by Ruth Langan
The two men shared a quick laugh before Drew snagged a second glass of champagne from a passing waiter. He was doing this to spare the old man, he told himself.
He strolled up to the group clustered around the artist and handed the glass to Celeste. “Here you are, darling.”
At the term of endearment, she kept her smile in place while her eyes frosted over. “Drew. Thank you. Have you met Vachel? He was just explaining his art.”
“Vachel. Drew Hampton. I’ve been admiring your work.” Drew offered his hand, then turned to Celeste. “I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse yourself a moment, darling. There’s someone here who’s dying to meet you.”
She withdrew from the group and followed Drew across the room to a quiet spot.
When they were alone she took a sip of champagne to ease her parched throat. “Thank you.”
“Not at all. Jeremiah and I tossed a coin to see who’d play white knight. I lost.”
“Yes. That would be a new role for you, wouldn’t it?” She handed the glass to him.
“You’ve lost your taste for champagne?”
“You know I love it. But right now, I have to get out to the courtyard and check on the wait staff.”
“Suit yourself.” He smiled easily. “But don’t blame me if Vachel corners you again and bores you to tears.”
“I wasn’t bored.”
He leaned close. “Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you as well as I do, darling.”
She kept her smile in place. “Go to hell, darling.”
He chuckled as she walked away. Then he drained his glass, all the while watching the sway of her hips. Damned if she didn’t have a walk that just made a man itch.
He handed his empty glass to a waiter and slowly circled the room, studying the art that lined the walls, as well as the growing crush of people doing the same thing. It would seem that Celeste was on to something here. There couldn’t be this many people in the entire town of Liberty. Which meant that her little soirée had drawn from well beyond the city limits. There was nothing like word of mouth to bring people together. And this particular crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.
He paused at a seafood buffet table set up in one corner of the room and helped himself to a plate of shrimp, crab and lobster. Happily nibbling, he stepped out into the courtyard and spotted Celeste holding a whispered conference with the head of catering. Minutes later she hurried off. Probably, Drew thought, to handle another crisis.
He glanced up at the star-studded sky. It seemed a shame to waste such a night buried under a mountain of work. But it was her choice. Hadn’t work always won out over play?
He thought back to their nights in Rome. Maybe that time had been so special to both of them because it was one of the few times when they’d been able to leave their work, and their responsibilities, behind.
He’d seen a side of Celeste he’d never known. Maybe she’d seen a different part of him, as well. They’d been so happy, so carefree. They’d been like two children set free from school. No restrictions. And wildly in love.
With a frown he handed the plate to a passing waiter and decided to view the rest of the art being exhibited. Maybe it would keep his mind off things better left alone.
She had a right to be angry with him, and skeptical of his return. He’d been the one to walk away. But he’d felt at the time that he had no choice. And now? He wasn’t sure what he was doing here now. Was he trying to acquire another hotel for his company? Or was he trying to rekindle an old flame? A flame that he himself had chosen to smother?
Celeste left the now-deserted foyer and stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the top floor. As soon as the door glided shut she slipped off her shoes and gave a sigh of relief. She was hungry and weary. And she didn’t know what hurt more—her feet from standing for so many hours, or her face from smiling at so many strangers.
When the door glided open she picked up her shoes and walked into the hallway, making her way to her door. Just as she was inserting the key she heard a door open behind her and spun around.
“Well, about time.” Drew gave her one of his quick, heart-stopping smiles. “I was just about ready to give up on you.”
“Give up on…” She shot him a dark look. “Why are you spying on me?”
“Spying? Why, Ms. Sullivan, I’m shocked at your suggestion. Shocked, I tell you.” He opened the door wide. “But knowing how you forget to eat, I had room service send up some food.”
“I hope you enjoy it.” She turned away and fitted her key in her lock.
He stepped closer, his voice taking on a seductive edge. “I have sweet-and-sour chicken. And Moo Goo Gai Pan.”
“Moo Goo Gai Pan?” Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and started toward his room. “It’s a shame you’re not interested.”
“Wait.” She needed only a second to consider before withdrawing her key and following him.
Inside his room she breathed in deeply. “Oh, it’s so unfair. You know exactly how to use my weaknesses against me.”
“Yeah.” He closed the door and leaned against it, watching as she dropped her shoes and padded toward a table set for two on a small, circular balcony overlooking the courtyard. “Would you care for a little champagne? I snagged a bottle from the art exhibit downstairs.”
“I’ll remind Bitsy to add it to your bill.” She accepted a glass from his hand and sipped. Then she sighed and sipped again. “Oh, it tastes so much better now that the evening is over.”
“Evening? This is a whole lot more than evening. Half the night is gone. But who’s keeping track?” He walked up to the balcony railing beside her and glanced at the stars. “Can you sleep in tomorrow, or do you have a busload of tourists arriving for a predawn breakfast?”
She laughed. The low, sultry laugh that always seemed to wrap itself around his heart and squeeze until it hurt to breathe. “Am I that bad?”
“Worse. Since I’ve been here I haven’t seen you sit down for more than two minutes without either talking on the phone or handling paperwork.”
She nodded. “I know. Sometimes I think I’ll take a few hours off. But something always seems to come along.”
“Yeah. Like a parade of strangers galloping through the inn like locusts about to devour everything in their path.”
“Those locusts pay the bills.”
“I bet they do. But they also can drain you of all life’s juices if you let them. Speaking of draining…” He motioned toward her empty glass.
She held it out and allowed him to fill it again before glancing skyward. “Mmm. This is nice.”
“I’m glad you like it. I ordered it just for you.” He indicated a chair. “Why don’t you relax and I’ll get our food.”
“Food. There’s that word again.” Celeste eased herself into a cushioned rattan chair and watched as Drew carried a covered bowl to the table and began spooning steaming rice and chicken onto their plates.
After the first bite she moaned aloud. “Oh. This is absolutely heavenly. And to think I was going to gulp two aspirin and take myself off to bed.”
“Now that would have been a terrible waste. You definitely need some lessons in how to enjoy life, Ms. Sullivan.”
She glanced across the table and caught his grin. “And you’re volunteering to be my teacher?”
“It’s the least I can do.” He topped off her champagne and watched with amusement as she spooned more food onto her plate.
“The last I saw of you…” She speared a forkful of chicken. “…you were so busy climbing that corporate ladder, you even considered sleep an intrusion on your valuable time.”
“Yeah. Guilty, I admit. But that was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I realized that there are…other things in life.” He leaned back, sipping champagne and enjoying the way she looked as she attacked her meal. A gentle breeze caught the ends of her hair before sh
e caught them and tucked them behind her ear. A ribbon of moonlight played over her face and sparkled in her eyes. A faint whiff of her fragrance drifted past, drenching him in memories.
The yearning caught him by surprise.
“What’s wrong?” She looked up and caught an expression on his face that had her fork pausing halfway to her mouth.
“Nothing’s wrong.” He carefully composed his features. “I just think it would be nice if you’d try to taste some of that before you swallow.”
“No time.” She cleaned her plate and convinced herself that she’d only imagined that look in his eyes. When she held out her glass for more champagne, he obliged her.
She sipped. “What’s for dessert?”
“Strawberry ice cream.” He was already on his feet and heading toward the small refrigerator tucked beneath the bar. “And fortune cookies.”
“Perfect.” She sighed as he placed a crystal dish in front of her.
She attacked her dessert with the same fervor as the rest of the meal. Then, leaning back, she broke open a fortune cookie and read the tiny slip of paper inside before frowning and tossing it aside without comment.
“Something you ate?”
When she didn’t smile he reached across the table and picked up the fortune, reading aloud. “Take time for affairs of the heart.” He arched a brow. “Well, now. Excellent advice.”
She pouted and drained her glass. “You planted that.”
“Of course I did. And then baked the cookie in my spare time.”
She burst into laughter. “Okay. Maybe that was stretching it a bit. But you can’t deny you’re enjoying this.”
“So are you. Or were, until you read your fortune.”
“You’re right. I really was.” She drained her glass and got to her feet, giving a last wistful glance at the star-washed sky. “But now it’s time to get back to reality.”
She stepped from the balcony into his room. There was something so familiar about it. His jacket hung over the back of a chair. His tie tossed carelessly across one end of the sofa. The newspaper sitting on the coffee table. A stack of books next to the lamp beside an overstuffed chair.
She ran a hand over the books, studying the titles. “Who are you reading now?”
He handed her the latest title and she nodded. “I just finished it. I was disappointed with the ending.”
He grinned. “Not happy enough for your taste?”
She merely smiled. He knew her so well. They’d always loved the same books. Loved discovering an author who excited them. Loved reading his latest work and then discussing it.
Her smile faded. They’d had so much more in common. Not only in their professional lives, but in their personal lives as well. They shared a love of art, of travel, of exotic food. Maybe that was why the loss seemed so much greater when they’d finally parted.
She picked up her shoes before heading toward the door. With her hand on the knob she turned, only to find him standing directly beside her.
Her heart did a sudden free-fall. “Thanks, Drew. This was a lovely surprise.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” There it was again. That fleeting scent of wildflowers that always sent his pulse into overdrive.
“I’d better…”
“You could always…”
They both stopped.
She lifted a hand. “You first.”
He shook his head. “You were saying?”
“I’d better go.” She expelled a breath and turned away, pulling open the door.
Before she could take a step she felt his hand at her shoulder and looked up in surprise. In the space of a heartbeat his hands were grasping her upper arms, dragging her against him as his mouth lowered to hers.
His lips were warm and firm and so very familiar against hers. His mouth moved over hers, sending a rush of heat that slowly dissolved her bones. With the ease of two lovers they came together, taking the kiss deeper. Her shoes slipped from nerveless fingers to land on the floor. Neither of them noticed.
The last time he’d done this, she’d managed to hold herself rigid and deny what she was feeling. This time it was impossible, as a little purr of pleasure hummed in her throat. Her hands seemed to have a will of their own, moving up his chest until they were locked around his neck.
She held on, afraid that if she let go, she would surely drop to the floor in a heap.
“Oh, you feel so good here in my arms. So right.” Though this wasn’t what he’d planned, there was no denying it was what he’d wanted. Needed. He ran hot nibbling kisses across her cheek to her ear. “Don’t go. Stay the night.”
Her heart took another sudden dive before fluttering wildly in her chest. “You know I can’t.”
“You know you want to.” His words, whispered in her ear, sent splinters of ice dancing along her spine.
“Oh, Drew. You know me so well.” She pulled back, her hands still linked behind his neck, to look into those shadowy eyes. “Too well. It would be so easy to fall back into something that had been so…easy.”
“Not to mention so good between us.”
She nodded. “We were good, Drew. But we said our goodbyes and moved on.”
He shook his head. “We didn’t move on. We just moved apart.”
“Either way, it would be a mistake to let ourselves slip back now, just for the sake of old times.”
“Is that what you think? That what we felt just now was…nostalgia? Comfort? Like a pair of old slippers?”
Before she could respond he dragged her close and savaged her mouth. With his hands in her hair he pressed her roughly against the wall and kissed her again and again until they were both breathless and trembling.
Now there was no denying what they were both feeling. Their mouths were greedy, their hands almost bruising as they held on and took each other on a fast, head-spinning ride. Whatever arguments they might have had were wiped away in an instant as they gave themselves up to the pleasure.
When at last Drew lifted his head, his eyes were dark and fierce, his voice a low rasp of frustration. “Are you comfortable, Celeste? Are you? Because I’m sure as hell not. What I’m feeling right now is about as far from comfort or nostalgia as a man can get.”
“What I am is…” Through sheer effort she kept her voice from trembling. “…leaving. Right now.”
He stepped back, then bent and retrieved her shoes. Without a word she took them from him and crossed the hall, praying he wouldn’t see the way her hand was shaking as she fitted the key in her lock.
She was grateful when the door opened on the first attempt. She stepped inside, then turned to see him standing where she’d left him.
She closed the door and turned the lock. Then she sank down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall, pressing a hand to her eyes. And marveled that she’d found the courage to walk away. When all she’d really wanted was to stay.
Chapter 5
“Grandpa Sully.” Celeste’s voice warmed as she heard the brogue. “I’m so glad I caught you before going downstairs and getting caught up in the day’s work.”
“Ah, lass. It’s so good to hear from you. I got worried when you didn’t return my call.”
“To tell you the truth, I forgot to play my messages. I…didn’t even know Drew was coming until he was here.”
“I see.” The voice on the other end of the line paused. “Then you must have been caught by surprise.”
“That’s putting it mildly.” She took a deep breath. “Grandpa Sully, why would you allow him to observe our operations here?”
“Why not? I didn’t think you’d mind, lass. Andrew’s an honorable young man. And the firm he’s representing is old and reliable.”
“But they’re our competitors. And he left our company to work for them.”
“Spoken like a true Sullivan.” He chuckled. “The truth is, Andrew came to me and told me his firm’s intentions, and I saw no harm in permitting him a few days to observe.”
�
�He’s already had time to observe. I believe he’s leaving today.” And just in time, she thought. There was no telling what she’d do if she had to be around him any longer.
There was just the slightest pause before Patrick Sullivan said cautiously, “His company’s asked for an extension, lass.”
“An extension? I don’t understand. Why would they ask for more time?”
“Now, now. Not to worry. It’s done all the time in business. I hope his being there isn’t causing any problems?”
She thought about last night. “No. Of course not.”
“Good, lass. That’s good. I know it’s a bit in convenient having someone looking over your shoulder. But Andrew will be there and gone before you know it.”
She sighed as the conversation turned to her parents, her sisters, her aunts and uncles. By the time she hung up the receiver, she realized that she’d been given no clear date for Drew’s departure.
It didn’t matter. She could survive another day or two. Especially since she’d been given no choice in the matter.
“Good morning, Miss Celeste.” Jeremiah stood in the foyer wearing a crisp dark suit and sporting a red rose in his lapel. “I’m glad to see you slept in this morning. You’ve been putting in way too many hours.”
She arched a brow. “Are you sure you haven’t been talking to Drew, Jeremiah?”
The old man merely smiled. “As a matter of fact, I have been. Mr. Hampton was down early. He and I enjoyed breakfast together. He’s a fascinating young man. A clever mind. And a very quick wit.”
“Yeah. A laugh a minute.” She sighed. “I suppose he’s waiting in my office.”
“I saw him leaving a while ago. It’s such a lovely day, he said he wanted to look around the town.”
Celeste breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away. She’d spent the past hour worrying about how she would react when she saw him again, after that scene last night. Now she’d bought some time.
In her office her assistant looked up. “Good morning, Ms. Sullivan.”
“Good morning, Daniel.”
He handed her a mountain of mail and phone messages. “The chef asked if you’d stop by the kitchen this morning to discuss some changes in the menu.”
