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Twice the Temptation

Page 24

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“Mr. Marsh?”

They both turned to see a young woman with red hair, wearing the khaki slacks and shirt that identified staff members. Her name tag read Tess.

“I remember you from your last visit. Mr. Cooper asked me to keep an eye out for you and your fiancée. While you’re waiting to check in, the hotel would like to offer you a complimentary lunch out in the courtyard. If you’d just follow me?”

Sensing that Cody was about to refuse, Brie beamed a smile at Tess. “You’re a life saver. I’m starved, but I have an allergy to the sun. Could we eat in the bar instead?”

“Technically, it’s not open yet. But I can seat you and take your order. Right this way.”

“It will be much more private than the courtyard.” Brie spoke in a hushed voice so that only Cody would hear. “At this time of day, it’s probably deserted. And I really am starved. While we eat, you can ask Tess to give a message to Avery so that he can join us. That way, we can fill him in and perhaps we can skip the registra—”

She broke off the instant she stepped into the shadowy bar. “Ohh.”

“It’s quite stunning, isn’t it?” Tess asked.

Like everything else Brie had seen so far, the room radiated both tradition and charm. On the far wall, windows framed formal gardens. But the real eye-catcher was the U-shaped bar, a fluid curve of rich mahogany and gleaming brass that stood at the center of the room and provided a free flow of traffic. Guests could choose to sit at the bar, at intimate tables, or in booths.

“It’s perfect.” In terms of class and style, the place was a far right turn from the bars where she’d paid a lot of her dues. Sometime, she promised herself, she’d sing in a place like this. But it wasn’t until she glanced into the shadowy corner to her right that she saw it.

“The piano.” Grabbing Cody’s arm, she pulled him toward it.

It sat on a small raised stage. Mirrors glittered behind it, a parquet dance floor circled it, and a darkened, crystal chandelier hung overhead.

“Not just any piano,” she breathed. “It’s a grand. And I think it’s a Steinway.”

“You’re right, ma’am,” Tess said. “Ms. Haworth, the original owner, had it built.”

When she was close enough, Brie reached out and ran her free hand along the shiny wood. “It’s tuned?”

“Absolutely,” Tess said. “We have live music every weekend.”

“And someone gets to play it?” Brie asked.

“The Brightman sisters believe that’s what Hattie would have wanted. Where would you like to sit?”

Right on top of that piano, Brie thought. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to climb up on that stage, onto the piano and croon the first few bars of “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

“Over there,” Cody said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Brie saw him gesture to Tess. And she felt the tug on her arm.

“Brie?”

“Give me just a minute.”

He did. In the background, she was aware that he ordered food. She also caught Avery’s name and sensed Tess’s departure. But she couldn’t drag her gaze away from the piano.

She knew she was taking more than a minute. Just as she was about to turn, she caught something in the mirror. An image of a woman in a long white dress with golden curls tumbling to her shoulders. She was seated on the grand piano, her legs crossed. And she was singing.

Not the song that had been in Brie’s head seconds ago, but the one she always ended her performances with. “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

“Brie?”

At the sound of Cody’s voice, both the image and the music vanished. She blinked and narrowed her eyes.

Nothing.

As she turned and followed Cody to a booth, she gave her head a little shake to clear it. She’d never been a fanciful woman, she reminded herself. She wasn’t one to let her imagination run wild. The simple explanation was that she was tired—after all, someone had tried to kill her three times in less than the same number of days—and she was starved. When was the last time she’d eaten?

Food. That’s what she should be thinking of. That and convincing Cody not to stuff her away in a room.

Still, she glanced over her shoulder as they reached the booth.

Nothing.

It was that one last backward look that had her sliding into the booth and smack into Cody. Suddenly, they were face to face, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. Her throat went dry and the air grew very thick. So thick she couldn’t get a breath.

Neither one of them moved. She wasn’t sure she could, not when her blood had begun to simmer and her bones to melt. His face was so strong—all those sharp angles and lean planes. The glorious hair—overlong and tipped with gold. Just looking at it had her fingers itching to touch the strands. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, there were his compelling eyes. This close she could see the color darken, see herself trapped in that deepening gray. Her heart bounced hard and high.

“Shit,” he breathed. “I have to kiss you again.”

Couldn’ts and shouldn’ts danced at the corners of her mind, warning of disaster. But the desire, the need grew so intense, so…necessary. “Yeah.”

Eyes open, they both moved until their mouths met and melded. She should have known what to expect. She should have been prepared. But once again, a response was ripped out of her before she could prevent it. She felt wild and wanton and wonderful. Her tongue tangled aggressively with his, taking, demanding.

In a sudden move, he shifted, and his hard, rangy body pressed her into the back of the booth. His hands slid up her torso, pressing against the sides of her breasts, then cupping them. She arched closer and allowed herself to do what she hadn’t before. She shoved her fingers through that glorious hair.

Sensations rioted through her, blocking out thought. There was nothing but him—his arms, his lips, those sleek, hard muscles.

When they broke apart, it was only to breathe. The sound filled her ears. The air burned her lungs.

“Again,” he said.

“Yes.” She fisted her hands in his hair and dragged his mouth back to hers.

Once again, she flooded his senses until reality faded and there was nothing, no one but her. Her mouth was like sin, the silken texture of her skin like heaven. And she made him want her with a wildness and a desperation that he’d never experienced before.

Because he simply couldn’t help himself, he ran his hands over her again, absorbing the subtle, almost fragile curves. The tremor that moved through her thrilled him. The moan had him desperate for more. He wanted—no, he needed—flesh to flesh contact. He had to have her beneath him, those strong, slim legs wrapped around him. And then, finally, he would lose himself in her.

Lose himself.

It was only as those two words penetrated that Cody was able to pull back and get a thin, tenuous grip on reality again.

They were in a booth. In a public bar. And someone was trying to kill her. With his pulse pounding and needs still clawing through his gut, he managed to release her and put some distance between them.

Would he be able to keep his distance?

That was the number one question in his mind as he watched her open heavy eyes and flick her tongue over her lips as if she wanted to absorb the last hint of his flavor. That simple reaction on her part might have negated all his good intentions if Tess hadn’t appeared just then with their food.

After setting three plates on the table, she said, “What else can I get for you?”

“Not a thing,” Cody said. “We’re fine.”

“We’re not fine,” Brie whispered the moment Tess was out of earshot. “We’re crazy. We almost…”

“Yes, we did,” Cody agreed. He pushed two of the plates toward her. “I ordered you a cheeseburger and fries and a spinach salad. I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

“The burger’s great.” She met his eyes over the top of it. “I’m only letting you distract me with food because I’m starved. But we have to talk about this and—”

She nearly dropped the sandwich. “You made me almost forget.”

He bit into a fry. “What?”

“What does this Hattie Haworth look like?”

He met her eyes immediately. “They say she has long golden curls and wears a white dress that floats around her. Why?”

Brie set her sandwich down on the plate. “I think I just saw her.”

6

“WHERE? TELL ME THE DETAILS,” Cody said.

“I just caught a glimpse of her.” Brie picked up a fry and pointed in the direction of the piano. “She was sitting on the Steinway in a typical chanteuse position.”Cody looked over his shoulder, then met Brie’s eyes again. “Chanteuse position?”

“Legs crossed, leaning back on her hands. Think Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. I could demonstrate.”

“I’ve got it. Think low profile.”

“Another time then.” She bit into her burger and spoke around the first bite. “You didn’t see her?”

“No. When exactly did she appear?”

“You were talking to Tess about the food. I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the piano.”

“I noticed.”

“It was just as I was about to turn away that I saw her. And I heard her, too.”



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