5

Sasha gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry" she said, "Lots of customers at the truck… And I had a little problem choosing my outfit. Now, speaking of outfits, yours is just…. You know… wow. Why aren't you dressed? Or are you?"

Tilly rolled her eyes. "Good question! I'm dressed like this because like an idiot, I offered to help plan Kaleb's stupid party, and he put me in charge of everything. Trust me, if I'm not there to monitor everyone, nothing gets done."

Sasha smiled. She wasn't surprised one bit. Tilly was a control freak, and she liked to do things and way and when she wanted it done. "I'm sure it's all in your head," she said, "Maybe you should let them do the rest and you should get dressed. You deserve to enjoy the party you put together. It's amazing by the way. You did great."

"Of course I did, duh" said Tilly with a proud smirk, "What would Kaleb do without me? But of course, he won't admit that he can't do anything without my help"

Sasha laughed, "I'm very sure he knows it"

"Good. Why don't you tell him to say it now" Tilly said, but she was staring at someone behind Sasha now and Sasha didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Tell me to say what?" Kaleb's voice said behind her.

Sasha turned around. Kaleb was here, in the flesh, all six feet two of him, towering over her. He was casually but impeccably dressed, in a short-sleeved shirt open at the neck to reveal the strong column of his throat. Casual linen pants hung low on his hips, supported by a leather belt slipped through the loops, its buckle a discreet silver rectangle resting on his flat belly…No, she wasn’t going any lower…

Abruptly she lifted her head, her eyes roaming over his face. His black hair was cut shorter than it was weeks ago, now with a side parting and a few wayward curls edging his broad brow. He was still darkly handsome, but not in the boyish way she remembered from years ago. His chiseled features had hardened. The high slant of his cheekbones was more pronounced, a small wrinkle creased the corners of his black eyes and the firm, sensuous lips were held in a tight line. Hard and successful, he exuded an aura of power and confidence that few men could hope to match.

She gazed up at him, opened her mouth to say something, no words came out.

—----------------

For a few seconds, Kaleb almost wished Sasha wouldn't turn around. He had an exceptional view of her backside. And a nice backside it was. His gaze never wavered from the tantalizing view in front of him. Her dress fit beautifully over body and very voluptuous hips. He didn't see enough curves in his life. Some of the models he usually met were so damn skinny he kept wanting to cook them pasta. He'd never admit it, but those women weren't exactly his taste. Heresy, but what can you do? He liked a woman who looked real. Shapely. Someone he could hold on to.

And Sasha was exactly that… Or at least her body. She'd always been beautiful, he knew that, but there was a change in her that he couldn't help but notice. The girl he'd once known had become a woman…. A very beautiful woman indeed.

She was talking to Tilly, and then he got close enough to hear their conversation before he realized that they were talking about him.

"Tell me to say what?" he asked.

Sasha turned around to face him, and Kaleb's heart skipped a beat. She was a vision of luscious womanhood in a red dress that made his throat dry. Her hair looked wild In that bun, like she'd just gotten well and lustily laid, and her eyes were luminous with mischief and something else he couldn't peg. But where he got stuck was her lips.

Red, like the dress, full, like her breasts. He wanted to pull her to him, feel that body from shoulder to knee, and kiss her senseless.

"Oh… No… Nothing" Sasha said after a while, moving one leg forward and balancing her weight on her side with a sinful sway of hips. "You know your sister. She talks a lot… About a lot of things. I don't know how it has been since you returned, but we normally don't let her speak to people unless she's taken her Prozac." she added playfully.

Tilly rolled her eyes and glared at her brother. "You better find a way to thank me properly all the work I've done for you" she said, "It's your party, but you barely did anything to plan it properly"

Kaleb shrugged, "You insisted on doing it, dear sister. So I let you. Please don't tell me you're complaining now. I think we can all agree that it's too late for that. Wouldn't you say so, Sasha?"

Sasha blinked. She'd been too lost in thought and it took a second to bring her back to the present." I'm sure Tilly means well. She's just cranky, and besides, we can both agree that she did quite an amazing job"

Kaleb smiled. "Yeah she did" he agreed, then he turned to Tilly. "You name anything you want and it shall be granted."

Tilly grinned at her brother. "That's all I wanted to hear." she said, "See ya!"

Tilly left, leaving Sasha and Kaleb alone. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Kaleb faced her again. He brought his glass up to his lips and savored the aged scotch as it heated a trail down his throat. When was the last time he felt so uncomfortable and self conscious when he was with a woman? He couldn't remember, but there was something about Sasha that made him feel like his tongue was tied, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

She was beautiful. Kaleb thought as he felt himself harden and frowned. He was like a callow youth, he thought exasperatedly. She was beautiful, yes, but he’d seen beautiful women before. He hadn’t reached the mature age of thirty-two without making love to a number of them, too, and it irritated the hell out of him that he desired this woman this way, his sister's friend. She licked her lips then, and his stomach twisted with sudden emotion.

Damn, he thought, the intensity of his reaction reminding him that he was playing with fire here.