Lucy laughed. I am interested. I just dont know much about wine. I think I drank from the bottle with the green label.
He picked up the bottle and refilled her glass. Actually, I have an ulterior motive in cutting you out from the herd. I wanted to have a private word with you.
Uh-oh, here it comes, Lucy thought, tamping down her panic. Bryans father had picked up on something out of kilter. Shed blown it.
Im very worried about Bryan. Hes been traveling so much lately. And when he showed up for his brothers wedding here in May, he had a split lip and a limp. He claimed he was in a car accident, but his car didnt have a scratch on it.
This was all news to Lucy. She looked up at him blankly.
You mean, you dont know?
We havent been dating for long, she said, her voice shaking with nerves. Its been a real whirlwind. I still have so much to learn about Bryan. He hasnt mentioned any car accident. All of which was true.
I feel like hes hiding something. And Im not just being a paranoid dad. His mother is worried, too. And Cullen. We all feel like hes not being honest with us. Maybe trying to protect us.
Oh, dear. How was she supposed to respond to that?
She wanted to tell Daniel not to worry, but in good conscience, she couldnt. Bryan was in danger almost all the time. She wanted to reassure Daniel that Bryan wasnt involved in something nefarious, that he wasnt embroiled in trouble. She couldnt do that, either.
Bryan is a very private person, she finally said.
But what was he doing in France? Surely it couldnt take weeks and weeks to swap recipes.
Bryan had told her to stick to the truth as much as possible. But she knew nothing about what he did in France. She shrugged helplessly. He was meeting with all kinds of people.
You mean like chefs and restaurant managers and spice dealers?
And terrorists and spies. She nodded.
Well, maybe theres more to running a restaurant than I thought. Maybe now that he has a girlfriend, hell stay home more. Youll take good care of him, wont you?
More like hes taking good care of me.
Six
Dinner was the typical five-course extravaganza. Though the Elliotts had a chef come in even for their family dinners, Maeve was a fine cook in her own right and couldnt resist dabbling in the kitchen. The meal tonight was vichyssoise, followed by a field-green salad, braised salmon, beef tips with fresh asparagus, and fudge-caramel mousse.
What do you think, Bryan, love? Maeve asked. Up to your standards?
Gram, you know even Une Nuit cant compete with the dinners you serve here, he said diplomatically. Hed enjoyed the dinner but hed spent most of his time watching Lucy, who was so nervous she could hardly swallow. She was doing a spectacular job posing as Lindsay. Shed often shot him nervous but affectionate looks throughout the evening, and a couple of times shed sought him out and taken his hand.
He had to admit, the feel of her smooth little hand in his had stirred something inside him until it was becoming increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction. But that was the general idea when working a cover story. Live it, believe it, and you could be convincing.
But was he living it a little too much? He certainly had no problem doting on Lindsay. He even stole the cherry from the top of the mousse and presented it to her, which started a boisterous argument among the cousins. When theyd been kids, theyd always fought over the cherry until Maeve had been forced to go to the kitchen and bring out the jar of maraschinos, giving each of her grandkids one.
So, Patrick said, where is your twin sister this evening, Shane?
Why are you asking me? said Shane, who was editor in chief of The Buzz. You know Fin. Shes eating and sleeping at Charisma these days, shes so obsessed with this competition.
The others at the table agreed. This was one of those times Bryan was truly grateful not to be in the magazine business. He didnt like this competition among his aunt, uncles and cousins for control of EPH. He had no idea what his grandfathers goal had been in setting up the contest, but surely it wasnt to put them all at each others throats.
No need to criticize, said Scarlet, sticking up for her boss. Aunt Finny is devoted, thats all. She truly cares about Charisma.
Oh, and I dont care about The Buzz? Shane shot back.
I didnt say that.
More arguments broke out after that. Bryan leaned back and folded his arms, rather enjoying the melee. The things some people thought were important.
Lucy interrupted his amusement. Excuse me, she said quietly to him. Ill be back.
He thought shed just gone to the powder room, but when she hadnt returned in ten minutes, he started to worry. Maeve had brought out the dessert, and Lucys sat untouched.
Realistically, Bryan knew nothing could happen to Lucy while she was at The Tides. The place was safe as Fort Knox. But her absence made him uneasy, and he excused himself to go look for her.
The downstairs guest bath door was open, the light off. If shed ever been there, she wasnt there now.
He wandered all around the first floor, thinking maybe shed gotten distracted by his grandparents artwork or knickknacks, some of which were museum quality. But she was nowhere.
Surely she hadnt gone upstairs. Unless shed felt ill and wanted to lie down. But wouldnt she have said something to him?
He checked upstairs and still didnt find her. Now he was truly worried.
He returned to the dining room. Her chair remained empty.
Bryan? his grandmother inquired. Something wrong?
I seem to have lost my girlfriend.
We probably upset her with all our arguing, Scarlet said. Bryan was right when he said we could be scary.
Scary, maybe, but his family stuck together in a crisis. And though this didnt exactly qualify as a crisis yet, the others didnt hesitate to put down their dessert spoons, push back from the table and go in search of Bryans lost date.
He found her a couple of minutes later. Theorizing that she might have stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, he went out to the patio, then to the steps that had been carved out of the cliff leading down to the private beach. He spotted a solitary figure, standing on the sand below looking out to sea, and his whole body relaxed with relief.
He stepped back inside to let the others know hed found her. Then he went down to the beach.
She didnt hear him over the waves until he was almost upon her. She turned, startled, and her cheeks were wet with tears.
Lucy, what on earth is wrong?
She swiped at one cheek with the back of her hand and laughed self-consciously. Im sorry. I didnt mean to worry you. I only intended to step outside for a minute. My head was spinning. I shouldnt have had that third glass of wine.
Its us who should be apologizing, arguing like that when we have guests. Im sorry if we upset you.
She laid a hand on his arm. I didnt mind the arguing. Thats not it.
Then what is it? he asked, bewildered. But then again, most women bewildered him. They were such complex creatures.
I was just thinking how fun it would be to belong to a big, boisterous family like the Elliotts. And that got me to thinking about my family. We dont fight, true, but thats because we hardly ever talk. And of all stupid things, I sort of started to miss my parents. And I started thinking, if I dont make it through this
Make it through? He couldnt help it, he had to interrupt. Lucy, youll make it through. It may take time, but look at the progress weve made already.
I told you I was being silly.
I know this thing has turned your life upside down. I admire the fact you were brave enough to take on embezzlers and terrorists. Not everyone would do that.
She shrugged.
Ill get you back home to your normal life as soon as possible, he said, though he didnt look forward to pushing her out of his life. But that was inevitable. Tempted though he was, he couldnt allow Lucy or any woman to get close to him. It wasnt fair and it wasnt safe.
It certainly hasnt been all bad, she said with a sniff. The ocean breeze had all but dried her tears. At home I dont get to dress like this or have dinner at a gazillion-dollar mansion or meet publishing luminaries.
Publishing luminaries with bad manners, Bryan added with a rueful laugh. Ah, Lucy, youre a good sport.
He gave her a spontaneous hug, which hed intended to be brief and brotherly. Instead, Lucy put her arms around him and hugged him back, hard, pressing her luscious body against his.
Almost of its own accord, his hand slid down to her slender waist, then lower, flirting with the curve of her bottom.
When he realized what he was doing he froze. Hed been about to grab Lucys butt! He forced himself to ease his grip on her, to gradually pull away.
She looked up at him with those vibrant green eyes still dewy with tears, her pink mouth slightly parted. And the expression in her eyes, one of such utter trust, did him in completely.
No one had ever looked at him that way. Before he knew what was happening, he bent his head and closed the few inches between them, capturing those moist, pink lips with his.
Her lips were rose-petal soft, and as open and giving as a rose in full bloom, too. Bryans energy collided and melded with Lucys as their vibrations became one, breathing and heartbeats in sync, until he wasnt sure where he ended and she began.
His body, which had been tuned to Lucys station almost from the moment they met, leaped to life with a craving so keen it was painful.
She tasted faintly of the wine shed been drinking, and he tasted more deeply, coaxing her with his tongue to open even more. She did without hesitation. Again the utter trust she showed blew him away.
It was that trust that finally dragged him to his senses. He could not take advantage of this situation. Hed gotten Lucy into her current position and had promised to protect her. She was depending on him for everythingfood, clothing, shelter. To abuse his position was unconscionable.
He pulled back again, and this time he put his hands on her bare arms and gently pushed her away as he broke the kiss.
We shouldnt do this.
She blinked a couple of times, and he wondered if he imagined the hurt look in her eyes. But in the span of another heartbeat, she smiled mischievously. Why not? Were supposed to be smitten. I was just playing the part.
Honey, if that was acting, you deserve an Academy Award.
Im very talented, she agreed, leaving him to wonder what exactly she meant by that. A talented actress? Or talented in other ways?
As they turned toward the staircase, Lucy boldly put her hand on his butt and squeezed. Very talented.
So, no ambiguity there. Shed practically issued an engraved invitation that she was open to making love.
Regrettably, it was one invitation he was going to have to decline. But that didnt mean he couldnt think about itwhich he did, through the remainder of dessert and after-dinner coffee, through the farewell hugs and promises to drive carefully, and throughout the drive home.
He was as primed as a sixteen-year-old on his first car dateand unfortunately about as likely to get lucky. Every time he glanced over at her, her blond hair swirling about her face from the breeze coming through the moon roof, her eyes drowsy from good food and wine and pure exhaustion, he wanted to come out of his skin.
He escorted her to the elevator in his building, careful not to touch her. Ill be up in a few minutes, he said. I need to check on things at the restaurant.
She glanced at her watch. Isnt the restaurant closed?
Uh, right. I need to be sure things are ready for tomorrow. Which was a silly reply, because Lucy knew Stash took care of the day-to-day concerns. But it was the best he could come up with. He couldnt possibly go up to his apartment with her until he had his libido under control. In his current state, she had only to hint at seduction and he would be at her mercy. Seeing as how he didnt know what she had in mind, he thought it would be safer to keep his distance.
All right. Well, I guess Ill see you tomorrow, then.
Tomorrow. Oh, and Lucy, you did great tonight. Posing as Lindsay, I mean. I dont think anyone in my family suspects a thing.
Im not so sure about that, but thanks.
He gave the verbal command that would send the elevator up to his loft, then stepped out and let the doors close between them.
He used his key to get into the darkened restaurant. What he needed was to burn off excess energy, and whipping something up in the kitchen ought to do the trick, he thought. Something decadent, something with chocolate and bourbon, the best substitutes for sex he could think of.
Maeve had given him his love for fine food. When his brother and cousins were outside playing and he couldnt join in because of his heart ailment, Maeve would take him into the kitchen. He would pick out a recipe from her many boxes and cookbooks, and together they would cook. He learned to associate the heady smells of yeast and chocolate and toasted almonds with happy times, and to this day puttering in the kitchen could take the edge off when he was tense, or when he had to figure something out.
His plan was to dream up a new dessert and play around with the ingredients while he put some serious thought to how to track down Stungunand either rescue him, find out who killed himor bring him to justice if he was the traitor.
Instead, his thoughts turned again and again to Lucyhow shed looked on the beach with the wind in her hair and her clothes molded against her body, the strength in her stance and the vulnerability in her face, her intelligence and bravery.
Soon he had three different sauces on the stove and he was going to work on some heavy cream with the KitchenAid mixer. An orange cake was in the ovennot one of these fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth cakes, but something with some substance. He didnt yet know what the end product would be, but he planned to eat the whole thing himself, until his appetites were subduedor he was too sick to even think about making love to Lucy. Only then could he return to his apartment.
Lucy lay in her bed in one of her slinky new nighties, trying her best to find sleep. But she couldnt help thinking about the kiss on the beach.
That kiss had been no acting job, on her part or Bryans. Shed tasted the naked desire in the kiss, sharp as a knife and strong as a tidal wave. Shed felt the answering call in herself, a yearning so strong she couldnt deny it. Shed floated on air the rest of the long evening at The Tides, unbothered now by the Elliotts noisy bickering, not nervous about carrying off her role as Lindsay Morgan. Shed played her part wellreally well, apparently, given what was happening between herself and Bryan.