Blushing Pink (29 page)

They were so close to each other now that heat was emanating off their bodies. It mingled in the space between them, and made Brian's breath catch. Reese was all soft warmth in his hands. He nuzzled her ear, and whispered into it, "I can't seem to resist you."

She started to say something, but then he opened his mouth on her ear and tugged her lobe with his lips. She let out a low, throaty sigh. Then he sucked, and her head fell limply forward. His erection was pulsing in his pants. He slid his palm down over hers, locking their hands, while his other palm moved to her waist. Unwittingly, he dug his fingers into the angel-soft material of her sweater, clutching it hard as he licked the spot behind her ear and heard her moan. It was a tiny, strangled little moan, but he'd heard it, and hot blood began coursing through him, flooding his groin, thundering through his veins, and without any rational thought, he cupped her breast. Right there in the middle of Roland & Fisk. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, he squeezed.

Reese pulled back. She was breathing almost as rapidly as he was, and Brian could
feel
the starry, aroused glaze in his eyes. Still, he immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to do that." Not exactly the truth, but it was the best he could do.

Reese bit her lip and looked down at the carpet for a moment. She probably wanted to hide her face from him, which was hot pink with... embarrassment? Desire? Or was it ferocious anger, more than anything?

Stepping back, she lifted her head and adjusted her glasses, which had started sliding down her nose. Then she said, "Brian, stop. I can't do this; I just can't."

"I know," he said almost hoarsely. "You're at work—I can't believe I totally lost control like that, and your boss could have walked by at any moment."

Shaking her head, she said, "No, I didn't mean that. I meant this, us. Look, if you picked Veronica once, then you'll pick her again. Being with her is obviously what you're most comfortable with, and that's fine. But please... just keep me out of it."

She turned on her heel and stormed away—or at least she
started
to....

Chapter 22

She'd only covered about a foot of carpet before she smacked right into someone—a tall, lean man, whom she all but ricocheted off, and when she looked up, she was startled to see the one person she'd never expected at Roland & Fisk.

What on earth is Kenneth doing here?

Even though he lived in New York City, he'd never, to Reese's knowledge, come into the store. And frankly, this wasn't the best time for him to try something new.

Suddenly Reese experienced one of those surreal, jolting moments when life truly felt like a dream, and for a split second she wondered if it was.

But here she was, sandwiched between Brian and Kenneth, and all she wanted was to get the hell away from both of them. Even dreams weren't that strange. "Kenneth, hi. What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

"I came to, uh, see you," he replied awkwardly. Then, in a stiff motion, he raised an unbent arm and set it across her shoulders.

"Wha—?"

"Who's this?" Brian asked, sounding annoyed.

Reese turned to face him again—not an easy feat, considering Kenneth's straight arm had all but locked her into position. With a cricked neck, she managed to reply coolly, "None of your business."

Brian narrowed his eyes at Kenneth, and then nodded. "You're right," he said quietly, "I guess it isn't my business." Yet he didn't make any move to leave.

Meanwhile Reese tried to jerk her shoulders free from Kenneth's perverse attempt at demonstrativeness. Unsurprisingly, he missed the nonverbal cues, and tightened his hold. Maybe the boy should stick to what he knew best—namely, aloofness, nosy questions, and throat clearing. "Hello," he said to Brian. "I'm Kenneth Peel. Reese's boyfriend."

WHAT!

What the hell was he talking about? Had he gone completely
loco?

He most certainly was not her boyfriend! Although, admittedly, her protests were ironic, since only a few months ago she had wanted him to be just that. She had also wanted him to show more initiative, and now he was
oozing
with it. So why was she so creeped out?

Still, she didn't want to embarrass him in front of Brian. Okay, fine, so maybe she
also
didn't mind having Brian think she had a little more game going on than sitting and pining for him all day long.

"What, did you two just meet recently?" Brian asked.

"No, Reese and I have been an item for quite a while now," Kenneth replied, and bent his lead-weight arm just enough to draw Reese closer. Abruptly, he planted one of his trademark dry smackers on her cheek, and Brian jerked his head back a little. His eyes bore into hers, giving Reese a dry throat and a thick, clogging tongue. Yet she couldn't tear her eyes away for a second. She gulped almost painfully.

Of course, a big part of her wanted to shove Kenneth off—to ask him if he was on medication, and if so, it was certainly about time—but she just couldn't do it. She had to be tough, she had to be strong, she had to be a "woman of the millennium" and all that. Anyway, didn't Brian
deserve
to feel as misled and disillusioned and hurt as
she
had?

Well, she didn't know if he felt all that, but she did see his eyes darken, and his expression change from annoyed to jealous. And he was starting that pissed-as-hell, slow nodding again. "Well, I won't keep you any longer, Reese," he said.

She had the distinct feeling that Brian meant the words literally, and that twisted her stomach into a painful knot.

"Take care," he finished curtly, and turned and walked away.

As soon as he was gone, a gigantic lump of sadness and loss rose to the top of Reese's throat. It stayed lodged there, making it hard to swallow, hard to breathe, until she finally gulped it down, and immediately felt the burning sting of tears in the backs of her eyes.

More than anything, she needed to go somewhere to be alone, but she couldn't because she was still on the clock, and Darcy would sniff her out in no time.

Plus the fact that she had Kenneth weighing down her shoulders, which would need a little more leeway if she were going to cry.

"Um... Kenneth?" she said, trying to tug herself out from under his arm.

Kenneth was slow to get the point, so Reese yanked away harder. As soon as she broke free, she moved a few feet back as a preventive measure. Kenneth left his arm hanging stupidly in the air for two or three seconds before he cleared his throat and set it back at his side.

"You still haven't told me what you're doing here," she said. "And how did you know where to find me in the store?"

"Oh. A woman at the customer service desk pointed in the northwest direction, so I came searching for you."

"Okay... but..." Jeez, there was just no tactful way to say this, but she absolutely had to clarify something. "How come you said you were my boyfriend? I mean, we're not really dating exclusively, are we? Um, or at all?"

Kenneth began fiddling with the zippers on his jacket pockets, and Reese forced herself not to backpedal to try to save him. They had never discussed being boyfriend/girlfriend. And, not that she was trying to be a stickler, but weren't boyfriends and girlfriends supposed to touch each other—like, frequently?

"Well, I was hoping we could spend more time together," he said unemotionally. "You're right, I spoke too soon about us having a, uh, relationship. However, I'd like, uh, you to—
ahem, ahem
—stay open to said possibilities. Let's begin with lunch today. My treat."

Okay, a gold star for taking some major initiative; a demerit for doing it way too late, after Reese had lost interest and fallen for another man. Couldn't Kenneth see the writing on the wall? They were not couple material. Reese really couldn't believe it had taken
her
so long to realize it.

"Oh... well..." she stammered lamely, "I'm just not looking for a relationship right now... and unfortunately I can't do lunch, either, because I already took a break earlier."

Expressionless, Kenneth nodded. "Well, I should get going," he said tonelessly.

"Okay... um, thanks for coming by," she said, overly cheerful.

"Yes, certainly," he said. Before he left, he looked back and asked, "But I will still be escorting you to your sister's wedding, won't I?"

"Oh, sure, yeah, uh-huh, great!" When she felt guilty, she babbled—and loudly.

Kenneth disappeared around the bend, and Reese just stood there, taking in all that had happened in a matter of minutes. The last thing she had expected was a confrontation with Brian today. She was sure the lying pig would never set foot in the store again. Or maybe that he would wait awhile, and then come in acting like he couldn't quite remember her.

Wait, hadn't that been her plan before all this had started?

What she really couldn't believe was that she had
kicked
him. Thinking about it, it made her smile. Hell, it almost made her laugh. She truly hadn't planned to do it, but she supposed like all great poetry, it had been pure inspiration.

She didn't let herself think about how Kenneth was starting to weird her out; she only knew that he seemed to be there to stay. But since she wasn't interested in him anymore, that could not possibly be a good thing. Basically, when she put it all together, her romantic horizon was looking bleak once again.

At least that was the little epiphany she had standing in the finance and fortune section, pretty much out of luck.

* * *

"Hey, nice digs; can I crash here?"

"No way," Reese said, smiling, and hauled her overnight bag over the threshold of room 816. "This is my mini vacation, and I want to be able to walk around naked."

"Okay, okay," Ally said, trailing behind with Reese's laptop. They set both down on the full-sized bed; then Ally plopped down into an armchair by the window. "This room
rocks.
How did you afford it?"

"How else? On credit," Reese said.

"So what are you gonna do here? Just work on your book?"

"Uh-huh, I hope so." She'd told Ally about her novel the day after Christmas, which was the same day that Reese had thrown herself back into the project. Since then, she had been more enthusiastic than ever. She had six chapters written, and she was starting to hear her characters talking in her head—which had to be a good, albeit disturbing, sign.

She had yet to tell her mother about her writing. Right now, there would be no point. It was all too hypothetical for Joanna to appreciate. Joanna liked concrete: a degree, a man. Actually, when Reese thought about it, her mother was a remarkably simple woman to please.

"But won't you get lonely?" Ally asked.

Reese grinned. "I doubt it. But if I do, I'll definitely call you."

" 'Kay."

"Anyway, with the bridal shower today, the rehearsal tomorrow, and the wedding on Sunday, I'm not exactly ensconced in isolation," she added dryly.

"Oh, I forgot!" Ally reached inside her over-the-shoulder bag and pulled out a small box of condoms. "Here, I'll get them from you on the wedding night," she said, and did some exaggerated winking.

"Okay," Reese said, tossing the box to the side. "But I still think it's ridiculous to hide them from Mom. I think she kind of knows you'll be sleeping with your husband on your wedding night."

Ally rolled her eyes. "You know how Mom is. She's helping me pack my stuff for the honeymoon, and if she sees condoms before Ben and I are officially married, she'll get all weird. I know she knows that we sleep together, but she doesn't
know
know."

"Can't Ben bring them?"

"He is, but this box is just extra," Ally said. "But I'm sure we'll need 'em."
Wink, wink.

Reese grinned; then she realized the time. "Oh, we've gotta get going! The shower starts in ten minutes."

After Ally shut the door behind them, she said, "By the way, Lane's been acting all secretive. She keeps asking me if I'm gonna stick around for a while after the shower. Is anything going on?"

Reese shrugged. "No."

Ally grabbed her arm. "Is Lane planning some sort of surprise?" Reese hesitated for literally a millisecond, and Ally yelped, "I knew it! C'mon, what is it? Just tell me."

Reese threw up her hands. "I swear, I know nothing."

Ally smiled. "Hey, can we get a stamp made?"

Reese rolled her eyes and laughed. "You are so corny."

* * *

As soon as Ally's bridal shower ended, Lane gathered all of Ally's friends in the Gallery Room of the Goldwood Villa for her "special surprise." Right now, Ally was grilling Deb about the surprise, and Reese was accosting Angela, who had just come in late.

"I was hoping Lane would get food for this," Reese said.

Angela smiled faintly. "What, she didn't?"

"No. I mean, I know I'm technically on a diet and everything, but still." Angela smiled again but Reese could see that it was forced. "Hey, is anything wrong?" she asked.

Angela mumbled, "I think I've really had it with Drew."