“—you,” he finished, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her near. “Yeah, I’m a little banged up. I guess Zak didn’t read in the script that when Prince Charming moves in for the big rescue, he shouldn’t suffer a single scratch.”
“Zak was plain drunk. Lucid, but he smelled like a whiskey distillery. I don’t know what got into him.”
Rhett shrugged. “He’s had some problems in the past.”
“I guess he wasn’t kidding about going to rehab?”
“No. I’ve talked to him about it before. So has Darin. With his career taking off, now’s the time he better get it under control. He told me to call him in the morning. I think he’s ready to listen to a reality check.”
“When did you talk to him?”
He rubbed her ass suggestively. “About an hour ago. From his hospital bed. He told the cops he wouldn’t swear a complaint against me. Admitted he was intoxicated and provoked the whole incident before the paramedics took him to ER. He told me he wanted to apologize to you.”
Cassie stroked Rhett’s cheek. “Sounds like he’s taking responsibility for everything.”
He gave her a squeeze. “Zak’s a decent guy. I’ll go see him tomorrow. Maybe you can help me find somewhere to take him. If he gets the right help, that’s half the battle. Plus, he’s got solid friends to stand behind him.”
“Any family?”
“Not really. The poker pals are as close as he comes to it. Zak’s dad ran off when he was still in diapers. He doesn’t remember him at all. His mom died in a car crash when he was thirteen. He went the foster home route but who wants to adopt a gawky teenager? Especially one oozing attitude like Zak.”
She grinned. “He does have a smart mouth but it’s going to make him famous.” She frowned. “In the meantime, both of you—and probably me—will be infamous. I don’t know where all those photographers materialized from.”
“Zak won’t care. He definitely belongs to the ‘any news is good press’ school of thought. I can see the tabloid headlines now—Rising Comedian Dukes It Out with Hollywood’s Hottest Actor over Sassy Texan.”
She ran a finger slowly down his chest. “I think Mr. Sexy will be feeling about ninety years old tomorrow morning if he doesn’t get himself into a hot shower right now.”
“You know there’s plenty of room for two, don’t you?”
Cassie beamed at him. “I plan on helping ease every piece of clothing from your body, Corrigan, after which I’ll lather you and rinse you and kiss every inch of your body for good measure. You know we lifelines take our responsibilities very seriously.”
Rhett’s issued a sound of triumph as he scooped her up in his arms. Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You, Madam Lifeline, will be held accountable for everything you mentioned. Disrobing, lathering, rinsing, and kissing. The whole nine yards.”
“That’s just the basic service,” she teased.
He gave her a sly grin as he marched up the stairs with her. “I gather you’re offering the deluxe package?”
She cocked her head and rewarded him with a saucy smile. “I believe you qualify for the super-duper, ultimate luxury, prime deluxe, special promotion. No assembly required, Corrigan. It must be your lucky day.”
He paused at the top of the stairs. “No, sweetheart. I think it’s going to be my lucky night.” He smiled. “And then some.”
Her pulse leaped at his words. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, Corrigan.”
Rhett’s gray eyes gleamed back. “Never more sure in my life, Sweet Cheeks.”
He set her on her feet and unzipped the back of her snug little black dress, sliding it off her shoulders, nibbling there as he pulled it to her waist and over her hips. It pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but her bra and stilettos.
Cassie stepped out of the dress. “Tit for tat, Mr. Sexy.” She pushed the jacket from his shoulders and tugged on the sleeves, dropping it to the ground.
Rhett assessed her. “You know, if we were playing strip poker, you wouldn’t have long before you were stripped clean.”
She eyed him levelly. “Like I would lose at poker.”
“True.” He took a few steps back, his hands on her waist, pulling her along. “But if you did, this would go next.” He slipped his fingers under her demi-bra and pushed the straps off her shoulders, his mouth burning into her flesh where the straps had been.
Cassie began unbuttoning Rhett’s silk shirt, making sure her fingers grazed his chest. The contact sent ripples of excitement streaking through her like lightning, almost as if little shock waves pulsed from him through her.
Rhett growled low, yanking her close, causing her to gasp.
“Play with fire, honey, and you might get burned.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”
He grinned. “Both.”
Rhett reached behind her and unhooked her bra, pulling it away and tossing it over his shoulder. Cassie finished the last button on his shirt, and before she could remove it, Rhett had whipped it off and thrown it aside.
“So if this were a poker game, Corrigan, I might think you were throwing it on purpose.”
“Might be,” he said as he pulled his belt from its loops and threw it over the banister. He backed up a few more steps, tugging Cassie along, as she worked on the button and zipper of his jeans. They made it to the doorway of his bedroom as he shucked the pants, his shoes, and socks in a blur.
His strong fingers glided down her body. Since he’d taken her panties hours ago, she only wore the tall black stilettos. Cassie’s breath caught in her throat as his eyes, dark with passion, traveled down the length of her body and back up again.
“Damn,” he whispered. “I thought you looked fantastic in the dress.” He smiled appreciatively. “You look even better out of it.”
Rhett’s mouth came down on hers possessively as he wrapped her in his arms. They fit perfectly, their bodies molded to one another. He kissed her senseless. Cassie couldn’t tell where one kissed ended and the next began. All she knew was his mouth on hers, his hands roaming her body, his tongue exploring, caressing, searing her.
Suddenly, she felt the cool glass of the shower against her back.
Rhett brushed her hair from her brow. “Stay right there. Don’t move.” He chucked his underwear and it was Cassie’s turn to admire his sleek form.
“If Adonis had a nickname, I’m sure it was Rhett.”
He laughed.
“Oh, God, don’t tell me I said that aloud.”
“Didn’t hear a thing, Sweet Cheeks.” He bent and kissed his way down from her thigh to her ankle before he unbuckled the strap of her left high heel and removed it. He did the same with her right, this time working his way back up that leg. She gripped his shoulders, not trusting her legs to hold her up much longer.
“Climb aboard, Princess,” he ordered as he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Rhett opened the stall door and turned on the faucet. “I like my showers hot,” he warned, “and my woman hotter.”
Cassie had never considered herself sexy. She possessed an athlete’s trim body, with small, high breasts, long legs, but good calves. Yet the way Rhett looked at her now, she could’ve posed as the centerfold model in Playboy without a qualm. Confidence brimmed through her.