Before We Kiss

by Susan Mallery

  “Stop it! You have that smile.”

  He leaned against the wall. “What smile?”

  “The one that says you just got laid. Do you want everyone to know? What time is it? Oh, my God. It’s nine. Fayrene will be here any second. Get your shirt on.”

  She was frazzled, he thought with satisfaction. Rattled and scattered and all those other words that describe a woman after she’d had her world rocked. Yeah, that was good and he was the man who’d made it happen.

  From outside came the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway.

  Dellina shrieked and ran into her bedroom. She came back in flats and was pulling pins out of her hair. “Get dressed,” she told him as she raced past. “Fayrene can’t suspect. Do I look guilty? I feel like I look guilty.”

  “You look beautiful.”

  She paused and smiled at him, then shook her head. “Don’t talk nice to me. We have to be completely normal.”

  “I am nice when I’m normal.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  She walked to the door and smoothed her hair. “Okay. This is fine. I’m ready.” She reached for the handle.

  “Dellina?”

  She turned to him and raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”

  “In case you were wondering, that was your G-spot.”

  * * *

  KIPLING LIVED A half-life of near-consciousness. Even when he was out, he was aware of the pain, but when the drugs were working, he didn’t care. It hummed in the background but didn’t touch him. But when the drugs faded, then there was the agony of a thousand shattered bones. Shards and swelling and lacerations. The carefully stitched seams from his surgeries.

  He’d been moved. He knew that. And he could breathe on his own. The nurses were less quiet, less worried, in this new room. They still monitored him too closely and talked about fluids in and out in such a way that he knew he must be on a catheter. That particular hell was one he didn’t want to think about.

  “Kip?”

  The soft voice was familiar. Perhaps the only one in the world he had always loved. He forced his eyes open. The room swam at first, then settled and he saw Shelby standing by his bed.

  He saw her eyes first. Big and blue. Like his own. They had that in common, along with their dark blond hair. Both inherited from their mutual father. They had different mothers, though. That showed in the rest of their features. Shelby was small boned and delicate. Like a fairy princess come to life. Only no fairy princess should have a fist-size bruise on her face.

  “I’m going to kill him,” he said, or at least he tried. His mouth was dry and speaking was harder than he’d thought it would be.

  “Kip.” His baby half sister leaned close and kissed his cheek. “Oh, Kip, I’ve been so worried. They said you nearly died.”

  She took his uninjured hand in hers and squeezed. “I came as soon as I heard.”

  “I wish you hadn’t.”

  She’d flown halfway around the world and for what? To watch him lie in a hospital bed? He’d been injured before—they both knew the drill. Although what he would never admit was that he hadn’t been hurt this bad before. He wouldn’t acknowledge the chill of fear that whispered this time was different. This time meant he would never compete again, never ski professionally. This time, maybe he wouldn’t walk.

  The doctors hadn’t said anything and he didn’t ask, but he wasn’t a fool. And the possibility of how bad it could be terrified him.

  Shelby touched his face. “You look terrible.”

  “Always with the compliments.” He freed his hand and pushed the button to raise the bed, then studied her. “Dammit, Shelby, what are you doing back home?”

  “You know why I’m there.”

  He did. Shelby’s mother had cancer. She’d been in remission for a while, but it was back. Staying with her mom meant staying with her dad. And when Nigel Gilmore drank, he was a mean sonofabitch.

  “She only has a few more weeks,” Shelby told him. “I can stand it.” She pressed the back of her hand against her cheek. “Normally I stay out of his way, but she’d had a bad night and he caught me sleeping.”

  Kipling closed his eyes against the image of his father hitting Shelby while she slept. He swore. Normally he would fly to Colorado and go see his father himself. Those ugly visits usually kept Shelby safe for at least a couple of months. But he wasn’t going anywhere for a very long time.

  She took his hand again. “I’m okay. I’ll be fine. The second she’s gone, I’ll leave. You know that, right? I’d never stay there if it wasn’t for her.”

  He nodded because he believed her. Fortunately Nigel had never hit his second wife. Kipling didn’t have a clue as to why she was immune, but what the hell.

  She bent down and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Kip.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She was his family, his heart. She was the best of him—of all of them.

  She settled back in the chair and pulled an issue of People magazine out of her bag. “So, you ready to get caught up on the latest gossip? I hear Katy Perry has a new boyfriend. You always had a thing for her.”

  “It was the blue hair,” he said, closing his eyes. “How could anyone resist that?”

  * * *

  DELLINA ARRIVED AT the hotel behind the big van. Her heart was pounding and she was pretty sure she was shaking all over. The thing was, her reaction had nothing to do with the upcoming weekend and everything to do with her close encounter with Sam.

  Talk about amazing. The things he did to her body. She wanted to believe it was all about technique, but she had a feeling there was more to it than that. Obviously they had chemistry. Their first time together had been spectacular, too. But this time had been different. There’d been a little extra oomph—probably because she now knew him and liked him. Connection made a difference.

  “Connection isn’t a relationship,” she told herself as she parked. “And I can’t deal with this now.”

  There would be plenty of time for introspection after the weekend party. For now, she had to get her act together and take care of business.

  “If only clichés paid in cash,” she murmured as she grabbed her bag and headed for the van.

  An hour later, the goodie bags were unpacked and she’d gone over the list of rooms with the front desk manager. She settled herself in a quiet corner of the shaded porch and called all her vendors to get last-minute confirmation.

  “You know this is the third time you’ve called me,” Angel said when he picked up the phone. “I’m ready. You’re kind of a nightmare to work with.”

  She grinned. “You’re lying. I’ve met your fiancée so I happen to know you like it when a woman takes charge.”

  Angel chuckled. “Don’t tell anyone. Yes, the obstacle course is ready. I’ll have plenty of water on hand for hydration. There’s a first aid kit, everyone who works here knows CPR and the weather is good. Now can we be done?”

  “We can. Thank you.”

  She called Ana Raquel next.

  “The wine is delivered, the food all came in this morning and looks great. Greg and I are prepping, we have our schedule and I’m thinking I might make a banana layer cake because I’m in the mood. How are you?”

  Dellina smiled as she curled up in the chair. “You are one of my two favorite sisters. Have I said that recently?”

  “No, but it’s always on your mind. I can tell. Sis, you gotta relax. We’re all ready. It’s going to be a great weekend.”

  “Planning makes that happen.”

  They chatted about a few more details, then hung up. Dellina moved on to the next call.

  Close to noon, she and a bellman delivered the goodie bags to the guests’ room. There was a schedule of events, but she wanted to hand those out personally dur
ing check-in. She adjusted temperatures, checked linens and made sure each minibar was stocked. By two she’d taken her suitcase to her own room and changed into a pretty summer dress and slightly nicer flats. She was going to be on her feet until around midnight. She had to be sensible.

  As she touched up her makeup, she found herself remembering being in a different bathroom that morning. With Sam. Her body shuddered slightly as she flashed back to how he’d touched her and how she’d reacted to that touch. She wanted a repeat performance. Or fifty. She was still smiling as she made her way downstairs.

  On the main level, she confirmed that no guests had checked in yet. She made sure she had the welcome packets set up at the small desk the hotel had provided.

  “You look official.”

  She saw Jack and Kenny approaching. At the sight of the two handsome football players, she felt her stomach drop a little. Not in reaction to them, but if they were here, then so was Sam.

  “I don’t have a name tag,” she told him. “It’s not official without a name tag.”

  Kenny shook his head. “We forgot that. Talk about stupid.”

  “You know, sometimes we’re just a bunch of football jocks.”

  Taryn hurried over to them. “Did I miss it? Where’s Sam? Is he late? I swear, if he’s late to this party, I’m going to beat him with a stick.”

  “I’m here.”

  Sam appeared next to Kenny.

  The second Dellina saw him, she suddenly forgot how to breathe. Had he always been so good-looking? How did the other women in the room keep from ripping off their clothes and begging him to take them—which was what she desperately wanted. Which, of course, she couldn’t. Nor, it seemed, could she look at him. Because when he smiled at her, she ducked her head and prayed she wouldn’t blush.

  At first she didn’t understand what was wrong, but then she got it. She was shy. Apparently hot, fast, mind-clearing sex left her elated and a little unsure. What was he thinking? Did anyone know? She didn’t want that. She was on the job and her professional reputation was important to her. Sleeping with clients was not going to be good for business.

  “We appreciate all you’ve done,” Taryn said, drawing Dellina back to the moment. “Me, especially. Because I refused to have anything to do with planning the party, and if you hadn’t stepped in, it would have been a disaster.”

  Kenny glared at her. “Are you saying the three of us couldn’t have pulled it off?”

  “Yes.”

  He shrugged. “You’re right.”

  Jack handed Dellina a blue bag. A familiar blue bag because she’d just handled twenty exactly like it.

  “Thank you,” Taryn said. “From all of us.”

  The guys nodded. She thought maybe Sam’s gaze was a little more intense than the others, but she couldn’t be sure.

  She took the bag and looked inside. The blue Tiffany’s box was bigger than the ones she’d seen. So she wasn’t getting the same diamond stud earrings.

  She untied the white ribbon, then lifted the cover of the box. Inside was a beautiful bangle. A center row of diamonds with a twisted rope of gold on either side. The piece was gorgeous, but not so huge that she couldn’t wear it every day.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  “Sam said you weren’t the diamond stud earring type,” Taryn said, helping her with the bracelet. “That this was something you could wear every day. Seriously, you’ve done a great job with the party. Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Dellina looked at the bangle on her wrist and knew she’d never owned anything so nice before.

  Taryn hugged her. Kenny and Jack did the same. Sam touched her last, briefly pulling her close, then releasing her.

  “All right, I have to go unpack,” Taryn said.

  “How many suitcases?” Jack asked. “Three?”

  Taryn sniffed. “Just one. It’s only two nights.”

  “You’re lying,” Kenny said conversationally. “You can’t go anywhere with just one suitcase.”

  “Yes, I can. Angel is letting me use part of his.” With that, she turned and walked away.

  Kenny and Jack followed, leaving Sam next to her.

  “You okay?” he asked when they were relatively alone.

  She made herself look into his dark eyes. “Yes. You?”

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “Never better.” His mouth straightened. “About this morning,” he began. “It was unexpected.”

  “I know.”

  “And great.”

  Now she smiled. “Better than great. But private.”

  His expression relaxed. “Exactly.”

  “Because it isn’t anyone else’s business and we have to work together this weekend.” Not to mention the fact that she had no idea if it had been a one-time thing or if they were going to see each other again.

  “Hello, my love.”

  Dellina saw Lark and Reggie approaching. “Parental alert behind you.”

  “I knew my luck was too good to last,” Sam muttered before turning. “Mom. Dad. You made it.”

  “Of course we made it,” Lark said as she pulled him close. “I’m very excited to meet your clients. Plus we get to spend more time with you.”

  She stepped toward Dellina as Reggie hugged his son. But before Lark drew Dellina into what she knew would be an enthusiastic embrace, Lark hesitated. Her blue eyes widened and she smiled broadly.

  “Reggie, look,” Lark said, her voice carrying through the foyer of the hotel. “Sam and Dellina had sex today. And from the glow on her face and the way she’s carrying herself, the orgasms were especially delicious.”

  * * *

  DELLINA CAREFULLY PULLED up the side zipper of the black taffeta dress she wore. It was by a designer whose name she couldn’t pronounce. One of Taryn’s castoffs from their clothing exchange a couple of months before and the only one Dellina had thought could be let out enough to actually fit her.

  The bodice had lots of shirring and was fitted to the waist. The skirt flared out to just above the knee. A designer friend had worked her magic, inserting matching panels into the side seams, giving Dellina the extra few inches she’d needed. The V in front was low enough to be evening appropriate but not so low as to show anything. Tonight wasn’t about her. Despite being invited to the party, she was staff, not a guest. Staff who had slept with the boss.

  Dellina pressed her hands to her cheeks. She’d redone her makeup, hoping to cover what seemed to be a permanent blush. While not everyone had heard what Lark had proclaimed, Taryn, Jack and Kenny had, along with the front desk clerks, a couple from Omaha and a few others she didn’t know. At least none of the Score guests had arrived yet.

  Still, she was humiliated. Not because of what she’d done, but because it made her seem unprofessional. She was good at her job and she didn’t want people thinking less of her.

  Someone knocked on her door. She opened it and found Taryn in the hallway.

  “How are you holding up?” her friend asked as she walked in.

  “I’ve had better moments,” Dellina admitted. “And I’m sorry about...”

  Taryn waited, her blue-violet gaze more amused than judgmental. “Yes? I don’t think you’re sorry for sleeping with Sam. You liked it the last time.”

  “Well, it’s more about work than anything else.”

  Taryn shook her head. “It’s not you, it’s Lark. We all get that. I’m not going to say anything and the guys aren’t going to say anything. No clients heard. I figured you were upset and I came to say don’t be.”

  Dellina wished letting go was that easy. “I’m worried about tonight.”

  “Try to let it go. I had a little talk with Lark and Reggie and they promise to be on their best be
havior.”

  “Is that enough?”

  “They can be controlled for short periods of time. It’s fine.” Taryn headed for the door, then turned back. “About Sam,” she began. “Like I said before. Don’t break his heart.”

  “I won’t.” An easy promise. Sam wasn’t interested in her that way.

  Taryn smiled and then left.

  Dellina finished getting ready. She put on simple gold hoops, then slid on the beautiful bangle she’d been given earlier. She took her tote and her ever-present lists, then headed out.

  When she got to the dining room, Sam was already there. He wore a dark suit and white shirt, both of which looked really good on him. He’d obviously showered and shaved, and when she looked at him she felt a distinct quiver deep in her chest.

  Attraction, she told herself. Nothing more. And if it was something else, then it was Taryn’s silly comments about not breaking his heart. As if she could.

  “I’ve already checked the place settings and talked to the head server for the dinner,” he said.

  “That would be my job.”

  “I know, but I wanted to talk to you.” He moved close and lightly touched her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  “Of course. Busy, but otherwise, just peachy.”

  His mouth twisted. “My mother is a problem.”

  “She’s always interesting, I’ll give you that.”

  “I’m sorry about what she said. We both wanted to keep that private. Taryn and the guys won’t say anything and none of our guests heard. I talked to her and she’s promised to be on her best behavior for tonight.”

  “Taryn talked to her, too.”

  “She mentioned that.” He paused. “You know it’s not personal. She blurts things out without considering the consequences.”

  Dellina nodded. “She can’t help herself. It would be better if she weren’t so intuitive.”

  “I agree.”

  He looked worried, which was sweet. And he’d come down early to talk to her. The concern was nice. She smiled. “I’ll be okay. It’s just one of those wacky things. I don’t regret this morning.”