She laughed and clinked her mug against his.

The waffle was surprisingly delicious, and Kylie cleaned her plate without even really thinking about it. Cade ate heartily, too, and the conversation flowed between them as they ate. They kept it on simple things, like weather, and places to eat in New York, and other places he’d traveled for business. She teased him about how many houses he had (six) and how many corporations he owned (nine) and he took her teasing with good-natured rejoinders of his own, like asking how many lipsticks she owned (dozens).

Then their plates were cleared away and all the coffee was drunk, and the bill was produced. Kylie found herself strangely reluctant to leave. It was nice being here with Cade. Kind of wonderful, really. He was smart, good looking, successful, and utterly focused on her. He laughed at her lame jokes, found her conversations interesting, and okay, he was pretty amazing in bed. Every time he smiled at her, she got a little weak in the knees.

“I should take you back,” he said, glancing at his watch. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“All right,” she said, because really, she shouldn’t have been gone this long anyhow.

“So when can I see you again? Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow we’re heading to Indianapolis,” she told him. “Another concert.”

“Then the night after that?”

“More travel.”

“Then tell me what night you have off so we can meet up.”

Kylie hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Cade—she liked him too much, really. It was that the whole situation with Daphne was sticky. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I feel like you need to talk to Daphne first.”

She expected him to protest, but he nodded. “I do need to talk to her.” An impish twinkle lit his eyes. “So, Friday then?”

And she couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not committing to anything.”

As the limo drove back to the concert hall, they exchanged phone numbers. Kylie programmed him into her phone with a silent ringtone, because she was wary about more people finding out about them. Then the car pulled up in front of the hall and there was no longer any reason to stay in it.

But when she put her hand on the door handle, he stopped her. “Before you leave, I’ve been waiting all night to do this.”

Cade leaned in and very gently kissed her. His mouth landed on her upper lip, and he softly, sensuously pressed his own lips to hers. Then, over and over, he continued to kiss her as she sat there, utterly shocked and completely and totally aroused. His tongue brushed against her parted mouth, and she swallowed the whimper that wanted to escape. She didn’t dare make a sound, because she wanted this to go on forever. He was making love to her with each sweet, delicious, light kiss. She’d never been touched like this in her life, and she savored it.

“You have the most incredible mouth, Kylie,” he murmured between kisses. “So full and pink and plump. I’ve wanted to put my lips on it for hours now. And you taste even better than I remember.”

This time, she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped.

He chuckled, as if he knew just what he was doing to her. “I feel the same way,” he murmured, and his lips moved against hers in a tickling motion. It was as if he didn’t want to pull away, not even to talk. And when she opened her eyes, she saw his were heavy, wicked slits of desire.

And that made her panties wet to see.

“I shouldn’t be kissing you,” she murmured, but she didn’t pull away. That was the last thing she wanted.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s . . . complicated.” Because her job depended on it. Because she wasn’t sure if he was still mixed up with Daphne. Because she worried that if Daphne got clean, he’d dump her like a hot potato if the pop star came calling again.

“Well, maybe we’ll take it slow, then,” he told her. And he leaned in and gently brushed his lips over her mouth one more lingering time. “I’ll save the rest of my kisses for the next time we meet.”

Dazed, she could do nothing but nod. His scent was in her nostrils, his body pressing against hers, and it took everything she had to open the door and get out of the limo. This time, though, he didn’t stop her. They headed into the venue once more, Cade at her side, and took the long walk back to the greenroom backstage.

There, things were in a flurry. Crowds were everywhere, and it was clear the show had just ended. Kylie felt a twinge of alarm. She should have been back already. If Daphne was waiting for her, well, things were going to get ugly, and they were going to get ugly fast. The greenroom had filled up with people, and both press and fans were waiting outside. They glared at Kylie as she took Cade by the hand and dragged him inside with her. In the room, it was quieter, but there were still too many people around, which meant that they were late.