The Henson Brothers: Two Complete Novels Read Online Free

melted her into the floor. She took a deep breath and crawled back into her seat. "You would not believe what he was doing. The man is an incurable flirt. He was flirting with you."
    "What are you talking about?"
    "He thought he was rubbing against your leg," she explained. "But it was really my arm." She glanced down at her plate, noticing that some fries were missing. Also her friend's lipstick didn't look as if it had been touched up, but Cassie guessed she had done a subtle job of it and didn't want Drake to drool, just be distracted. "So much for charming. He was trying to hit on you. What's so funny?"
    Adriana sobered, but her eyes continued to dance with humor. "You crawl under a table when a gorgeous man looks for you; then he rubs up against your arm, and you ask me what's funny?"
    "Laugh away. I'm afraid I can't see the humor in this situation." She picked up her sandwich.
    "Personally, I think it smacks of romance. A gorgeous man searching for the woman who has captured his heart."
    "Don't get carried away. It doesn't take much cunning to know that you'll find a fat woman in a restaurant."
    Adriana's smile fell. "You're not fat."
    "Oh, I forgot. What is the politically correct word of the day? Big-boned, oversized, rotund?"
    Adriana ignored her and held up her drink. "He is so adorable. I'd never seen a man so shy."
    "Shy? He's as shy as van Gogh was mentally stable. It was all an act to flirt with you."
    Adriana shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You didn't want him anyway, right?"
    Cassie nodded. "Right."
    Adriana lifted an eyebrow. "Cassie, you really should try to sound more convincing when you lie."
    Cassie made a face and finished her sandwich.
    * * *
    From another booth, someone watched her and smiled. He put down his menu and let a relieved sigh escape. He had been worried for a minute. First, she had been late for her lunch with Adriana. Then that man had come after her. Who the hell was he? He loosened his grip on the table; he wouldn't get angry. Everything would be okay. The man obviously wasn't a concern since Cassie had hidden from him. He allowed his smile to widen. Good old Cassie, she knew to whom she belonged.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2

     
    Drake was annoyed. It was a usual emotion after he'd failed to get to know someone interesting. And Cassie was definitely interesting with her wide, teasing eyes, a mouth that softened easily into a welcoming smile, and a body that showed men what womanhood was all about.
    He sat in the bar with his brother, Eric, and Eric's friend Malcolm, drinking beer amid the noise of a televised game. He usually enjoyed Eugene's Bar, shouting at the TV, and throwing back a cold one, but now he just wanted to be alone to think. To think about Cassie and why she had run from him. He took a drink of his beer and slammed it down as various thoughts crowded his mind. Yep, there was no doubt about it. He was definitely annoyed.
    Why did she feel the need to hide from him? He remembered her friend's face when he had asked her where Cassie was and she pointed to the table. She looked as baffled as he was. At first he thought it was a joke, but when his leg brushed against a silky soft arm he knew it wasn't. Why hide? Hadn't she felt what he had?
    "Drake, are you going to finish your pizza?" Malcolm asked, wiping crumbs off his Sports King T-shirt.
    "No."
    Malcolm was a skinny guy with a gigantic appetite and a mouth to match. Drake didn't really like him, but acknowledged that he didn't like most people. He found them arrogant, obnoxious, or boring and his natural tendency to be an introvert didn't help, so he tried to be tolerant of his brother's friend.
    Malcolm took a large bite of pizza. "What's wrong with you?"
    "Nothing." He glanced down at the table, wishing Malcolm didn't have the habit of talking with his mouth full.
    "He's thinking about that woman he bumped into," Eric clarified with his usual insight. Drake was always surprised how his younger brother could read him so well.