"I know. I just didn't expect you to really do it."
He moved closer, the urge to touch her more tempting than he wanted to admit. "Why? Do men typically flake on you?"
She stepped back. "No. I told you, I don't ... make dates."
"You mentioned that before. And you should make dates. Obviously you need to get out more."
"I get out plenty. I travel all the time. When I'm home I like to relax and spend time with the kids."
"The kids spend a lot of time at home," Anya said, reappearing. "And we're ready to get the hell out of here."
"Anya. Watch your language," Katrina said.
"Like we're babies. Please." Anya grabbed her purse and turned to face them. "So are we going?"
Grant looked to Katrina.
"Hey, you're in charge today. I'm just along for the ride."
"Great. I'm going to let Anya and Leo tell me what I should see today as a tourist."
"You've been to New York before, though, right?" Leo asked as they headed out the door.
"Yeah, but I'm in and out and I never spend much time here. It's always for games or meetings. I've hit some hot spots, but I've never played tourist or seen the things I think I should."
"Honestly? We haven't, either. Most native New Yorkers don't," Anya said as they rode down the elevator.
Grant stopped them on the sidewalk. "So you're saying you don't want to go? Because we don't have to."
"Are you kidding?" Anya asked. "We're dying to see this stuff. It's not like we've ever been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. We've been to all the art museums because that's educational, of course, and Kat insisted on it. God forbid we be denied culture."
Katrina shot him a look. "It's like I'm the devil." She pinned her sister with a glare. "And for your information, we all went to the Statue of Liberty when we were kids. Mom took us. You and Leo were just too young to remember."
"So it's like I was never there, right?" Anya shot back before turning to Grant. "We're going there today, right?"
He laughed. "Sure. I've never been. We have to go."
Anya shot a smug look over at Leo. "And again, we win."
They piled into the car Grant had hired for the day. "Where to first?"
"Statue of Liberty, I guess," Katrina said. "If we can even get in. Those tours book up early in the day. We'll be lucky to even get one."
"Oh, I can get us a tour," Grant said pulling tickets from his shirt pocket. "I took a guess that maybe everyone would want to go there today."
Leo cracked a smile. "Score."
"Like always." Grant grinned.
Katrina shook her head.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing."
He could tell she was irritated, but had no idea why. He aimed to change her mood.
Today was going to be a fun time for all of them.
EIGHT
KATRINA HAD GONE INTO THIS WHOLE DAY RELUCTANTLY, and mainly because Leo and Anya were excited about doing the tourist thing. But after spending hours touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then moving on to the Empire State Building, and seeing the sparkle of excitement on their faces, she finally admitted defeat.
There was a magic quality about Grant Cassidy that she obviously did not possess, because while Leo and Anya were mesmerized by him, they pretty much wanted nothing to do with her. He brought out the fun in her siblings, got them to laugh and relax, and she was clearly unable to do that. With her, they were sullen and bitchy and rebellious. With him, they said yes to everything he suggested, no matter what it was.
She chalked it up to the "new" factor, and also because they liked being contrary. If she disliked something, they were bound and determined to love it.
Whatever.
"I've always wanted to get a hot dog from one of these corner vendors. What do you think?" Grant asked as they strolled near Central Park.
This was where her finicky brother and sister would draw the line. This was where they'd dig in their heels and say no, especially Anya, who prided herself on her culinary skill and wouldn't be caught dead eating food from one of those vendors.
"Sounds great," Anya said, and got in line behind Grant and Leo.
Katrina blinked. That was it. Her brother and sister had been kidnapped by aliens, and these two currently slathering mustard on their hot dogs were clones. Or robots. Or something.
"You do realize you're eating a hot dog," she said to Anya.
Anya took a bite, then spoke with her mouth full. "Yeah. So?"
"You don't even like hot dogs."
"Today I do."
Her sister gave her a mouth-filled grin.
"Whatever." Katrina wasn't going to even try to figure out these kids today. They were obviously in worship mode or something.
"Hot dog?" Grant asked.
She grimaced.
"Oh, come on, Kat, one won't kill you." Leo pushed into her.
"Fine. I'll have a hot dog. With mustard, please."
Grant took his loaded with relish and onions. She made another face. "Are you sure about that?"
"Hell yeah." He bit into it and groaned like he was having some kind of mouthwatering steak.
She didn't get the appeal since it was a basic horrible hot dog, but she took hers and ate it.
It was fine. Mediocre, but at least it was edible.
They sat on park benches and ate. Katrina tried not to think about what was in the hot dog. Anything but actual meat, she suspected. She washed it down with a bottle of water and listened to Grant talk to Leo about sports while pretending not to listen as she checked her e-mail.
"Tell me about lacrosse."
He shrugged. "It's okay. I don't really like it." He leaned forward to take a peek at her. Now she tried really hard to pretend she wasn't listening. She scrolled through her e-mails, but she wasn't focusing on them.
"Why don't you like it?"
"I mean it's competitive and all, but it's just not a sport I enjoy."
"What sports do you enjoy?"
"I like football, but like I told you earlier, I need to add some muscle."
Grant nodded. "Do you lift weights?"
"I've been spending some time in the weight room at school and at the condo. I could use a trainer, though, because I'm not sure if I'm doing it right."
"I could help you with that. And you could get a personal trainer to help you add muscle in the right areas. You're fifteen, right?"
"Yeah. I'll be sixteen in a few months."
"What position are you interested in?"
"Wide receiver."
"Okay, so you need some muscle in your legs for sure. Are you fast?"
"Very."
He laughed. "You know I'm going to want to test you on that. Do you have a running track at the condo?"
"We do."
"When we get back we'll test how fast you are."
Leo turned his back to her so he could face Grant. "You'd do that?"
"Sure. I could find out from the New York team who the good trainers are in the area, maybe make some recommendations. Providing it's okay with your sister."
"She might not like that idea. She doesn't want me playing football."
Katrina had no idea Leo was so passionate about playing football. He'd mentioned it when he was younger, but she'd pushed the idea aside, because he was so small at the time. And, okay, she'd been fearful about him getting hurt.
Now, though, she'd be fine with it since he was older and much more capable of taking care of himself on the field. She wished he'd brought it up again sooner.
She stood and walked over to him. "Leo, I'd be more than happy for you to play football if that's what you want to do."
He pushed his hair away from his face. "You would?"
"Sure. Why didn't you say something before?"
"You hated the idea before."
"You were seven. I was ... worried."
He blew out a breath. "I'm not a baby, Kat. I wasn't when I was seven,
either."
She folded her arms over her middle. "You were a lot smaller when you were seven."
"And I would have played with kids the same size as me. No difference then."
He had her there. She was terrible at this parenting thing. "I guess not. But if you're interested now, we'll see what we can do about it."
He looked at the ground. "It's probably too late, anyway."
"Hey," Grant said. "It's never too late if you want it badly enough. A lot of really good pro football players don't start until high school. Don't give up before you've even given it a shot."
Leo lifted his gaze to Grant. "You think so?"
Grant gave him a grin. "Well, we'll see how fast you run. Then we'll decide where to go from there."
"Can we go now?"
"I think you should digest those two hot dogs you ate first, buddy. How about we take a walk around the park?"
"Okay."
LEO AND ANYA WALKED OFF AHEAD OF THEM, GIVING her a moment alone with Grant.
"Thanks for that."
"For what?" he asked.
"For what you did for Leo just now. He doesn't have a ton of confidence, and you gave him a boost."
"He's a good kid, and I'll bet he is as fast as he thinks he is. A large percentage of what an athlete needs is in his head. The other is doing what you love. He hates lacrosse, by the way."
"So I heard. I didn't know because he never told me. Or maybe he did and I just didn't hear him. When he wanted to play football as a kid, the whole idea of it terrified me because it was so damn physical. I thought he could get hurt."
Grant laughed. "Of course he can get hurt. Little boys get hurt doing all sorts of things. It's in our nature. You have to loosen up the reins a little and let him do what he wants. As long as that isn't standing on top of the roof of a car while it's speeding down the highway at a hundred miles an hour."
She arched a brow. "Tell me that's not something you did."
"I was dared to do it as a teenager. By one of my brothers who obviously was trying to get rid of me. I'm not that stupid, though."
"Good to know."
She still didn't know if it was a good idea for Leo to play, but Grant might be right that she had to let go a little.
They made it back to the condo, and she wasn't sure she'd ever seen Leo move that fast--at least not recently. He dashed into his room and was back out in record time, having changed into his workout clothes.
"Ready to go?" he asked Grant.
"Sure." Grant looked over at Katrina and Anya. "Are you two coming along?"
"Why would I be interested in watching Leo run?" Anya asked.
"Because he's your brother, and you want to give him a hard time in case he sucks."
"Oh." She laid her phone on the table. "Good point."
They piled into the elevator and Leo was the first out, Anya on his heels.
"I can't believe you encouraged Anya to give her brother a hard time," Katrina said. "Believe me, she needs no encouragement."
"Hey. Siblings can be great motivators. Trust me. He needs her here."
"I disagree. I think you being here is making him nervous enough."
Grant laughed. "He's going to do just fine, and you worry too much."
Grant marked off a hundred yards, and set a starting point for Leo while her brother finished his warm-ups.
"You ready?" Grant asked.
Leo nodded.
"Don't strain anything," Anya said, pulling up a spot on the ground at the makeshift finish line. "You might need your groin for something important someday."
"Bite me," Leo said.
Katrina shook her head, more anxious than she should be.
"Okay," Grant said, stopwatch in hand. "Let's see what you've got. You ready?"
Leo nodded.
"Okay, on the count of three. Three, two, one, go."
Leo shot off the mark. He looked so fast to her, but she knew nothing about this other than races she'd seen on television. When he finished, Grant clicked the stopwatch and looked at the time. Leo made the trek back.
"Not bad, kid."
Leo came around and looked at the stopwatch. "Really? That's my time?"
"It is. Faster than you thought you'd be, isn't it?"
"It is."
Leo grinned.
"You put some muscle on, it'll propel you even more. And you need a haircut. You look more like a beat boy than a football player." Grant ruffled his hair.
Leo actually blushed, then smiled. "Yeah, okay."
Katrina was stunned. "You've agreed to a haircut? I've been after you for months about this."
"But you're not the great Grant Cassidy," Anya said, pulling herself to her feet. "So you have no stock."
"Apparently not."
"Come on, Leo," Anya said. "Let's go fix some iced tea."
Leo seemed reluctant, until Anya grabbed his shirtsleeve and pulled him along.
"We'll meet you upstairs."
Katrina had no idea what kind of scheme Anya was cooking up, but before she knew it, her siblings had disappeared, leaving her and Grant alone in the gym.
She turned to face him. "Again, thanks for doing this for Leo. I really had no idea he hated lacrosse, or that he still wanted to play football."
"Kids don't tell their parents--or in this case, you--what's on their minds half the time. They think you won't care. And if you shot him down on the football thing years ago, he likely figured you wouldn't give it a thumbs-up now, either."
She sat on one of the weight benches. "This is hard."
He took a seat next to her. "Of course it's hard. Plus, they don't make it any easier on you. They're teenagers, and they're sullen and moody and given an opening, they'll take advantage. Or they'll make everything seem like it's your fault."
She turned her head to look at him. "You sound like you know what you're talking about."
He laughed. "I have no idea. But I've been a teenager, and we all ganged up on our parents. I just know all the moves."
"You do, huh? Care to take on a couple of difficult ones? I'll gladly turn them over to you since you seem to be their hero today. You can give them back when they're adults."
"No, thanks. And they just like me because I don't have to tell them to do their homework or give them curfews or tell them no. Trust me, if I had to do that, they'd give me shit, too."
"Probably."
He laid his hand on her leg. "Cut yourself some slack, Katrina. They're really great kids. They're smart and funny and they ask excellent questions. But they're also very respectful. You've done a good job raising them."
Their teachers and other parents had always been complimentary of Leo and Anya, for which she was grateful. But it was nice to hear Grant give her positive feedback. So often she felt like she was flying blind.
"Thanks. I've done my best, and I freely admit I've had to leave them in the care of nannies and au pairs while I traveled. I tried to hire exceptional ones. And I've tried to be here for them as much as I could."
"You're only one person. You've worked your ass off to be both mother and father and breadwinner. You can't do it all, ya know."
"I had to. Who else was going to do it? Someone has to be here to make sure they're taken care of."
He brushed her hair away from her face. "Yeah? And who's been here to take care of you?"
The way he looked at her made all those responsibilities, that tight knot of tension she always felt in the pit of her stomach, fall away. And when he brushed his lips against hers, she leaned against him, letting herself draw some of his strength.
Only a minute. Just a few seconds of his touch, the way he squeezed her leg, the way his tongue slid so intimately against hers, and then she'd pull away so they could head back upstairs.
But then he'd pulled her onto his lap and the kiss grew more intense. She knew she should engage some common sense. They were in the gym where anyone could walk in at any moment, but for the life of her she couldn't summon any of that
common sense right now, because his hands were on her hips, digging in, and she felt wanted. When was the last time that happened? When was the last time she allowed herself to fall into a kiss and feel a man's hands on her?
She couldn't remember. All she knew right now was that she was on Grant's lap, nestled against some very strong thighs, rocking against one very promising erection, and all she could think about was herself.
Just this once, she wanted something for herself.
She wanted Grant.
But then she heard the ping of the elevator door. She broke the kiss and slid off his lap in a hurry, taking several steps backward. Grant picked up the workout bag Leo had brought with him and placed it on his lap, giving her a crooked smile while she lifted a shaky hand to her mouth.
Her lips felt swollen from his kiss and as the guy who'd come in passed them and gave them a short nod, Grant nodded back.
"Ready to head upstairs?" Grant asked.
"Yes."
He stood and she walked in step with him to the elevator. They stepped inside and she pushed the button for her floor. Her cheeks were still red and she put her cool hands on them, hoping to douse the flames.
It didn't help when Grant moved into her, his hand sliding around her waist.
"We're not finished here," he said, his warm breath caressing her cheek.
It was stupid to even start. She had responsibilities. The kids. Her job. She had no business making out with Grant.
But oh, she wanted so much more.
NINE
GRANT HAD TO RIDE UP THE ELEVATOR WITH THE BAG in front of him to hide his erection. But it had been worth it to feel Katrina on his lap, to touch her and kiss her.
Too bad they'd been interrupted by the guy coming into the gym, but he knew he'd been taking a risk by kissing her there. They needed some privacy, which they weren't going to get at her condo. Leo and Anya were already waiting for them and hungry. He was going to take them out to a restaurant for dinner, but Katrina insisted on cooking.
"I eat out all the time when I'm traveling. I like to cook when I'm home," she said. "Besides, I already have food here."
He shrugged. "Up to you, but I didn't intend for you to cook." He was leaning against the island drinking a beer and watching her pull out pots and pans.
"Like I said I enjoy cooking. Anya and I cook together all the time."
"Okay. What can I do to help?"
She gave him a suspicious frown. "A man in my kitchen? I don't think so."
"Now you're being sexist." He moved around the island and washed his hands, grabbed a towel and dried them. "My mother taught us all to cook so we could fend for ourselves."