Evening Hours. Mary Baxter Lynn

was a hard but passionless kiss.

      Yet when Cutler pulled his lips away, she couldn’t utter a word. She was too stunned. She couldn’t even think about addressing anything else she felt. Not now, not with him still standing much too close.

      She glared at him. “Why did you do that?” She wouldn’t have him feeling sorry for her.

      “It was the only way I could figure out to shut you up.” He paused. “And I wanted to kiss you.”

      His tone deepened and sent chills down her spine. That made her even madder. If he was going to kiss her, she wanted it to be because he felt passion.

      “That wasn’t fair.”

      His lips twitched. “I know.”

      “Which says you don’t play by the rules.” She heard the unsteady edge to her voice, increasing her anger.

      “My rules, maybe.”

      His lips then spread into a full-fledged smile, which sent her further down that slippery slope.

      

      “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

      “I never said I’d go to lunch with you.”

      He paused, his hand on her arm, once again staring into her eyes. “You never said you wouldn’t either.”

      She knew she’d regret what she was about to do. Nonetheless, she nodded and preceded him out the door.

      “I like to see a woman eat.”

      “Then you’re not disappointed.”

      Cutler smiled. “You got that right.”

      Kaylee diverted her gaze in order to keep from staring into the depths of his incredible blue eyes. Already she suspected they saw far too much. Her soul was private, and she aimed to keep it that way, no matter how attracted she was to him.

      “I thought you’d enjoy this place, and I was right.”

      “My steak was cooked to perfection.”

      “Mine, too. But then it’s hard to beat pasta and steak as a combo.”

      Kaylee took a breath, then pushed her plate aside. He followed suit, and immediately their waiter appeared and whisked their plates away.

      “How ’bout another glass of wine?” Cutler asked.

      “I’ll have a cup of decaf coffee instead.”

      When silence fell between them, Kaylee perused the restaurant. It specialized in Italian cuisine, which was one of her favorites. They were seated in what she suspected was the garden room with soft music and live plants surrounding them.

      Kaylee tried to relax, to enjoy the company of a sexy, charismatic man, something she had only dreamed about. He was dressed in a white mock turtleneck and black jeans that perfectly outlined his hard body.

      Maybe that was one of the reasons she couldn’t relax. He looked big, broad and sexy. And he smelled good, too. All were powerful aphrodisiacs.

      The fact that she’d agreed to share lunch with him and the kiss they had shared were too much for her unadventuresome mind to handle.

      “You’re awfully quiet,” Cutler said in an almost musing tone.

      “Sorry.”

      One side of his mouth quirked. “No need to apologize.”

      “Why did you ask me to lunch?” Once she’d asked the blunt question, Kaylee regretted it. But there was no way to retract her words.

      He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at her with a strange glint in his eyes. “Why not?”

      “That’s just like a politician to answer a question with a question.”

      He chuckled.

      “I asked first.”

      He thought for another long second, then said, “Why can’t you accept the fact that I wanted to be with you?”

      “Ah, another question.” Kaylee forced a smile. “We’re not making much progress.”

      “Sure we are. We’re talking.”

      “That we are,” she responded, watching his mouth take on a sensual curve. She averted her gaze.

      “Kaylee, look at me.”

      His husky voice did nothing to calm her frayed nerves. She had to get a grip on herself or she wouldn’t make it through the remainder of the meal without making a complete fool of herself. Their conversation was getting far too personal, thanks to her.

      “Kaylee,” he repeated.

      She responded to the soft steel in his tone.

      “What?”

      “You’re a lovely woman with all the right stuff. You have to know that.”

      For a moment she was mesmerized by his long brown fingers as they toyed with the stem of his now empty wine-glass. She concentrated on the splattering of wiry black hair on his wrists.

      He was a man’s man and the sense of suffocation she felt at his nearness almost overwhelmed her. She’d never had this kind of strong reaction to anyone, but then when it came to the opposite sex, she’d had only one close encounter and that was with Kenny, who in the scheme of things didn’t count.

      So why should she be so drawn to a man she could never have?

      “You’re wrong,” she said at last. “I don’t have any of the right stuff.”

      “Someone sure did a number on you.”

      Kaylee blinked. “What makes you think that?”

      He ignored her question. “I’d like to get my hands on the bastard.”

      This time she was taken aback and didn’t bother to hide the fact. “You don’t know anything about me.”

      “I know that much,” he said flatly.

      She felt color flood her face, but she didn’t deny it because it was, after all, the truth.

      

      “I’d like to change the subject, if you don’t mind.”

      “Fine, but first, know that I’m here with you, right now, because I want to be.”

      Kaylee fought the urge to get up and get away from him. She didn’t like his being sweet to her. She didn’t want to feel this unwelcome attraction toward any man, especially Cutler.

      She looked away one more time. “Tell me about your reelection chances.”

      A smile tugged at his lips. “Okay, you win. For now, that is.”

      “Thanks,” she said with a tinge of sarcasm.

      His smile stretched into a grin, then disappeared. “My reelection bid. I’d say there’s a chance I might be defeated.”

      “Surely not.”

      “Winston Gilmore’s a formidable opponent.”

      “Still, it’s awfully hard to beat an incumbent.”

      “Not if you’ve chalked up a lot of enemies.”

      “Is there a reason for that?”

      Cutler shrugged. “I’ve been told I’m too hardheaded and hard-assed.”

      She smiled. “At least you admit it.”

      “Oh, I know my shortcomings, all right, only—”

      “You’re not willing to do anything about them.”

      “Ah, you’ve already got me pegged.”

      His