Dance With Me - By Hayden Braeburn Page 0,44

home.”

ELEVEN

Kat hoped she had everything perfect and Mason wouldn't balk at her seduction attempt. She needed to reinforce her love, her need, her want for him. She was afraid he shied away from her not because he didn't want her, but because he felt she wouldn't want him. She pulled the filet off the grill, shook the vinaigrette and smoothed her dress. The red dress made her smile. A gift from Mason when he'd taken her to the ballet, she knew he had watched her in the backless dress more than he had the prima in the toe shoes on stage. She just hoped it worked again.

Mason came home to incredible smells emanating from his kitchen and a gorgeous brunette pouring wine in his dining room. Instead of making himself known although he knew she had to be aware of his arrival, he made his way to the bedroom. She had prepared a meal, had put on his favorite dress, and she deserved him at his best. The last time he'd worn a tuxedo, she had been wearing that same dress. He couldn't recall one detail of the ballet, but he remembered every detail of that dress. He smiled. He loved that dress, but he loved what went under it even more.

Kat finished plating dinner and lit the candles. She knew Mason was home and worried he had chosen to ignore her. She stood in the dining room, unsure what to do next. She didn't want to sit at the table alone, so leaned against it instead, wineglass in hand. Taking a sip of her wine, she wondered how long she should give him, but no answer came. Four sips later, she found she needn't have worried. Mason hadn't been ignoring her. No, he had been dressing for dinner. A smile on her lips, she placed her glass on the table and crossed to him, wrapping him in her arms. Her heels put her at the right height to claim his mouth, so she did just that, melting against him as she did.

He made love to her mouth, taking over the kiss as soon as she initiated it. He luxuriated in her, his hands in her hair, her body flush to his. It was all he could do to pull away. She had worked so hard on this dinner and he wasn't about to jump the gun. “As much as I love kissing you, let's eat.” He flashed a grin. “We can kiss later.”

“I've heard that before,” she tossed back with a saucy wink, but agreed. As much as she wanted him, she was happy he wanted to play along with her. She slid from his arms and made her way to the table. “Bacon wrapped filet mignon, crab-stuff flounder, and a green salad.” She'd prepared his favorites, even though it had made choosing a wine terribly difficult. “For dessert, we have chocolate mousse.”

He counted his blessings. How many men came home to this? “My favorites,” he said as he caught her in his arms, her back to him. “All my favorites.”

“I wanted to show you how much you are loved.”

He kissed her ear, her cheek, her jaw. “I never questioned you.”

She turned to face him. “No, you questioned you,” she corrected. She pressed another kiss to his lips. “I love you, Mason, and I always will.” She gestured to the table. “Shall we eat?”

He chuckled. “We shall.”

Mason marveled at his fiancee. While he had been searching for a way to reconnect with her, she had planned a seduction. He had a feeling this would be a quick dinner.

“Did you eat lunch today?”

“Your call to Kelly helped with that,” he answered with a smile. “She ordered in Italian for the entire office.”

Kat sputtered in laughter. “That's not quite what I asked her to do.”

“It turned into a welcome back party of sorts.” He grimaced. “I was only gone for three days.”

This wasn't what she wanted to talk about, but she wasn't about to redirect. “We were all worried. Anything could've happened.”

He finished his last bite of filet. Damn, but his woman could cook. “I love coming home to you,” he said instead of acknowledging his brush with death. Tonight wasn't about that. Tonight was about them. “I want you to stay.”

The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, but she didn't want him to offer out of gratitude. “You've already asked me to marry you.”

“Yes, and I thank the Lord you agreed.” He pushed away from his empty