But it had been a bitch of a day

But it had been a bitch of a day. He'd watched a deal on

an' apartment building in Sherman Oaks go down the tubes

because the seller was too stupid to know a good offer

when he saw one. His grandfather had called to tell

him―for the fifth or sixth time―that he was a damned fool

to be marrying that little blond tart when he could have had

a fine young woman from a good family, and that Cissy

Winslow was still ripe for the plucking. Luke had told him

to pluck her himself and hung up. He'd come home, looking

forward to a pleasant dinner in Devon's undemanding, if

vacuous, company and then ending the evening with some

nice, uncomplicated sex.

Instead Cat had shown up to inform him that he was no

longer engaged, which would please his grandfather to no

end and leave him that much closer to Cissy Winslow's

well-bred clutches. As the day's events flashed through his

mind, Luke felt the leash on his temper slip several

notches. Without taking time to think, he opened his mouth.

"What if I said the deal was off if you didn't sleep with

me?"

Cat's spine stiffened so fast, it was a wonder she didn't

end up with whiplash. Her eyes went from smoky-green to

icy-emerald, and the hands that had been resting on his

shoulders were suddenly flat against his chest as she

pushed herself back and out of his hold.

"I'd point out that we don't have a deal, and that even if

we did, I'm not particularly responsive to blackmail." She

looked down as she found her shoes under the edge of the

sofa and slid her feet into them.

She was leaving. If he didn't say or do something, she

was going to walk out, and while one part of his brain

pointed out that that might not be a bad thing, he knew he

didn't want her to go.

"I'm sorry that was way out of line."

"Yes, it was." She straightened and gave him a steady

look that made it easy to forget that he was older than she

was.

"I..." Luke ran his fingers through his hair, searching for

some plausible explanation as to why he was behaving like

a total bastard. He finally settled on the truth. "It's been a

lousy day. A really lousy day," he emphasized. "Finding out

I'd been unengaged was just the cherry on the sundae, but

that doesn't excuse my taking it out on you." He tried his

most ingratiating smile on her. "I'm sorry."

Cat considered him for a moment, her head tilted slightly

to one side. Luke resisted the urge to fidget under that

steady regard. He'd apologized. She would either accept it

or she wouldn't.

"Okay." She nodded, even smiled a little. "According to

old wives' tales, men get cranky when they're ... um ... in

extremis."

Against all expectation, Luke heard himself laugh. "In

extremis? I think that's the first time I've heard it called

that."

On impulse, he reached out, burying his fingers in the

heavy red silk of her hair. She stiffened slightly but didn't

resist when he pulled her close and lowered his mouth to

hers in a long, slow kiss that held both apology and

promise. When he lifted his head, he allowed himself a

moment of smug pleasure at the dazed look in her eyes. He

could still have her tonight, but that would be all he had.

He wanted more. More of that sulky lower lip and the

husky little laugh. More of those big green eyes that

reflected her changing moods like a mirror, and more of

that long, lithe body. One night wouldn't be enough.

He released her slowly, keeping her hand in his, rubbing

one thumb back and forth over the back of her hand.

"So, what do you think? If I promise not to be a jerk, you

think you'd be willing to try this marriage thing?"

Cat's breath caught, and something flared in her eyes, an

emotion gone too quickly for him to define. But the smile

that followed was warm and open.

"I'd like that," she said.

It wasn't every day that a man traded in one fiancée for

another, Luke thought. Instinct told him he was getting a

much better deal this time around.