by Helen Lacey
“We have to come up with something.” She began pacing the room, her hands on her hips, her firm breasts pressing against the soft fabric of her white T-shirt. His body hardened. He wanted to make love to her. And not the slow and easy kind of loving, but the kind that left them both panting and wanting more.
“Marnie, stop pacing for a moment,” he said. “I have something to ask you.”
She stopped. “I’m listening.”
Determined not to let her duck the question this time, he took her hands in his. “The last time I saw you, you needed to do something before we could talk about us. Did you get it done?”
“I did.” She searched his face. “I talked to my mom, and I had an epiphany, you might say.”
“Don’t do this to me, woman.”
“I…” Her fingers wrestled with his. “This is probably not the time or the place, and you have so much on your mind right now.”
She was driving him crazy. “Out with it.”
She squeezed his fingers as a smile blossomed on her face. “I love you.”
He ran his hands up her arms, along her neck, savoring the feel of her skin beneath his fingers, anxiety circling his mind. “You love me?” he asked. “How can you be sure?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IT WAS DÉJÀ VU ALL over again.
A few minutes ago in her room with her mother as her only witness, she’d confessed to loving Luke Harrison. Then she’d traipsed down here expecting him to be overjoyed.
She’d expected him to say that he loved her, too. By the way he held her, by the look in his eyes, she believed he felt the same as she did, that they were meant to be together. She had imagined that Luke’s feelings for her ran as deep and as strong as hers did for him, but she’d confused lust for love.
That’s all this was really about.
If only she’d kept her big mouth shut. In her silly rush to tell him, she’d never entertained the possibility that he’d be less than thrilled with her confession.
She’d taken the stupid-in-love approach, and confessed her feelings to a man who obviously didn’t share them, and she’d been too intent on her dream to see what was right in front of her.
She was aging, growing old and desperate. She was desperate enough to think that a man as handsome as Luke might find an unemployed hairdresser with chipped nails and an overprotective family loveable.
Had she really expected him to say those three little words after only three days of knowing each other, during which their opportunities for intimacy had been thwarted by everything else going on?
Her cheeks glowed red. Tears of humiliation pricked beneath her lids. She turned away, feigning interest in an impressionist painting of water and trees on his office wall. Messed up water and trees, messed up like her.
Concentrate on the gentle scene in the painting. Take a deep breath. Get your act together and figure out how to get out of this room without making another blunder.
“Marnie, look at me.”
She had no intention of facing him. She had her pride to consider. “I have to get back to my room.”
He turned her around and slowly tilted her face up to his. “You can go to your room after I’m done.”
Not “I’m sorry.” Not one whisper about love, about anything remotely related to an intimate relationship. Just a direct order—like she was a member of his staff.
She wasn’t going to let him boss her around. Not a chance. She raised her eyes and stared directly into his.
Would she never learn? Her mother and her family were right. Her impulsive behavior had resulted in regret, again.
She gently disentangled herself from him. She needed to get away. Away from the humiliation of believing in something that would never be. “I’ve got to pack.”
“Is this your answer? To run away whenever you’re faced with real feelings?” he demanded, leaping past her and blocking the door.
“Please don’t pretend to care, and don’t worry about my bill. As you said yourself, you have Scott’s credit card.”
“What’s gotten into you?”
She didn’t answer him, nor did she look him in the eye. She seemed to be studying the front of his shirt.
“Marnie, do you have any idea what your words mean to me?”
Her gaze slowly moved up his shirtfront. “My words were a mistake. Forget I said them.” She moved to one side, making it plain she planned to escape past him.
He stepped in front of her. “Not so fast. You haven’t answered my question.”
“Your question. I make a complete fool of myself and you’re worried about me not answering your question.” She snorted, and this time her eyes locked on his.
Her beautiful green eyes, luminous with suspicion, searched his, as passion welled up in his heart, shattering his reserve. He struggled to find his voice, his heart drumming in his chest. His brain wouldn’t function; he couldn’t find the words to say what he so desperately needed to say.
His hands holding her arms began to tremble. He cleared his throat. “Marnie, I love you. That’s why I was so surprised when you said it. And yes, I’m sure I sounded like I didn’t believe you or didn’t feel the same way, and I’m sorry if what I said hurt you.”
Her eyes closed, and two small rivulets of tears trickled slowly from beneath her lids, meandering down her cheeks. But it was her sigh, so filled with longing and raw emotion, that was his undoing. He pulled her against him, holding her chin in his eager fingers, his lips moving over hers. His mouth brushed hers, hesitating on the sensitive skin at corner of her mouth, eliciting her sudden intake of breath. He took her head in his hands and kissed her lips, the heat of her body fanning the fire already threatening to burn out of control.
She returned his kiss, her body seeking his, pressing into his erection and forcing a groan of pleasure from him. He trailed his lips along her jaw toward her ear, relishing in the soft tenderness of her skin. His hands cupping her head, he eased her face back, tilting it up so that he could look straight into her eyes. “Marnie, I love you. I loved you the moment I met you on the front step. I didn’t recognize it as love because I was too wrapped up in my own selfish concerns to acknowledge my feelings, which shows you just how dumb I can be. But from the first—that instant I saw you—you’ve been all I can think about.”
Again her incredible green eyes searched his, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I was so sure you didn’t like me. You were kind of rude, you know.”
“Why do you think I delivered your dinner that night?”
“I don’t know—all that was going through my mind was that you’d see my pink bustier.”
He laughed in a way he hadn’t laughed for a very long time.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
He inhaled her scent, clinging to the moment, wishing they could stay like this forever. “You know those yellow shoes caught my attention first, but you really had me going with that pink bustier. You wouldn’t be wearing it now, by any chance, would you?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but today’s offering is a standard C-cup utility model.”
“I’ll take whatever you’re offering.” Giving in to the happiness her smiling face held for him, he kissed her mouth again, lingering, alive in the moment. He was no longer alone, but held in his arms the one person he’d found who could relight his life.
She sighed deeply and her body arched to conform to his. “I meant it when I said I love yo
u. But standing here like this is driving me crazy. Could we take this somewhere? Maybe my attic abode?”
“We can take it anywhere you want,” he said, his arms circling her waist, happiness bubbling through him. He kissed her again and again, wanting more of her with each taste.
A gentle tap on the door startled both of them. “Are we doomed never to have a moment alone?” he moaned as he moved her away from the door, keeping her body as close to his as possible. “Who is it?”
“It’s Amanda. I’m sorry, but I need to speak to you. It’s urgent.”
Marnie took a seat in the guest chair near his desk while Luke opened the door. He threw her a knowing glance. “Come in.”
Amanda entered the office, a worried frown on her face. “There are three men in business suits waiting in the library. Were you expecting them?”
“Did they give their names?”
“They did, but I didn’t catch them. One of them passed me this.” Amanda gave him a business card with Angus McAndrew’s name on it.
“The CEO of Advantage Corporation is here,” he said.
“They’re here already?” Marnie asked, a slight tremble in her voice.
“So it appears.” He turned the card over in his hands, his mind racing over how the meeting would go, who the potential purchaser was, what his future role would be.
“Who are these people?” Amanda asked, her worried look switching from Luke to Marnie and back again.
“This man who gave you the card runs the company that owns this inn.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “The owners? What does that mean? Why are they here today of all days?”
“Let me talk to them and see exactly what’s on their minds.”
“Do you want me to show them in?” Amanda asked.
“No, I’ll meet them in the library in a couple of minutes.”
He closed the door behind Amanda before turning to Marnie. “Whatever happens in the next couple of hours, I’m not letting you go, so don’t get any crazy ideas about packing your bags again,” he warned, kissing her.
“They’re a bunch of mean-spirited grinches to show up here at Christmas and drop bad news in your lap.”
“So the sooner I meet with them, the sooner we can get back to our first Christmas together.”
She put her arm around his waist, the warmth of her body his defense against his dread. “How can you be so calm?” she asked.
“Because I have you now.” Luke let the air he’d been holding in his lungs escape in a long, tired sigh. “And as much as I’d like to continue this, it’s time for me put my manager hat back on.”
Marnie’s hands rested on his chest, her expression one of determination. “I’ll be here when you need me.”
“I’m lucky you dropped into my life when you did.”
“Dropping in is a specialty of mine. Don’t forget to call when you’re done.”
“I’ll call you the second they’re gone.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She stepped out of his arms, and went to his desk to jot down her cell-phone number. Bringing it over to him, she said, “I’ll probably be in my room, but just in case I’m not, here’s my number.”
He studied the piece of paper in his hands, a sense of calm settling over him. “You’ll be the first person I’ll call.”
She gave him the thumbs-up. “It will all work out, you’ll see.”
“Based on what?”
“Based on the fact that we love each other, that we’re going to deal with things together from now on, and that includes the three suits sitting in the library.”
“Gotta love these feisty women,” he said, kissing her hard on the mouth, his lips claiming hers, his body hardening. Then he released her and watched her leave the room.
Staring at the door, he wished he could let them stay out there a little longer to cool their heels, but he would only be postponing the inevitable. With a heavy sigh, he pulled on his tie and jacket, smoothed his hair and went down the hall to the library.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MARNIE COULDN’T GET her legs to move fast enough as she rushed toward the library. She had to see what these men looked like. During the years she’d spent running the salon, she’d come to accept that you could learn so much simply by observing a person without them knowing—how they sat in a chair, how they stood, their expression, whether they made nervous hand movements, how easily they smiled.
She rounded the corner, her mind intent on her mission, and stopped short. The library with its fireplace bracketed by poinsettias and with the sun streaming through its tall windows, looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Except for the three men standing near the windows with their Brothers Grimm expressions.
Wouldn’t you just know? Not a smile or a soft angle among them, and it appeared as if they were all wearing the same tie. She squinted into the sunlight to get a better look. They were all wearing the same tie. Talk about slavish obedience to the man—the man being Angus McAndrew. The triplets of Wall Street—Boston-style.
How she wanted to go in there and say something, do something, anything, to relieve her worry over what they were about to do to Luke. Indignation burned in her chest, and her jaw tightened at the prospect. Was there anything she could do? Anything she could say?
She peeked in at them again, and saw that each man held a BlackBerry in his perfectly manicured hands.... Nice manicures, she admitted grudgingly. She was staring at the three of them when, from down the hall, she heard Luke’s deep baritone voice.
She stood perfectly still…there was something she could do. Something that might help Luke.
She retreated into the alcove by the stairs and waited for Luke to go by, and was about to head up to her room when he moved back down the hall to his office with the suited threesome in tow. The four men walked in silence toward Luke’s office, Luke walking in front with the alpha dog, Angus McAndrew, while the Ken dolls brought up the rear, leaving behind a cloud of expensive colognes.
She waited for them to enter the office before scooting down the hall behind them. When she reached the office door, she hesitated, torn between wanting to listen at the door and wanting to get upstairs so she could put her plan into action.
She was about to move on when she realized the door was slightly ajar, and she could hear the men’s voices quite clearly. She glanced up and down the hall, only to see Mary coming her way.
Darn! She didn’t want to be seen as a nosy eavesdropper, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity, either.
“Hi, Marnie—”
Marnie held her fingers to her lips as she moved a few feet from the door. “Luke’s in there.”
“With the three men?”
She should have known that the inn grapevine would be working double time on this one. “Yes, and I’m worried,” she whispered.
“I am, too,” Mary whispered back.
“What should we do?” Marnie asked.
“I’ll keep people away from here, and you see what you can hear,” Mary murmured so quietly Marnie wasn’t sure if she’d heard her right.
A woman after my own heart.
“Thanks,” she mouthed, and moved closer to the door, while Mary took up her post farther down the corridor.
* * *
LUKE LED THE MEN INTO his office, and realized too late that there were only three chairs. Oh, well, he might be better off standing for this meeting, anyway. “Gentlemen, please have a seat,�
� he offered, moving to the filing cabinet at the back of the room. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?” He could use a drink of Scotch right about now.
“No, thanks,” two of them said.
“I’ll have a wee dram,” Angus McAndrew said with a pleasant smile on his face.
“Certainly.” Luke took a bottle of single-malt Scotch and a crystal glass from the top of the credenza that rested along one wall, and poured Angus a drink.
Angus took a sip, an appreciative gleam in his eyes. “Wonderful. It’s been a long drive up here,” he said, settling into the best chair in the room.
“Yes, I hear the roads are still pretty snow-packed, but the plows are working to clear them.”
“I should hope so, because we had a couple of narrow misses on our way here. But that’s winter in the northeast,” Angus said, his gaze moving about the room. “Do you not have another chair? I’d like to get right down to business since we have a long drive back, and no one wants to miss Christmas Eve.”
Idly, Luke wondered what Christmas Eve would be like at Angus’s house. Would he treat his family like employees? Or did he have a whole other side no one in his company would ever see? “I’ll stand, if you don’t mind.”
“It wouldn’t be right for you to have to stand while we discuss business,” he said, his bushy eyebrows flexed over his eyes. When Luke refused to budge, the man sighed and continued. “Luke, we’re here to discuss the future of The Mirabel Inn and its relationship with Advantage Corporation. After a full review of our assets, and in light of our shift away from smaller holdings—those under one-hundred rooms—the board has come to a decision.” His tone was urbane, congenial and without a hint of personal involvement, with words that were code for changing the landscape of the company. Words used by people who cloaked their callous behavior in socially polite language. “So, you’re planning to sell The Mirabel.” A spasm knotted Luke’s stomach.
“We have a potential buyer who has begun to put limitations on his bid. It’s the main reason we felt we needed to come up here today.”