by JoAnn Ross
Four hours later, when she showed up at his door, all flushed and pretty in a flowing flowered sundress, Connor hoped that the painful wait had finally come to an end.
“I hate to bother you.”
“You’re never a bother, Lily.” Increasingly uncomfortable with the lies he’d already told her, Connor was always grateful for an opportunity to tell the truth. He caught the shining ends of her hair between his thumb and forefinger. “On the contrary, you always brighten my day.” Another absolute truth. He was definitely on a roll!
He was leaning negligently against the door frame, wearing the familiar white T-shirt and those ragged cutoff shorts that could make any woman weak just looking at him, and a pair of sneakers a homeless person would toss away.
His friendly smile and the warm affection brightening his dark eyes echoed his words. Mac was a nice man, Lily told herself. A kind man. But that didn’t keep her from taking a cautious step backward.
“I hate to ask.” She twisted her fingers together. “But I need a favor.”
“Anything,” Connor said promptly.
The funny thing was, Lily mused, as he gave her another one of those easy smiles that set off flutters inside her, he meant it. Mac Sullivan was too sexy for comfort, too virile for safety. But she’d never met a more generous, honest man.
“I was taking childbirth classes back east, so I decided to continue them out here.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“Yes. Well...” Her fingernails were digging into her palms, but unnerved and stumbling, Lily didn’t notice. “The thing is, Cait was going to go with me—to act as my coach—but she got another one of those emergency calls. I know it’s selfish of me, but—”
“You were counting on having a coach.”
She gnawed on her lip in a way that made Connor want to soothe the red marks with his tongue. “Yes.”
Connor felt the warm glow of pure satisfaction flowing through him. They were definitely making progress. He doubted if even two days ago, Lily would have been willing to come to him for assistance. Especially for something as personal as attending childbirth classes.
“Give me two minutes to change,” he said.
She was trying to be strong. And independent. For herself and her baby. But, Lily admitted as they drove to the hospital where the classes were scheduled to be held, it was nice to have some help.
“I’m so sorry,” Lily said two hours later.
She glanced over at Mac, the laughter in her eyes at odds with the contrition in her voice. He was leaning back against the seat. His face was an unhealthy shade of gray and his eyes were closed.
“It wasn’t your fault,” he mumbled.
“I really had no idea this was the day they showed the birthing video.”
Intensely colorful images flashed through his mind. When his stomach lurched again, he dragged a hand down his face.
“It wasn’t that,” he insisted. “I think it was the Kung Pao combination I had for lunch. The shrimp was obviously bad.”
“I had it, too,” she reminded him. “And I’m feeling fine.”
Hearing the faint crack in her voice, Connor turned his head toward her, opened his eyes a slit and glared at her. “You think this is real funny, don’t you?”
“Funny?” She struggled to rein in the laughter that was clogging her throat. “Of course not. What kind of woman would find humor in watching a grown man swoon in public?”
“I didn’t swoon,” Connor ground out. “Or faint. Or pass out, or any other little euphemisms you might be thinking up. I merely became a little light-headed.”
“I stand corrected.”
She really was enjoying this. As he viewed the sparkle in her eyes and the curve of her lips, Connor decided he’d be willing to toss his fortune cookies every day, if that’s what it took to make Lily laugh.
“It was the shrimp.”
“Of course.”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Lily allowed her laughter to break loose. It filled the interior of the little white Neon like a musical chorus of silver bells and crystal wind chimes.
“I’m sorry.” She pressed her lips tightly together. But the giggles broke free. “Really.” As she stopped for a red light on Wilshire, she took a deep breath, tried for calm, and failed. Miserably.
Never one to dwell on failure, Connor put the humiliating incident behind him. “You should do that more often.”
“Do what?”
“Laugh.” He reached out and traced her lips with a fingertip, leaving a trail of heat around the perimeter of her mouth. “You have a lovely laugh, Lily. And when you smile, you have a little dimple. Right here.” He pressed his finger against the indentation in her right cheek.
Her mouth was dry. Too dry. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. The light turned green. An instant later, a southbound Porsche ran its red light, racing through the intersection.
Lily slammed on her brakes, as did the cars behind her. Tires squealed; horns blared. Grateful for the interruption, Lily turned her attention back to her driving and didn’t answer.
* * *
GAGE RETURNED to town the following day.
“I have good news and bad news,” he told her. “The bad news is that the friend I had consulting on your case in New York couldn’t find any skeletons in the Van Cortlandts’ illustrious closets.
“They’re old money; they don’t live the lavish lifestyles that became the standard for newly rich Manhattanites during the eighties. They contribute generously to charity, their roots in Manhattan—”
“Go back to the founding Dutch,” Lily muttered. Lord knows she’d heard that one before.
“Apparently.” His silvery blue eyes, which Lily found a riveting contrast to his jet hair, filled with compassion. And, she was afraid, pity. “I’m sorry. I’ll keep digging, but—”
“That’s all right.” Her shoulders slumped. “It was a long shot, anyway.”
“Don’t you want to know the good news?”
“Oh.” She’d forgotten about that. “I could use some right now,” she admitted.
“They haven’t been able to find anything to use against you, either.”
She stared at him. “How on earth do you know that?”
He shrugged. “I had a little talk with the guy the Van Cortlandts hired.”
“But surely he didn’t share confidential things about the case?” Client privacy, she’d learned from her books, was one of the hallmarks of the private detective business.
“In the beginning he was reluctant to fill me in,” Gage allowed. “But after some discussion, he saw the light.”
He absently rubbed his knuckles, drawing Lily’s attention to his left hand. “Gage!” She grabbed hold of his hand and ran her fingers over the bruised flesh. “Tell me you didn’t hit him!”
He didn’t answer directly. “The guy had a bogus case.” His jaw hardened, giving Lily the idea of how he must have looked a great deal of time while patrolling L.A.’s mean streets. “I just helped him remember his priorities.”
Lily couldn’t believe it. A short time ago, she thought she was all alone in the world. Now it seemed she’d gained two men determined to play the role of her white knight.
“He could have filed charges.”
“I suppose that was an outside possibility.”
“You could have lost your license.”
“Naw.” He smiled and she noted, not for the first time since meeting him the day of Blythe’s aborted wedding, that it had considerable charm. “Never happen.”
But it could have, Lily knew. And although she was honestly appalled that Gage would have resorted to violence on her behalf, not to mention risking his own career, she appreciated having this strong, supportive man in her corner.
“Why?” she asked softly. “You don’t even know me.”
“Of course I do.” He reached out and ruffled her hair with a large hand, the gesture more fraternal than intimate. “We’ve talk
ed on the phone at least three times a day, and you’re one of Blythe’s best friends, which counts for a lot in my book.” Lily, who was watching him carefully, noted the spark in his eyes when he mentioned Blythe’s name.
“And besides, I’ve always had good instincts for people. There have been a lot of times my life depended on those instincts. The same ones that are telling me that you’re a pretty special person, Lily.”
“You’re pretty special yourself.”
Moved beyond measure, Lily wrapped her arms around Gage. As she was engulfed in his large, strong arms, she decided Cait was right about Blythe being happier with this man. Lily hoped one of them would do something about it before Blythe was married. And it was too late.
Insisting he hadn’t gotten any positive results, Gage refused payment. Which didn’t exactly surprise Lily. However, knowing he would have billed any other client, and wanting to repay him in some fashion, she spent the rest of the day helping him get settled into his apartment.
The odor of the fresh paint had dissipated, the carpet had been cleaned, and from what she could tell, Gage had ended up with the largest apartment in the building. And, of course the mirror, which was the focal point of the living room, was absolutely magnificent.
Not only was Gage unappreciative of the pewter-framed antique, he seemed dissatisfied with the apartment in general.
Not exactly dissatisfied, Lily mused as she returned to her own apartment. Edgy. When she’d left, he was pacing the place like a caged tiger.
Deciding that her imagination was definitely working overtime, she shrugged off the strange feeling and put Gage’s behavior down to jet lag. Or perhaps he was merely comparing the apartment unfavorably to his boat. After all, Blythe had said that the sloop had been absolutely lovely.
She’d just reached her door when Mac approached from the nearby stairway.
“Hi, there.”
His wonderful deep voice sent her nerves thrumming. “Hi.” She felt the blush rise in her cheeks and knew she was helpless to stop the pleasure from shining in her eyes.
“I came by earlier, but you weren’t home.”
“Gage is back in town. I was helping him move in.”
“So Jill said.”
Lily experienced a flare of irritation. It seemed Jill made it a point to know everything that went on around Bachelor Arms. And she certainly wasn’t disinclined to offer advice—from decorating hints to dating tips. It also hadn’t escaped Lily’s notice that the sexy decorator spent an inordinate amount of time with the building’s fill-in handyman.
“Jill certainly seems to find a lot for you to do.”
Her tone was sharper than usual. There was a flinty look in her eyes Connor had never seen before. Was it possible the lady was jealous? He found he rather liked that idea. A jealous woman was not an indifferent one.
“It’s an old building. Things go wrong.”
“I suppose so.” Disinterested in speculating about Mac’s relationship with Jill, Lily turned away and began unlocking her door.
“But, luckily, unless there’s another major aftershock, I’ve got things pretty much caught up.”
“How nice for you.” Connor followed her into the apartment, causing her to turn and say, “Did you want something?”
Although he didn’t comment on it, Connor was definitely pleased with her pique. “I figured, since I’ve got some free time, you might want to work on your breathing exercises. We’ve got a class tomorrow night,” he reminded her unnecessarily. “And we haven’t really practiced.”
There was a reason for that. The truth was, the idea of Mac massaging her back was more than Lily could handle. “I can do it myself.”
“We’re supposed to be a team.”
“Cait and I are the team,” she reminded him. “You were just filling in.”
“Cait’s at headquarters,” Connor countered. “I talked to her on her way out of the building. Besides, the booklet said it’s best to stick with the same coach. Whenever possible. Cait’s obviously up to her eyebrows in cases right now, and since you and I started out together, we may as well see the thing through.”
He had a point. Still...
“I promise, no funny stuff.”
He raised his fingers in the form of a pledge, drawing a reluctant smile. She was overreacting, Lily decided. So far, despite having revealed his desire to seduce her, Mac had been a perfect gentleman.
“They say practice makes perfect,” she allowed, still uneasy about the plan.
“Absolutely.” Tamping down the surge of pure satisfaction, Connor closed the apartment door.
10
AS LILY HAD FEARED, it was not the least bit easy. Although the exercises were designed to encourage calm, the feel of Mac’s strong hands moving across her shoulders, down her spine to the small of her back, then lower still, did nothing to instill calm. By the time they concluded the prescribed exercises, she was as wired up as a cat on hot pavement and Connor, turning down her offer of iced tea, returned to his own apartment where he stood for a long and frustrating time beneath the now familiar cold shower, willing the icy water to wash away his hunger.
Although performed under far more public conditions, repeating the relaxation techniques in the classroom the following night proved just as frustrating. Indeed, by the time the sun had risen the morning after her second class, Lily made the decision to tell Mac that she really did need to get a new partner.
Tonight, she vowed. After dinner.
But then, just when she least expected it, Lily experienced another legal maneuvering from New York. The Van Cortlandts’ attorney had subpoenaed her medical records on the pretence that her former in-laws were concerned about the health and welfare of their unborn grandchild.
This blow proved to be her undoing. Dropping the letter, she went into the bedroom, curled beneath the sheets without bothering to take off her clothes and cried herself to sleep.
Concerned when she didn’t answer the door, Connor let himself in with his passkey. The first thing he saw was the letter, lying on the rug in the living room.
As he read it, an icy rage flowed over him, more deadly than any emotion he’d ever experienced. He swore in a low, pungent stream. When he’d first met Junior during their youthful years at boarding school, the scion of the old New York family had a bad habit of picking on people who were younger, smaller or incapable, for whatever reason, of defending themselves.
Obviously, Connor thought now, as he crumpled the paper up in a white-knuckled fist, J. Carter Van Cortlandt had learned his behavior from his parents. Bullies, it seemed, ran in the family.
He found Lily in the dusk-darkened bedroom, curled up in a ball of misery. She looked small and defenseless beneath the flowered sheets. Her delicate face was as pale as marble; dried tears had left salty tracks down her cheeks.
The mattress sighed as he sat down beside her. Lily stirred, but did not awaken.
Two minutes...five...ten. Connor sat there, watching her sleep for a long, silent time. He’d known that he’d never felt about any woman the way he felt about Lily. Known that he never would. But not until now, as he viewed her looking so vulnerable and considered the battle she’d been waging—a delicate, brave David against a ruthless, larger-than-life Goliath—did Connor realize how deeply he loved her.
Her hair was spread out onto the pillowcase. He stroked it, kissed it, inhaled its familiar fragrance. Her lips were unpainted and parted. Unable to resist, he kissed them, too.
Lily stirred. Connor realized he’d wanted her to. Her eyes fluttered open. “Mac?”
Her weeping had left those gentle eyes red-rimmed and shadowed. But the uncensored emotion he viewed in their depths was the most beautiful thing Connor had ever seen.
He also wished that he could hear those sweet delicate lips say his real name. Here’s your chance, a nagging little voice pointed out. Tell her now.
Deciding she’d had enough upsets for one day, Connor said, “It’s me.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Her smile was as soft and delicate as her voice. She reached out, took hold of his hand and lifted it to her cheek. “Don’t go.”
Fighting off waves of emotion, he said, “Not on a bet.” He lowered his mouth to hers.
The kiss was sweet and laced with tenderness. Lily sighed and allowed herself to sink into the warmth of it.
Clawing for self-control, Connor ended the kiss far too soon for either of them. He brushed a fingertip along the blue shadow beneath her eye. “How long has it been going on?”
Lily sighed, considered pretending she didn’t know what Mac was talking about, then decided to tell him the truth.
“The day I learned I was pregnant, my husband told me he was leaving me for another woman. Two days later, he and his mistress died in a car accident. My in-laws learned I was pregnant when I threw up at the funeral. A week after that, a lawyer showed up at my house—which I’d just found out was in foreclosure—with a check for one hundred thousand dollars.”
As angry as he’d been when he’d found the letter, Connor discovered that was nothing compared to the rage flowing through him at this moment. He took a deep breath and struggled to get a handle on a temper he’d never known he possessed.
“They tried to buy your child?”
She briefly closed her eyes at the painful memory. “At first I thought it was a mistake. An emotional gesture that came from the pain of having lost their only son.”
Connor’s jaw clenched. “You don’t have to defend them, Lily. What they did was reprehensible.”
She sighed again as she stared off into some distance. Realizing she was reliving old memories, none of them very pleasant, Connor felt frustratingly cut off from her.
“You have to understand the Van Cortlandts.” She let out a long breath. “They’ve always had more money than they knew what to do with. I doubt if there’s ever been anything they ever wanted they couldn’t buy.”
“Until now.”
She nodded. “Until now.” Her palms pressed against her stomach in an unconscious gesture of maternal protection. “I tore the check up, told the lawyer to leave and hoped that would be the end of it.”