Her heart ached. She had wanted him to look atherthat way, not another woman. The only consolation she had was the smile never reached his eyes. They stayed just as hard and cold. He might desire the woman, but she didn’t have his heart. Cara was beginning to realize no woman would be able to claim that part of him. It did not exist.
“When did you get back into town?” As her hand reached out to run down his muscled arm, Cara wanted to smack the woman’s hand away from him.
“Couple of days ago. We’ve been rained in at the cabin. Tammy, this is Cara,” Jericho introduced them without looking up from his menu, showing that neither woman was of importance to him.
Cara’s lips tightened. She wanted to throw the glass of water in his face, and she was the most even-tempered of her sisters. Often, they had made fun of her attitude, not understanding how she could be so forgiving of others, but Jericho was pushing at her anger.
She could understand his attitude toward her. She had been thrust upon him, and he had seen that she had been taken care of, but this Tammy had obviously shared his bed, so he could have at least been courteous.
Cara could tell the woman was trying to keep the anger and jealously hidden from Jericho when a fake smile curved her lips.
“She’s looking for a place to stay. After we eat, we’ll head to the hotel, and then I’ll wait until you get off.”
The other woman’s eyes brightened. “The inn is booked solid. There was a massive mudslide, and the highway is closed until they can get it cleared. The town is full of stranded motorists. But I have an idea. She could stay at my place. Hopefully, I won’t need it for a few days.”
Jericho raised his eyes from the menu. He had never allowed her to stay at his cabin, but it was the lesser of two evils. He needed to get rid of Cara before he made a mistake he would regret. Tammy knew the score; she would never expect more from him than a quick fuck. Cara, on the other hand, would expect more, and Jericho had no intention of giving her false hope. He didn’t want a woman other than for relieving his needs, and once the sex was over, he wanted her gone. It would be a pain having Tammy in his cabin, but the road would open soon, and he could bring her back and put Cara in the inn.
“That sounds like a plan,” Jericho told Tammy.
“Great. I get off at five. What can I get you to eat?”
Jericho ordered his steak then looked at Cara. “What would you like to eat?” He hardened himself against her hurt-filled gaze.
“Do they have spaghetti?”
This time, it was Jericho who looked away. He felt as if he had kicked a helpless kitten.
Forcing indifference, he looked at Tammy. “Give her the same thing I ordered.”
When Tammy left to get their orders, Cara looked down. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to be left alone in town while Jericho took his waitress back to the cabin. She knew they would spend the time in his bed, which made her so envious of the woman she couldn’t breathe. If Venus or Aphrodite were here, they would know how to get their man.
When the door to the restaurant opened, Cara looked to see who had entered, and her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t think she would ever be glad to see the man, yet right then, when she was missing her family so badly and suffering from Jericho’s rejection, she was so happy tears came to her eyes.
The other diners weren’t so happy. The women were stunned at his sensual beauty and every hormone went into overdrive. Their bodies squirmed in desire, breasts tautened, eyes glazed over as they watched the man poised in the doorway.
Grimm always liked to make an entrance.
As Cara’s face lit up and an angelic smile curved her luscious lips, Jericho’s dick hardened in his jeans. He forced himself to look away from her and stared out the window to gain control of himself. The sooner he got Tammy back to his cabin, the better. She was uncomplicated and would take care of the hard-on he’d had since meeting Cara.
Cara watched in amusement as Grimm’s dark eyes searched the faces of the diners. The men choked on fear while every misdeed, whether minor or truly evil, flashed before their eyes. Every primitive instinct of both sexes had been brought to the forefront. Guilty husbands looked away from their wives, and the women shied away from their husbands in remorse. Even the children were affected, beginning to cry and confess to every misdeed—from disobeying the babysitter to swiping candy at the local market.
When he began to walk toward Cara’s table, the people in the restaurant actually tensed in fear that he would stop at their own.
Jericho, oblivious to the man entering the room, only turned from staring out the window when the man slid in next to him at the booth.
Surprise stilled him from knocking the intruder away.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Tears clogged her throat, and she was barely able to squeak out his name. “Grimm”
“How are you holding up?”
Cara gathered herself. “It’s good to see you. Have you come to take me home?” Hope lit her beautiful eyes.
“Sorry, babe, you know that’s not possible. I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop in to see how you’re doing.”
Cara’s lip began to tremble before she could help herself. “I want to go home. Please help me, Grimm.” Desperation laced her voice.