by Leanne Banks
Lilly expected little of him. She was undemanding and adoring, and she didn’t cause him one bit of grief. Being with her wasn’t overly stimulating, but it was a relief.
He stole a quick glance across the room, finding her chatting with her escort as she twirled a glass of wine. The discomfort inside him twisted again, making him frown.
He felt a nudge on his back and turned to find his father at his side.
“What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” his father asked in a low voice. “You’re supposed to be circulating and inspiring donations. This is a well-padded crowd.”
Robert’s irritation pinched him harder. “I’ve been meeting and greeting.”
“Well, do it more. Are you ready with your speech?”
“I’m ready,” Robert said, his gaze wandering again to Lilly.
“Why isn’t Lilly with you?” his father demanded.
“There was a mix-up. She didn’t get my message until late.”
His father sighed. “If you screw up your chances with her—”
Robert’s frustration spiked. “Lay off, Dad. I haven’t screwed up anything,” he said and decided to get himself a drink. He was supposed to be charming and persuasive tonight and he just wasn’t in the mood. It couldn’t be related to Lilly, he told himself as he downed a scotch. She wasn’t that important to him. She couldn’t be.
Robert delivered his speech with panache. He was a competitor. He may not be his brother Benjamin, and sometimes he felt like he’d spent his entire life living in Benjamin’s shadow, but Robert had been dreaming and practicing for the moment when his father would finally see that he was the real choice for politics. He wasn’t as good-looking as Benjamin. Heaven knew, he wasn’t as naturally gifted, but he could be just as determined. Maybe more. The years of coming up on the short end of the stick during the comparisons had toughened him.
There’d been times when he’d been so jealous of Benjamin that he’d nearly hated him, but not now. Robert could tell that Benjamin truly didn’t want to be in politics. He’d been a little nervous when Benjamin had suddenly returned to Houston, but Benjamin seemed intent on deflecting their father’s never-ending pressure to show the rest of the world how superior the Huntingtons were. Benjamin was determined to find his own way. Robert couldn’t help admiring his brother for his ability to buck their father. Even tonight, Benjamin had showed up for a few minutes to show his support then scooted away.
After Robert finished giving his speech, he cordially accepted congratulations and promises of support. The smiles and faces smudged together and he felt light-headed. The pressure of the last month suddenly settled over him like a noose. He slipped out onto the balcony and inhaled a draft of cool air. He glanced around and was surprised to find Lilly staring onto the well-lit grounds of the club.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, moving closer to her. “I would have thought it would be too cold for you out here.”
She turned and shook her head. “No. It felt stuffy in there.”
He nodded. “Too much hot air.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, I did,” he said dryly. “It’s a political function. There’s enough hot air in there to fill up a balloon and send it to China.”
She laughed. “It’s not that bad. You did well with your speech, but you always do.”
“Thank you,” he said, her presence calming him. “You look nice tonight.”
Her cheeks bloomed with color. “Thanks.”
He thought of her date and a shot of irritation corrupted his sense of peace. “Where’s your date?”
“He’s putting together a round of golf, so I thought I’d catch a breath out here.”
Robert nodded. “Can I call you later? After the fundraiser’s over?”
She swallowed and bit her lip. “I—uh.” She lifted a shoulder helplessly and her gaze skittered away from his. “I may not be home until late. Greg mentioned something about dancing.”
“Dancing?” Robert echoed with a frown. “I didn’t know you liked to dance.”
She gave a tight smile and fluttered her hand. “You’ve been busy. You probably didn’t think to ask.”
Confused as hell by the burst of emotions circling inside him, Robert just nodded.
“We should probably go back in,” she said. “It was great seeing you. You did a wonderful job as always.”
“Thanks,” he muttered, wondering why he felt as if he’d been kicked in the teeth.
Lilly should be pleased. It appeared that she had knocked Robert sideways with that dancing comment. It appeared that Delilah’s advice was working. She should feel triumphant.
She felt like puking.
She was seriously beginning to wonder if she possessed the fortitude to be a manipulative she-devil. The beat of the music in the disco pounded in her brain. Her face hurt from smiling and her feet hurt from dancing. A slow number eased through the dance floor and Greg took her into his arms.
She allowed it, but she was miserable. She wished she were with Robert. She would rather be home waiting for him to call than dancing with Greg. Greg was nice enough, but he wasn’t Robert.
Unable to stand another moment of pretending, she pulled back. “I think I’m ready to go home. I have an early appointment and I’m tired. Do you mind?”
“Not a problem. Can I take you to dinner on Tuesday?”
No, she wanted to say, but swallowed the refusal. She would like to believe that Robert would look at her differently now, but she couldn’t be sure. “That sounds nice.”
“Good,” he said, his gaze falling over her with sensual interest. “And I promise not to discuss golf this time.”
The semi-lust she saw in his eyes caught her off guard. Lilly had never suffered any delusions about her sexual attractiveness. Cosmetics, the right hairstyle and orthodontics had given her a pleasing appearance, but she was clueless and awkward at the very idea of seduction.
“I’ll hold you to it,” she said lightly.
“You can hold me anytime you want,” he said suggestively.
Lilly blinked at the heat that rushed through her. She gave Greg a second look and sighed. She didn’t really want Greg to want her. Why couldn’t Robert look at her that way?
Willy let out another stream of howls even as Delilah jiggled him and paced. She was ready to start howling with him. He’d been fussing on and off, mostly on, for two hours starting at 10 P.M.
She was getting desperate. Through her sleep-deprived mind, she tried to think of anything that made Willy stop crying. Anything she hadn’t tried.
The swing wasn’t even working tonight. The swing, Delilah had concluded, had been invented by an angel. It usually put Willy into a drooling daze. It was so effective she’d considered keeping him there until his first birthday.
The only other time he didn’t cry was in the car.
She glanced down at her nightgown, then back into Willy’s unhappy face. “Okay, buddy boy. We’re going for a midnight ride. I may not be able to think straight in the morning, but that won’t be anything new.”
She pulled on her long, black winter coat and stepped into a pair of black suede clogs. She wouldn’t stop anywhere. No one was going to see her. If she could get him asleep, maybe she could get some sleep too. Grabbing her car keys, she stepped out of her door. Willy’s howl echoed down the hallway and she winced. Geez, this kid was so loud she feared he might break glass.
She quickly punched the elevator button.
She heard a door open and saw Benjamin glance into the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
“For a drive,” she said.
He glanced at his watch. “At this time of night?”
“The swing isn’t working. He doesn’t cry in the car.” The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival. “Oh, here’s my ride. Good—”
“I’ll come with you.”
She stared at him as the elevator doors whisked open. “Why would you want to do that?�
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He shrugged, tossing her a look of irritation. “You forget. I can’t sleep. I can’t use power tools at night anymore or my neighbor will kill me.”
“Ah,” she said with a smile of satisfaction. “That neighbor would be me.”
“I might as well come with you. Let me grab my jacket,” he said.
Delilah found his offer both comforting and disquieting. She was still disturbed by her response to Benjamin two nights ago. The man made her feel weird. She glanced at Willy and the open elevator doors. “That’s okay. We’ll be fine,” she said and stepped inside. She pushed the button for the parking garage.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she jiggled Willy until the elevator doors whisked open. She walked swiftly to her parking space and opened the locked doors of her car remotely. She opened the door to the backseat and put Willy into his car seat. The volume of his howling increased, making her fumble with the fasteners.
“Need some help?” Benjamin asked from behind her.
Delilah nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped around to find Benjamin inches from her. “Don’t do that,” she hissed, her nerves rattled.
“Just keeping my promise to help,” he said innocently, but she knew better. This was the same man who’d wedged his hard thigh between her legs and made her wet in ninety seconds.
“But I didn’t ask for your help tonight,” she said.
“You asked for my help in general with Willy until you get things under control,” he said.
As if on cue, Willie let out a shriek of displeasure.
“It doesn’t look like things are under control yet.”
Delilah tossed Benjamin her car keys and headed for the passenger side of the car. “Okay, you may as well make yourself useful, but I get to choose the music.”
“The classical music station features opera at midnight,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat. He adjusted the seat to accommodate his long legs.
“There’s a reason opera is featured at midnight,” Delilah muttered, putting her favorite blues CD into the player as Benjamin pulled out of the parking lot. “No one who is awake wants to hear it.” After she turned the heater on, she rested her head against the headrest and counted. “Bet this won’t take longer than ninety seconds. One-two-three—”
“Why are you counting?”
“To see how long it takes Willy to stop crying. Four-five-six-seven …” She stopped at 33 when no more fussing sounds emanated from the backseat. She cautiously glanced at Willy. His eyes were closed and he was sleeping. He looked so sweet and peaceful. A strange gooey feeling pervaded her. It was probably related to lack of sleep and the electric bun warmer heating her rear end.
“New record,” she said. “Thirty-three seconds.”
“You want to go back and put him to bed?”
Delilah twitched at the thought. “Absolutely not. He hasn’t been asleep long enough. He’ll wake up again and scream until he loses his voice.” She blinked. “Hey, maybe—”
“That would require a lot of screaming. Maybe more than you can stand tonight. Babies are amazingly resilient.”
She returned her head to the headrest. “Then drive on, James.”
“Any location preference?”
“Cancun,” Delilah said, closing her eyes and going there in her mind. “Or Grand Cayman. Although Cash told me it’s hideously expensive there. He said the customs agents are outfitted with high-power vacuum cleaners that suck the money out of your pockets as soon as you enter the country.”
Benjamin chuckled, and the sound vibrated inside her. “Colorful guy, your Cash.”
Delilah sighed. “Yes, he was.” She felt a pang of longing for her good friend, but shook it off. She didn’t feel like being maudlin tonight. She closed her eyes and inhaled, catching a draft of Benjamin’s aftershave. “What are you wearing?”
“Leftover shirt and slacks from an event for my brother at the Country Club. I ditched the tie when I got home.”
“I don’t mean your clothes. I mean your—” She inhaled. “Your smell. Is it aftershave or cologne?”
“Aftershave.”
“Mmmm.”
“You like it or not,” he said.
She nodded. “What is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She shot a glance at him. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
He shrugged. “My fiancée had it created for me.”
“That was creative of her.”
He gave a short chuckle. “Yeah, except she didn’t like the scent.”
“You’re kidding?” she asked in disbelief.
“No. Why?” He briefly met her gaze.
She felt a ripple of discomfort at the tension that seemed to zing between them then shook it off. Nothing was going to happen. They had a baby in the backseat, for Pete’s sake. “Because it’s yummy. It’s mouthwatering.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the scent is,” she said.
“But not me,” he concluded.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, closing her eyes. “But you do have that handicap.”
“What’s that?”
“Too controlling.” She waved her hand. “Now let me go back to Cancun.”
“Too crowded,” Benjamin interjected.
She frowned, but kept her eyes closed. “This is my fantasy. But I’m flexible. I’ll take Grand Cayman. The sun is blazing. A breeze is blowing over my lazy body while I lounge under an umbrella. A waiter delivers some sort of tropical drink and a masseur arrives to give me a massage. Great hands, great body,” she said with a sigh. “Great eye candy.”
“But he can’t smell like me,” Benjamin taunted.
Delilah refused to answer, choosing instead to imagine the sound of gentle waves lapping on the shore … while she inhaled Benjamin’s delicious scent. She drifted off …
An hour later, something woke her. She blinked and shifted in her seat. The car had stopped. It was parked. She glanced out the front window then looked at Benjamin.
“Why are we here?”
“It’s been one of my favorite places for years,” he said, his seat pushed back and his head leaning on his headrest. His hair tousled in an attractive manner, he stretched his legs and nodded toward the window. “Nice view, isn’t it?”
Delilah took a second look and agreed. From the top of the hill, the lights of Houston glittered like diamonds. “It’s pretty. How long have you been coming here?”
“Since I got my driver’s license,” he said, shooting her a lazy smile.
Delilah noticed the lack of other cars around and raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me you weren’t always focused on the view outside.”
“Depends if I came alone or not. I haven’t been here since I moved back.” He shook his head. “Haven’t been here in years. It’s so quiet.”
Delilah glanced into the backseat. “Until Willy wakes up.”
“He’s out.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Male thing. I just know.”
She slid him a sideways glance. “Yeah, right,” she said, not bothering to conceal her skepticism.
“You’ll see. Quit obsessing and enjoy the view.”
She opened her mouth to protest then closed it. She couldn’t deny that her moments of peace lately had been nonexistent. Her mind wandered to thoughts of the spa.
“Stop thinking,” he whispered.
Delilah stared at him. “How do you know what I’m thinking? My mind could be completely blank.”
“Your body talked. You tensed.”
Delilah met his gaze in the darkness. She had an odd feeling about this man. He wasn’t totally what he seemed, and he had an uncanny ability to read her. Since he was such a smarty-pants, she wouldn’t expect him to be so sensually aware.
And there was the way he’d kissed her until her kneecaps turned to water. She hadn’t met anyone in a long while that made her this curious. With her increasing responsibilities at the spa, she’d had
little time. She didn’t have time now, but she sure had the curiosity.
She could feel her body humming like it was an electric fence. She made a rule of not getting involved with men like Benjamin. Too educated, well-bred, he was slumming. His interest would be fleeting. If she got attached … But she never did, she reminded herself. She was always careful not to get attached, not to count on a man, with Howard as the exception to the rule. But that had been different.
“It’s gonna happen,” Benjamin said.
Delilah blinked, her face heating with unusual embarrassment. For a moment she feared he’d read her mind, but he couldn’t possibly.
“What’s gonna happen?”
He leaned closer. “You and I are gonna happen.”
Delilah gulped. She sucked in a quick breath and felt his aftershave seep into her bloodstream. She needed an antidote. “You may be going to happen, but you and I are not going to happen.”
He lifted his thumb to her bottom lip. “You’re right about one thing,” he said with sexy wryness. “Until you and I happen together, I’m going to happen by myself.”
A searing hot visual of Benjamin pleasuring himself singed her mind and made her feel as if she were burning from the inside out. She shouldn’t feel aroused. She absolutely shouldn’t feel aroused. “Well, don’t make yourself go blind,” she told him.
He chuckled and the sound was low and intimate, too inviting. His tone said, come have some fun with me. Delilah didn’t have time for fun. Since she’d left her father’s house, she’d always lived by the mantra that nothing was so serious or terrible that a girl couldn’t have a little fun. Between Howard’s death, pressures at the spa, Willy, and sleazoid Guy, Delilah felt overcommitted and overwhelmed.
“If I had time, I might spend some with you,” Delilah admitted. “But I have too much else to do right now. I don’t have time to play.”
“Everybody needs a little playtime, Delilah.”
“I agree, and trust me, I’ll get mine later.” With some man who’s easier to manage.
