“I was going to ask,” Evelyn interrupted, “how is it that a pretty woman like Joy snagged such a totally devoted bachelor. But I guess that was the wrong question, hmm?” She paused. “And the wrong person.”
Emily grimaced. She liked many people, but Evelyn Albee got on her nerves. “You’re asking if Colin and I are an item.”
Eveyln’s eyes popped. “Are you?”
“Colin’s leaving tomorrow,” Emily said.
“And?” Evelyn sounded indecently curious, at the edge of her metaphoric seat.
“And that’s it.” Emily took Colin’s arm, leading him away. Let her chew on that.
“You okay?” Colin said softly.
“I will be,” Emily assured him. Assured herself. “Just take me home.”
7
COLIN NOTICED THAT Emily was quiet during the short drive from the mayor’s house to the inn. He felt somewhat subdued himself.
This was going to be their last night together—for real this time. Technically, they’d covered this territory before, but this time the ticking clock didn’t seem to fan the flames of passion as it had before. It didn’t feel like an interlude or an adventure.It felt like a mistake.
Not being with Emily. As far as he was concerned, it was as if Emily had been made with him in mind, both in bed and out. No, it felt like a mistake to approach the night as though it was going to be their last.
They stepped into her apartment, and a strange awkwardness descended. Emily laughed nervously.
“I wonder if this is so weird because the cat’s finally out of the bag?” she mused. “The whole Holiday Ball is probably talking about us right now.”
He waited until she’d stripped off her heavy winter coat, then he wrapped her in his arms. It wasn’t meant to be sexual. It was supposed to be comforting. Yet, as always with this woman, the heat and the comfort were inseparable.
All those years we lived in the same little city, he thought as he stroked her hair and held her tight. Why didn’t I find her before now, when I’m leaving for another continent?
“Don’t think about them,” he said, his voice thick. “Just think about us.”
“I can’t stop thinking about us,” she murmured, rubbing her hands up and down his back. “That ought to make this easier, but somehow it’s not.”
“Don’t think about the time frame, either. It’s not important. The only important thing is right now. How we feel about each other.”
He wondered if she understood what he was saying—how much he felt for her. But he was too nervous to actually try putting his emotions into words. She was the one who seemed to think that the short-term nature of their affair, a “fling” by her own words, was a foregone conclusion.
What if she doesn’t feel the same way I feel?
Better to listen to his own advice. Right now was all that mattered. He had to focus on the present and nothing else.
They were slower than they ever had been, even though desire still licked at him with tongues of flame. It was as if he were trying to memorize everything about her with slow precision. He held his breath as she took off his coat and jacket, tugged loose his tie, undid each button with fingers that trembled slightly. He shrugged the shirt off his shoulders, feeling his erection stiffen after simply seeing the admiration in her eyes as her gaze traced over his torso and her catlike tongue wet her lips in a quick motion. He tugged at the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head in a slow, smooth movement.
When he saw what she had beneath, he held his breath, then let it out in a sigh of gratitude.
Emily was wearing a strapless black bra, smooth satin, with a matching thong and garter belt holding up black nylon stockings. Still in her black stiletto heels, she reached up, taking her barrette out of her hair and letting the auburn waves cascade around her shoulders. Her full lips were crimson, her violet eyes even larger and smokier than usual.
She looked like a sexual fantasy brought vividly to life. She looked like the type of woman men would sell their souls to be able to possess.
Hell, if there were a dotted line in front of him, he’d sign in blood for the chance to keep her.
She unbuckled his pants, her full lips curving into a slow, inviting smile. Colin groaned as she slipped the pants down to the floor, leaving him only in boxers. He kicked off his shoes and socks, leaving them both in their underwear, there in the living room.
“Nice,” he said, pointing to her ensemble.
She stroked her hand over the front of his boxers, where his erection was emerging. “I thought you’d like them.” Her lips quirked in that quicksilver smile that never failed to pump adrenaline through his system. “And I must say, they seem to be doing their job nicely.”
She reached into his boxers, drawing out his cock and rubbing her fingers gently up and down the shaft. They also fell to the floor. He groaned again, leaning forward against her soft, warm palm.
“Still, I think we can do better,” she said, her voice teasing. With that, she knelt down, taking him into her mouth.
All rational thought fled in the face of the overwhelming sensation of her wet, warm mouth caressing him. His fingers tangled gently in her hair, his body twitching slightly as the rough silk of it brushed cool against the heat of his cock. She suckled softly but insistently, and he went harder than he’d even thought possible.
“Emily,” he moaned, closing his eyes. Colin felt himself losing control and he tugged her up to her feet. “I need you,” he said, his voice thick with desire. “Now.”
“You can have me,” she responded, her eyes gleaming. “Whenever you want.”
Then I want forever.
He didn’t say it. Instead he kissed her roughly, feeling the satin of her panties rub the length of his shaft before his cock rested against the smooth plane of her stomach. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her with haste into the bedroom and placing her carefully on the bed. She looked at him, eyes bright with invitation and desire.
For a moment he paused. He didn’t want to simply take her. It was more than just sex, no matter how brief their relationship had been up to this point.
He stretched out next to her, taking off her bra, panties, garter and nylons. She looked at him, curious.
“Don’t you like it?” Her voice sounded unsure. “I wore them for you.”
“They’re great,” he said, stroking a wayward lock of hair out of her face. “But I don’t need them. I don’t need anything else to make me want you. And tonight I want it to be just us.”
He hoped she understood.
She still looked slightly puzzled, but she nodded. Then she seemed to melt against him, her skin feeling even softer and more sensuous than the satin had felt.
He murmured incoherent words of passion against her skin, touching her like a blind man, tracing every curve and hollow. She kissed his shoulders, his chest, his abdomen. He slid over her, capturing first one nipple, then the other with delicate intensity, laving each until they were rosy and erect. He cupped her breasts carefully, kissing her cleavage, delighting in the way the tempo of her breathing increased.
He saved the best for last. When his fingers finally dipped inside her entrance, stroking her thighs intently, he found she was already wet and slick, ready for him. Slowly he rolled on a condom, then went back to kissing her as if they had all the time in the world to consummate what they’d aroused in each other.
She sighed against his lips. “Colin,” Emily breathed, and the word was filled with emotion.
Smiling, he finally positioned himself between her legs, sliding into her like a key into the perfect lock.
For a second he stayed still, relishing the snugness of her, the way she accommodated him so incredibly. But the tightness of her, the way her passage enveloped him and clenched against him, soon made staying still impossible. Nevertheless, he took his time, retreating carefully, maximizing each stroke for the most pleasure possible. Their breathing quickened, and despite his efforts, they moved faster, cycling into the inevita
ble build of passion. They clung to each other, so close that they seemed to be one person as he filled her and she rose to meet each thrust.
“Colin!”
He felt the clutching tremors of her climax, and they triggered his own orgasm. Oblivious to everything but the sensation of her, he shuddered against her, feeling her thighs tighten around him as his cock pressed deeper and deeper into her welcoming flesh.
When it was over, and his consciousness returned, he couldn’t help it. He smoothed his fingertips over the light sheen of sweat on her long-limbed body and pressed kisses against her temples, her high cheekbones…even the bridge of her nose. She smiled at him.
“I…” Her eyes held the faintest trace of tears. “I don’t know what to say to you.”
Tell me you love me.
He blinked. Was that what he wanted?
Yes. He wanted her. He wanted love. He wanted the whole package.
He rolled next to her, stunned by the revelation.
“You mean a lot to me,” he finally said, his tone cautious. “More than I thought.”
That didn’t sound right. He frowned.
“You mean a lot to me, too,” she said.
The silence that fell was a huge chasm, so much that despite the fact they were skin against skin, it felt as if the Grand Canyon lay between them.
“I…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know when I’m going to be back in town, but…”
To his surprise, she put a finger to his lips, hushing him.
“Right now is all that matters,” she said, throwing his words back at him. “Remember? I’m not worried about later.”
He frowned again. “But…”
She snuggled against him and he was thrown off. “Just make love to me again,” she said. “It’ll be enough.”
He held her, feeling her heart beat against his chest.
It’s not going to be enough for me, he thought. But he was leaving the next morning and he didn’t know when he was going to be back. It wasn’t fair to ask her to wait for him, was it?
He didn’t know what to do. So he did as she said—he focused on the present, making love to her as if it was all they were going to have. Because for all he knew, it was.
EMILY FELT BLEARY-EYED and exhausted. She hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, and it wasn’t because of her activities with Colin—although they’d both done their best to make the night memorable. When he had fallen asleep, she’d found herself staring at his face…the way his long eyelashes rested on his cheeks, the way his hair tousled itself against her pillowcase.
She was falling in love with him. She wasn’t sure how or why, but it was a fact. Just like the fact that he was on a plane, headed for Europe, and she wasn’t sure when or if she would see him again.She swallowed. She had a few too many facts to deal with.
Emily wandered down to the front desk, thinking that the hotel itself might provide her with a respite from her wayward feelings. A few hours dealing with the day-in-day-out running of the inn ought to be a comfort. But when she got there, she noticed that the front lobby was way more crowded than normal—and that most of the people were definitely not guests.
She recognized Evelyn Albee and her stomach twisted into a knot. “May I help you?” she asked, forcing her voice to remain casual.
Evelyn had been chatting with two other women with her, and they all huddled conspiratorially around Emily. “We were talking this morning, and it struck us how long it’s been since you’ve visited the salon,” Evelyn said, in a peaches-and-cream voice that was at odds with the almost predatory gleam in her eye.
“It’s been ages!” one of the other women, Shirley Hayworth, agreed heartily.
“So we decided to treat you to a full day of pampering.” This from Evelyn’s second in charge, Madge Tyler. Madge handed Emily a gift certificate, hand-lettered.
“Thank you,” Emily said. A full day of pampering would have sounded nice if she didn’t know Evelyn’s motive. People tended to find the salon comforting, almost therapeutic—and therefore turned the beauty technicians and fellow customers into a sort of “spa therapy” group. As a result, the salon was a hotbed of gossip and a place for solicited and unsolicited advice from the women of Tall Pines. “I’ll see when I can fit it into my schedule.”
“Oh, but the roads are cleared,” Evelyn said smoothly, smiling at Sue, who was manning the desk and looking apologetically at Emily. “Most of your guests have gone, and Sue was just saying the holiday rush was over for a few weeks at least. So…”
Emily bit back a sigh. “The guests might be gone, but business still keeps grinding along.” She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. “I’ve got inventory to do, ladies, but I appreciate the gift certificate. Thanks so—”
“Is Colin still here?” Madge’s comment shot out like a bullet.
“Madge!” Evelyn looked incensed. She might be there trolling for gossip, but she wasn’t about to be that obvious, apparently.
“Well, you said they were making out at the Holiday Ball!” Madge was fiftyish and recently divorced. For her, gossip was more than a hobby, it was a lifeline. “Is it true? Are you and Colin Reese…you know?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Emily said, her voice cool.
Evelyn sneered. “I told you not to say anything directly!”
“In all fairness, Evelyn, I wouldn’t have told you anything at the salon, either,” Emily said. “Sorry, Madge.”
“It’s not fair,” Madge grumped. “Colin’s like a celebrity. After all those big, crazy buildings he designed, he’s been in big magazines. Newsweek. Time. Even InStyle.” Madge gave a beatific grin; as far as she was concerned, getting your picture in InStyle was tantamount to being royalty. “You’ve heard Ava talking about the women he normally goes with. Models, actresses, flashy businesswomen…”
Emily blanched. Women not like her, in other words.
Of course, now he’s got plenty of opportunity to get back to his “type.”
“He also has a reputation for leaving them,” Shirley said, her voice more quiet than the other two. “How are you holding up, sweetie?”
Emily should have been surprised, but Shirley was about sixty or so and considered herself a sort of universal den mother. Although it wasn’t the older woman’s business, she accepted Shirley’s pat on the shoulder with a wan smile. “I’m hanging in there,” she found herself saying.
“Oh, Emily,” Madge said, and there was real outrage in her voice. “You, too? All men are dogs, honey. Just dogs.”
“Well, you knew his reputation,” Evelyn admonished, and in that second Emily could have smacked her.
“Excuse me, Emily?”
Emily turned, wondering who was going to be grilling her about her love life now. To her surprise—and relief—it was Joy.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Joy said, “but Emily and I have a business meeting right now.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you the woman that Colin took to the Holiday Ball last night?”
Emily wished that the earth would swallow her up. “Joy is a friend and a guest. And also in the hotel industry. We were going to discuss, er, some ways to improve the hotel.”
“But the hotel’s perfect, sweetie, just the way it is,” Shirley assured her. “You run the place like a top.”
“If you’ll excuse me?” Emily said, feeling an edge of desperation to her words.
“Fine, fine.” Evelyn was obviously unsatisfied. “But don’t forget about that gift certificate, all right?”
“You deserve it,” Madge added. “Dogs. The lot of them.”
Emily watched the retreating figures of the three ladies, then dropped the gift certificate on the desk like a hand grenade.
“Wow. That was like something out of Stars Hollow.”
“Excuse me?” Emily rubbed at the back of her neck. She should’ve stayed in bed—except her sheets smelled like Colin’s cologne, and she couldn’t face a whole day surrounded b
y reminders of him. Of them. “Stars what?”
“It’s the small town in that TV show Gilmore Girls,” Joy explained. “Very cute, if a little overbearing.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Emily said ruefully.
“Do you have time? For a meeting, I mean.”
Emily started to say no but then saw another wave of towns-people heading toward the lobby—with obviously no intention of renting rooms. “Certainly. Why don’t you come with me to my office.”
She led Joy to the room she’d converted for office use. Joy whistled. “This is gorgeous,” she said, looking at the dark maple furniture. “I’ve worked in multibillion-dollar hotel chains that didn’t look half as good. You’ve done something special here, Emily.”
“I try,” Emily said, sitting at at a small occasional table and gesturing to Joy to sit next to her. She poured them both a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker on her credenza. “I didn’t know how much went into running a hotel, but I’ve always been a quick study.”
“And you’re amazingly good at it,” Joy said, taking her own seat. “But, you know, with a few strategic improvements, you could make this place even bigger.”
Emily smiled tiredly. “Yeah, if I had a billion dollars and a cast of thousands at my beck and call…”
But Joy’s expression was serious. “I hope you don’t think this is out of line,” she said hesitantly, “but I drew up some numbers and some strategy ideas.” She slid a piece of paper over the surface of the table.
Emily looked at it. The strategy was clear, precise, in Joy’s neat handwriting. Then she looked at the income expectations. The number took her breath away. She closed her eyes, rubbing them, then read the number again.
It was still the same. She had thought that fatigue was making her hallucinate.
“You wouldn’t necessarily see those profits first year,” Joy said easily, as if they were simply swapping recipes instead of discussing a huge change in Emily’s business. “But with the right combination of management, marketing and some key overhauls, you could quadruple your profits in under five years, easy. With that much money, you could start hiring that cast of thousands to help you.”
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