Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

“You think so? Then how about telling me what you have planned for us next?”

Bas glanced over at her when he came to a stop sign. “I want to take you home with me.”

She lifted a brow. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “My family is giving my youngest brother Donovan a party for his thirty-first birthday next month and I’d like you to go with me.”

“To your family’s function?”

“Yes, as my guest.”

A tiny flush warmed her cheeks. In the good old days when a man took a woman home to meet his family it meant something, but she knew that in this day and age of modern dating, the rules had changed and so had the expectations. You no longer needed a formal date to become romantically involved. The two of you could just meet somewhere and get it on. She’d even heard of the concept of video mobile dating. It seemed “try before you buy” was the way to go now.

“How will your family handle something like that?” she couldn’t help but ask.

He grinned over at her before easing the car onto the interstate. “Seeing you will raise a few brows, I’m sure. I haven’t seriously dated since I ended my engagement eight months ago.”

She was about to tell him that he wasn’t seriously dating now when the last part of his sentence stopped her. “You were engaged?” she asked, trying to stop her head from reeling and her eyes from spinning.

“Yes. You sound shocked. Don’t you think I’m marriage material?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “For some reason I can’t see you sitting by the fireplace with a pipe in your mouth while reading to the kiddies.”

“Get rid of the pipe and go with the scene. I love kids and want a couple of them one day, and when I do settle down and marry, I plan to give my wife and children my absolute attention.”

“Really. Then, what happened?”

“Let’s just say Cassandra and I determined we weren’t compatible after all,” he said easily. Too easily for Jocelyn’s way of thinking.

“How long were the two of you engaged?”

“Six months.”

“And how long did the two of you date before becoming engaged?”

“Almost a year.”

“Jeez, it took you that long to discover the two of you didn’t fit? You don’t come across to me as slow, Bas.”

He didn’t know whether to take her comment as a compliment or an insult. He chose the latter. “I’m not slow and there were reasons I hung in there for as long as I did.”

Jocelyn sighed softly, wondering if love had been the reason. Had he loved this Cassandra person so much that he’d been determined to make things work between them? Did he still love her? “Do you think the two of you will ever work things out and get back together?”

“Excuse my French, but hell no. There’s no way I’d consider such a thing.”

Brushing her hair back from her eyes, Jocelyn glanced over at him. He certainly didn’t sound like a man who was still in love. But then she was comparing him with Reese. Although Reese was bitter and angry with Leah, Jocelyn could still detect the deep love in his voice whenever he spoke about her sister. With Bas just now, all she heard was disgust.

“So, will you go home with me to Donovan’s party, Jocelyn?”

She wasn’t ready to give him her answer yet. “I’ll let you know. And thanks for offering to do the driving,” she added, feeling the need to change the subject.

“No problem. Just put your head back and relax. I’ll have you in Memphis before you know it.”

She smiled and tilted her seat back. “Just stay within the speed limit. I’m not sharing the cost of a ticket with you.”

Bas chuckled. “You are the last person to give someone advice about speeding.”

A small giggle slipped from Jocelyn’s lips as she closed her eyes.

The hotel Jocelyn had chosen was right in the thick of things and as soon as they dropped their overnight bags off at their respective rooms, they met downstairs in the lobby, ready to explore, enjoy and have fun.

Memphis was known for its food, entertainment and hot spots. But this particular weekend it was all about jazz. What had begun a few years ago as an outdoor concert was now a full weekend of numerous blues and jazz events.