Brian

by Kate Hoffmann

  They slowly approached each other and Lily found his expression impossible to read. He didn't look angry, but he also didn't look happy to see her. "Hi," she murmured.

  Brian grabbed her hand and drew her back toward the elevators, away from the prying ears of the security guard. "What the hell is going on here, Lily?"

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "I call you at the hotel, you don't answer. I leave messages at your office and you don't reply. What's with you? If you're blowing me off, then at least tell me to my face. Don't make me figure it out on my own."

  Lily drew a ragged breath. "We've had a wonderful time together, but-"

  "I'm not going to use those photos on the air. Hell, I'm not even going to report that they're having an affair."

  "You aren't?" she murmured.

  "What do you want from me Lily? Either we're going to do this or we aren't. It's up to you. Personally, I think we're pretty good together. I've never met a woman quite like you."

  "You know it will have to end sometime," Lily murmured. "If it's not this story, it will be something else."

  "Maybe. But maybe not. We won't know until we try. And I want to try."

  She glanced up at him, surprised at the admission. She'd just assumed that he was taking their little affair much more casually than she was. Every instinct warned her to walk away. If he broadcast his story about Patterson, they would be forced to battle each other in the media, no holds barred. And if he didn't, she'd be done with her work and on her way back to Chicago next week.

  "What if I asked you to give up the story about Patterson?" she asked. "Would you do it?"

  Brian opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut. He considered her question for a moment longer. "I thought we agreed we were going to keep our professional and our personal lives separate."

  "That's what we said. But I can't put things in little compartments. This is my life and if you're a part of it, then you're part of all of it. And if you're not, then you're not."

  "What are you asking, Lily? Whether I will make the choice? Or whether I want to make the choice."

  She straightened, then shook her head. His answer was obvious. "I'm asking you to stop calling. To just… stay away. I had a wonderful time with you, but from the start, I wasn't looking for something… serious."

  "Ah, hell," Brian said, turning away from her and raking his hand through his hair. "I do not want to have this talk right now. Neither of us should be making any decisions. It's too soon."

  "I have to go," Lily said. "I still have a lot of work to do and you've probably got to get to the station tonight." Her hand trembled and she longed to reach out and touch him just one more time, so that she could remember what his skin felt like beneath her fingertips.

  "I'm doing the report tonight," he murmured.

  "What? But you told me-"

  "I edited it this afternoon. We have film of Patterson and the planning commissioner coming out of a motel room. We're going to run it. That's what I came here to tell you. I'm telling you now. Tomorrow, it's going to be all over the news. I hope you're ready."

  She straightened her spine and tipped her chin up. "I will be." With that, Lily turned on her heel and strode back to the elevator, then punched the button emphatically. That was it. The end of everything they'd shared. She'd almost been grateful that she hadn't been forced to choose. She bit back a sob, unwilling to give in to her emotion.

  The elevator doors opened immediately and she stepped inside, praying that they'd close just as quickly. Brian watched her for a long moment, his gaze fixed on hers, and then at the last instant, he stepped inside as well, the doors closing behind him.

  "What are you doing?" Lily asked.

  "We're not finished yet."

  He punched the button for the 20th floor and the elevator started up. But Lily reached around him and pushed the button for the lobby, intending to ride right back down again. "This doesn't have to be all messy and emotional," she said.

  "Maybe it should be," he said. "Maybe you shouldn't be able to just end it without at least some sort of discussion."

  A grinding sound filled the elevator and Lily looked up. "What was that?" The sound stopped suddenly and then, so did the elevator. It bounced a few times and Lily waited for the doors to open, but they didn't.

  Brian pushed the button for the 20th floor again, but the elevator didn't move. "I think we might be stuck."

  "No!" Lily cried, punching every floor between one and twenty. "We can't be."

  "I think we are." He opened the door beneath the control panel and pulled out a phone. "Do you want to call or should I?" He pulled the phone away as she reached for it. "Or maybe we shouldn't call. This might be Fate lending a hand. And I'm never one to mess with Fate."

  8

  Lily sat in the corner of the elevator, her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. She glanced over at Brian who sat in the opposite corner, his gaze fixed on her legs. He looked up and realized that she'd caught him staring.

  "You have nice legs," he said. "It's not against the law to look."

  Lily tugged on her skirt, pulling it down to just above her knees. "When are we going to get out of here?" she muttered.

  "We've only been stuck for fifteen minutes," Brian said. "It'll be soon." He glanced at his watch. "It better be soon. I have to get to the station."

  "Maybe this is Fate stepping in-to keep you from broadcasting that report."

  "Or maybe it's the lack of decent elevator repairmen in this city," he countered.

  She shouldn't even be talking to him, Lily mused. After everything she'd said outside the elevator, it was almost hypocritical to act like nothing had happened once they were trapped inside. She'd called an end to their relationship once and for all, and now, she'd have to do it all again.

  "I'm hungry," Lily said. "I didn't have dinner."

  Brian reached into his pocket and produced a box of breath mints. "That's about it. You're going to have to make them last."

  "How long do you think we'll be in here?"

  "The security guy said it would be at least an hour before they got a repairman over here. So why don't we make the best of our time?" He grinned. "Wanna play five questions again?"

  Lily rolled her eyes. "All right. But we each get two passes."

  "You first," Brian said.

  "Are you really going to air your story tonight or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

  "I'm really going to air it-if I get out of here in time. My turn. Are you really going to walk away from us or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

  Lily sighed. "I meant what I said." She thought about her next question. "Any regrets?"

  He nodded slowly. "I have a few regrets."

  "That's not a good enough answer. Tell me what they are."

  Brian stared down at his shoes. "I regret that I never got a chance to make love to you the way I really wanted to," he murmured. "What about you? Do you have any regrets?"

  Lily hesitated. They were telling the truth here. Why not be honest? "I was thinking that I'd never seen you… naked," Lily said. "We've shared such intimacies but we've never been completely intimate with each other."

  "That can be remedied." Brian reached for the buttons of his shirt and Lily realized that maybe honesty hadn't been the best policy.

  "Don't you dare."

  "Why not? As long as we're stuck here, we might as well be comfortable. And I don't want to leave you with any regrets." He yanked off his shoes and socks, and Lily was certain that he was only teasing, certain that he'd stop there. But he returned to his shirt and unbuttoned it from top to bottom.

  It gaped open, revealing a tantalizing view of muscle and skin, a broad chest with a light dusting of hair that ran from his collarbone to his belly. Lily felt her fingers twitch as she remembered touching him down there. Though the sight of him had started her heart racing, she tried to appear calm, as if men undressed in front of her
on a regular basis.

  Brian stood and began to unbuckle his belt. When he was finished, he pulled it from the loops and dangled it in front of her face.

  "Hey, don't entertain me," she said. "Play to the camera."

  "The camera?"

  Lily pointed above her head to a clear glass window above the control panel. "Security camera," she said. "They can see everything you're doing."

  Brian glanced up, then pulled his keychain from his pocket. He used a tiny pocket knife to unscrew the panel, then grabbed his sock and covered the camera lens. "Complete privacy," he said.

  The phone rang and Lily giggled. "Complete?"

  Brian grabbed the phone and answered it. "Yeah, she's here." He handed to the phone to Lily. "It's the guard."

  "Miss Gallagher, are you all right? Something has happened to the security camera."

  "I'm fine," Lily said. Her eyes went wide as she watched Brian shrug out of his shirt and drop it on the floor beside her. "Just get us out of here."

  "It's going to be at least a few hours," the guard said. "Are you sure you're all right? If I have to, I can call in the fire department. They could force the door and-"

  "No," Lily said, suddenly realizing that maybe she wanted to stay. "That won't be necessary." She handed Brian the phone and he hung it up. "Two hours now."

  "There's a lot we can do in two hours," he said. He held out his hand. "Come on."

  "I'm not taking off my clothes," Lily said.

  "We can dance. There's music." He gently pulled her to her feet. "We were good at dancing, remember?"

  Lily did remember-she remembered how it had felt that first time he'd touched her and how dancing had been a prelude to seduction. He pulled her into his arms, and the moment he did, she knew she'd made a mistake. Her breath dissolved and for a moment, she wasn't sure she could draw another. She suddenly felt dizzy and weak.

  His chest was so smooth and warm as she slid her hand up to his shoulder. The music piped into the elevator played softly and they moved along with it.

  They'd known each other for nearly three weeks now, but there were times when Lily felt as if she'd known him her whole life. She felt comfortable in his arms, as if she somehow belonged there all along. But she'd made so many mistakes with men in the past, been fooled so many times. She let her head rest against his shoulder. If they could just stay here, alone in the elevator, everything might work.

  The music never ended so they continued to dance, his hands lazily drifting over her body, his fingertips discovering something new with each touch. There was no use fighting the desire. They were trapped together for two hours. If she didn't give in to him now, she'd surely capitulate later.

  But this time, she was going to let Brian set the pace. She wanted to be seduced and she knew if she let him, he'd give her a night she'd never forget-even if it happened to be in an elevator.

  As they danced, he slowly removed her jacket and tossed it on the floor with his discarded shirt. Easy listening wasn't exactly the best accompaniment to their striptease, but then her intimate encounters with Brian Quinn had never been conventional. Piece by piece, they finished undressing each other, after each item aside, taking time to explore what had just been revealed.

  When he'd skimmed her panties over her hips and down her legs, Lily felt oddly vulnerable. Before this, it had always been about lust. But this was different, so slow and easy and deliberate. Though she wanted the passion, she also hungered to feel close to him, to somehow touch his soul this time. If this was the last time, then she wanted to experience it fully and without hesitation.

  He pulled her against his body and Lily lost herself in a deep, soul-shattering kiss. She could barely breathe and when she tried to think, her mind was occupied with the wild sensations racing through her body. "I can't believe we're doing this," she murmured.

  "Dancing naked in an elevator? Been there, done that," Brian teased.

  "You have not," she said.

  "No, I haven't. I'd never made love in a limo either. Or watched fireworks from a rooftop. Or drank champagne from a woman's navel."

  "We never did that," Lily said.

  "Then I guess we have something to look forward to."

  Lily groaned inwardly. Why did he have to be so damn romantic? Why couldn't he be like every other guy on the planet-aloof, self-absorbed, distracted? She hadn't wanted to meet the perfect man, she'd just wanted a tidy little one-night stand. And here he was, making her feel all these things that she didn't want to feel, making her believe in the possibilities of love.

  He caught her chin with his finger and tipped her face up until she met his gaze again. He kissed her, gently at first and then with greater conviction. The kiss spun out, each moment filled with unquenchable desire. It had always been like this between them, first gentleness, then giving way to unbridled passion.

  Lily moaned softly as he traced a line of kisses from her neck to her shoulder to her breast. His tongue teased at her nipple, drawing it to a hard nub before he moved to her other breast. She tipped her head back and enjoyed the shivers that raced through her. But Brian didn't stop at her breasts. He dipped lower, to her belly, then lower still, making love to her with his tongue.

  A tremor shook her body and for a moment, her knees went soft. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she couldn't stand, but yet she was aware of every sensation that pulsed through her. It had always been so easy for him to bring her pleasure. She barely had to take a breath before the knot in her belly tightened and she gave way to her release.

  But this time, he didn't bring her all the way. Instead he drew her closer and closer to the edge, then eased her away. Lily's breath came in ragged gasps as she leaned back against the elevator door, the metal surface cool on her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she watched him retrieve a condom from his wallet on the floor.

  Even if he hadn't had protection, Lily wasn't sure she could have resisted. Not now. She needed to feel him inside her again, needed the heat and the hardness and the final surrender. Needed to assure herself that what she was feeling was real. He gave her the condom after removing it from the package and let her sheath him. As she smoothed it over his erection, Brian closed his eyes and sighed softly.

  When he opened his eyes again, she saw a look there that caused another shiver to race through her. He wanted her and nothing was going to stand in his way. Brian lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, then pressed her back against the wall of the elevator.

  He stood for a long moment, his face nestled into the curve of her neck. "You don't have to ask," Lily murmured. "I want this as much as you do."

  He probed at her moist entrance then slowly slipped inside of her. The sensation of him filling her with his heat was more than she could take. It hadn't felt this way the first time. There had been pleasure then, but not this intense longing. Lily groaned, shifting herself until he touched her very core.

  Brian moved slowly at first but Lily was so close and with every thrust she risked tumbling over the edge. She murmured his name, but she wasn't sure if he heard her. When he softly bit her neck, she knew the pain was the only thing keeping her in the present and she relished the reminder.

  Lily furrowed her fingers through his hair and brought his lips back to hers, whispering soft pleas against his mouth. She kissed him, her tongue matching each thrust, desperate to taste him. And then, like a sudden cloudburst on a sunny day, Lily felt herself tense and convulse around him. A shower of pure pleasure washed over her body and a moment later, he joined her, driving into her hard, moaning her name.

  She wasn't sure how he managed to remain standing, but he did, still kissing her softly as her breathing came back to normal. He opened his eyes and stared down at her. "I'm in love with you, Lily."

  She reached out and pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't say that."

  "I have to. It's the only thing I know for sure right now, except that I don't want this to end. I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I
wanted you to know."

  An uneasy silence fell over the elevator and she fought the temptation to return the sentiments. It would be so easy to tell him that she loved him, but she'd said those words before and they'd only come back to haunt her-and hurt her. "Everything has to end sometime," Lily murmured.

  He slowly lowered her to the floor and they sat on the scattered clothes, Lily curled up against his naked body, a sheen of perspiration causing her skin to chill. He stroked her arm with his hand, a lazy caress that seemed wonderfully possessive. Then he grabbed hisshirt and wrapped it around her, drawing her back against his body.

  They sat silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Lily wasn't sure what to say to him. Right now, her mind was a mass of confusion and conflicting emotions. Maybe she did love him and she just didn't realize it. Or maybe she wanted to love him but wasn't capable. Or maybe this was still all about sex and nothing more.

  How could she be sure that he loved her? Had he really meant what he'd said, or was it just a response to what they'd shared? Questions swirled in her head and she closed her eyes, searching for an answer, any answer.

  Suddenly, the elevator moved, jerking once, then restarting. She looked up at the lights above the doors and noticed they were going down. With a soft cry, Lily scrambled to gather up her clothes. Brian helped her slip into her blouse and handed her her skirt, but she stuffed her underwear in her pocket.

  And then, to her horror, the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the lobby. They both looked up to find the elevator maintenance man staring at them, his tool belt hanging from his waist and his mouth agape. "They're all right, Barney," he shouted.

  Brian, still completely naked, grinned, and shifted slightly to shield Lily's body from the man's view. "We'll be right with you," he murmured, reaching out to hit the "close door" button on the panel.