Kate was making him work for this relationship, and that hadn’t ever happened to him. But he was ready for it now. David wanted a woman who was moody and difficult; one who thought too much, who wasn’t interested in impressing him. He wanted a woman who would keep his interest, make him think, and make him look inside himself. David wanted Kate. She was all those things and more.

He went back to the ballroom and found his friends. It was a nice enough party and he was sure they would raise a ton of money for the charity. Kate stood with a group of very aristocratic looking women, drinking champagne, and carrying on a very dignified looking conversation. David wondered if those women had read any of Kate’s books and what they might think about the love scenes she wrote. His body responded as he thought about those scenes, and pictured Kate in the various scenarios, instead of her heroine. It wasn’t hard seeing her that way, all he had to do was let his mind slip back to the hotel in California or his bedroom two weeks ago. Sipping a beer, he kept his eyes on her. He caught her looking at him and he smiled. She blushed. Jay wandered over with Tyler Graves in tow, both of them looking bored.

“Fun group,” Jay said before he saw David staring at Kate. “So tell me, did we drop five large so you could make goo-goo eyes at the teacher?”

“Yeah, basically.” David nodded.

“You suck, Padre,” Tyler said.

“Graves, you should be right at home here. Half of this group consists of Ivy League professors.” He was making a reference to Tyler’s degree from Yale.

Jay surveyed the room. “Did you talk to her?”

“Yup.” David took another drink and watched Kate get more and more agitated.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. The band started playing a slow, jazzy version of Teach Me Tonight and he could only think of Kate, and how she would feel pressed against him.

“Did you apologize for being a dick?” asked his friend.

“I did, again, but I think I insulted her.”

“Asshole.” Jay shook his head and then let out a low whistle. “Will you look at that? Gramps just asked her to dance.”

“Yeah, well…” David’s reply was more a grumble than anything.

He hated the thought of anyone else touching her, even the senior citizen who’d just led her onto the dance floor. When he saw the old man glance down her dress, he burned. When the guy’s hands started to wander, David’s thoughts were nothing short of violent.

“Oh, she didn’t like that.” Jay laughed as David watched Kate push her partner’s hand off her behind. “Although looks like Gramps is having a ball, eh? You going to do anything?”

David nodded, drained his beer and handed the glass to his friend. Gathering his nerve, he walked onto the dance floor and tapped her dancing partner on the shoulder.

The old man turned and raised an eyebrow.

“May I?” David asked.

When the man stepped away, reluctantly allowing him to cut in, David thanked him. Without hesitation, he took Kate’s hand and slipped his arm around her tiny waist, pulling her closer than was appropriate. He spread his hand on the small of her back and allowed the feel of the silky dress to soak in.

“The gentleman was taking some unwelcome liberties.”

Kate didn’t respond, but her cheeks reddened before she changed the subject. “You can dance?” she asked.

“My mother taught me,” he said.

“What do you want, David?” She sounded defeated, hopeless, and that made him feel guilty. He didn’t want to be responsible for causing her pain.

“Please forgive me,” he said.

“Okay.”

“Kate. I know you left because of the picture in the paper. I don’t blame you.” As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to kick himself. You’re an idiot, Burke.

“How nice,” she snipped. “It’s quite gratifying to know I won’t be blamed for something for which I bear no responsibility.”

Grinning, he looked down at her. She was wonderful—proud, stubborn, and completely vulnerable. David pressed her body into his. Heat shot through him.

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I love how you feel in my arms.” All David heard in response was her sigh. That was his cue to push it a little farther. He rested his cheek on her hair as his breath played over her temple.

“You don’t play fair, on or off the ice,” she said.

“I can’t play fair with you.”

“You have plenty of women, why can’t you just leave me alone?”

The words let him know she was hurt, and he felt responsible for every bit of what she was feeling. Kate drew a ragged breath and David saw she was fighting to maintain the last of her dignity.

“There’s no one else. Not since I saw you that morning in New York and even then, Chelsea didn’t stay with me. She only met me in the city. Ever since California, there’s only you.”

“No one?” she asked her voice soft and almost hopeful.

“No one. After the night we spent together, you have to know I only want you.” She leaned into him and David thought this was too much to hope for.

People were watching them. As he glanced around the room, he could see the whispers and curious looks. No doubt the ladies in polite Philadelphia society were wondering what a caveman like him was doing with their Kate. He held her close and let his lips brush against her hair. When the music stopped, he cupped her cheek and dropped a kiss on Kate’s mouth. He let his tongue play over her soft, sweet lips—nothing more—but his intention was clear.

Breathless and trembling, she could barely speak when she pulled away from him. “Why did you do that?”

He didn’t answer, but watched helplessly as Kate touched her fingers to her lips and backed away, leaving him standing in the ballroom.

*

Kate left the dance floor as gracefully as possible, stopping when she entered the main foyer. What the hell had he done? Her heart was hammering in her chest and her lips were still warm. Everywhere he’d touched her was warm and tingly, and part of her wanted nothing more than to fall in his arms. But part of her, the sane part, had to get away.

She did exactly what he wanted. She went weak at the knees and then fell apart. And she should have expected it. David had that effect on her whenever their paths crossed. From the romantic evening in California to the near-sex experience in the bar to their night together a few weeks ago, Kate tended to lose her mind when he was in the vicinity.

Hiking up her dress so she wouldn’t trip, she took off down the main hallway. What she wanted was to get good and pissed, so she could shake off the urge to go back to the ballroom and rip off his clothes. God, did she want to rip off his clothes. Thinking about him, thinking about touching him, and about how his body felt against her, was a heady thing. Pushing through a door at the end of the hallway was a mistake. It was the solarium and it was technically closed at this time of year for one reason—no heat. The windows were tall and frosty; as soon as Kate stopped to think, the cold hit her. Her arms came around her body and she quickly turned to leave. That was when she saw David had followed her into the room.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. “Here, it’s cold.”

Seeing him brought the reaction Kate wanted and it came in a great rush. She was pissed. Finally. Even she didn’t know what to think about it. This anger, this indignation, was all new—and she lashed out at him, spitting out the words like venom. “I should slap you.”

David, who obviously thought he was going to charm her, stepped back, surprised at the attack. “Uhhh…”

“What were you thinking about in there? You humiliated me in front of three hundred people!”

“Humiliated? I kissed you!”

“In a room full of wealthy, connected people and photographers!”

“So what? I’m sure they’ve seen people kiss before!”