Night and Day (Stevens Book 11)

Chapter 21

Dinner was a success. Many different conversations were going on, and Katherine, sitting between Beth and Caleb, didn't lack for things to talk about. She spent the first half of dinner catching up with Beth and the second half talking with Caleb about his latest project. In between it all, she kept sneaking glances at Alistair, sitting between Kiki and Susie. The closest poor Claire could get to him was across the table, but it seemed fair since she had monopolized him before dinner.

After dinner, they all moved back to the drawing room, where the conversation continued over coffee. Katherine had been cornered by Robert, who wanted to take a few moments to review the shots he wanted that evening. She nodded to him as she listened to his ideas while her eyes strayed to Alistair again.

"Not you too!" Robert said as he rolled his eyes. "What is it about the young future earl that draws every woman he meets to him?"

"I couldn't say what draws every woman to him, and I'm sure there are a few who aren't drawn to him," Katherine said, not realizing that she sounded unconvinced by her statement.

"You can't even say that convincingly," Robert said as he turned to study Alistair head-on, not caring that he was openly staring.

"He is handsome and has charisma," Robert thought aloud before he took a sip of his coffee.

"And he is a future earl, rich, and really good at making money," Rainer said from behind him, studying Alistair while he sipped his coffee too.

"True," Robert said, nodding.

"He's also funny on occasion," Davis joined in the conversation, and the others around them started to take notice and turned to look at Alistair as well.

Half of the room had turned in his direction and was assessing him as he spoke to his mother. Claire, Susie, and Kiki had found others to talk with for a change, leaving Alistair free to speak with his mother about something that looked important.

"You should marry him, Katherine," Cassie said with a grin, "before one of the other ladies snag him first."

Alistair looked up at that moment, caught half the room watching him, and frowned at their sudden attention.

"Is there a problem?" he loudly asked across the vast room, catching everyone's attention.

"No, sweetie, we were just trying to determine what makes you so irresistible to some women." Cassie lifted her cup of coffee toward him as his frown deepened at the thought of being irresistible.

"All women," Robert snorted, disagreeing with Cassie's statement that it was only some women.

"Not all women." Alistair shook his head as his eyes met Katherine's across the room, the message clear that she didn't find him irresistible.

Robert snorted. "If you mean Katherine by that statement, you're one hundred percent wrong. She's been staring at you all night."

Katherine stomped on his foot, and he shouted in pain. "Stop it! You may not be as overt about it as the other three, but you have been staring at him." Robert had given up all semblance of tact, and it caused Claire, Susie, and Kiki to gasp in protest.

Katherine took a deep breath and set her coffee cup on one of the trays. "Are you ready to shoot, Robert?" she asked, changing the subject as the other three women's eyes narrowed and looked like they would do bodily harm to either her or Robert. After all, one of them was in charge of her make-up and could easily make her look like a clown if she wanted.

"In about an hour," he said, looking at his watch, clueless about the danger he was in.

"Then I'll go get changed," Katherine said to no one in particular as she turned to leave and immediately faced a wall of Stevenses, who all looked at her with knowing grins that said she could run, but she couldn't hide because it was a family affair now. "Excuse me," she whispered as she pushed past them.

Katherine was halfway up the massive staircase when Alistair caught her elbow and pulled her behind him. Many of the Stevens family had blocked the door keeping her co-workers in the drawing room.

"Don't fight it, dear. It's what the Stevens men do. We pull our women behind us until we have them where we want them, which is never a bad place to be unless you're Cassie!" Caleb called.

"Alistair!" she hissed as he pulled her down the long gallery and toward the door that was her room for her stay. He opened it and pushed her through, closing it swiftly behind him. How did you know which room I was staying in?" she asked, out of breath at the suddenness of his actions.

"It's my house. I chose the room I wanted you in, which is right next to mine." He walked toward her, pushing her back with his intensity before his hands reached out and grabbed her arms to hold her in place. "I have been watching you watch me all night, and all I have wanted to do was kiss you." He looked at her lips as she licked them in anticipation.

"You realize you gave us away, and now all my co-workers know that you and I have a thing, right?" she asked.

"A thing?" he repeated, "Hmmm, I was hoping by longing looks were more meaningful than a thing." He pulled her body flush with his.

"I don't think the others wanted to acknowledge your longing looks if there really were any," Katherine let her body lean into his. She had missed him so much, and they still had a lot to talk about, but having him so close was heaven.

"If there were any?" he repeated what Katherine said again, giving her a little shake. "It is all I have been doing all night!"

"I never saw a single longing look," Katherine shrugged, enjoying flirting with him again. It used to be something they were adept at before the last year when life got in the way.

He let his eyes trace the curves of her face as he cradled her head in his hands, and his intense look made her weak-kneed. When he brought his thumb up to her lips and traced them, she couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips.

"How's this for longing looks," he smiled tenderly.

"Oh, Alistair," she shook her head as tears threatened. "I missed you so much, and I'm still very much afraid that you will wake up and choose someone else."

"Sweetheart, you are my heart," he whispered before his lips caught hers in a gentle kiss.

There was a sudden knock on her door, and Alistair cursed as he stepped back.

"Who is it?" Katherine called in an unsteady voice. Her eyes were glued to Alistair's. She was unwilling to look away first.

"It's Claire, Katherine. I need to do your make-up for the shoot," Claire called through the thick door.

"I have to change first. Can you come back in ten minutes?" She cleared her throat to make her voice louder. Then she turned to Alistair with a glare. "Obviously, your looks weren't longing enough because Claire didn't get the point."

Alistair's response was to kiss her again before she wrenched herself away.

"I have to change now!" she stepped back from him as jealousy ate at her core. He was here with her now, which should be enough, but there were so many unspoken words between them that she was still in doubt.

"Go ahead," he said as he crossed the room and sat in a chair.

"No!" A year ago, she would have been thrilled at the idea of him watching her change, but now she wanted some space until she could figure out how to ask all the questions she wanted to ask. The primary one being what had changed between him and his family. "Claire will want to do my makeup in here, and you can't be here for that!"

"Why not? I can sit here and look at you longingly while she does." Alistair let Katherine pull him from the chair and push him toward the door. "Fine, I'll leave, but you'll give me one more kiss."

Katherine stopped with her hand on the doorknob and looked up at him. This time, her look was filled with longing before his lips claimed hers.

When he ended the kiss, he rested his head against hers. "We're almost there. I can feel it," he took her hand and rested it against his chest as Katherine nodded her agreement.

"Now go!" she insisted as she wrenched open the door and pushed him out before she changed her mind.

They were almost there. They were only one good conversation away.