Brian

3

Lily sat in her office at Patterson Properties and Investments, staring out the window at the Boston skyline. She pushed up from her desk and peered down on the streets in the financial district, watching the traffic crawl along. Though Boston was beautiful, it wasn't Chicago. Lily sighed. She'd only been in town for only three days and she was already homesick.

After her breakup with Daniel, she'd decided to make some big changes in her life. She'd stumbled upon an old house for sale in the WickerPark neighborhood of Chicago and without really thinking about it, put in an offer. The act of purchasing a home had been her first step toward independence. From the time she'd left college, Lily had always rented, believing that her perfect mate would come along, they'd get married and buy a house together.

But now, she had a mortgage payment all her own and a house in need of a new roof. A promotion at work and a big raise would go a long way toward paying the bills. If she did a good job for Richard Patterson, Don DeLay would have to see her value to the firm.

The house in Chicago hadn't been the only change. Her mind flashed back to Brian Quinn. Her little one-night stand had been part of the plan, too-a part that she was fast growing to regret.

Lily turned away from the window. Why couldn't she put Brian Quinn out of her mind? Yes, the sex had been good… all right, great. Incredible even. But she had to believe that part of the excitement came from the spontaneity of the moment. Making love to him in the back of the limo had been dangerous and wicked, completely out of character for her.

After it had happened, she been pleased with the results. It had been everything she'd needed-at that moment. And she'd expected to relive the moments over and over again in her head, the memories of the passion so strong. But she'd never expected this nagging temptation, this need to see him again.

A knock sounded on her office door and Lily jumped, then calmed herself. She'd been so edgy! Was this a side effect of unbridled lust? "Yes?"

Marie, the administrative assistant assigned to her, poked her head inside. "Mr. Patterson will see you now, Ms. Gallagher. In his office."

"Thanks, Marie." She smoothed her skirt and tucked her notepad under her arm, then walked out of her office and down the hall to the elevator. When she stepped inside, she leaned back and fixed her gaze on the numbers above the door. This was exactly how an ordinary woman turned into a brazen hussy, she mused. All she could think about was sex, sex, sex. Had there been an attractive single man in the elevator, who knows what might have happened?

"I need a hobby," she said. "Something to distract my mind. Pottery or kick-boxing. Maybe I could take singing lessons. I've always wanted to learn how to sing." She paused and glanced up at the security camera mounted in the corner of the elevator. "And maybe I should stop talking to myself now."

The elevator doors opened and Lily hurried out, making her way through the executive suites to the end of the hall. Richard Patterson's secretary stood as she approached. "Hello, Miss Gallagher. Is there anything I can bring you?"

"Coffee would be nice, Mrs. Wilburn," Lily said. "Cream and one sugar." She rapped on the door, then opened it and walked inside.

Richard Patterson nodded at her from behind a massive desk that was scrupulously organized. He pointed to a guest chair. "Good morning, Lily. I assume Mrs. Wilburn got you situated yesterday."

"She did. I have an office, an assistant and I met with your key people." Lily paused. "It looks like your public relations department has done a terrific job for you. But I still don't know what I'm doing here. You already have highly qualified people to do your PR. Why do you need me?"

He leaned back in his leather chair, bracing his elbows on the arms and steepling his fingers in front of his face. "There's a situation developing that may cause a bit of a crisis and I need someone experienced to handle it when it does. Someone from the outside, someone objective, to steer us through."

Lily studied his tense expression. "What kind of situation?"

"I'm working on a development project on the waterfront."

"The Wellston project," Lily said.

Patterson nodded. "As you know, getting a real estate project off the ground, especially one of this magnitude, can be almost impossible. There are layers and layers of red tape to cut through and if I can't cut through it all in an expeditious manner, I lose my investors and the project falls apart. The Wellston project was about to implode when I found a way to make it go."

"And?" Lily asked, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. "Or maybe I shouldn't ask?"

"I think it's best if you know everything. Let me just say that whether or not we broke laws is subject to the interpretation of those laws. We had to do some things that might not have been completely ethical. There are suspicions of impropriety. And certain people in the media have been gunning for me ever since I got approval on the Minuteman Mall project. They won't consider the… nuances involved in making a deal work. If the details of this story break, my investors will pull out and I'll be ruined. Patterson Properties and Investments will go under, taking hundreds of jobs with it. I need to make sure that story doesn't come out. I saw the way you handled that bribery scandal for that developer in Chicago. Can you do the same thing for me?"

Lily groaned inwardly. She was considered an expert in crisis public relations, but it was always easier when the client hadn't broken any laws. Heck, a nice juicy sex scandal was a snap compared to the looming threat of a trial and prison time. If she had to choose between morality and legality, morality was the far easier problem to solve.

"You need to know three things," Lily said. "First, I won't break any laws for you. Second, I'm not going to lie for you. I may not be forthcoming with the truth, I may refuse to answer questions, but I won't lie."

"And third?"

"If I take this job, you'll take my advice. You'll do exactly as I advise. I'm not sure if I can avert disaster here, but I can certainly try my best to make your problems seem less… newsworthy."

"All right." He picked up a file folder from the center of his desk. "The first guy I need you to neutralize is Brian Quinn."

Lily's breath froze in her throat and her eyes went wide. "Brian Quinn? How do you know about him?"

"He's been nosing into my business affairs for the past six months. He's a hotshot investigative reporter at WBTN and he thinks if he can dig up dirt on me, he'll have a story worth six or seven rating points. The guy needs to be stopped. Do whatever it takes."

Lily snatched up the file folder and looked at it, flipping through a lengthy report. "What is this?"

"I hired a private investigator to tail him. There's plenty there. He has quite a reputation with the ladies, a different girl every week. His father owns some seedy pub down in Southie. We might be able to use that as leverage, maybe cause some problem with the old man's permits. His father was also arrested a year ago for murder."

"Oh, my God," Lily said. "Murder?"

"It's all in the file. The P.I. has been trailing him for about a month now. I should have another report in a few days. The investigator is digging into his past. I've had my people pull news clips for you and tapes of his reports. Get to know him, I want strategies on how to counteract his interference. You don't need to okay anything with me. Just get the job done." With that, Patterson stood, effectively ending their meeting.

Lily jumped up from her chair and nodded to him. "I'll get right on it."

She walked out as Mrs. Wilburn was coming in with her cup of coffee. Lily shrugged apologetically, but continued her retreat. When she reached the safety of her office, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath, her head spinning and her stomach in knots.

The report inside the file folder was ten pages long and Lily quickly skimmed the text, stunned at how detailed it was. She flipped back to the first page and noted the date. It was dated a couple of weeks before her encounter with Brian Quinn in the back of the limo.

She groaned softly. But the private investigator had continued to tail Brian Quinn after this report. Right now, he could be typing up a report about their tryst! It wouldn't be difficult to find out her name. It had been on the invitation list. Lily frowned. But Brian's hadn't. He claimed he'd crashed the party. Considering the situation now, Lily couldn't help but think that he'd come there deliberately to collect more dirt on Richard Patterson.

"He has no shame."

Another notion suddenly occurred to her. Could he have known who she was before he approached her at the fund-raiser? Lily shook her head. He'd have to have been the best investigative reporter on the planet to know she'd be coming into town, much less know her reason for her being there.

Lily grabbed the phone book and flipped through it. There were too many unanswered questions that were certain to plague her. When she found the number and address for WBTN, she scribbled it on a scrap of paper. Then she drew a deep breath. She'd have to handle this very carefully. She couldn't just walk into the station and confront him. Instead, there had to be some way to get him on neutral turf.

"I could just call him and ask him for a date," she murmured, picking up the phone. But that would be admitting she'd felt more for him than just a passing desire. "No, there has to be another way."

Lily had strategized plans for multimillion-dollar clients. She should be able to figure out how to approach Brian Quinn. But why was she really interested in seeing him? To figure out what he knew about Richard Patterson's business dealings? Or maybe to convince him to back off the story? She cursed softly. Maybe her need to see him was less professional and more personal.

An idea struck her and she grabbed up the phone and punched in the station's number. The receptionist answered the phone and Lily gathered her resolve. "I'd like to speak to Brian Quinn," she said, trying to disguise her voice, make it sound deeper, older.

"One moment, I'll put you through."

Another phone rang and a woman answered. "Newsroom," she said.

"Brian Quinn, please," Lily said.

"May I ask what this is regarding?"

"I want to talk to him about Richard Patterson," she said. "I have some information he might be interested in." The phone clicked and the audio for a soap opera came on. A few seconds later, the line clicked again.

"Brian Quinn."

Lily's heart hammered in her chest at the sound of his voice, so deep and smooth. "Mr. Quinn?"

"Who is this?"

"My name isn't important. I have some information I'd like to share with you… about Richard Patterson. Is there someplace we can meet?"

The line was silent for a moment. "All right. There's a place in Southie, a pub. Quinn's Pub."

"Quinn's?"

"My father owns it. We'll be able to talk there. Trust me. How will I know you?"

"I'll know you. Three p.m. today," Lily said. "Be there." She quickly hung up the phone and then drew a deep breath, her head still spinning. His father's pub was still on his turf, but if she had protested too much, he might have gotten suspicious. Quinn's Pub was as good a place as any to confront him.

"So what am I going to say?" Lily rubbed her forehead, trying to banish the confusion that muddled her brain. Whatever she said, she'd need to make sure that he had no doubt about where she stood. She was not going to jump in the back seat of the nearest car and repeat what they'd shared that night in the limo. She'd be polite and warn him to stay away from Richard Patterson. She'd ignore his sexy smile and his incredible body and the way he looked at her, as if he wanted nothing more than to rip all her clothes off and ravish her.

"I can do this," Lily muttered. "This isn't just a job-it's an adventure."

Brian parked his car in front of Quinn's Pub five minutes before three. He jumped out, then looked up and down the street, wondering if his contact would be waiting outside. He knew it was a woman, but that was all he knew.

As an investigative reporter, he'd spent countless hours tracking down people who might be willing to spill their guts, convincing ex-secretaries and nosy neighbors and even relatives to turn on those he felt were guilty of some type of misbehavior. He suspected that this woman was probably an employee, or if he was lucky, an ex-lover of Patterson's, someone who might break this story wide open.

He took the steps two at a time and pulled the front door open. Thankfully, the bar was nearly empty. A few of the regulars sat at one end, playing cards with Seamus. And a couple sat at one of the tables, eating lunch. Though the pub had been busy since the Roamer's listing, three o'clock was long after the lunch rush and well before happy hour.

"Hey, Da," Brian called. Seamus tossed his cards down, but Brian held out his hand. "I'll get my own drink."

He stepped around the end of the bar and grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator, then sat down on a stool to wait. Hell, he wasn't even sure she'd show up. A large percentage of his contacts ended up backing out at the last minute, worried that their comments might somehow put their safety at risk. But Brian had learned to be pragmatic and patient about getting a story. A good story, one worth reporting, usually revealed itself in its own good time.

The door opened behind him and Brian turned around, only to find his brother Sean strolling in. Sean nodded at him and took the stool beside him. "Hey, Brian," his brother murmured.

"Sean," Brian replied.

"I was hoping I'd find you here." Sean reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket. He slid it across the bar to Brian. "There you go."

"What's this?"

"Lily Gallagher. She's staying at the Eliot on Commonwealth. Room 312."

Brian gasped, then shoved the paper back at his brother. "I didn't ask you to find her."

"You didn't have to. Since you're going to be marrying her, I figured you'd want to know where she was."

Brian stood. "Goddamn it, I'm not going to marry her!"

Sean shrugged. "So you say. I think it's pretty much a done deal." He retrieved the paper, but at the last minute, Brian snatched it from his fingers. His brother grinned. "I rest my case."

"Did you come here for a reason or were you simply interested in tormenting me?"

Sean reached in another jacket pocket and produced a sheaf of papers. "These are the names of some people who have left the employ of Richard Patterson over the past year. You asked me to get these for you a few weeks ago, remember?"

Brian irritation faded as he stared at the long list. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to get something so quick."

"There are seventeen names. Secretaries, middle management and one guy from the financial office."

"Thanks, bro. I owe you."

Sean pushed away from the bar. "I'll send you a bill," he said, a crooked smile curving his lips. "I have to go. See ya later."

Brian watched as his brother walked to the door. Sean pulled it open, then stopped and danced back and forth with another patron who was trying to get inside. Finally, Sean stepped aside and the woman came in, turning to stare at Sean with her mouth agape.

Brian slowly stood. "Lily?" He blinked, certain that he was simply engaged in some strange fantasy. But it was her. Lily Gallagher was in Quinn's Pub. What the hell was she doing here? Had he mentioned the place to her? Had she come looking for him?

He sighed. God, she looked pretty. Her auburn hair was pulled back and twisted at the nape of her neck. She wore a conservative business suit that served to hide all her assets, but she still took his breath away the same way she had the first time he'd seen her in her gold gown and sexy little shoes.

Her mouth snapped shut as she saw him, then she frowned and glanced back at the door.

Brian slowly approached her. "My twin brother, Sean," he explained. "People say we look alike, but I don't see it. What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you again."

She crossed her arms in front of her, her eyes darting everywhere but to his face. "We had an appointment. At three p.m.?"

Brian frowned. "You're my contact? How can that be?"

"I work for Richard Patterson," she said, her voice calm, almost cold.

He gasped. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm a public relations consultant. And he hired me to protect him from people like you."

He couldn't help but laugh. She made him sound like some kind of criminal. "People like me?"

"Reporters." She said the word as if it caused a vile taste in her mouth. "So just stay away, or you'll be sorry." Then she cursed softly and walked away. But just as she reached the door, she turned around and stalked back to him, her impassive expression now suffused with anger. "You know this is all your fault. If you wouldn't have suggested those silly rules when we met, then none of this would have happened. I would have known who you were and you would have known who I was and we could have avoided… well, we'd never have taken that little tour of Boston."

"You work for Richard Patterson," Brian said. "So what. The only thing that could make me regret what happened in the limo was if you announced that you were Richard Patterson's wife."

Lily shook her head. "I have to go. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to protect his interests. It's my job and I'm very, very good at my job." She turned on her heel and started back to the door, but Brian wasn't about to let her walk out.

He caught up with her in a few short steps and grabbed her hand. The moment he touched her, he realized that she wasn't nearly as tough as she acted. Her voice caught in her throat and she stumbled slightly. "Wait a second," he murmured. "You can't just leave like that. We have a few more things to talk about."

Lily swallowed hard, then twisted out of his grasp. "We-we have nothing more to talk about. You know where I stand and I know where you stand. That's all that needs to be-" His gaze caught hers and for a moment, it seemed as if she forgot what she wanted to say. "Said," she finished in a weak voice.

"You're acting like there's nothing more between us, Lily. And you know that's not true."

She gnawed on her lower lip. "There's nothing between us," she said. She pulled the door open and stumbled down the steps. For a second, he considered letting her go. But Brian wasn't willing to concede that this might be the last time he ever saw her. He jogged over to her, stepping in front of her to prevent her escape.

"You just used me for sex and then tossed me aside," he said, walking backward. "I guess I didn't realize how coldhearted you really were." That caused her to stop short.

"I didn't use-" She snapped her mouth shut, but her emotions were all there in her eyes-anger, frustration, a good measure of doubt and insecurity. And hidden behind it all, an undeniable attraction.

He reached out to take her hand. "I know you felt something, Lily," he said, softening his tone. "Remember, I was there. It may have started out as just sex, but it didn't end that way, did it?" It felt good to touch her again, Brian mused. In truth, it was all he could do not to yank her into his arms and kiss away this stupid argument.

"Don't make this about that night," Lily warned, her voice cracking slightly. "That was a mistake and this is a completely separate issue."

"Well then, let's agree that we're both going to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. I'm going to go after Patterson hard and you're going to try to stop me. That's fine with me. May the best person win."

"It was sex," Lily murmured.

"You keep believing that, Lily. You believe that you were just using me, that you just wanted to take your pleasure and walk away. But you won't convince me. I was there. I saw you, I felt you. And right now, you're looking at me and wondering just what you'd have to do to make it all happen again."

"Stop it!" she cried. Lily glanced around. "I'm leaving now and I don't ever want to see you again."

She started toward the street, but in her anger she wasn't watching for traffic. Brian caught her just as she stepped off the curb. He yanked her back as a car sped by. "Lily, stop. You can't just run out in the-"

"Let go of me!"

Frustrated, he grabbed her other arm and yanked her into his embrace, then kissed her, long and hard. At first, she refused to yield, but then he softened his assault and she slowly went limp in his arms. A tiny moan slipped from her throat and her hands moved from his chest to his neck. Brian had forgotten just how intoxicating she tasted, how when their tongues touched, he seemed to lose the ability to think.

He'd kissed a lot of women and had considered himself pretty good at it. But with Lily, the experience was something more than just the first step in seduction. It was like a silent communication, a chance to share some brief intimacy that he hadn't ever shared with another woman.

When he had kissed her as thoroughly as he possibly could, Brian stepped away and waited for her reaction. He didn't have to wait long. Desire flooded her expression and she fixed her gaze on his mouth, her lips slightly swollen and her ivory complexion flushed. "You can kiss me all day and it's not going to change my mind."

Brian chuckled. Her words didn't seem like a threat, but more like an invitation. "Now there's an idea. Would you like to get started right here or should we find some place a little more comfortable?"

Her brow rose and annoyance replaced desire. "I think you must be the most self-centered, egotistical man I've ever met."

Brian chuckled. "But I know how to kiss you like no one's ever kissed you before."

Her jaw tensed and with a low growl, she walked away from him, crossing the street to a waiting cab. Brian watched as she drove off, then shook his head and started toward his car. After he'd left her that night in the limo, he'd been sure he'd never see her again. And now, Brian knew it was only a matter of time before they'd cross paths once more. And when they did, it promised to be an interesting experience.

Lily tossed her briefcase on the sofa and kicked off her shoes. It was nearly seven and she'd spent a long day at the office going over all of Richard Patterson's press clippings for the past year. She'd looked at videotape of newscasts and flipped through business magazines until she had a good sense of which members of the press were friends and which were enemies. She'd met with his legal team to get their take on the situation.

And she mapped out a strategy to contain any scandal that might come to light.

There was no doubt in her mind that Brian Quinn would come at them hard. From what she could see, he was relentless in the pursuit of a juicy story. She couldn't really fault him for that. From the moment she'd begun her career in public relations, she'd been just as focused on her own goals.

But she'd never really doubted herself. And now, she wondered if maybe she'd stepped into the deep end without a life jacket. If Richard Patterson's business dealings were on the dark side of shady, it would be difficult to make the scandal go away. And an unhappy client was sometimes worse than an unsatisfactory outcome. Added to that, she was also forced to deal with a single-minded reporter who had the capacity to kiss her senseless.

"Just do the job," she murmured, flopping down on the sofa. She reached back and undid the pins from her hair, pulling it free from the confining knot.

Brian had already broadcast one report on the protests against the Wellston waterfront project and it was clear that he had Patterson in his sights. Compared to the community groups who had opposed the project, Quinn was more dangerous. He could reach thousands of viewers a night and affect the decisions of people in power.

Lily felt almost impotent in dealing with him. She had shown him her weaknesses that afternoon in the pub and if he was any type of reporter, he'd exploit them at the first possible opportunity. She groaned softly and rubbed her temples, trying to drive thoughts of work from her head. With this job, more than any other, she needed to leave it at the office or she'd be a basket case by the time she left town.

But that would be easier said than done. Without a social life in Boston, she had no choice but to spend her days and her evenings thinking about work. She'd already broken her own promise to start a workout routine. Lily reached for the box of Milk Duds she'd bought from the vending machine and popped a few in her mouth. Tomorrow was soon enough to get started.

A knock sounded on her door and Lily scrambled off the bed. She hadn't called for dinner yet, but maybe it was the maid with the chocolates for the pillow! Lily yanked the door open, only to find Brian Quinn standing on the other side. He held up a bouquet of flowers, a wide grin on his handsome face. Her heart did a little flip and had she been able to reach inside her chest and slap it, she would have.

"Hi there," he said, his gaze skimming her face and coming to rest on her lips.

Lily groaned and made to close the door, but he gently pushed it open. This was the last thing she needed tonight. "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I was staying?"

"I'm Brian Quinn, investigative reporter," he teased. "I have sources everywhere."

"I don't want to talk to you. We don't have anything to say to each other."

"All right, we won't talk. Let's go."

"Go where?"

"To dinner. You're new to Boston. I know all the best places to eat and I can get in without reservations. I'm inviting you to accompany me to dinner. You don't have to say a word. We won't talk about work, we won't talk about sex, we won't talk at all, we'll just eat."

"I'm not going on a date with you!" Lily cried.

"Did I say this was a date?"

She sent him a sarcastic smile. "Haven't I explained this already? Are you Brian Quinn, reporter, or Brian Quinn, hearing-impaired jackass?"

"I don't think the fact that we're working on opposite sides of an issue should have any bearing on whether we eat together. I can separate my social life from my professional life. Can't you?"

"Of course I can," Lily lied, walking into the room. "I just don't want to at the present moment."

"You haven't even tried," he said, following her inside. "I'm a very charming man and a brilliant conversationalist. I'm also witty and handsome. And modest. Come out to dinner with me and if you're having a horrible time, then you can go home. You have to eat, don't you?"

"I'm tired. I was going to order room service."

Brian shrugged and sat down on the edge of the sofa, stretching his arms across the back and crossing his leg over his knee. "That sounds good, too. Can I see the menu?"

Lily hitched her hands on her hips. "If you don't get off that sofa and out of my room, I'm going to call security and have them throw you out. But first, I'm going to call the media so they'll have cameras ready to witness your graceful exit. And I might just also let slip about your fondness for whips, leather underwear and four-inch heels. Don't you just hate it when the news reporters end up making the news?"

Brian chuckled. "You've been in town for three days. You don't have any juice yet with the local media. No one knows you. They won't show up. So where's the menu? I could go for a burger. How about you?"

God, she hated that he was always one step ahead of her! If this was any indication of how she was going to control the situation, she might as well catch the next plane back to Chicago. She sighed and raked her hand through her hair. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

"Nope."

Lily walked over to the desk and grabbed the room service menu, then threw it at him. To her frustration, he caught it with one hand. "So, how was your day?" he asked as he perused the menu.

"Do you really expect me to answer that?"

"I was just making polite conversation."

Lily strolled over to the easy chair. "I'll tell you, honestly. It was busy. I spent the day looking at media coverage of Richard Patterson. I must say, you haven't been kind. Your report on his Minuteman project was very unflattering. And you didn't check your facts very well." Lily folded her hands on her lap and stared at him, trying to convince herself that he wasn't as handsome as she remembered. "You know, you still owe me two questions."

Brian frowned. "That was Saturday night."

"I don't recall there being a time limit, do you? No? Question number four. What do you have on Richard Patterson?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," Brian said.

"You have to. Total honesty, remember? That was the deal." Lily couldn't help but smile. Now she finally had the upper hand, at least for the moment.

He sat silently and considered the question. "Let's order dinner first and then I'll tell you everything. What will you have?"

Grudgingly, Lily grabbed the menu. "A small salad with vinaigrette dressing, steamed vegetables, and a glass of red wine. By the way, Richard Patterson is paying for this room and the meal. I don't know if you have any ethical problems with that but I just thought I'd warn you. You're eating on his dime."

"I'll buy dinner." He picked up the phone and dialed room service. "Yes. We'll have two New York strip steaks, baked potato, crème brûlée for dessert and a bottle of your best champagne. Oh, and add a shrimp cocktail and some oysters to that as well." Then he proceeded to offer his credit card number.

"I wanted a salad," Lily said.

"Oops," Brian said. "Since I'm paying, you'll have to eat what I ordered."

Lily shook her head. "You are really a pain."

He hung up the phone. "You haven't seen anything yet. Now, you wanted to know what I've got. I know that Richard Patterson has had to make some sleazy deals to get the Wellston project off the ground. Bribes, influence peddling, probably a few illegal campaign contributions. That waterfront project has been tangled in legalities for years. Three different developers have owned the property and they couldn't make it work, yet he suddenly can? Something smells bad here."

"What proof do you have?"

"None… yet. But it's out there. I just have to find it. Now, let's talk about something else."

"Next question," Lily said. "What do you-"

"No," he interrupted. "I told you what I had on Patterson and I told you what proof I had. Two questions, two answers."

Frustrated, Lily stood up and walked to the bedroom. "I'm going to change. When I come back, I'd be elated if I found you gone."

Lily stepped into the dark bedroom and closed the French doors behind her, leaning back against them for a moment to catch her breath. She couldn't deny the fact that she'd been thrilled to see Brian. Even though he drove her to distraction, there was something about him that she found completely disarming. That nearly-black hair that fell into his eyes every now and then. And those odd greenish-gold eyes. Oh, and that body. He definitely had the most incredible body.

Had the notion not been completely ridiculous, she might have considered prolonging their "relationship" for a while longer. With a soft moan, Lily crossed the room to the dresser and pulled out a T-shirt and jeans. She slipped out of her jacket and skirt, then walked into the bathroom, unbuttoning her blouse along the way.

When she got to the bathroom, she turned on the water at the sink and scrubbed her face clean. Then she pulled off her panty hose and kicked them aside before walking back into the bedroom.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful you were."

Lily's breath caught in her throat as she looked up to find Brian standing in the doorway, the light from the sitting room streaming in behind him. They stared at each other for a long time, Lily's heartbeat measuring out the seconds. She was afraid to move, afraid to breathe, afraid that if she even acknowledged his presence she might spontaneously combust.

Then, a tiny sigh slipped from her throat and it was like a quiet surrender. At the same moment, they moved to each other, Brian gathering her in his arms, Lily collapsing against his body, their mouths meeting in a desperate kiss. His hands frantically skimmed over her body, beneath her silk shirt, over her lacy bra, down her back and around her hips.

Though Lily knew she should fight the desire, she couldn't summon the energy. She loved the way his mouth tasted and the way his hands felt on her skin. Blood pounded in her veins, awakening every nerve in her body until the simplest caress sent waves of sensation racing through her.

He grabbed her backside and lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. Their mouths still locked, he moved to the bed, but stopped halfway there to press her against the wall. His hips ground against hers and she arched toward him, remembering how it felt to have him inside of her, the wild sensations created by their shared release.

Lily tore at his shirt, aching to feel his body beneath her fingers and he did the same, shoving her shirt off her shoulders and exploring the skin beneath with his mouth.

"God, Lily, what are you doing to me?" he murmured.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. His breath came in deep gasps and he pressed his lips to her shoulder, nuzzling her shirt aside. "Are we going to do this again?"

She grabbed his face and kissed him again. "Yes," she murmured.

"Yes," he repeated, savaging her mouth with his tongue. Then he drew back. "No."

"No?"

He slowly lowered her to the floor, then fussed with the front of her blouse, adjusting it until he could button the top two buttons. "Even though I'd love nothing more than to spend an evening in bed with you, I think we need to exercise some restraint." He chuckled softly. "I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm just a heartbeat away from tearing that blouse off of you."

Brian stepped back, then lowered his hands to his sides. "I have to go. I'll… see you. We'll have dinner sometime. In a restaurant. A well-lit, very crowded restaurant." He gave her a quick kiss, then straightened his clothes as he walked out of the bedroom.

Lily heard the door to her suite close and she leaned back against the wall and willed her heart to slow to a reasonable pace. Raising her fingers to her lips, she sighed softly. She could still taste him, smell him and feel his body against hers. It hadn't been a fantasy or a dream, he'd been here and they'd nearly lost themselves in each other again.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there, waiting for her breathing to return to normal. Her eyes were closed when she heard a knock at the door. For a moment, she considered not answering, certain that if she let him into the room again, they'd end up in bed. But then, Lily realized that she wanted him-beyond all reason.

She hurried to the door and pulled it open, but it was only the room service waiter who stood outside. "Good evening, Ms. Gallagher. I have your dinner."

Lily stepped aside as he pushed the cart into the room. By the time she got a hold of her emotions, he'd laid the dinner out on the table and was making his way toward the door. When she was alone again, she wandered to the table and picked up the crème brûlée, cracking through the hard sugar topping to the custard beneath.

This was exactly what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. Eating dessert before trying the appetizers and main course. With Brian, she'd been focused on instant gratification, certain that sex was all she really wanted. But now, she wondered what might have happened if she'd done things in the proper order, calling on a bit of willpower.

She took a bite of the crème brûlée and let the silken custard melt on her tongue. "This is better than sex," she murmured. "I just need to eat more dessert. Then all these crazy feelings will disappear."