, they’d gone to a
movie and he’d enjoyed the brush of her fingers against his as they both
reached for the popcorn at the same time. All it did was remind him of how long
it had been since he’d been close with a woman. Or maybe, he had to admit to
himself, there was just something special about this woman. Just sitting next
to her had had his body humming all evening. When she glanced up to tell him
goodbye, he gave in to his impulse.

His hand on the nape of her neck was
gentler than she had thought that it would be. She’d barely had time to process
his gentle touch when his lips caught hers in a kiss so light she wasn’t sure
it was happening until he pulled back to look into her eyes.

He traced his thumb over her full lower
lip. “You okay with this?” He hoped to God she’d say yes. That small taste
wasn’t going to be nearly enough.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I think I’m
more than okay with this.”

His lips met hers again, moving slowly,
coaxing a response from a kiss almost light enough to be innocent. Almost. Her
legs were shaking when he drew back again.

“Cason,” Val said suddenly.

“Yeah?” His breathing didn’t seem to want
to even out. That had been one hell of a kiss. He’d had to struggle to keep
from doing something stupid like pushing her up against the wall and hoping
that she’d wrap her legs around him. It still seemed like a good idea,
actually.

“Don’t judge me for this, please.”

“For wh--” He didn’t have time to finish
his sentence before her lips were under his again. She buried her hands in his
hair and parted her lips for him, taking the kiss deeper and deeper until his
control snapped.

His touch wasn’t gentle anymore, but that
was fine with Val. She found herself sandwiched firmly between his muscular
chest and her front door. When his thigh wedged in between her legs she heard
herself moan as she flexed her body against his. She’d never had such instant
chemistry with a man in her life and, as much as she wanted to turn the
doorknob and tumble into bed with him...or even onto the floor with him...she knew
that she couldn’t do it. She eased back and he responded instantly.

“I’d better go,” he said, his low voice now
as ragged as his breathing. “Before you have to watch a grown man beg.”

She laughed breathlessly, straightening her
dress. “All right. But you’ll have to come back soon.”

“Believe me darlin’, after that, you
couldn’t keep me away,” he promised her, unable to stop himself for pulling her
close for one more kiss. He liked the way her hands tightened on his shoulders
when they kissed. He loved the way she gave herself over to the moment. Now he
was more hopeful than ever that someday he might get to take her to bed with
him.

When he finally released her, Val unlocked
her door and stepped inside. Her shaking legs barely took her to the couch and
she couldn’t help but giggle over that. It had been way too long since she’d
felt this good after a date.

The feeling lasted until she checked her
cell phone, which had somehow ended up set to silent. Something in her small
purse must have pressed against it. The station had called. Twice. Her heart
dropped to her stomach.

“Oh no!” She hit redial quickly. “Hey, it’s
Val. What do you need?”

“Nothing now,” the night manager answered
cheerfully. “There was a fire at the warehouse, but we got it covered. Don’t worry
about it.”

Don’t worry about it? Val wanted to scream!
“Okay. Well, thanks for calling me though.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow.”

She hung up with a disheartened groan. What
had she done to deserve this type of karma? She was a good person, damn it! Her
phone buzzed again and she answered quickly.

“How’d the date go?”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Well, thanks a lot!” Becky said
indignantly. “Does that mean it didn’t go well?”

“No, it actually went great. But while I
was out, I completely missed the chance to cover a real story.”

“Oh yeah, the fire. Well, I know that isn’t
what you like to hear, but what’s done is done. Tell me about your date! How
did he take the speech? Did he stomp off vowing to find a woman who would
settle down and bear his children? Hopefully in my general direction?” Becky
teased.

“No,” Val informed her. “He took it well.
No complaints.” In spite of her irritation that she’d missed out on what could
have been a career changing story, she found herself remembering his kiss. She
brushed her fingers over her lips as if he’d left a physical imprint on her.
“It ended well too.”

“Oh really?” Becky sounded interested.
“Spill it.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking. You know I
don’t do that type of thing on the first date. It was...it was just a kiss.”
Quite possibly the best kiss of her life, but she wasn’t obligated to tell her
friend everything.

“A good kiss?”

“A very good kiss,” Val confirmed.

“You like him!” Becky gasped.

“That is why I went out with him,” Val said
in confusion.

“No, I haven’t ever heard you sound like
this about a guy. You didn’t even get upset with Jerry when he moved to
Australia and you had been dating him for six months.”

“It was a great opportunity,” she answered.
“I would have done the same thing.”

“Sure. Because you were hardly interested
in the guy. What would you do if Cason moved to Australia?”

“I’d wonder why he was doing it when his
farm is here. Honestly, Becky, you’re getting way ahead of yourself. I do like
Cason. I would very much like to kiss Cason again. But I’m committed to my
career and this conversation isn’t going to change that.”

“Okay, okay,” Becky said, realizing that
Val was getting annoyed. “I’m glad you had a good date, and I’m really sorry
you missed out on the chance to report something horrific.”

“Well thanks, and me too, even though you
make me sound like an ambulance chaser. I’ll see at work tomorrow.”

“See you.”

Val walked to the kitchen and plugged in
her phone. As she made a cup of tea and waited for her shower to heat up, she
was surprised to find that she was thinking more about Cason than the missed
chance at reporting some real news for a change. One good kiss and her mind
turned to mush. She determinedly turned up the volume on her cell phone’s
ringtone and shook the cowboy out of her mind.

She’d meant every word she said to him in
the restaurant and to Becky during their phone conversation. She was a career
woman. She was going to do her best to be just as good as her father had been,
to follow in his footsteps and make him proud. Sitting at her kitchen table
drinking tea and mooning over a sexy cowboy wasn’t the way to do it.

“I’ll just have to be more available at the
station,” she said firmly, even though there was no one to hear her. “I’ll have
to find more ways to let them know that they’re my first priority.”

With a determined nod, Valerie rinsed out
her teacup, her mind spinning with ways to show her dedication. She ignored the
hollow feeling the resolution gave her as headed for the shower and her bed.

“Hey there,” Cason said, propping against
the fence a little after lunchtime. He’d called Val that morning, but she
hadn’t answered, so he’d decided to try again. He didn’t care if he looked
desperate, because after that kiss, he was willing to admit that he was.

“Hi,” Val said, sounding distracted.

“Are you busy right now?” he asked,
suddenly remembering that not everyone worked like him. It was entirely
possible that she was doing something that had an actual deadline.

“Yes,” she lied. In keeping with her
resolution, she’d ignored his call the first time, but when his number flashed
on her screen again she’d decided to go ahead and deal with it. She wasn’t
being fair. “I’ve had a crazy morning.” She saw Becky raise an eyebrow at her,
so she ducked her head quickly, pretending to be flipping through her day
planner. The vast amount of free time there seemed to mock her.

“Oh yeah? Tell me about it.”

Tell him about it? She sighed. Her mother
was right; sooner or later, your sin would find you out.

“Just a lot of little things,” she said
vaguely. “You know how it is.”

“Sure,” Cason agreed, even though he had no
idea what it was like to be a reporter. “I was calling to ask if you wanted to
get together this Saturday. I’ve got an idea you’re gonna love, Blondie.” At
least, he hoped so.

She found herself starting to smile at his
confident tone. "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. So what do you say?
Saturday? I'll pick you up."

She was surprised to find herself saying
yes. It seemed that she was no better at keeping resolutions than she was at
inventing lies.

“Around seven?” he asked.

This time, she picked up on the relief in
his voice. “Sure thing, cowboy."

She hung up and dropped her chin into her
hands. What had she done? Actually, it wasn’t what she’d done that was the
problem. It was why she’d done it that made no sense to her at the moment.
She’d always been good at culling the parts of her life that interfered with
her job. People had even called her ruthless. Yet here she was, accepting a
date from a person who had cost her a prime assignment just last night.

“But it wasn’t really his fault,” she
muttered before taking a sip of her coffee. “I just need to be more careful
about my phone. And if I don’t start getting out more, I’m going to turn into a
crazy cat lady. Case in point, I am currently sitting here talking to myself.
This is not good for my career.”

Having arranged it to her satisfaction, she
gave in to her friend’s frankly inquisitive look and waved her over for a chat.
It felt kind of nice to relax and be normal for just a few minutes. She didn’t
want to acknowledge how good it felt to think about something other than her
career.

Val chuckled when the truck came to a stop
at the destination he’d been so cryptic about. She’d put up a token fight about
his refusal to tell her where they were going, but she had to admit that she’d
loved being surprised.

There was a real joy in being with Cason.
He loved teasing her and surprising her. In other words, unlike so many of the
people Val knew, he actually enjoyed living life.

“I haven’t been here since the park
opened!”

“You’ve been here?” He’d hoped she’d enjoy
the fun park, but he had expected to be the first person to bring her here.

“I did a story on it last year,” she said,
a fond smile softening her features. “The owner is a really nice guy.”

Cason helped her down from the truck and
pulled her close, pressing his lips to the top of her head in a quick kiss.
“I’m glad you approve, Blondie.”

She looped her arm through his, looking
down to hide her pleased smile. “What are we doing first?” she asked.

“Well, that all depends on whether you want
to lose at racing or in the batting cages,” he said innocently.

Valerie quirked an eyebrow. “All right,
mister. I’ll accept your challenge at the batting cages.”

“You’re gonna regret it,” he said, giving
her a cocky smile that showed off an elongated dimple in his cheek. “When I was
a kid I was convinced I was headed to the big leagues.”

“You mean you didn’t always want to be a
cowboy?”

“No way,” he said, handing her a bat.
“There was major league baseball player, astronaut, firefighter, police
officer, and, very briefly, one of those people who makes desserts for a
living.”

“A baker?” Valerie laughed, covering her
mouth with her hand.

Cason pointed at her in mock seriousness.
“Hey, some of the best chefs in the world are men.”

“That’s true. But you can’t even bake
bread.”

He flashed her a grin and then stepped
behind her, correcting her form and using the opportunity to kiss the back of
her neck.

“But I like dessert. Not all of us knew
what we wanted to be from first grade, you know. Swing, Blondie.”

His big hands guided hers and the bat
connected with the ball in a way that sent tingles up her arms. Or maybe that
was just from being so close to him.

He lowered his lips to her ear and she
heard his deep voice rumble, “Good one, darlin’.”

She turned her head impulsively and pressed
her lips to his. Cason’s hands slid down her back, pulling her closer and
slanting his mouth over hers eagerly. He’d been waiting all week for another
taste of Valerie Turner.

When he pulled back, she gave him a teasing
smile. “Do I get one of those for every good hit?”

“Wouldn’t be fair,” he said. Her mouth
drooped and he laughed. “To me, Blondie. You oughta know by now that you drive
me crazy.”

“What is it they say?” she asked, tracing
her finger down the buttons of his shirt as she looked up at him. “Turn about
is fair play? You drive me pretty crazy too, cowboy.”

He slid his hands down her sides and let
them rest on her hips as she put her back to him again and raised the bat. He
drew her close and leaned down.

“Swing.”

She missed when his teeth closed gently on
her earlobe. “You did that on purpose!”

“Sure did.” His lips traveled down her
neck, pressing roughly on the hollow of her throat. Val leaned her head back
against his shoulder with a sigh of pleasure. “Missed again, Blondie.”

“I’ll get you back when it’s your turn.”

“Looking forward to it,” he murmured before
his lips met hers once more.

As they drove back home, something occurred
to Cason. “What did you want to do when you were a kid?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not a hard question,” he said with a
half laugh. “And I told you all my secrets.”

“Just a reporter.”

“No way,” he said flatly. “No little kid
wants to be a reporter!”

“This one did,” Val said with a laugh at
his astonishment.

“You really didn’t want to anything else?
For your whole life, all you’ve
ever
wanted is to be a reporter?”

Val sighed and leaned back against the
seat. “Okay, if you must know, for a while I wanted to be a writer.”

“What did you want to write about?”

“Oh, Cason, I don’t know. It was so long
ago.”

He only waited patiently. Val squirmed on
the seat.

“Okay, fine. I wanted to write…” she paused
and then went on. He’d asked, after all. “Stories that make people happy.”

“And now you get to tell stories that make
people happy,” he said, but Val only shrugged, looking a little down.