Free Do Me Right by Cindi Myers Page A

to let him think she was too eager. But her cool facade slipped a little when she opened the door and saw him standing there. The casual cowboy had been replaced by a dangerously sexy man in tight black jeans and polished black boots, black tab-collar shirt and a black Stetson tilted low over his eyes. She put her hand to her chest, as if to hide the furious pounding of her heart.
    He let out a low whistle. "If all the angels looked like you, every man would get religion." One step across the threshold and he was pulling her close, his mouth covering hers in a warm, welcoming kiss.
    Trying to stay in charge of things--though part of her voted for ripping his clothes off then and there--she pushed away and took two steps back. "You certainly are dressed up," she said.
    He glanced down at his outfit. "I've been told I clean up all right. Besides, I have to keep up with you."
    She turned her back to him and strolled toward the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink?"
    "That's okay. We'd better leave or we'll be late."
    That stopped her. She faced him once more. "Late for what?"
    "We have dinner reservations."
    "Dinner?" The sudden hollowness in her stomach had nothing to do with hunger. "You never said anything about dinner."
    In three strides, he closed the gap between them and took her hand. "I believe I promised you something better than leftover bar pizza." He stroked his thumb across her knuckles. "And I'd never disappoint a lady."
    "No one ever said I was a lady." She'd long ago stopped expecting them to. She wasn't one of those delicate ultra-feminine types men fawned over. Who wanted a fawning man, anyway?
    He closed his hand around her fingers. "Come on, you'll enjoy this." He tugged her toward the door.
    Still uncertain of the wisdom of going along with his plans, she snagged her purse from the table by the door and allowed him to lead her to his truck. "You didn't have to do this," she grumbled as he opened the passenger door for her. "It's not like we're really dating or anything."
    "We both have to eat," he answered a moment later, as he slid into the driver's seat. He checked the mirrors, then started the engine. "Besides, you want to keep your strength up--for later."
    His grin was an exaggerated leer. She couldn't help but laugh, even as desire fluttered in her middle. She fastened her seat belt and settled back in the seat. "I am a little hungry." She slicked her tongue across her lips, making sure he noticed.
    He shifted in his seat and she allowed herself a smug smile. Oh, he'd noticed all right.
    He drove toward Town Lake and pulled into the parking lot of the Hyatt. At first she thought they were going to the Foothills Restaurant, famous for its fajitas and its view of the lake. But he cruised past the hotel and parked in the shade of a live oak tree, next to a boat landing. "Ever been on a dinner cruise?" he asked as he set the parking brake and unfastened his seat belt.
    She stared at the double-decker boat tricked out like a paddle wheeler, minus the paddle wheel. Lone Star, proclaimed the lettering on the prow. The American and Texas flags snapped in the evening breeze off the stern.
    Kyle came around and opened her door and took her hand to help her out. This flustered her even more. She hadn't expected him to wait on her like this; she'd just been too stunned to move.
    They made their way across the dock and up the gangplank to the boat, where a blue-coated waiter/sailor led them to a table on the lower deck along the railing. From here, they had a prime view of the lake and the city skyline around it. "Have you done this before?" she asked as Kyle sat across from her.
    He shook his head. "No, but I've always wanted to."
    She arranged her napkin in her lap and fiddled with her silverware, avoiding looking at him directly, but unable to keep from sneaking peeks out of the corner of her eye. Every time she saw him, she ended up like this--unsure of herself, not knowing what to expect next.
    That first day he'd