by user
"It was for Communion." Her chin thrust out. "So what were you looking at so intently when I came
up?" She quickly changed the subject. "You reminded me of a dieter with her nose pressed against the window of a pastry shop."
He didn't answer.
She snapped her fingers. "I know, you've spotted a female. I should've guessed. Whose heart are you going to break this time?"
"I don't break hearts. I enter into relationships with honesty and an understanding that I'm not looking for marriage."
"And you break their heart. So who's the unlucky victim?"
"The young lady who caught my eye is over there." He nodded in the general direction of his fantasy woman. A sudden thought occurred. "Please tell me we're not related to her." Damn, finding out the woman he'd been lusting after was a relative could relegate him to nights of cold showers and nightmares for at least a month.
His sister studied the crowd.
He couldn't look. "Blond hair. Blue dress," he supplied.
"Natalie?" She shook her head. "You don't stand a chance."
He grinned. "Want to wager?" He hadn't found a woman he couldn't tempt to join him in his bed. All by mutual consent, of course.
"You know I don't bet, but I should. I doubt she's forgiven you for pulling the heads off her dolls."
"ThatNatalie? Our cousin?"
A bitter taste of regret filled his mouth. He did look at the crowd then, but he didn't see the woman he'd been fantasizing about.
Lisa chuckled. "I don't think she ever forgave you."
"They'd committed war crimes. Spies my soldiers captured. Wasn't she kind of ..."
"Chunky? Yeah, she's lost a lot of weight. That's her husband beside her."
The crowd shifted, and he had a clear view of her once again. "Sorry, sis. I don't see a man."
She pointed. "The short guy with the glasses. Right over there."
He let out a relieved breath. "Not her." Placing his hands on her shoulders, he shifted her slightly to the left. "The blonde in the blue dress."
She shook her head. "Huh-uh. Stay away from her."
"Good"—he grinned—"then we're not related."
"Yes, we are!"
Her face had guilt written all over it. She never had been a good liar.
"You won't mind if I just stroll over and introduce myself; I mean, if we're related, then what harm
could there be in becoming better acquainted."
"No, you can't."
She grabbed his arm when he started to walk away.
"I will unless you tell me what's going on."
She sighed. "She's Steve's friend."
His eyebrows shot up. "Kagen? The one you told me about? Rich—owns her own business?"
"The one and only. And it's more like a string of businesses. She's also Steve'sbest friend. They've known each other since junior high. If you break her heart, Steve will never forgive you, or me. I
couldn't stand it if he didn't like you." Her eyes pleaded. "As a wedding present, promise me you won't
do anything to ruin your relationship with him? Please?"
His gaze rested on Kagen. Women fascinated him. He loved everything about them. All their little quirks. The way they moved. The way they smelled. The way they laughed. The way their eyes sparkled. He had a feeling there were many facets to Kagen he'd enjoy.
"Alex? Please."
He glanced at Lisa. She wore the look that could make him do anything. The one where she wrapped
him around her little ringer. His sigh was long and deep. "Okay, you win."
She held up her pinkie.
He cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to spit on your little finger? Here? Now?"
She looked thoughtful. "Okay. You don't have to spit, but you have to swear."
He shook his head, but placed his pinkie against hers.
"Swear, Alex."
"This is silly."
Silence.
Lisa wouldn't move until he swore. Stubborn, ill tempered . . . He almost pitied Steve. "I swear."
"That you won't so much as wink at Kagen."
"I won't even go near her."
Her shoulders relaxed. "Thank you. Now dance with me. We haven't been on the floor even once."
Good tactic. Lure him away from temptation. Alex looked at his watch. Nearly nine. "Aren't you supposed to be at the airport by ten-thirty?"
"There will always be time for a dance with my big brother." Her eyes shone with love at the same time she tugged on his arm.
"Then how could I refuse?" He let her lead him to the dance floor, but before they joined the other couples, she handed him a key. "Here, you'd better take this before I forget. Just promise you won't
have any wild parties in my apartment."
"I don't have wild parties. Besides, I'll be working—remember. And it's not just your apartment anymore. You're married." He looked at the key before slipping it into his pocket. "You did discuss this with Steve, right? He knows I'll be staying there for the week?"
"You always stay at my apartment. And Steve loves me. He won't mind. Besides, we'll be on our honeymoon."
"You still should've talked it over with him."
"I will. Later. Just make sure you keep that appointment. I had to pull a lot of strings to set it up."
"Don't worry, I can't afford to miss it. I'm gambling my future on this computer program."
She squeezed his arm as they began moving to the rhythm of a slow song. "You'll do fine. And what better place to gamble than Las Vegas?"
* * *
"Steve," Kagen called out.
Her friend turned, a warm smile of greeting on his face.
"I was beginning to wonder if I would see you before you left on your honeymoon." Tears misted her eyes, but she hurriedly blinked them away.
He hugged her close for a moment. "You're not going to cry, are you? Not on the happiest day of my life?"
She sniffed and managed to shake her head, even though her face was pressed against his shirt. "I'm so happy for you. And I really like Lisa. You did well."
He released her and stepped back. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? You know, I never thought I'd fall in love . .. then right out of the blue she stumbled into my life. God, I love her so much it hurts."
"I'm glad." She suddenly frowned. "But I did see a very sexy man hitting on her earlier. As beautiful as she is you'll have to stay on your toes. You know, lots of roses, romantic dinners—that sort of thing." She kept her features innocent.
He raised an eyebrow. "You and my bride haven't been conspiring against me, have you?"
"Us?" Her expression cracked, and she chuckled. "No, but there actually was a man with her earlier. Probably a relative. I was hoping to get an introduction."
"Point him out. It's the least I can do since you're going along with my surprise for Lisa."
She scanned the room. A frown marred her features. They were there a minute ago. Darn, and he was the best thing in a tux she'd seen in a long time. Dark hair, strong features. He'd filled out his suit rather nicely, too.
"Lost your wife already?" A slightly inebriated older man asked as he came up and clapped Steve on the back. He eyed Kagen with a slow appraisal. "Nice trade-in."
Steve's eyes narrowed. "Lisa is changing into traveling clothes."
"Funny, but I saw the little wife being led out on the dance floor a minute ago by some fella that looked pretty interested in her."
"Thanks. And you might want to try coffee and lay off the open bar."
He took Kagen's elbow and led her away.
"A relative?"
"Uncle. From the side of the family I don't see very often. My mother insisted I invite him. Don't ask
me why."
"Oh, there he is." Tingles ran up and down her arms. She glanced at Steve. "Dancing with your wife,"
she supplied when he still had a look of confusion on his face.
His eyes widened. "Him? You always have a knack for picking the worst men to dat
e." He swept his
arm in a wide arc. "Out of all the males here, how in the world can you zoom in onhim? Did your man radar get bent when you were born?"
She planted her hands on her hips. "Very funny. I admit, I've had a few disastrous experiences with men."
"A few! That's putting it mildly."
She shrugged. "Okay, a lot. But I'm changing my tactics. I've decided I only want to have fun—no emotional entanglements. Just hot, sweaty..."
He quickly held up his hand. "That's more information than I need to know. And it won't work."
"You have something against sex? Hmm, you might want to discuss that with Lisa before you leave on the honeymoon."
"I don't have a problem. It's you that has the problem. Youalways get emotionally involved. And you always get hurt."
"This time will be different. All I want is—"
"No."
She glanced at the man dancing Lisa around the floor. Simply delicious. She could easily imagine lying naked in his arms.
"Whatever you're thinking, forget it. That's Lisa's brother."
Her eyes widened. "So that's the infamous bachelor," she murmured. She'd heard stories about him from Steve, and even some from Lisa. He loved women, and they flocked to him. He didn't even have to crook his little finger. She looked him over with a critical eye. When he smiled there was a boyishness quality about him, while at the same time an aura of suave sophistication surrounded Alex. She certainly liked what she saw.
With his background, he would know how to please a woman. Just the thought of being wrapped in his arms and her body tingled with sexual awareness.
She wanted what she'd read about in books, but money always got in the way of her relationships. It was as if they began feeling -inadequate and decided they had to prove something.
And in bed they usually ended up having a hell of a good time, while she was left frustrated. She wanted a man who wouldn't care about anything except making intense love all night long.
"He's leaving right after the wedding," Steve broke into her thoughts.
Her heart plummeted. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Not fair." Her shoulders slumped.
"You'll be working anyway." He paused. "Are you really sure you want to decorate the apartment yourself, even though you have plenty of people who work for you? It wouldn't hurt my feelings if you delegated the job to someone else. I know how busy you are with your stores."
She dragged her gaze away from Alex. Maybe she should just stop dwelling on what could've been. She snuggled her arm into the crook of his. "Not on your life. I wouldn't trust this job to anyone else. You mean too much to me."
"Then I'd better give you the key to the apartment before I forget. You don't think Lisa suspects anything, do you?"
"Not a thing. It will be a complete surprise."
"Great. She loves surprises."
"Me, too." She wondered at the sudden goose bumps on her arms.
Two
Kagen unlocked the apartment and stepped inside, dropping her suitcases as she shut the door. Damn,
she was beat. The flight down, after staying up late the night before to finish packing, was taking its toll. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was almost midnight. She was more than ready for a hot shower and
a warm bed.
She looked around the large living room. Not bad. High vaulted ceiling, rich, olive-toned furniture. She wasn't too sure about the computer in the corner, but it could be hidden behind a screen. Or the stark white walls. That would soon change, though.
Steve told her they'd had most of the stuff from their respective apartments labeled and stored in a
nearby storage unit while they'd waited for this larger one to become available. Lisa had switched to this one a couple of weeks before the wedding. It was almost bare of any decoration. Great, she loved working with a clean slate.
But first she dropped into the nearest chair, stretched her legs in front of her, and closed her eyes. She wanted to stop for a moment, let the world slow down, and just catch her breath. Tomorrow was soon enough to start thinking about decorating.
She squirmed until she found just the right position. Much better. She'd rest and then. . ..
Her eyes snapped open. What was that? She froze, her hands gripped the arms of the chair. Her imagination maybe? No, there it was again, a noise, like someone moving around in one of the back rooms.
She wasn't the only one in the apartment.
Did Lisa have a cat? No, not likely with Steve's allergies. A dog? It would've barked. Besides, Steve or Lisa would have mentioned an animal. The sounds coming from the end of the shadowy hallway grew louder. Her stomach turned upside down.
She quickly glanced around, her gaze landing on a heavy glass candy dish. Thank goodness Lisa had a sweet tooth. She scooted from her chair, keeping low to the carpet, and dumped the candy. At least now she had a weapon. Cautiously, she made her way to the front door, hugging the dish close to her chest. Just a few more feet.
The door at the end of the dim hall opened. Her heart plunged. The light was behind the big, hulking figure so she couldn't make out a face. It didn't matter. She was the only one who was supposed to be here.
A burglar! She screamed and threw the dish as hard as she could. He was faster and dodged as the bowl clunked to the carpet. She ran for the door, grappling with the lock. Heavy footsteps thudded behind her. He grabbed her from behind. The blood pounded through her veins as her life passed in front of her eyes.
Good grief, had she really dated that many boring men?
"Okay, who are you and why are you in my sister's apartment."
Her breath whooshed out. Lisa's brother. She wasn't about to die after all.
"Answer me," he growled.
"I'm ... uh ... Steve's friend. I'm ... uh ... staying at the apartment while they're ... uh ... on their honeymoon." Her pulse began slowing to a more normal rate as realization she would live to see another day began sinking into her brain.
He spun her around, and she came face-to-face with a solid, naked chest. Surely this couldn't be good
for her heart, she thought as her pulse once more picked up speed.
A droplet of moisture slid down his body and over a taut nipple. Her gaze lowered as she followed the journey of that one little drop.
A white terry cloth towel was slung around his waist and knotted at the hip. The way he stood, with his feet slightly apart, caused a wide expanse of naked thigh to show.
The lump in her throat made it difficult to swallow. It was a very sexy expanse of thigh. She was
tempted to reach out and see if it was as firm as it looked.
A thrill of pleasure swept over her. Steve had been wrong. Alex hadn't left town after all.
Could Alex feel the pounding of her heart? Did he sense the excitement fluttering inside her? Did he
want her as much as she wanted him?
A drop of water plopped on her forehead and raced down her nose, effectively reminding her of the situation.
She dragged her gaze upward once more, past his muscled chest, and landed with a rude awakening on his face. At first his expression registered surprise, but that was quickly replaced by a deep frown. He didn't look nearly as excited by her presence as she was by his. He actually looked put out. She didn't think she liked his attitude. After all, she was nice looking, and hewas supposed to be a player. Maybe she didn't meet with his approval?
She thrust her chin forward. "Would youplease let go of me?" Another drop of water landed on her
nose. "I don't need watering."
"Sorry." He released her and stepped away.
She wiped her face with the back of her hand, then looked up and got the full effect of the superb male specimen standing in front of her with only a towel covering the important parts of his anatomy. She
tried to breathe and couldn't.
He quirked an eyebrow. "It's rude to stare."
"Then put some clothes o
n." She crossed her arms in front of her.
He turned on his heel. Bad suggestion, she thought as he strode down the hall. She could've stared well into the wee morning hours. Although he was pretty exciting from this angle, too. Broad shoulders, slim waist—umm .. . nice butt.
Her brow furrowed. But why hadn't he seemed interested in her?
Maybe she was overreacting. She stretched her neck from side to side. It wasn't like she had to wear a sack over her head or anything.