Chapter 5 #2
At the end of the meal, Mark ordered coffee and Brian ordered brandy.
Roxanne didn’t know what to have so she ordered nothing.
The evening had strained her to her outer limits and she was kicking herself mentally for ever allowing this to happen.
Next week, when she was looking back on it, she would probably appreciate the experience much more than she was at the present.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk business at all tonight, Rox. But then perhaps this evening wasn’t the appropriate time.” Mark looked at Brian and then continued. “We’ll have to get together again tomorrow, maybe have a business lunch.”
“Sounds perfect. Are you calling it an evening now, Mark?”
“No need to run off,” Brian added with a hint of sarcasm. Roxanne glared at him to behave.
“I’ll grab a taxi and see you tomorrow. Call me on my cell.
” Mark rose and she rose with him. She thought for a second he was going to give her a kiss as it was his custom to do.
But she put out her hand and he shook it instead.
Mark nodded at Brian and left. Roxanne turned to sit again, but Brian had risen and she bumped smack into the wall of his chest.
“Why don’t we leave too?” He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her at the impact and held her there to wait for her response.
“Why don’t we?” she breathed in his freshly showered scent. Anticipation raced through her body, exciting every nerve ending as if an alarm had gone off. They left the restaurant and got in their waiting limo.
Slouching back into the deeply cushioned seat with his legs extended all the way out in front of him, Brian once again accepted the glass of champagne she handed to him. She settled in next to him and leaned into his warmth.
“We better slow down with the champagne. Driving all the way to Marblehead will take a long time.” Brian warned her in mock seriousness.
“Speak for yourself. If there’s one thing I learned to do very well in my role as a volunteer fund-raiser, it’s how to hold my champagne.
” Roxanne’s smile held in the bubble of laughter.
She was nervous with anticipation at bringing this man to her home.
She hadn’t felt this way since, well, since the first night she met Brian.
“And you’re very good at your fund-raising,” Brian observed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, although I’m not so sure it was meant that way.” Roxanne’s pretensions were completely forgotten. She was momentarily defenseless, trusting herself to him utterly.
“Don’t worry. I admire people who make the most of what they have.”
“Oh? And what is it that I have?” she asked.
“You have, little lady, what I believe would be called charm—but a special brand, most effective on those of the opposite sex. Something I’m sure of which you are very well aware.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He raised his brows.
“You don’t do too badly yourself, Mr. Superstar. I bet I could learn a lot from you,” Roxanne said.
“To the contrary. I don’t charm people. I know them. It has the opposite effect a lot of times.” His half-smile appeared and he added, “You’d be surprised how many people don’t find my sarcasm very charming. For instance, Mark. I bet he didn’t find me too charming.”
She laughed when she should have been upset. “Good example. But then we really don’t want to get into your behavior toward Mark tonight, do we?” She looked at him and could feel her smile fade. His eyes sparked with challenge, but then he grinned and touched her face.
“No. I guess not. That’s a whole other can of peas.” He lowered his head and thank God he kissed her. She couldn’t remember feeling so much at someone’s mercy, let alone a man’s.
They arrived at her house and Brian was fascinated with the views, so they lingered outside on the deck.
Roxanne shivered and snuggled her coat around her more tightly to ward off the cold.
At least that’s what she told herself. While Brian breathed in the salty crisp ocean air and looked out to see if he could spot the distant Boston skyline, Roxanne gazed upward at the stars. It was a clear night.
The breathtaking panorama of the churning ocean didn’t hold any fascination for her these days. She turned away from the jagged rocks below, with a shiver. Brian moved to wrap his arms around her from behind.
“This is beautiful. But then everything about you is.”
“And you said you weren’t charming.” Roxanne turned in his arms to face him and she wrapped her arms around his middle looking up into his face and those fiery blue eyes. He hugged her closer, moving his face closer to hers until she could feel the warmth of his breath.
“You feel so good. Maybe we should go inside?” His voice was low and husky.
He nuzzled his head in her hair, holding her tighter yet.
The relentless intensity of her pounding heart prevented her from saying anything in response.
Instead, she pulled back from his embrace and led him to the door, moving with more confidence than she felt, away from the scene of the crime.
Inside, Brian barely noticed his surroundings. He followed Roxanne as she headed up the stairs, shedding her coat and hanging it over the banister. After opening the double doors to her room, she turned. He stood, his own coat gone.
“So this is the den of iniquity?” Brian paced around the room, trying to dispel the air of tension.
He forced himself to take notice, not liking the loss of control he felt with the intensity.
Maybe it was being on her turf that bothered him.
He mentally shrugged it off. Was he ready to jump in bed with this woman again?
Didn’t he vow not to repeat his impulsive move the last time they had parted?
Roxanne looked at him steadily, but she only nodded her head.
He was a fool if he thought he could escape her.
He'd be lucky to make it to his next game in one piece. He felt her watching him like a jungle cat lying in wait. He steeled himself for the attack, not because he wouldn’t surrender, but because he’d found playing their game to be as exciting as the end result.
After a long pause at the window where he was compelled to look out over the sea once more, he lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.
“Why don’t you have a seat with me?” He patted the chair next to him, looking over his shoulder at her.
She stood with her arms crossed now and a seductive pout formed on her face.
He figured she’d play his game and was plotting her strategy this very second.
The key was to try and not do anything she expected.
“Can a guy get a brandy around here, or is the bar closed?” he asked as she sat in the chair next to him.
“Losing your courage, big man?”
His head snapped up in surprise. Only her smile took some of the bite off the remark. But he was up to the challenge.
“No. But suddenly it’s chilly.” He wanted to see how far he could push her and tried to keep his face straight.
She raised a brow. “By all means, light a fire and I’ll get you that drink.
” She opened the door to a cabinet that housed a small bar and poured two drinks.
Her expression was faultless in its innocent concern for his comfort as she returned to hand him his drink.
But he wasn’t fooled, and he knew damned well she was onto his game and playing him perfectly, not about to give him any satisfaction.
He finished lighting a small fire and sat again.
“Here’s to a quick return of the fire in those eyes of yours.” The curve of her lips was automatic and then she downed her brandy in one gulp. He couldn’t help the quirk of his brow and the smile that returned to his face. He put his drink down, untouched.
She couldn’t tell whether or not it was the fire he lit in the fireplace reflecting in the blue of his eyes or something that lit them from within.
Was he playing games with her or was he angry after all at her for going to the game with Mark?
It was impossible for her to tell, but she wasn’t going to let him think she was worried about it.
“Why did you invite Mark to the game?” He said this so casually that she was almost surprised.
Roxanne tried to keep the amusement out of her voice, but she couldn’t completely.
“I told you it was business. Besides—he invited me. I needed to talk to him about something important.” Then she added, aware that it sounded pompous, “My work is important at the hospital. A lot of people count on me.” The thought of Dr. Oki’s lost funding dangled in her mind.
“I see.”
She knew he did not see.
Brian’s expression had turned quite serious as he contemplated her. He rose from the chair and crossed the room again to stare out at the sea. It was a compelling vision, she knew, with the waves endlessly crashing onto the rocks.
She was not going to add to her explanation and she most certainly did not intend to apologize. She was glad to see the wry grin return to his face as he turned toward her again.
“You have quite a view.”
“So you’ve pointed out.” She rose from her chair now, walked to him and faced him.
Her voice was quiet when she continued. “You can leave if you want,” she lied with her blank look of casual detachment.
Only the tense knot in her stomach could give her away as she fought the instinct to grit her teeth.
She watched him as he coolly thought it over.
She would have thought it was no big deal to him, but he took a bit too long to make up his mind.
“If I left now I’d never forgive myself in the morning.” Etched in his left cheek was the dimple that cracked his lopsided grin.
Roxanne let the sudden pleasure show on her face and she laughed. “I’d have a little trouble forgiving you myself.”
He came to her then.