“We went to the Children’s Hospital fundraiser last Saturday,” Frankie said.
“Are you seeing him again?” Bobbie asked.
“Tomorrow night,” Frankie responded. “He’s taking me to his favorite bar to meet his brothers and have dinner.”
“It sounds as if the two of you are spending a lot of time together,” Georgie commented.
Frankie shrugged. “Just a few dates. I won’t see him the rest of the week because he and his brother Connor are flying to Las Vegas for a business conference on Tuesday and won’t be back till late Sunday night.”
She didn’t miss the significant glance Bobbie exchanged with Georgie.
“What?” she demanded.
“For someone who’s had only ‘a few dates,’ it certainly sounds as if the two of you are an item,” Georgie said.
Bobbie leaned forward, fixing her with a sober stare. “What about the physical side? Are you compatible?”
“He’s an incredible kisser.” Frankie’s gaze went slightly unfocused as she remembered their heated kisses. “I haven’t slept with him,” she said bluntly, “but I’m guessing it would just as amazing.”
“You haven’t slept with him?” Georgie’s eyes went wide.
“No.” Frankie shook her head. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Because you’ve apparently been seeing quite a bit of each other and rumor has it, Eli never dates women just for their conversation.”
“Hmm.” Frankie had heard those same rumors. “I’m not likely to get involved with a man who’ll break my heart,” she told them. “Not to worry.”
Bobbie and Georgie looked unconvinced but didn’t protest when Frankie asked Georgie a question about her upcoming assignment that would take her to New York City for several months.
She was relieved when the conversation turned away from her and Eli. Because the truth was, she had to admit Eli Wolf was much more than she’d anticipated—more attractive, more charming, more seductive. Added to that, she was finding she simply liked the man he was.
And that was perhaps the most dangerous thing of all.
The following Monday evening, Eli picked up Frankie and drove to Killoran’s Pub in Ballard. Tucked into a brick side street off Ballard Avenue, the pub had been the Wolf brothers’ favorite place to play pool, listen to live music, drink beer and grab a hot sandwich or pizza since they’d turned twenty-one.
“I can’t stay too late,” Frankie told Eli as he held the heavy door for her. “I have an early class in the morning.”
“I’ll have you home before ten,” he promised.
They stepped inside and paused, met with a wave of conversation and laughter. The yeasty smell of beer and bread mixed with the scent of pizza in the walnut-paneled room.
“Hey, Eli, back here,” Connor yelled from a table halfway to the rear of the long, narrow room.
Eli lifted a hand in acknowledgment and tucked Frankie under his arm. Together they wound their way between crowded tables toward his brothers.
Several times they were stopped when someone caught Eli’s arm, halting him to say hello and exchange a few words before they could move on.
“You know lots of people here,” Frankie said, leaning up to speak close to his ear so he could hear her over the noise.
He nodded. “I’ve been coming here after work for years. A lot of these guys have worked on jobs with me.”
At last, they reached the table. Eli pulled out chairs for them, seating Frankie before dropping into the chair next to her.
“Man, it’s crowded in here tonight,” he commented, holding Frankie’s black raincoat as she shrugged out of the sleeves.
“Michael O’Shea is playing later,” Ethan told him. “He has a lot of fans.”
“Yeah, and they’re all crammed into this room,” Matt added dryly. He lifted a pitcher and poured a glass of beer, passing it to Frankie before filling another for Eli. “Have you two eaten yet?”
“No. I wanted Frankie to try the grilled Italian sandwich on ciabatta bread.”
“Good call.” Connor leaned forward to nod. “The pizza is good, too.”
“What do you say, Frankie—sandwich or pizza?” Eli asked, stretching his arm along the back of her chair and leaning in so she could hear him over the noise.
“What are you having?” she asked. Her lips brushed his ear as she spoke, and he turned his head to look at her, blue eyes heating. Electricity arced between them, and Frankie caught her breath.
“Sandwich,” he murmured against her ear.
Frankie shivered with awareness, his breath stirring the tendrils of hair at her nape. Earlier, she’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail, donned a black cashmere sweater over pencil-thin jeans with boots and slipped gold hoops into her earlobes. The ponytail left her nape bare, and when Eli stroked his thumb over the back of her neck, she realized how very vulnerable she was to his touch.
“How about you?” he asked.
Belatedly, Frankie realized he was waiting for her to answer.
“Oh, me, too,” she said. “Whatever you’re having.”
His lips curved in a brief smile, and Frankie suddenly wished they were alone. She badly wanted his mouth on hers.
On the stage behind them, the microphone screeched. The noise yanked Frankie back to awareness of her surroundings, and she sat forward, reaching for control as she moved away from Eli’s disturbing touch. She picked up her glass and sipped her beer, leaning her elbows on the table as Eli stopped a waiter to recite their order and she listened to his brothers arguing.
“… and I’m telling you there’s no way that specific gaming software will run as fast as it should on your computer,” Ethan said vehemently. “You need more hard-drive capacity.”
Frankie blinked. “Your brother is a techno guy?” she murmured to Eli. “Does he know anything about programming cell phones?”
“Probably,” Eli told her. “You have a problem with yours?”
She nodded. “I have a new phone and haven’t had time to figure out how to transfer all my numbers and info from my old phone,” she explained. “So I’m carrying both of them, because my address book, email addresses, et cetera, are all stored in the original phone. I’d love to get rid of it and just have one.”
“I can fix it,” Matt put in before Eli could respond. “I’m good with cell phones.”
“I’m better,” Connor declared. “Besides, I just did that with my new cell. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Don’t let either of them touch your phone,” Ethan warned her with a slow smile. “They’ll break it.”
“I’ll do it for you,” Eli told her. “If you let any of them have your phone, God knows what they’ll do to it.”
“Oh, come on, Eli,” Matt protested. “I programmed all the work cell phones a few months ago, and they all work fine.”
“Yeah,” Eli said, his voice dry. “And the ring tones were annoying as hell.”
Matt grinned at Frankie. “He’s just mad because his ringtone was ‘Macarena.’”
Frankie sputtered, nearly choking on a mouthful of her drink. Eyes wide, she looked at Eli to find him watching her, a lazy smile on his handsome face. Within moments, though, she joined his brothers, laughing at Eli’s disgruntled expression.
“I’m better than my brothers with technical equipment, Frankie. You’d better let me fix your phone,” Ethan repeated.
“No.” Eli’s voice held finality. “I’ll do it.”
“All right.” Frankie opened her purse, shifting through the contents until she found the two cell phones. “Here you are.” She handed them to Eli as she dropped her purse at her feet once more. “The new one is the hot-pink one. The old one is the silver.”
“Hot pink?” Eli lifted his eyebrows in disbelief. “You have a hot-pink phone? Geez.” Eli clearly was speechless. Nonetheless, he started scrolling through her menu.
As Eli concentrated on her phones, the three younger Wolf brothers regaled her with stori
es of the hours they’d spent in the bar and the musicians who’d appeared on the small stage—some already famous, some who had gone on to become famous. They took turns teasing each other about the women they’d met, won and lost within the four walls.
The waiter interrupted them to slide plates of sandwiches with pickles and chips on the table in front of Frankie and Eli. He deposited a large pizza, loaded with cheese, meat and veggies, in the middle of the table and set plates in front of Ethan, Connor and Matt.
Eli handed Frankie her phones.
“Are you done already?” she asked, startled.
“Yeah,” he told her. “I’ll explain how I did it later.”
“Great.” She smiled at him with delight. “Thanks so much. I have no idea when I would have had time to sit down and figure out how to transfer everything. I owe you.”
The slow curve of his lips set her heart pounding.
“I’ll think of a way for you to pay me,” he murmured so only she could hear.
Flushing, Frankie darted a quick look at the others around the table as his smile widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement at her reaction to his flirting. Thankfully, the others were busy loading pizza onto plates.
“Hey, Frankie, do you have any sisters?” Matt asked, his expression hopeful.
“Yes, I do.” She sipped her drink, making him wait. “Three, to be exact. But one just got married, the other is in a relationship, and only the third is single. Unfortunately—” she picked up a chip and nibbled “—she’s moving to New York City soon.”
Matt’s face fell. “Damn.”
Frankie glanced at Eli. The amusement in his blue eyes echoed her own and when he winked, she laughed.
The evening flew, Eli looking on indulgently as his brothers tried to coax Frankie to introduce them to her friends, teasing her when she demurred and arguing over which one of them should be allowed to take Eli’s place and drive her home.
Time flew and all too soon, it was after nine-thirty.
As promised, Eli led Frankie out of the pub early and drove her home.
“I’d love to ask you to come in,” she told him after unlocking her condo door. “But if I do, I won’t want you to leave.”
“I make a mean omelet,” he told her, bracketing her against the closed door panels by planting his palms on each side of her shoulders and leaning close. He brushed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. “And great coffee. I’ll feed you breakfast in bed before you leave for work.”
Frankie closed her eyes, tilting her head back to give his warm, seductive lips better access to her throat.
“Tempting,” she managed to get out. He nudged her coat collar aside and explored the juncture where throat met shoulder. She shivered with longing but planted her palms against the soft fleece covering the hard muscles of his chest, keeping him from pulling her into his arms. “But I really do have to be at work early in the morning.”
“I’ll drive you to work early,” he murmured, lifting his head to look down at her. His eyes were heavy-lidded, the blue irises darkened to navy.
“If you come in and stay, neither one of us will get any sleep tonight,” she told him, smiling at the reluctant acceptance she read on his features.
He drew a deep breath, expelling it in a rough sigh.
“You’re right. Kiss me, and I’ll go home,” he growled, pulling her close.
Lips curved in a smile, Frankie wound her arms around his neck and went up on her toes, meeting his mouth with hers, quickly swept away by the passion that flared between them.
When he set her back on her heels, she was dazed, her knees like jelly.
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Connor and I have an early flight in the morning, but I’ll call you from Vegas. The conference lasts through Friday, but we’re staying to play a little blackjack and flying home late Sunday.”
“I’ll miss you,” she told him. “Be safe.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Don’t run off with any other guy while I’m gone,” he teased. Then he took her mouth in one more swift, hard kiss before he pushed open the door behind her and gently shoved her inside. “Lock the door,” he ordered softly as he pulled the door shut.
Frankie twisted the deadbolt closed and slid the chain into its slot. Listening, she didn’t hear Eli walk away until after the locks snicked closed. Smiling at his protective patience, she turned and strolled toward her bedroom, dreamily reliving those heartstopping kisses while she got ready for bed.
And when she fell asleep, she dreamed of Eli.
Eli and Connor flew out of Sea-Tac the following morning to attend the contractor’s conference in Las Vegas. Although he called Frankie each night, he missed seeing her. Months earlier, when they’d booked the conference, he and Connor had planned to spend the weekend in Vegas after the conference ended on Friday. He wasn’t slated to fly back to Seattle until Sunday evening, but on Friday he changed his flight and flew home on the red-eye, reaching home in Seattle just after two in the morning.
The following morning, he was awake by nine, but Frankie didn’t answer her cell phone when he called. Fortunately, he reached her sister Tommi at her restaurant and learned Frankie had driven to Arlington, north of Seattle, to spend the day volunteering at a rescue horse stable.
Eli scribbled the directions Tommi gave him on a napkin and headed north up I-5, toward the farm.
He remembered Frankie had briefly mentioned her volunteer work at the barn while telling him anecdotes about her childhood with Cornelia and her sisters. Cornelia had sat Frankie down on her eighth birthday, discussed the responsibility of individuals to contribute to the larger community and asked her to pick a cause to which she would commit her time and energy. Frankie loved horses and had chosen an organization that rescued abused and damaged horses.
That early exposure had become a lifelong devotion to the rescue operation in Arlington. Tommi had told him earlier that Frankie usually left her cell phone in her car when she was at the barns. While disappointed that he couldn’t reach her, Eli decided that surprising her in person would be even better.
He left the freeway just past Arlington, turning onto a two-lane road that wound through the countryside, where rolling acres of green pastures held horses and the occasional cow. After twenty minutes of driving past farms and fields, he reached a complex of big barns and fenced pastures. He turned into the wide lane, jolting over bumps and avoiding holes in the graveled road before parking in a large dirt lot.
A huge wooden barn, a round pen with green metal pole fencing and a long low stable were set in a semicircle around the dirt parking lot.
Eli left his car and walked to the open barn doors, following the sound of voices as he stepped inside. To his left, a flight of stairs led upward, and, hearing voices, he climbed the steps to the second floor. But the office there was empty, as were the bleacher seats that lined the outer walls. He peered over the waist-high divider and down into a huge arena with a soft dirt floor. An older woman in boots and jeans stood in the center of the arena, directing a young girl wearing a riding helmet and snug pants tucked into high boots. She sat atop a rangy thoroughbred that looked too tall and much too big for the small girl. Nevertheless, she handled him with easy confidence.
Eli retraced his steps down the stairs and turned left, following a hallway until it turned sharply right. Ahead of him stretched a wide alley with stalls opening off each side. He started down the alley, stopping to stroke his palm over muzzles as horses looked out over the top of open half doors to nicker and call.
“Back up, Daisy. Stop being so stubborn. You know you can’t go outside.”
Frankie’s annoyed voice reached Eli’s ears. He searched the barn ahead of him but didn’t see her. A side alley opened to the left just two stalls ahead, and several thuds and bumps sounded as if the noise came from there. Hoping to surprise her, his stride lengthened and he rounded the corner.
Frankie stood at an open stall door only feet away, a halter rope in one hand
while the other hand and one shoulder pushed against the side of a massive draft horse.
The huge horse was clearly winning the argument as she took a step forward, her hooves big as dinner plates and planted too close to Frankie’s boots.
Cold fear iced Eli’s heart. He reached Frankie in three long strides, lifting her out of the way with an arm around her waist.
“W-what on earth …!” Frankie sputtered in surprise.
Busy muscling the big draft horse back into the stall, Eli didn’t look at Frankie until he’d slammed the door on the massive horse. Then he turned to face her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he roared.
She stiffened, surprise giving way to anger that flushed her delicate features with color, her brown eyes snapping. “My job,” she said succinctly. “What are you doing?”
“Saving your pretty butt,” he snapped. “Did you not notice that horse outweighs you by a thousand pounds?”
“More than that,” she shot back. “And I fail to see what concern that is of yours.”
“Are you crazy? You were about to get stepped on.”
Frankie waved a hand at the big horse, who watched them with interested brown eyes from her stall. “I was not. Daisy has never stepped on anyone in all the years she’s been here. She tries to get out into the paddock whenever someone opens her stall door, but she’s perfectly docile. She’s never hurt anyone in her life.”
“She’s so big she wouldn’t know if she hurt you,” Eli told her, his voice just barely below a roar. “You could have been killed or badly hurt. You’re too little—you can’t handle a horse that big.”
“You don’t have the right to tell me what I can or can’t do,” she told him, fingers curled into fists at her sides.
“Well, someone has to. You clearly don’t have sense enough to know you’re too damned small to muscle around a horse that’s twenty times your size and weight,” he growled, anger fueled by the terrifying sight of her pitting her fragile frame against the huge horse.
Her brown eyes shot sparks. “I’ve been making my own decisions since I was eighteen,” she informed him, her voice dripping ice. “And if I was going to give someone permission to interfere in my choices, it would not be you. Especially since you clearly know nothing about horses,” she snarled.
Beauty and the Wolf / Their Miracle Twins Page 10