Maisy blinked long and slow. His sister. Slipping her hand from beneath Keller's, she heaved a sigh at the unpleasant reminder. Sharon would always be his sister and would always be between them. It wasn't fair. Maisy felt she was on the verge of discovering something new and wonderful with this incredible man. His kiss and electrifying touch had already carried her to heights never before imagined. And now, she wanted to go the distance--but that could never happen. Not with Sharon Chaney's brother. Shoving her fingers through her golden curls as she shook her head, Maisy mumbled, "Looks like my dream's turned into a nightmare."
"Maisy--"
"No, I'm sorry," she said, holding her hand up to silence Keller. "I just cannot deal with this." Retrieving her blanket, Maisy rose and folded it, and then began to pack the leftovers into the basket. "Keller," she said without looking at him. "I'd appreciate it if you'd call your chauffeur. I'd like to go back to the office now."
"Aw, Maisy, please . . . don't do this."
Planting her clenched fists on her hips, she turned to face him with a blistering glare. "Either call your driver, or I'm hailing a cab."
* * *
Chapter Six
In less than five minutes, Williams pulled up with the limo, ushering Maisy and Keller inside."What else can I say, Maisy? God knows I certainly didn't plan to have Sharon call at that particular moment. I mean, it's not as if we're close or anything--on the contrary, Sharon and I have been butting heads ever since we were kids."
"So, what was that, your sister's daily head-butt call?"
Keller gave a feeble laugh, which was met by an icy glare and stony silence. "She was calling to place the personalized wine order for Henshaw, the real estate office she works for. I do their client gifts for them, you know, personalizing the labels with their names and the address of their new home, stuff like that." He paused, waiting for Maisy to say something, but she remained silent. "That's why Sharon called, Maisy. It was just rotten timing, that's all."
Turning to face Keller, Maisy spoke quietly. "No, that's not all, Keller. She ruined our whole, wonderful afternoon and she'd ruin any time we ever tried to spend together in the future, because she'd always be looming there between us."
"Maisy, you can't think that way. God, I don't want to lose you just when I found you. Please, don't be bullheaded about this." He caught the icy glare Maisy sent his way and huffed. "Aw, for chrissakes, Maisy, I've apologized a dozen times. Give me a break. What more do you want from me?"
Maisy's smile was far from friendly as she turned to face Keller. "What more do I want from you?" You mean aside from wanting you to do the incredible sorts of things to me that I've only read about in steamy paperback books? She folded her arms across her chest, furious with her libido for being so haphazardly hormone driven. "Well, for starters, how about agreeing never to call me again." She returned her gaze to the passing scenery.
Keller took in a deep breath and shook his head. "Come on, Maisy, you don't mean that?"
"I certainly do."
"Hey, I'm really trying to be a nice guy here. Don't you think you're being just a tad unreasonable about this?"
"No I do not." She turned back to him, folding her arms across her chest. "I was an idiot to think I could go out with you and not be reminded continually that you're Sharon Chaney's brother. Don't you understand, Keller? Just the thought of that little viper makes my skin crawl," Maisy shuddered, "and you'd be a constant reminder of her."
A devilish smile curled Keller's lip. "If you let me," he said in a husky voice as he stroked Maisy's knee, "I guarantee I could make you forget that Sharon Chaney and that drip of a husband you shared ever existed." He leaned over to kiss Maisy only to have his lips met by her purse.
Lowering her purse Maisy peeled his fingers from her knee. "Just like a man. You think you can solve everything with sex."
"It can be a good starting point," Keller said with a wink.
"Ugh!" Exasperated, Maisy refolded her arms across her chest and scowled. "In the first place, sex is highly overrated as far as I'm concerned. And in the second place, if I were ever inclined to let some guy paw me again, you can be damned sure it won't be Sharon Chaney's brother."
"What happened between you and that nitwit sister of mine has absolutely nothing to do with you and me, Maisy. I had no part in that whole ugly mess. And as far as sex goes--it appears you could use some tutoring because you seem to know as much about that as you do about wine."
Breathing in an audible exclamation, Maisy pounded a fist into the plush leather seat. "I'll thank you to keep your opinions about my sexual aptitude to yourself, Mr. Chaney. Rest assured that your tutelage is neither required nor needed."
"For heaven's sake, Maisy, you're acting like a child."
With a drop-jawed expression, Maisy rolled her eyes and blurted, "A child?" This time, the pink creeping across her cheeks had nothing to do with wine.
Shifting in his seat so that his body was turned towards Maisy, Keller crossed his arms over his chest. "That's what I said. It's not fair to blame me just because my sister happens to be your least favorite person. It's downright childish to treat me like I'm a fiend because I'm the woman's brother."
"Sharon Chaney's brother." Maisy shuddered as she emphatically enunciated the words. "As soon as I realized who you were, I said to myself, Mazel Lynn--"
"Mazel Lynn?" Keller slanted Maisy an incredulous look.
Maisy nodded and continued. "--do not, in any way, shape or form, get involved with that witch's brother. But, my buddy Norman had to go and play matchmaker. I knew it. I just knew it would turn out like this." She expelled a sigh of exasperation and sank deeper into the seat.
"When you said it earlier I thought I heard you wrong." Keller huffed a disbelieving laugh.
"Heard what?" Maisy said. "What are you talking about?"
"Your name is Mazel?"
Sitting tall, Maisy balled a fist, planting it on her hip as she jut her chin high. "Yes, that's right, Mazel, just like Hazel, but with an M," she said with indignation. "Is there anything wrong with that? It was my grandmother's name, and I love it." Seeing that Keller was covering up a smile, Maisy continued, "Besides, anyone who has a last name for a first name shouldn't talk . . . Keller." Flashing a smug smile, she gave a hearty nod and turned away.
"Ouch," Keller said. "Well--Mazel--I'm sorry, but if I had to choose, I'd pick Keller, which, by the way, is my mother's maiden name, any day over . . . Mazel." He said her name as if he were an adolescent eighth grader.
Maisy shrugged. "Just like I said--you've got a last name for a first name. And," she said, wagging a finger under his nose, "after that juvenile display, don't you ever call me childish again, Keller Chaney."
"Can I help it if you drive me to distraction?" Keller closed his eyes and groaned. "You know, we're getting way off the track here. Let's get back to the issue at hand--the fact that I'm Sharon's brother. I honestly don't see what the big deal is. I mean, after all, we were getting along just fine before Sharon called, weren't we?"
"Oh yeah," Maisy said through a sneer as she bobbed her head up and down. "That is, if your definition of just fine includes the fact that you tried to get me drunk so you could take advantage of me."
"What?" Keller's jaw jutted forward and his face took on an incredulous expression as he scooted forward in his seat. "Get you drunk? That's the most inane, ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He gave forth with an explosion of sardonic laughter.
With tongue in cheek, Maisy nodded as a sarcastic half-smile curled her lip. "Uh-huh, right. You were all over me as soon as I became slightly inebriated."
"Slightly inebriated? Hah! There's a good one."
"Thank God your sister did call. Heaven only knows what devious plans you would have put into motion next."
"Devious?" Keller hit the heel of his hand against his forehead and sank back against the seat. "You're really exasperating, do you know that?" Lifting her chin with a haughty air, Maisy turned away from Kelle
r and looked out the window. "Hey, lady, if you remember correctly, you weren't exactly pushing me away. You were just as eager as I was during that kiss. In fact, I seem to remember that you were begging for more, Miss Goody Two-shoes."
Snapping her head back to Keller and gasping loudly, Maisy smacked the leather seat with her hand. "That is only because I was under the influence of your horrible tasting wine."
"Yeah, it was so horrible that you did everything but squeeze the damn glass to get the last drop."
Maisy gawked at him with amazement. "You know, Mr. Chivalry, I can't believe I ever agreed to have lunch with you." She shook her head. "Believe me, Keller, I would have found your charms perfectly and utterly resistible if you hadn't plied me with all that second-rate wine of yours." Hot with anger, Maisy reached up and turned on the limo's air conditioning, eagerly welcoming the cool stream of air on her blazing cheeks.
"Hey, if it makes you feel better to fool yourself, then go right ahead." Keller's expression twisted into a smirk. "You're an adult, Maisy. It's not my fault if you chose to guzzle down two glasses of fine cabernet like a thirsty sailor."
"Guzzle?" Maisy shouted as she slapped her hand against her chest. "And now I'm an adult, am I? Just a minute ago you were telling me what a child I was." Briskly fanning the coolness from the air conditioning vent towards her face, she said, "I knew I should have trusted my first instinct about you."
"Oh?" Sliding across the seat, Keller positioned himself close to the door of the limo, leaning against it as he folded his arms across his chest and crossed a leg over his knee. His body language strongly suggesting that Maisy had successfully rankled him to the nth degree, Keller said, "And, just what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're a product of the Chaney gene pool." With a disgusted sneer, Maisy voiced the name as if she were speaking of something related to the cockroach family. "I really shouldn't have expected anything more from the brother of that . . . that . . . amoral witch."
A distinctly unpleasant smile spreading across his features, Keller bobbed his head up and down, muttering something under his breath. When he turned towards Maisy, his eyes looked a whole lot more like molten chocolate than chocolate chips. "You know, Maisy, I'm well aware of my sister's propensity towards making herself sound blameless--even when all evidence points to her as the culprit. So, at first, when I heard Sharon's version of what happened between you and John, naturally, I discounted it. But, now, after getting to know you better . . ." Keller rubbed his hand across his jaw, and raised his eyebrows as he gave Maisy an icy once over. ". . . I'm not so sure."
"Why, you . . . oooh," Maisy sputtered, "of all the nerve." Punching her fist against the cushy leather seat resulted in a marshmallowy whoosh--not exactly the effect she was aiming for. "You can sit here and say that after all the pain and humiliation that remorseless, husband-stealing sister of yours put me through?" She shoved the fingers of both hands through her blonde curls and growled. "Your sister . . . the woman that I caught screwing my husband, in my house, in my bed. That, Mr. Chaney, is hitting below the belt." Maisy was appalled to find tears accumulating in the corner of her eyes. Gathering her purse from the floor, she retrieved a tissue and dabbed at them. Damn, the last thing she wanted to do now was cry.
Keller's face softened as he hung his head and whispered an expletive under his breath. "That was cruel and insensitive and I never should have said it. I'm sorry, Maisy. I," plowing his hand through his hair, he breathed a heavy sigh, "I guess I let my anger get the better of me and went right for your sore spot." Sliding closer to her, Keller reached over to place his hand on Maisy's shoulder. "Maisy, please don't cry."
Determined to control her tears, Maisy took in a deep breath and turned to Keller. "Sore spot?" She huffed. "Try gaping wound."
Gently rubbing Maisy's shoulder and arm, Keller said, "I'm afraid my angelic little sister neglected to mention that little tidbit about you catching her and John, in the act, when she told me her version. All Sharon told me was that you were . . ." he paused, heaving a shrug and shaking his head, ". . . a fat, bitchy shrew who henpecked poor John and made his life miserable." Maisy's eyelids closed slowly and Keller winced as he saw the pain etched across her features. "Sharon told me that when she and John fell in love, he asked you for a divorce and you flew into a jealous rage and kicked him out of the house."
"My God." Squeezing her eyelids even tighter, as if to block the images racing through her mind, Maisy sank back against the soft leather seat and massaged her temples. In a moment her lashes fluttered open. "If that's what you believed about me, then why on earth did you ask me out?" Concentrating her watery-blue gaze on Keller's eyes, Maisy searched for answers.
"I didn't say I believed it." Smiling warmly, Keller took the tissue from Maisy's fingers and gently dabbed at the single, fat tear that trickled down her cheek. "Don't forget, not only do I know my sister all too well--I also had the express displeasure of knowing her husband--your ex, John. The guy was a first-class scumbag. As far as I'm concerned, he and Sharon deserved each other." Keller huffed a chortle through his nose. "And you want to know why I asked you out?" He moved closer to Maisy, capturing her hand in his. "Because you're beautiful and captivating and funny . . . and maybe just a wee bit stubborn," he laughed as he kissed her hand, "and I wanted to get to know you better--much better." He proceeded to kiss each of Maisy's fingertips.
A mixture of heated desire and confusion stirred within her gut, but, while Maisy found Keller's words and the ardent look in his eyes to be extraordinarily enticing, she closed her heart to his appealing charisma. Reluctantly retrieving her hand from Keller's grip, she moved away and heaved a sigh. Afraid to look up into those engaging chocolate drop eyes of his, Maisy turned her head to the window and spoke softly. "It would never work, Keller. This whole lunch thing today was a mistake. I mean look at the way we've been at each other's throats ever since Sharon called. That's just a minuscule sampling of what would happen if we started seeing each other." She risked a peek at Keller, wincing when she saw his steely expression and the rigid lines of his jawbone flexing. Placing a hand on his arm, Maisy said, "I'm not saying it's your fault, it's mine. I never should have let Norman talk me into it. Just do us both a favor and forget about calling me again . . . please. Believe me, Keller, it's for the best."
"Damn." Yanking his arm from Maisy's touch, Keller pounded his fist against the armrest. "Talk about tunnel-vision. There's just no getting through to you, is there?" He gestured wildly. "You don't want me to call you again? Okay, Maisy, if that's the way you want it, then that's fine with me. I'm certainly not about to put myself through this kind of anguish again."
"Fine." Maisy folded her arms across her chest, shifting to face her window.
"Fine!" Crossing his arms, Keller sloped his large frame towards his window.
For the next few minutes, the air between them prickled with stinging silence. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the limo pulled up in front of Persimmon Travel. Scrambling to gather her coat and purse, Maisy raced to get out of the limo as fast as she could, but Keller beat her to it. As he held the door open for her, she was struck again by how devastatingly handsome he was, even when he was seething with anger. God, how she wished he wasn't Sharon's brother.
Emerging from the limo with her coat and purse over her arm, Maisy extended her hand and looked up into those incredible chocolate brown eyes of his for the last time. As he glared, down at her, his eyes blazed like simmering pools of chocolate and Maisy's resolve quickly began to melt. He was so magnificent. Maisy heaved a sigh as she thought about what could have been. "Good-bye Keller," she said as coolly as she could manage as the heat of unrequited passion raged through her insides.
Towering over her, Keller nearly bore a hole through Maisy with the sizzling intensity of his gaze. With lines of anger and frustration striping his handsome features, he said, "Maybe the next time you think of the name, Chaney, you'll think of this." Grabbing her h
ard by her shoulders, Keller roughly pulled Maisy into a kiss filled with such force and fire it made her knees buckle. Completely taken aback, she dropped her coat and purse on the ground. Keller's burning kiss was so ardent and furious that Maisy felt herself being swept away, as if the powerful current was transporting her down the river of no return. Releasing her just as abruptly as he had grabbed her, in an instant Keller was back inside the limo, which quickly disappeared into the dense Golf Road traffic.
Stunned beyond measure, Maisy touched her fingers to her swollen lips and stood in the middle of Persimmon Travel's parking lot for the next few minutes staring in the direction of the departed limo. The piercing memory of Keller's passion-filled kiss rocked her world. She was so disconcerted, that she didn't even realize that it had started to rain. Once she finally had her wits about her again, Maisy gathered her coat and purse from the ground and headed into the agency.
As a drenched Maisy rounded the corner and dashed passed Norman's office, Norman looked up from his computer with a befuddled expression. "Hey, what are you doing back here? I gave you the rest of the day off." He rose from his chair and popped his head through the open door, cringing as he watched Maisy slam her purse into the bottom drawer of her desk. "Uh-oh, doesn't look good," he mumbled softly. Slapping his hand against the doorjamb, he called out to her again, "Come on, Maisy, get your butt in here and give me all the details."
"Give me a few minutes, Norman," Maisy said as she probed the contents of another desk drawer. "I've got to find something first." After tearing through the rest of the drawers, Maisy growled a hefty sigh of exasperation. Shoving her hand through her rain-dampened curls, she walked past the desks of the other travel agents, her eyes searching all the while, and looked positively frantic by the time she reached Norman's office.
Shipping Sharon Page 8
