by Gina Ardito
Relaxing against him, she smirked. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. Larry?"
He wrapped his left arm around her, holding her close. "Is he the only cab driver in town?"
"Believe it or not, no." She snuggled into his embrace while the fire and his presence warmed her. "But if the fare has anything to do with me, Larry makes himself available. And since he knows you're sweet on me ..." She lifted an eyebrow in Doug's direction.
"Sweet on you, huh? That's what this feeling is?"
Embarrassment heated her cheeks. "Would that be such a bad thing?"
His fingers propped up her chin, and his gaze locked on her face. "If I thought that, I wouldn't be here now."
"Are you saying your research wasn't the only reason you stayed here?"
He traced a finger down her jawline, softly, gently. "I might have hoped to see you again."
A thrill rippled through her. "I read your article. It's one of the reasons I came back."
The finger paused at the tender skin behind her earlobe. "Oh?"
"Yes. I was thinking that maybe...." Her courage faltered, and she stared into the dancing flames in the fireplace.
"Maybe ... ?" he prompted.
"I thought, maybe, you might want to write another article. This time, about me."
"No, I don't think so."
She sat up and stared at him aghast. "No? Why on earth not?"
"If you really want to do an interview," he said with a sigh, "I can put you in touch with a friend of mine. She's good, honest, and she'll treat you right."
Panic set in, raising the fine hairs on her nape. "But it has to be you, Doug."
"I'm sorry, Lyn. But I don't do fluff pieces."
She stiffened. "Fluff pieces? You think I'm a fluff piece?"
"Well, I admit, when I first found out you were Brooklyn Raine, I thought you'd make a great story. But after you left the other night, I had time to reconsider. And I realized you weren't the story after all."
"You're kidding, right? This is a joke?"
"No joke. This is going to sound egotistic, and I apologize in advance for that. But the fact is that I was the story. I'd been avoiding it all the while. I kept telling myself I had no right to talk about Giles Markham's death, that no one really wanted to hear about the horrors of war. Your absence forced me to refocus. And I realized I'd never shied away from a sensitive subject before. I only did so this time because this event occurred to me."
She frowned. "It's not so easy when you're on the other side of the news, is it?"
"No. You and Ace were right about that. But I realized I had an obligation to tell about what happened to Giles Markham. And what happened to me. I'm the only one who could, and who could do the story justice. So I manned up and wrote the story that needed to be told."
"I know." She took his hand, squeezed reassuringly. "I read your article. I read all your articles."
"Then you already know I don't do fluff pieces."
While her cheeks grew scalding hot, she stamped her foot. "I'm not a fluff piece. If I were just a fluff piece, all those reporters wouldn't still be outside my door."
"Those reporters are still outside your door precisely because they think you're a fluff piece. A quick namedrop that will bring in readers and viewers for fifteen minutes and disappear by next week. That's all they see. But I see an incredible woman with an incredible amount of courage and integrity. But there isn't a story there. Not for them." He pointed out the window. "Ten years ago, you were a story for them. Now you're just an amusing satellite in your sister's celebrity universe. And I won't let anyone use you in such a degrading manner. Not even me."
He was right. Still, she offered him a mock wince. "Ouch. That's a blow my ego could have done without."
"I'll be happy to kiss your ego and make it all better," he replied.
She snuggled against him and sighed with sheer contentment. "Just being here with you makes everything better." Looking up into his eyes, she sobered. "But I really wanted you to interview me."
He shook his head. "Lyn, you don't have to do an interview. You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Least of all to me."
"Yes, I do." Emotions swirled high, and tears spilled from her eyes. "This is my missing arm. Lorenzo Akers and his ilk are my incendiary device. Thanks to the damage they inflicted, I've been hiding from life, hiding from love. I don't want to hide anymore."
"So don't hide. Take my hand and walk in the sunlight. Even if that sunlight comes from a thousand flashbulbs. The idiots outside have no idea who you really are. How amazing and generous and courageous you are. But I do. I love you, Lyn. And I hope that's enough for you."
"I love you too." She looked into his eyes, saw the promise shining there. "You'll stay beside me?"
He pulled her close again, kissed her softly on the lips. "No matter how many times you try to push me away."
