Maybe he shouldnt have said anything. He didnt want Lucy feeling threatened, since she was forced to shack up with him. Dont worry, Im not going to hit on you. But you do have pretty eyes.
Hit on me. Right. So when is the magical transformation going to take place?
How about after dinner?
Bryan showed Lucy to the guest room, which had a private bath. Where do you sleep? she asked.
My rooms upstairs, along with a study. Ill show you later. My computers up there, and if youre serious about deciphering the data you brought from the bank, youll be spending a lot of time at the keyboard.
Absolutely.
Ill leave you to freshen up, then, while I do something about dinner.
Okay. Do you have a robe or something I can wear until your cousin brings me some clothes? I dont really want to put Mrs. Pflugers polyester pants back on after my shower. In fact, Id like to burn them.
Ill bring you something.
Bryan didnt actually have a robe, but he found her a pair of pajamas still in the package, a gift from his gram. Every year she gave him pajamas, and hed never had the nerve to tell her he didnt wear them.
When he returned to Lucys room, the shower was running, the bathroom door open a crack. He felt a less-than-admirable urge to peek inside the bath and see what she looked like without clothes. Ever since shed fallen on top of him, his imagination had been running wild.
He didnt, then wondered why he was being so noble. He was a spy, used to peering at other peoples secrets. He set the pajamas on the bed and then went to see about dinner. A quick call downstairs to the restaurant took care of that. Then he had to deal with Scarlet.
You know I love a makeover challenge, Scarlet said, warming to the idea right away. Johns away on business, so my evenings free. Ill stop by the office, grab everything I need and be there in an hour or so.
Are you guys getting married?
The weddings not till next year, and if you didnt travel so much for the restaurant, you would know these things. Honestly, dont they grow decent spices in America?
Hmm. Maybe his standard excuse for his frequent absencesthat he was seeking exotic spiceswas growing a little thin. I have to keep up with the latest, he said blandly.
So whered you find this girl, anyway? Whats the story? Normally the girls Ive seen you with dont need any help in the clothes or cosmetics department.
Oh, shes not my He stopped. How was he going to explain Lucys presence to Scarlet, and to the rest of his family? She could be under his protection for months. He couldnt keep her under wraps all that time. Shes not my usual type, true, he continued smoothly. But Lindsays special. Frankly, I think shes perfect just the way she is. Shes a country girl, you know, the all-natural look. But shes the one who wants a makeover. She wants to fit in better in New York.
Ill be happy to help Lindsay any way I can, Scarlet said, and Bryan read between the lines. She was going to pump Lucy for every shred of information she could get about Bryans new romance. Hed better go warn Lucy that shed just become his girlfriend.
Three
Lucy couldnt believe what shed just overheard. She hadnt meant to eavesdrop. But as she wandered into the kitchen fresh from her shower, she couldnt help but hear Bryan talking to his cousin. And hed passed her off as his new girlfriend.
Bryan turned, saw her and realized shed heard. Uh, yeah. Guess we need to talk about this. Im sorry, but I dont know any other way to explain what youre doing here. My family doesnt know Im a government agent. No one knows. And they cant know. I have to keep those two parts of my life completely separate, for the welfare of everyone concerned. You understand that, right?
Yes. But
Youve already proved you can be cool under pressure. When Scarlet gets here, just follow my lead. Youre okay with this, right?
Oh, she was more than okay. The idea excited her. But there was a big problem. Sure, I can deal with it, but who on earth is going to believe Im your girlfriend?
Why wouldnt they?
Because Im just a mousy little banker from D.C. and youre a a
I own a restaurant. Thats all anyone knows. The phone rang and he picked it up. It didnt escape Lucys attention that he didnt argue about her self-assessment. Apparently he agreed with her description of mousy.
Okay, thanks. He hung up and turned back to Lucy. Thats our dinner. Ill be right back.
While he was gone, Lucy tried to wrap her mind around the idea that she was going to be posing as Bryans girlfriend. Once upon a time shed thought of herself as quite the hot chick. After all, shed caught the eye of Cruz Tabor, drummer for In Tight, one of the hottest men in the country if the tabloids could be believed. Shed told herself when she took the job with In Tight that she wouldnt behave like a groupie, that just being around the band was excitement enough for her.
Then Cruz had started flirting with her, and she was a goner. Shed believed every lie the bastard had told her. Hed said she was gorgeous, sexy, hot. Hed taken her on tour, letting her travel in first class with the band, buying her expensive presents.
But then shed discovered he said all those things, did all those things, with every woman he slept with. And there were lots and lots of them. Shed been so naive, such a dumb bunny, to think she was anything special.
This was way different, though, she reminded herself. She wasnt a hot chick, and she wasnt deluding herself into believing she was. So how would anyone else believe shed caught Bryans eye? Bryan was pretty hot himself. He could have any woman he wanted.
He knew the Hilton sisters. His trendy restaurant drew celebrities all the time. Did he sleep with any of them? How was she supposed to compete with that?
She found some dishes in the cabinets and set two place settings at the polished-granite bar. A few minutes later, the most wonderful aroma invaded her nose, followed by Bryan stepping off the elevator with two huge white bags.
Lucys stomach rumbled again. What is that?
Shrimp and vegetable stir-fry Polonnaise. Its not too spicy, and you can pick out anything you dont like.
Stir-fry with a French sauce?
Right. Thats what Une Nuit is all aboutAsian and French fusion dishes. He set the bags on the counter, then gave her a quick once-over. She was wearing his pajama top with nothing on underneath. It was modest enough, covering all the important bits and hanging almost to her knees, so in deference to the fact it was summer in New York, she hadnt bothered with the bottoms.
Now she wished she had. She felt suddenly vulnerable with her bare legs and a breeze from the air conditioner stirring around her private parts.
Nice look, he said with a wink. Then he turned and started unpacking the bags, stacking a mound of food on each plate and not even noticing that the hair on her forearms stood on end and her skin was flushed with awareness.
Oh, grow up, she scolded herself. Hed probably seen a hundred women wearing a lot less than a shapeless pajama top adorned withyes, scenes from France.
He selected a bottle of chilled white wine from a climate-controlled wine safe as big as a refrigerator. You like wine?
I dontWhy, yes, I do. Shed been about to say she didnt drink. Alcohol was one of the things shed given up when shed made the decision to change her life, grow up, live like a conscientious adult instead of a wild, irresponsible teenager.
But after the day shed had, a nice glass of Chardon-nay sounded really nice. And it wasnt as if shed ever been an excessive drinker. But copious alcohol consumption by the people around her had been a big part of the life shed left behind.
Bryan filled two crystal glasses and handed her one. A toast. To your new life as Lindsay Morgan.
To Lindsay. She clinked her glass with his and took a sip of the crisp, dry wine. This whole thing was so surreal.
She hopped up on a bar stool and dived into the food, which was absolutely the most incredible meal shed ever eaten. Oh, my God, this is so good. No wonder your restaurant is so successful. Did you start it, or buy it as an ongoing concern?
It was a moderately profitable French bistro when I bought it. Merging French with Asian started out as a joke, really, one night when the manager, the chef and I had a little too much to drink. Then I thought, why not? We all started experimenting in the kitchen, adding one thing and then another to the menu, and it just exploded in popularity.
I can see why. Her taste buds were cheering over the subtle blend of exotic spices and the delicate textures, while the beautiful blend of colors and shapes and aromas engaged her other senses. She ate it all and didnt regret it a bit, even when she was stuffed. If Bryan was going to feed her like this every day, she was going to have to use the home gym shed seen tucked away in another bedroom.
When they finished, Lucy hand washed the dishes and put them awayno sense running the dishwasher for two people. A buzzer alerted them to Scarlets arrival, and Bryan went down to greet her and help her carry up her things.
Lucy was nervous about meeting Bryans cousin. She hadnt had to deal with a boyfriends family since high school. She tried to tell herself it didnt matter whether Scarlet liked her. Bryan wasnt her real boyfriend, and this situation was temporary. When they caught the embezzler, she would start a new life away from here and shed probably never lay eyes on Bryan or Scarlet again.
But it did matter. She still wanted Scarlet to like her. But she figured she would be found sadly lacking. The woman was an assistant fashion editor for one of the hottest womens magazines in the country, after all. Scarlet was used to dressing supermodels and movie stars, not frumpy little bankers wearing oversize mens pajamas.
The elevator opened, and Bryan returned carrying an enormous armload of clothing. Following him was one of the most beautiful, exotic creatures Lucy had ever seen. She was almost as tall as Bryan, reed slim, with a gorgeous head of light-auburn hair that fell in abundant, bright waves around her shoulders and down her back. She wore a bright-green, gauzy off-the-shoulder shirt and snug pants in a coordinating print, all of which set off her pale-green eyeseyes that zeroed in on Lucy and missed nothing.
So youre my victim, she said cheerfully, dropping her own armload of clothing, a shopping bag and a cosmetic case the size of an industrial tool chest. She came forward, hand outstretched. Hi, Im Scarlet. You must be Lindsay.
Lucy uttered some pleasantry, but inside she was trembling. What had she gotten herself into? She was living a lie, starting right now. What if she couldnt pull this off? Bryan had been very clear about how important it was to keep his secret agent life separate from his family, and she wouldnt be able to live with herself if she messed that up for him.
Stand up, Scarlet said. Lets see what we have to work with.
Bryan leaned one elbow on the bar and watched, obviously interested in the proceedings, and Lucy felt her face heating again. This was going to be embarrassing enough without him watching, seeing her every physical flaw pointed out.
Scarlet apparently sensed Lucys unease, because she turned to her cousin. Dont you have something to do? A restaurant to run? Stash was complaining to me that youre piling too much work on him with all your gallivanting around Europe and Asia.
I want to see what youre going to do with her.
No, she said firmly. Lindsays makeover is about her, not your fantasies of the perfect woman. Now go away. And stay gone at least until midnight.
Bryan grumbled, but he turned and headed for the elevator. Then he abruptly changed direction and walked up to Lucy. Have fun, okay? Ill see you in a while. And then he touched her cheek, gently angling her face toward him, and kissed her lightly on the mouth.
The kiss lasted maybe half a second, but it electrified everything inside Lucy from her toes to her scalp, and she had to grip the back of the bar stool shed just vacated to keep from keeling over.
Oh, Lord, she was in trouble. She knew deep down that it was all an act, that Bryan had been working undercover for years and that the ruse of a girlfriend came as easily as breathing to him. But it was all new to her. The casual possessiveness hed treated her to had felt awfully damn real.
Scarlet, apparently oblivious to the tidal wave of feelings coursing through Lucy, was testing the weight and texture of Lucys still-damp hair.
Youve got great hair, she said. Thick and healthy. Itll do just about anything you want. I assume youll want to keep most of the length, but we can do some layers
No. I want it short. I want it to look as different as possible. And blond.
You want highlights?
Oh, no. I want to be radically blond.
Scarlet grinned. Im so glad you said that. I was prepared to be cautious, but if youll trust melet me go crazy on youyoull be ready for a Charisma cover shoot when Im done.
Lucy laughed self-consciously. Well, I hardly think that.
Why not? Youve got excellent bone structure, regular features, good teeth. The glasses, though, have got to go.
I want contacts, she said, remembering Bryans instructions. I want green eyes. Bright green. But Im afraid theres not much you can do about my figure.
Hey, most of our models have even less in the chest department than you do. Youd be surprised what good foundation garments can do. Youre slender, which means the clothes will fit you. Help me carry all this stuff into the bedroom and we can get started.
Im staying Lucy almost blew it in the first five minutes. If she was Bryans girlfriend, she wouldnt be in the guest room; she would be sharing the master bedroom with him. Ill be staying here for quite awhile, I guess, and I dont have any clothes at all. Ill need everything. There. She congratulated herself on a skillful recovery.
What happened to your clothes? Scarlet wanted to know, obviously sensing a juicy story. And dont worry, nothing you could say would shock me. My twin sister is marrying a rock star.
Really? Which one? Please, dear God, dont let it be anyone she knew, anyone with In Tight.
Zeke Woodlow.
Lucy was infinitely relieveduntil she put it all together. Shed read about Zekes engagement in The Buzz. Your sister is Summer Elliott. Youre the Elliott family, the ones who own all those magazines. One of the richest families on the Eastern Seaboard.