It's A Guy Thing!

In fact, Guy had been turned on since the moment Cassie had shown up at his door. He shifted in his seat, hoping she wouldn’t notice how aroused he was becoming, and tried to focus on their conversation.

“You deserve better than that, Cassie.”

Her eyes met his, questioning. Challenging. “Do I?”

Suddenly he knew words weren’t the answer she wanted. It was time for action.

Their lips met and he heard her sigh. Or maybe that was him.

She pressed against him eagerly, her lips soft as velvet, warm and pliant beneath his own. He opened his mouth and she followed his lead. Their tongues met, hesitant at first, then with more eagerness. He hadn’t been wrong. Cassie was a woman of passion. He’d been out of his mind to think he could resist a temptation like this.

“Guy?” Her voice was breathy as she broke off their kiss. Her tongue darted out to lick at her lips, a gesture that sent another jolt of desire through him. “Why don’t we go into the bedroom?”

Dear Reader,

I’ve always admired people who had the courage to go after their dreams. Moving away from the comfort of routine and taking risks to make a dream come true demands a special kind of bravery.

Writing has always been my dream, so I’m especially pleased that my first Temptation novel deals with two people going after their own goals and desires. Writing this book also gave me a chance to set a story in one of my favorite places, Colorado, and to write about one of my favorite pastimes, downhill skiing.

I fell in love with Guy and Cassie as they pursed each other and their dreams. I hope you’ll love them, too. I’d enjoy hearing from you. Write to me care of Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9, Canada, or e-mail me at CindiMyers1@aol.com. And visit me on the Web at www.TemptationAuthors.com.

Happy reading,

Cindi Myers

It’s a Guy Thing!

Cindi Myers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

1

THE SLEIGH BELLS attached to the door of the Java Jive jangled wildly as Cassie Carmichael burst into the coffee shop. She shoved through the swinging half door marked Employees Only, tossed her coat and purse aside, jerked her apron from the hook on the wall and slammed her empty coffee mug down on the counter. Her T-shirt read Women For Disarmament but the look on her face said she was in the mood to shoot first and ask questions later.

“Forget to take your happy pill this morning?” Her best friend and co-worker, Jill Sheldon, filled Cassie’s mug with espresso and added steamed milk and a generous dollop of chocolate syrup.

Cassie glared at her friend and grabbed the cup with both hands. She took a long drink, then set it down with a thunk, sending the mocha sloshing onto the marble counter. “Do you think I’m too ordinary?” she demanded.

Jill turned from the coffee grinder, one perfectly arched brow raised in question. “Too ordinary? What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. Am I too ordinary?” Cassie held her arms down by her sides, palms out, inviting inspection. “Is there anything at all about me that would make the average person take a second look, or am I the kind of person other people naturally take for granted?”

“Hmm.” Jill poured water into the coffee machine and flipped the switch to start a fresh pot. “Let me guess. Boring Bob is taking you for granted.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call him that. He’s not boring.” Cassie grabbed a cloth and began mopping up her spill.

“He is and you know it. What’s he done this time?”

It wasn’t so much what Bob had done, it was more what he hadn’t done. Though Cassie had been dating him for more than two years now, he hadn’t done anything to indicate that his feelings for her were serious. Lately, he treated her more like a personal assistant than a girlfriend.

“What did Bob do?” Jill prompted.

“He asked me to pick up his dry cleaning on my way home yesterday.”

Jill nodded. “And of course, you did it.”

“Yeah, I did it.” She took another sip of coffee, then moved over to straighten a stack of napkins, avoiding Jill’s gaze. “It’s not that I really even minded doing it, it’s just…” The hurt formed a lump in her throat she could hardly talk around. All those times she’d swallowed her pride and never complained had rushed back today, threatening to overwhelm her.

Jill moved over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Just what? He forgot to say thank you? He complained because the cleaners put too much starch in his shirts?”

She took a deep breath. “When I got to his apartment with the cleaning, he was watching a movie with his friend Don. I laid the cleaning on the back of the couch and Bob said, ‘Good old Cassie. She always takes care of me.”’

Jill winced. “Doesn’t Bob already have a mother? Now he needs you to be another one?”

“That’s not the worst of it.” Cassie leaned back against the counter, arms folded under her breasts. “On my way into the kitchen, Don called out, ‘Good old Cassie, bring me a beer, why don’t you?’ And I brought it to him!” She curled her hands into fists, heart pounding at the memory. “I should have poured it over his head.”

“Yes, you should have.” Jill patted her shoulder and moved over to tend the coffee machine. “Next time, you will.”

If there was a next time. “What am I going to do?” Cassie asked. “Lately, when I’m with Bob, I feel like…like I’m invisible or something.”

“Even when you’re in bed?”

Cassie felt her face heat. “There hasn’t been much, um, activity in that department lately.”

Jill’s eyebrows rose. “No wonder you’re so grouchy.”

Before Cassie could think of a retort, two women came in and Jill left to take their order. Cassie retrieved a tray of bagels from the cooler and began to fill the glass jar on the counter. It wasn’t as if she and Bob never had sex…though it had been a while. When they first got together, the sex had been good. Pretty good anyway. Bob wasn’t exactly creative, but he’d been energetic enough.

Now whenever she tried to get something going with him, he said he was too tired, or he ended up having to work late. At first, she’d taken his dedication to his job as a good sign. He was planning for the future—their future. Now, she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Maybe Bob wasn’t the only boring one in this relationship.

After the two customers left, Jill refilled her cup and perched on a stool behind the counter. “Have you thought of coming right out and asking Bob what’s wrong? You know—talking about it?”

Cassie ducked her head and picked at a scuffed place on the edge of the counter. “I’ve thought of it. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.”

“Are you afraid of what he’ll say?”

She winced. “No…yes…I don’t know.” She slid onto the stool next to Jill. “What if this isn’t Bob’s fault? What if it’s me?”

Jill frowned. “How do you figure that?”

She sighed and removed the glass dome from a plate of chocolate donuts. If she was going to hold her own little pity party, she might as well enjoy the appropriate refreshments. “Maybe if I’d finished college and gone on to a real career….” She pinched off a bite of donut and popped it into her mouth. “Maybe then Bob would think I’m more interesting and exciting.”

Jill made a sour face. “Bob has a diploma and a so-called career and he’s about as exciting as shower mold.” She reached over and helped herself to half the donut. “And it’s not as if you’re a total slacker. You’re going to school.”

“I don’t think Bob thinks massage therapy school is quite the same as college.”

“When you graduate, you’ll probably help more people than any accountant ever would. How’s school going?”

Cassie shrugged. “It’s going okay.” But at one time or another, she’d said the same about secretarial school, medical technology school and the real estate licensing program she’d attended. She’d never stuck with any of them for very long.

In fact, she’d stayed with Bob longer than any attempt at a career. It had seemed easier somehow to hang on to a sure thing than to risk being alone again. But would being alone be so much worse than being ignored?

“If you really want to fix things between you two, it sounds like you need to do something to heat things up a little,” Jill said.

Cassie replaced the dome on the donut plate. “Yeah, but what can I do?”

Jill traced a finger around the rim of her cup. “How about a little seduction? Remind him of what he’s been missing.”

“What—?” The word was cut off by the door bells again. Couldn’t people go somewhere else to get their coffee this morning?

Her annoyance vanished, however, when she recognized this particular customer. Guy Walters turned feminine heads wherever he went, and in the years she’d known him her reaction had progressed from heart fluttering to an all-out cardiac drum solo. Maybe it was the way his dark brown hair fell across his forehead. Or the way his laser-blue eyes looked at people, as if they really mattered. Maybe it was his broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped body, honed to masculine perfection by hiking, biking, climbing, skiing and every other outdoor activity yet invented. Or maybe it was that when Guy spoke, Cassie felt as warm and wonderful as if she’d just downed a cup of Godiva hot chocolate with extra cream.

“Good morning, Guy.” She slid off her stool and hurried to take his order. Not that she needed to ask what he wanted. Every Tuesday and Thursday he came in for a breve mocha and a sausage roll on his way to work at Mountain Outfitters, the business he had founded and made into a regional success. She knew he wore CK One cologne, that the scar underneath his chin was from a rock-climbing accident when he was in high school and that half the women in Boulder had been in love with him at one time or another.

“Hi, Cassie.” He plucked a sausage roll from the glass jar on the counter. “Grande breve mocha.” Cassie waited for his smile, which always left her a little breathless, but this morning the smile never came. What looked like an invitation on cream-colored paper with black engraving claimed his attention.

“Somebody graduating or getting married?” she asked as she prepared his coffee.

“What?” He looked up from studying the expensive-looking card. “Oh, it’s a wedding invitation. From an old friend.”

Judging by the mournful expression on Guy’s face, she would have guessed it was a summons to a funeral. He tucked the invitation into the pocket of his leather jacket and picked up a flyer on the counter and began reading it. So much for a memorable conversation, Cassie thought. I might as well be invisible. Let’s face it. I’m ordinary, and Guy Walters is not.

At Boulder High School, Guy had been part of a group of six upperclassmen who’d called themselves the Boulder Bandidos. They were behind every outrageous prank, from filling the science supply closet with two thousand Ping-Pong balls to attaching a pair of moose antlers to the front of Principle Harrington’s Volvo. They were the first to take any dare, the first to try any new thing, from snowboarding to ice climbing.

Cassie had been three years younger, in the same class as Guy’s sister Amy. She’d admired him from afar, following his exploits in the school paper and later, when he’d gone to the University of Colorado, keeping up with him through Amy or other friends.

She slid the cup of coffee across the counter and he paid, adding his change to her tip jar. “Thanks,” she said, though she doubted he heard her. Head bent, he pushed open the door, bells chiming in his wake.

Jill came to stand behind her. “Why don’t you ditch Boring Bob and go after a man like Guy?”

“As if he’d have anything to do with me.” She picked up the carton of half-and-half and carried it to the refrigerator.

“Why not? You two have known each other a long time.”

“I used to be friends with his sister. Years ago. Even back then, he hardly noticed me. And you saw how much attention he paid to me just now.”

“You shouldn’t sell yourself short,” Jill said. “I’ll bet Guy would pay a lot of the right kind of attention if you gave him a little encouragement.”

She sighed. Guy was her fantasy man. An impossible dream. She had to deal with real life, and for now, that meant Bob. She’d invested the past two years of her life in Bob. He was the man her mother thought she should marry. After all, he was good-looking and financially secure. So why hadn’t that been enough for her lately? “How do you think I can get things back on track with me and Bob?”

Jill shrugged. “Show him what he’s been missing by neglecting you. Seduce him.”

“Seduce him?” Saying the word sent a shiver up her spine. It sounded so wild…so daring. “How?”

“I don’t know.” Jill waved her hand. “The usual. Sexy lingerie. Champagne. Why don’t the two of you go away for the weekend? Some place romantic.”

Cassie sagged against the counter and shook her head. “Can’t. Bob’s going up to Aspen Creek to work this weekend.”

Jill made a face. “What kind of work is an accountant going to do at a ski resort?”

“He’s rented a condo up there for the weekend. Said it was the only way he could catch up on all his paperwork.” Cassie opened the dishwasher and began unloading coffee mugs. “He’s been working really hard lately. I think he’s bucking for a promotion.”

“All work and no play are going to make that dull boy even duller.” Jill began stacking the clean mugs on the shelves above the espresso machine. “Why don’t you surprise him? Go up to the condo and convince him to take a break from the paperwork and work on what’s left of your relationship.”

“Maybe…” The idea sounded good, but was she brave enough to follow through with it? Could she seduce a man? Was this what she and Bob needed to set things right between them?

Even if the weekend was a bust, at least she’d know she’d tried. One way or another, she was bound to be better off come Monday. “All right. I’ll do it.” A shiver of excitement ran through her. Time to prove to Bob, and to herself, that she wasn’t boring, that she could do something she set her mind to do. If she didn’t, she might as well resign herself to spending the rest of her life as the invisible woman.

2

CASSIE WAS FAIRLY CERTAIN she wasn’t crazy. Desperate, maybe, but not insane. “Tell me again that this is a good idea,” she said as she and Jill pulled into the parking lot at Aspen Creek Resort two days later.

“Most men would be delighted if the woman they loved surprised them with a planned seduction,” Jill said. “Although, I wouldn’t say Bob is like most men. In fact, I’m a little surprised you’re doing this.”

Cassie stared at her. “But you’re the one who suggested it.”

Jill frowned. “Well, yeah. But I never thought you’d do it.” She glanced up toward the lodge. “Are you sure Bob’s worth it?”

“Of course he is,” Cassie said, without much conviction. Bob had been acting so differently toward her lately, she couldn’t be sure about anything. Except that she owed it to herself to try one last time to make things work between them. She opened the door and climbed out of the car.

“You know, you could find someone better.” Jill looked at her over the top of the car. “Someone who would really appreciate your efforts.”

“You mean, seduce a complete stranger?” Cassie pulled on her gloves and zipped her jacket against the biting cold.

“No. But there are probably a lot of men who’d be interested in you if you’d give them a chance.”

“Name one.”

“Guy Walters.”

Cassie laughed. “Guy Walters doesn’t know I’m alive.”

“Don’t be so sure about that. I’ve seen him watching you.”

A shiver danced through her at the thought. “You lie.”

“Trust me. I know a lot about men and I think Guy’s really interested in you. And he’d be a lot better for you than Bob.”

Sure. As if Guy Walters didn’t already have half the women in town after him. An ordinary woman didn’t have a chance. She shrugged. “Bob’s who I’m stuck with now, so I’m going to make the best of it.” Even to her own ears, she didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait around, in case things don’t work out?” Jill followed her around to the trunk. Fresh snow crunched under their boots and a gust of wind blew more snow down onto them from the trees.

“You don’t have to wait. I’ll be fine.” Besides, if she knew Jill was still here, she might chicken out before she ever got to Bob’s room. She hefted her backpack out of the trunk and checked its contents: bottled water, energy bars, champagne, strawberries, scented candles, some extra clothes and a change of underwear.

“What have you got in there?” Jill tried to peer over her shoulder, but Cassie quickly zipped up the pack.

“Don’t forget these, Miss Girl Scout.” Jill reached into the trunk and tossed her the box of condoms that must have slipped from the pack.

Cassie blushed and shoved the box into the pack’s outside pocket. “Bob always forgets,” she mumbled.

“He doesn’t forget. He just knows he doesn’t have to be prepared because you always are.” Jill stepped back as Cassie closed the trunk. “I don’t know why you’re going to so much trouble for him.”

She shouldered the pack and adjusted the straps. “You said it yourself. I can’t let things go on the way they have been. After this weekend, Bob won’t take me for granted anymore.”

Jill squinted up at the gray sky. “It looks like it might storm. I don’t like the idea of leaving you up here all alone.”

“I won’t be alone. Bob’s here. Somewhere.” She turned to study the log chalet at the base of the ski slopes. Good thing Aspen Creek was a small resort, with only this one building of condos. She’d never have found Bob at some big place like Vail or Copper Mountain.

“I still say what kind of guy goes to a ski resort to spend the weekend working?”

Cassie hugged her arms around herself and stamped her feet as a blast of icy wind gusted across the road. “Bob’s been really wrapped up in his job lately. This weekend will be a good chance for us to talk about our relationship.”

“From the looks of that pack, you don’t intend to spend much time talking.”

Cassie’s cheeks burned. So maybe talk wasn’t all she had in mind. Was there anything wrong with a woman surprising her longtime boyfriend with a little seduction? Somebody had to do something before whatever they’d once had between them died of neglect. “This was your idea, remember? And I thought it would be good to try something different.”

“This is different, all right. It’s not like you at all.”

Cassie knew what that meant. It wasn’t like quiet, dependable, conventional Cassie to take off for a wild weekend fling. “Maybe this is like me,” she said. “The real me.”

Jill didn’t look any less worried. “Just be careful.” She gave Cassie a quick hug. “Call me if you need anything.”

Cassie nodded. “I will. And thanks.”

“Call me Monday, anyway.” Jill opened the driver’s-side car door. “I want a full report.”

Cassie laughed and started up the road toward the lodge. At the top of the hill, she turned to wave at Jill, then took a deep breath and headed off for what was going to be either the greatest thrill of her life, or the biggest embarrassment.

Skiers crowded into the lodge office, some fresh from the slopes, clomping across the carpet in snow-dusted ski boots, others gathered around a massive stone fireplace, enjoying hot toddies or cold beers. A picture window behind the registration desk showed fresh snow falling on the groomed slopes, a line of skiers at the lift waiting for another run down the mountain.

Cassie stood in line at the front desk behind an older couple in matching sweatshirts that bore the legend, We’re Spending Our Children’s Inheritance. Would she and Bob ever be like that, so close after years together that they were practically twins? She frowned. Somehow, she couldn’t picture it.

She shifted, trying to surreptitiously adjust the teddy she wore beneath her sweater and leggings. The black silk lingerie, cut up to here and down to there was a far cry from her usual plain-Jane underwear. She felt supersexy wearing it.

“Are you telling me there’s not one single room available in the entire resort?” The voice of the older man in front of her rose over the murmur of conversation in the lobby.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Kates, but we’re booked solid. We don’t have any rooms available until next Wednesday.”

“Come along, dear. I’m sure we can find a room in Winter Park.” The woman tugged at her husband’s arm. “Next time we’ll call ahead.”

“I guess we’d better,” the husband grumbled, turning away from the desk. “I want to get settled for the night before that storm blows in.”

“Yes, Miss, can I help you?”

Cassie stepped up to the desk. “I believe Bob Hamilton is registered here?” She put on her best “trust me, I’m an honest person” smile and proceeded to lie. “He’s expecting me.”

The clerk punched the keys of a computer. “Oh, yes, Ms. Patterson. He mentioned you would be arriving today.”

The smile remained frozen on Cassie’s face, mainly because she was too stunned to move. “Ms. P-Patterson?”

“Yes.” The clerk looked up from the computer. “You are Mary Ann Patterson, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Of course.” What was another lie when she was in this so deep already?

“Suite 418.” The clerk handed her a key and slid a computer printout toward her. “If you’ll sign here.”

She scrawled something she hoped was unintelligible and picked up the key. Maybe there’d been some mistake. Maybe they’d gotten the name wrong. Maybe there were two Bob Hamiltons here this weekend.

Right. And maybe she’d win the lottery next week and wake up four inches taller and five pounds lighter.

She took the stairs up to the fourth floor two at a time, heart pounding from more than exertion. If she was going to chicken out, now was the time to do it. She could find a phone, call Jill to come pick her up and Bob would never know.

Nothing would be any different between them and she’d either go on being “good old Cassie” or she’d go berserk one day and strangle him with his own dry cleaning.

No. She straightened and settled the pack more firmly on her shoulders. She wasn’t going to quit this time.

Suite 418 was at the end of a carpeted hallway. She slowed her steps, trying to remember what she’d planned to say, but all she could come up with was who the hell is Mary Ann Patterson?