Adam dragged a hand through his hair. “Listen, I still feel bad about leaving-”
Nick held up his hand to cut off the words. “Do not feel bad. You’ve wanted to take this trip as long as I’ve known you. Hell, you even scheduled it so you’d be around for a few weeks after the baby was born. Who knew she’d decide to be two weeks late?” He shook his head and grinned. “Typical female. But don’t worry-uber-grandma is coming to the rescue.”
“How’s Annie doing?” Adam asked, wondering if she was as frazzled as her husband.
“Terrific. Same as me-thrilled, exhausted, totally in love with our daughter. Looking forward to her mom’s two-week visit.” He lifted the cup to his lips and took a long, deep swallow. “Maybe if I drink five more of these I’ll be able to stay awake till lunchtime.”
“It’s lunchtime now.”
Nick looked at his watch then shook his head. “Damn. How are today’s bookings? Saturday’s my busiest day.”
“Relax. Everything’s fine. I told you-I juggled things around so Kevin’s handling the Baxter wedding. He’s also doing the Anderson anniversary party for you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I know you told me. My brain’s just not firing on all cylinders. Thanks for stepping in. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I may not be an experienced photographer, but organization is right up my alley.”
“You’ve known enough to keep me afloat till things calm down at home.”
“Yeah, and I work cheap, too.”
“Good. ’Cause with the extra money I’m going to have to pay Kevin, I can’t afford to pay you much. Do you know how much baby stuff costs? Major bucks, my friend. Which, by the way, Annie and I want to thank you for all the stuff you’ve bought Caroline. The clothes, books, dolls. They’re great. I never knew you liked to shop.”
“I never had the time-or an adorable princess to buy for. I can’t wait till she’s old enough for video games.”
Nick laughed. “I bet.” He approached the counter and nodded his chin at the proof sheets. “What’re those?”
“Contact sheets from some photos I took last week.” At Nick’s surprised look, Adam said, “I guess I should have told you, but it seemed like you had enough on your plate. Last week when Annie went into labor and you dashed out of here like your shorts were on fire, you told me to reschedule the day’s studio appointments-”
“I remember.”
“Well, I was able to reach everyone except two. So when the customers arrived, I took the pictures.”
Nick’s brows raised. “How’d you do?”
Adam slid the glossy proof sheets across the counter. “You tell me.”
Nick glanced at the proofs, then did a double take. “Ah, the boudoir pics that were scheduled. I was supposed to take them.”
“Can’t say I was real disappointed I had to pinch-hit for you, buddy.”
“Jeez, I guess not,” Nick said, sliding the proof sheets nearer.
“It was my intention to ask her to reschedule when she arrived, but I took one look at her and ‘wanna reschedule’ came out as ‘Adam Clayton, photographer, at your service.’”
“Can’t say I blame you.” Leaning closer, Nick carefully examined the photos. “I gotta say, these are really good.”
“Thanks. But look what I had to work with.”
“She’s beautiful,” Nick agreed. “Still, for a guy who spent all his time at the stock exchange, you’ve got a great eye for a photograph.”
“Even though it’s been a while, I still remember my way around a camera lens from high school.”
Nick grinned. “Yeah-how geeky were we? The president and vice president of the photography club.”
“Hey, it was a great way to meet girls.”
“Sure was.” Nick straightened. “Look, I know you’re looking to make a career change-you might want to consider coming on board. I want to expand the business, and if this is the type of work you can do without really even knowing what the hell you’re doing…well, I’m impressed.”
“Well, you might not be so impressed when you see the proofs of the other shots I took that day. After how great the first session went, I admit I was feeling pretty confident. So when Mrs. Wentworth showed up with her twins, I figured I’d take those pictures, as well.”
“And?”
Adam slid another manila envelope toward Nick. “Read ’em and weep.”
Nick slid the sheets from the envelope and winced when he saw the first one.
“I had a hell of a time,” Adam said, raking his hands through his hair. “Nothing was cooperating. Not the equipment, not Mrs. Wentworth, and least of all the twins. You think one baby makes a lot of noise? Try two. It’s deafening. Not to mention nerve-racking.”
“Welcome to my world.” Nick pointed to one print showing a pair of red-faced, teary-eyed, screaming one-year-olds. “They do not look happy.”
Adam glanced at the shot. “Yeah? Well, that’s the happiest they were the whole time. Listen, I’m looking for a low-pressure, non-stress job and with the Wentworth gig, I could practically feel my blood pressure rising.”
Nick shook his head. “These are awful, dude.”
“I agree. Clearly I’m only good at taking pictures of sexy women wearing lingerie.”
Nick grinned. “Well, if you’ve got to be good at something…”
Adam laughed. “Right.” He paused, then said, “Actually, she wasn’t just any woman. I know her. She used to live not five miles from here, and only a few blocks from my family.”
“Hell, I lived only a few blocks from your family.” He looked at the picture again. “Face isn’t ringing any bells. What’s her name?”
“Mallory Altman.”
Nick shook his head. “Not familiar, but you always had more girls than I could keep track of.”
“You and I had already graduated from high school when Mallory and her mom moved here from Chicago. I used to mow her lawn during the summer.”
“Man, you scored more chicks with that landscaping job. Helluva lot more than I did working in the photo lab.”
“Yeah, but that’s where you eventually found Annie and ended up with the real prize.”
“That I did.” He nodded toward the photos of Mallory. “So, anything ever happen between you two?”
He hesitated. He’d never told Nick about his love affair with Mallory. Nick had spent that summer traveling as part of a photography course. By the time he’d returned, Adam’s relationship with Mallory was over and he hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Even now he still felt reluctant to tell Nick about his past intimate relationship with Mallory. “We were good friends.”
Clearly Nick deduced everything he needed to know in Adam’s hesitation because he nodded knowingly. “Gotcha. So why’d you break up? Was she lousy in bed?”
God. No. She’d been…perfect. “The timing just wasn’t right.”
“How’s the timing now?”
“She had these taken for her boyfriend.”
“Bummer, dude.”
“Nah. She’s the past. I’m looking forward to the future. Besides, I’d categorize her as a ‘long-term’ sort of woman-and right now, my ‘long-term’ is three, maybe four hours.”
Nick turned toward the front picture window and cleared his throat. “Speak of the devil…here comes your lingerie-wearing friend now.”
Adam looked toward the glass door and his heart performed a crazy somersault at the sight of Mallory striding across the street. Dressed in a bright pink sleeveless top and a full ivory skirt dotted with splashes of matching pink that flirted just above her knees, and cream high heels, she looked lovely, cool, feminine, and…really, really tempting. Like an ice-cream cone on a hot day from which you wanted to take a nice long lick.
He’d just finished sliding her proofs back into the envelope when she entered the studio.
“Hi, Adam,” she said with a smile. “I got your message about the proofs.”
“Hi, Mallory.” After ut
tering those two words, his powers of speech seemed to go into a holding pattern and he found himself staring at her, uncharacteristically tongue-tied. She’d pulled back her dark glossy hair into a loose, attractive knot, which left her neck bare. Her big brown eyes were surrounded by thick dark lashes, and the same smattering of gilt freckles he recalled paraded across her nose.
Unfortunately thoughts of freckles had him picturing the trio of dots he knew formed a triangle beneath her left breast. And the single tiny spot that graced the curve of her right buttock. Gorgeous, enticing spots he’d explored with his fingers and lips, tasted with his tongue.
Shoving the distracting images aside, he concentrated on her mouth. Oh, yeah, like that’s less distracting, his inner voice snickered. Her lips were just as he recalled, too-full and moist and currently highlighted with some sort of luscious-looking pink gloss. He knew exactly how those delectable lips felt and tasted: soft, plump, smooth and delicious. Knew exactly how her tongue felt rubbing against his-
Nick’s loud, pointed throat clearing jerked him from his reverie. After he’d introduced her to Nick, Mallory said to him, “Congratulations on your new baby.”
“Thanks. Hey, want to see her picture?”
“Love to.” She grinned. “As a photographer, I bet you just happen to have one or two.”
“More like one or two thousand,” Adam said with a laugh as Nick reached for his wallet.
“Oh, she’s adorable,” Mallory said, looking at the image of Caroline.
“Nick’s going to be sweeping guys off the front porch,” Adam teased.
Nick shot him “the look.” “Since she can’t date until she’s thirty, I have some time to purchase my broom.”
“Spoken like a true father of a daughter,” Mallory said, chuckling. “I think all dads swear the same thing.”
“And how does it work out?” Nick asked.
“You probably don’t want to know.”
They all laughed, then Adam handed her the manila envelope containing her proofs. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. How’d they turn out?”
Incredible. Too incredible. I haven’t been able to erase them-or you-from my mind. “I think they’re great, if I may say so myself, but it’s what you think that matters.” He glanced at the clock. “Do you have time for that cup of coffee? Or maybe even lunch?”
She hesitated for several seconds then nodded. “I have about an hour before I have to meet my next client.”
Adam refused to acknowledge the relief and anticipation that surged through him at her acceptance of his invitation. “Great.” He turned to Nick. “Think you can stay awake for an hour?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Probably. Hell, I don’t know. As long as I don’t sit down or close my eyes there’s a chance.” He lifted his colossal cup and waggled it. “Bring me another of these and a sandwich, okay?”
“You bet.”
Nick smiled. “I’ll be in the darkroom. I happen to have a few more rolls of film of Caroline to develop.”
“Only a few?” Adam teased. He looked at Mallory and shook his head. “That child is only a week old and already she’s had more photographs taken of her than the president.”
“Wait till you have a kid,” Nick said. “We’ll see how many pictures you take.” He yawned. “And how much sleep you get.”
With a wave, Nick headed toward the darkroom and Adam escorted Mallory across the room. Holding the door for her, her shoulder lightly brushed against his chest as she crossed the threshold and he sucked in a sharp breath at the contact. Then he inwardly frowned. How the hell could such a nothing touch affect him so strongly?
Because it’s Mallory, his inner voice informed him, and he realized it was true. It had always been that way with her and clearly some things never changed.
He caught an elusive whiff of a deliciously feminine, floral fragrance, which sizzled a bolt of heat through him that had nothing to do with the ninety-degree weather.
He gritted his teeth. Damn, if a mere brush and a whiff affected him like this, what the hell would happen if she really touched him? If he really touched her?
Based on their past relationship, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind. Fireworks. Spontaneous combustion.
But thanks to his traveling bachelor plans and her relationship, that wasn’t in the cards. Which was for the best since Mallory didn’t even come close to fitting into his traveling-the-world, woman-in-every-port bachelor plans.
Still, in spite of his best efforts not to think them, he couldn’t stop the words that echoed through his mind:
Talk about lousy timing…
3
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
THE INSTANT MALLORY EXITED Picture This, a blast of hot air engulfed her and she suppressed a grimace. Thanks to her accidental brushing against Adam’s chest, she needed more heat like she needed a hole in her head. But at least she could blame the unwanted all-over body flush she’d experienced on the weather.
“Nothing like a heat wave in New York in July,” she remarked, her tone miraculously casual considering how…un-casual she felt. “It’s supposed to hit one hundred today. And tomorrow.”
Adam groaned. “Tell me again why we’re working and not at the beach?”
Instantly images of them together at the beach flipped through her mind like a tormenting slide show. Hot bodies submerged in cool ocean water. Touching, rubbing, caressing, his hands sliding beneath her swimsuit, her fingers exploring through his.
Had he purposely mentioned the beach to trigger memories? She glanced at him, but his expression was innocence itself. Too innocent? Maybe. Well, if he wanted to play “Let’s Reminisce,” she was game.
“The reason we’re not at the beach is because clearly we’re insane.” She pointed to the building on the next corner. “How about the diner?”
Their gazes locked, then a slow smile curved his lips. Her heart seemed to lurch sideways. Was he thinking about the one time they’d gone to that diner? He satisfied her curiosity by saying, “The Stardust Diner. For old times’ sake. Sounds great.”
Less than five minutes later they were seated in a booth near the rear of the bustling diner, ensconced in blissful air-conditioning with frosty glasses of ice water and leather-bound menus set in front in them. Mallory took a much-needed sip of her drink, noting with annoyance that her hand gripping the glass wasn’t quite steady.
Ridiculous. It was simply ridiculous that she felt this…unraveled in his presence. But there was no denying she did, and that annoyed her. As did the Greg-induced guilt that kept nudging her. It’s just lunch, she told her overactive conscience. She’d enjoy the meal with an old friend, reminisce, catch up, and that would be the end of it. Nothing wrong with that.
Feeling better after her quick mental pep talk, she didn’t open her menu, just pushed it to the end of the table.
“Already know what you want?” he asked with a smile.
You. Naked and sweaty. The inappropriate thought popped into Mallory’s mind with the sudden shock of a cobra strike and she barely contained the horrified Ack! that rose to her lips.
Oh, boy, this was not good. She should not have accepted this invitation. And for a few seconds after he’d issued it, she’d considered saying no. But her idiotic pride had shot her better judgment aside with a well-placed arrow. If you refuse, any excuse you give will sound like just that-an excuse. Then he’ll wonder why you really didn’t want to have a simple, innocent lunch with him. Yes-and she certainly didn’t want him to think that the real reason was that she’d been thinking about him all week-in ways she shouldn’t have been thinking about him. Remembering him naked and sweaty. Wondering if his skin still felt the same. Tasted the same.
“You okay, Mallory?”
His concerned voice yanked her back to reality. “I’m fine. Just a little…overheated.” And she sent up a mental prayer of thanks that it was July and not January or else he’d think she was nuts.
“So what are you going to order?”
>
If only he’d phrased his question like that the first time, maybe she wouldn’t be in this painfully-aware-of-him situation. She heaved a mental sigh. No, she’d still be in this same situation. “I’m getting the usual.”
“A bacon cheeseburger, side of onion rings and a chocolate shake?”
A wave of unwanted pleasure washed over her. “We came here once. You remember what I ordered?”
“Yup. I was impressed. Every other girl I knew would have ordered a salad with the dressing on the side. Especially if she was wearing a prom dress.”
Their gazes met and there was no holding back the flood of memories that swamped her. Sitting in this very diner at 5:00 a.m. the night-or rather morning-after her senior prom. She was dressed in her pale green formal, Adam was in his dad’s black tux. Her boyfriend from Chicago had gotten sick and couldn’t travel to New York to escort her. Adam, already home from college for the summer, had gallantly offered to step in. It was the night that had marked the beginning of the change in their relationship. The night she’d realized she could no longer ignore the powerful attraction she felt for him.
“You were my knight in shining armor,” she said, unable to control the slight hitch in her voice.
He laughed. “More like your knight in an ill-fitting tux.”
“Are you kidding? You were gorgeous. I was the envy of every girl there. Especially since you were a college man.”
“The way I recall it, you were the gorgeous one and I was the envy of every guy there.”
More pleasure washed through her at his words and she inwardly scowled at herself for being such a sucker for flattery. “Hardly. But still, I’ll never forget how sweet you were, picking me up in your Jeep-”
“The limo of champions-”
“-which you’d washed and waxed for the occasion. And the orchid corsage. Do you know, I still have that flower? It’s pressed between the pages of my year-book. I must have looked at that flattened orchid a thousand times that summer after the prom.”
Why Not Tonight? Page 3
