Seduction by the Book

CASSIE WATCHED MARK drive away out of the corner of her eye. Her heart pumped wildly. Had pretending that her brother’s T-shirt and cufflinks belonged to a lover worked? Had she piqued Mark’s interest, given him a glimpse of what he’d missed?

From the clip on her waistband, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and gave a little squeal to see Mark’s name. Cassie connected the call. “Hello?”

“Cassie, hi. It’s Mark.”

“Did you decide to lay claim to the cufflinks?” she teased.

He gave a little laugh. “No. Actually, my team could use a fourth in a charity golf scramble this Saturday afternoon at Trembley. Would you be interested?”

Cassie smiled into the phone. It wasn’t exactly a rendezvous in the woods, like Connie and Mellors in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but it was a chance to spend time with him in the outdoors. And his invitation meant that her seduction plan was working—he was thinking about her. “Sure, that sounds like fun.”

“Okay. See you then.”

She disconnected the call and put a hand over her racing heart. Seeing Mark again had affected her more than she’d expected—she’d forgotten how tall he was, and how handsome. The juxtaposition of earthy male in shirt and tie had her body on full alert, throbbing to a beat entirely separate from her pulse.

Suddenly, Cassie was bombarded with text messages from her book club members.

How did it go?

Did he take the bait?

Details, details.

Is the seduction under way?

Cassie used her thumbs to type in Everything going as planned….

4

“ARE YOU SURE she’s coming?” Steve asked, leaning on his golf clubs. “Just our luck that Thomson has the flu.”

Mark gave his coworker a wry smile. “Somehow I think Thomson got the worse end of things.”

“We’ll be disqualified if we don’t have at least three players.”

“Relax. Cassie said she’d be here.” Mark’s admonishment was more for himself than for his antsy partner. Since earlier in the week, the image of her wet T-shirt and short shorts had worn on his nerves like a file. And inexplicably, the good times they’d shared seemed to rise from the recesses of his memory to taunt him. He missed talking with someone who understood the demands and frustrations of his job. He missed her easy smile and quick laugh. He missed wondering what she was hiding under her shapeless clothes, and why.

And he’d left without giving her a chance to reveal either.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked. “You look like you ate bad potato salad.”

“I’m fine. When Cassie gets here, don’t mention the Belzer project—let me handle it.”

“Okay, this is all on you. You know what we have riding on this bid.” Suddenly Steve straightened. “Yowza. Now that’s a nice set of legs.”

Mark followed his coworker’s line of sight to the path above them leading to the tee. A set of lean, tanned legs came into view and Mark’s pulse jerked in recognition. “That’s Cassie.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up as the rest of her came into view. “I don’t remember her looking like that.”

Mark was torn between feeling protective and being irritated—he didn’t remember her looking like that, either.

She had traded her traditional chinos and baggy polo shirt for a navy blue athletic skirt and a white sleeveless shirt, both of which fit her hourglass figure like a glove. Her dark hair was scooped back from her face with a yellow visor, her ponytail bobbing in time with her quick, confident stride. Instead of using a pull-cart, she had shouldered her golf clubs, and carried them with athletic ease. When Cassie saw Mark, she waved and her lovely face lit up with a smile.

“Why did you break up with her again?” Steve asked, still staring. “I thought you said she wasn’t sexy.”

Mark frowned. “With your golf handicap, you really should try to keep your eye on the ball today.”

“It’s a scramble,” Steve muttered. “Only one of the three of us has to play well. Besides, what’s the harm in looking? It’s not as if you’re interested in her. You dumped her, remember?”

A sour mood descended over Mark, but he managed a smile when Cassie came bouncing up like a ball of sunshine.

“Am I late?” she asked.

“Right on time,” Steve said smoothly, then extended his hand.

Mark had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Cassie Goodwin, meet my coworker, Steve Hamlin.”

“Hi,” she said, meeting his hand.

Mark noticed that she didn’t seem to mind that Steve held on longer than necessary. The XXL shirt and the cufflinks popped into his mind. The fact that Cassie had had at least one overnight guest since their breakup meant she was open to male companionship. Steve and Cassie fell into step, heading toward the first tee where other golfers had gathered. Mark followed behind, watching their interplay with growing ire.

What was it about him that Cassie had retreated from? Had he been insensitive? Pushy? Unromantic?

All of the above?

Adding to his foul mood, of their threesome, only Cassie seemed to be able to focus on the game. He and Steve both were so distracted by her, Cassie had the best shot on the first two holes.

“Nice swing,” Steve said under his breath, but he was staring at her ass, not her club.

“Knock it off,” Mark said irritably.

“What are you, her boyfriend?” Steve said under his breath, then raised his voice when Cassie approached them. “So, Cassie—I hear that you and Mark used to date.”

She smiled at Mark. “That’s right.”

“So tell me something about my friend here that I don’t know.”

Mark shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. That I’m a jerk for breaking things off the way I did. That I was thinking with the wrong head. That I didn’t give us a chance.

“He gives great back rubs,” Cassie said, her blue eyes full of mirth.

“You don’t say?” Steve turned raised eyebrows in Mark’s direction.

Mark gave a tight smile, but inside he was perplexed. He’d never given Cassie a backrub—she obviously had him confused with some other guy who had his hands all over her.

And why did the thought of some other guy having his hands all over Cassie arouse such strong feelings of jealousy?

During the rest of the nine-hole scramble, Mark was torn between wanting the event to end, yet enjoying the chance to study Cassie unobserved. Her concentration was intense. She wrinkled her nose adorably just before she swung the club. And her neck…how had he never noticed the elegant line of her neck?