By Private Invitation (3 page)

“Did you see that man’s smile?”

Annabelle couldn’t help but stare at Jared as he spoke to an older couple by the entrance.
“He has a body to rival a Michelangelo. And that face. I’ve never seen anything so
perfect.”

Handsome didn’t come close. He looked like a young Paul Newman, with lean, chiseled
features, wavy blond hair cut short to control the curl, and blue eyes that looked
like reflections of a fall sky.

She sighed. “Too bad he was just being polite. Probably has women falling all over
him. What would he want—
Ouch!
Hey, you kicked me.” She bent down to rub at her ankle, then glared at Kate.

“I’ll do a lot more than that if you don’t stop putting yourself down.” Kate huffed.
“Didn’t you get a good look at your reflection before we left? I specifically made
that dress to enhance your attributes. And the man definitely noticed. Of course he
wants you. You’re beautiful. The goons in college never looked beyond the glasses
and the braid.” Kate’s nose wrinkled. “Of course, that braid was kind of goofy.”

Annabelle tried to look indignant, but thinking about college still made her cringe.
“Okay, so I looked like Princess Leia on a bad-hair day. All I wanted was to get my
degree and get out. Guys were a distraction I couldn’t afford.”

Her granddad had first suggested college overseas, where she might not be so easily
recognized. But she’d insisted on Gettysburg because the program had what she wanted.
And she’d be close to him.

Besides, she’d grown and her appearance had changed so much in the three years since
the pictures the tabloid scum had taken of her, no one at college would make the connection
between Graceanna Belle O’Malley and Annabelle Elder. No one could make her life a
living hell by exposing her secrets.

A waitress interrupted Annabelle’s thoughts by placing two glasses and an ice bucket
with a bottle of champagne on their table. After making sure they didn’t need anything
else, she left.

Annabelle took a sip of the champagne, rubbing her nose at the unaccustomed bubbles.
She’d traveled all over England and Europe, bits of Africa and the Far East, but until
tonight, she’d never imbibed to excess, never flirted with a gorgeous man, and never…jumped
off a cliff.

She sighed. Well, she was going to fix at least two of those. “Tonight, I’m going
to live a little.”

Near the end of his life, her granddad had harped on her lack of extracurricular activities.

“Get a life, Annie, my belle,” he’d bellow at her. “You can’t spend your days wasting
away in this musty shop. Go out, find a man, live a little.”

Bill Elder had died suddenly a year ago, in his sleep, exactly the way he’d wanted
to go. He’d lived life to the fullest and one day he was just gone—leaving her orphaned
for the second time in her life.

Which probably explained the ill-advised affair with Gary. Damn, if only she’d figured
that out five months ago. Would’ve saved her that scene in his office when she’d tossed
the filing cabinet at him.

She hadn’t meant to hit him. Not really. She’d only meant to express her displeasure.
Except her aim had been a little better than she’d expected. Years of manhandling
antique furniture in the shop had given her strong arms.

The metal box had sailed through the air and the edge had glanced off Gary’s narrow
shoulder, knocking him to the ground. His eyes wide, he’d scrambled away on the floor,
like a crab. The wuss.

His secretary had calmly pulled down her dress, patted him on the head like the dog
he was, and walked right past Annabelle.

“Nice throw, Annie,” Carla had drawled as she slinked out the door.

Annabelle had wished she could make as elegant an exit but she’d worked up a good
mad by then. That bastard had never gone down on her like that. He’d claimed not to
like it.

But there he’d been, with his head between Carla’s thighs. Acting like he loved it.
Hell, he hadn’t even looked like that when they’d had
sex
. It’d been more like porn sex—lots of noise and motion but no substance.

She should’ve known the bastard was cheating on her but she’d been so busy with the
shop and…Okay, if she were truthful, she’d admit she just hadn’t cared enough to wonder
why he’d break off dates on short notice with lame excuses.

“Would you like to dance?”

Annabelle blinked out of her thoughts to see a blond man dressed as a pregnant nun
standing by their table, smiling at her. He had a drink in one hand and a whip in
the other, handsome in a bland, vanilla-milkshake sort of way. Not that vanilla milkshakes
were bad. Until now, they’d been her favorite. But that was before. Tonight, she’d
decided it would be banana splits all the way.

Jared appeared behind the nun, towering over him. “Sorry, Bill, but the green fairy
promised this one to me.”

Her gaze met Jared’s, and lust drenched her from head to toe at the sensuality smoldering
in his eyes.

No one had ever looked at her like that.

When he extended his hand, she took it without a second thought.

Vaguely, she heard Kate turn down the nun as Jared drew her onto the dance floor.
Then a slow, dreamy jazz standard shut out the rest of the noise of the large crowd.

“I didn’t mean to be rude.” Jared’s warm whisper caressed her ear as he eased her
against his lean body. “But I couldn’t stand the thought of you in another man’s arms.
I hope you can forgive me.”

A laugh escaped her before she could catch it. “That’s a wonderful line. Did you make
it up on the spot or have you used that one before?”

Jared blinked, just once, as Annabelle bit back a groan. She couldn’t believe she’d
said that. She’d been raised to speak her mind but that…She definitely was no good
at flirting, and she was too long out of the loop.

Jared’s face split in a huge grin. “Actually, I just made it up. But you’re right.
It’s a line. It also happens to be true.”

She took a deep breath, thankful he hadn’t abandoned her on the dance floor. “I can’t
believe I actually said that. Please let me add that I’m glad you asked. I’d hoped
to see you again.”

Jared’s fingers tightened around hers. “And why wouldn’t I ask? You’re the most beautiful
woman here.”

She laughed again, unable to help herself. She knew it was another line, but really,
what did it hurt? She was determined to have a good time tonight and Jared seemed
determined to give her one. “And you are the most proficient dancer I’ve ever had
the pleasure of partnering. Did you take lessons?”

“No, my grandmother taught me.” He held her a little closer, the warm material of
his pants leg brushing against the inside of her bare thigh, making her want to clasp
both thighs around it. “She believed any young man who could dance had a leg up on
the riffraff who never took the time to learn.”

“Your grandmother sounds like a great lady.”

Jared winked at her. “She’s one of a kind. So, I didn’t get your name earlier.”

“It’s…Belle.” She didn’t want to lie, nor did she want to reveal more just yet. This
was a night for fantasy, after all. “What do you do at the hotel, Jared?”

“I facilitate various activities, like tonight’s party. And you?”

“I’m an antiques dealer.”

“Really.” His brows raised in interest. “What kind?”

“My shop specializes in early American and European furniture but my true passion
is art.”

“Is the pin one of your finds?”

Mesmerized by his voice and those blue eyes, his question puzzled her for a moment,
until she followed his gaze down to the pin on her dress.

“Oh, no. Not mine. My grandfather acquired it several years
ago. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Granddad couldn’t believe it was mixed in with a load
of costume jewelry. The large stone is an orange citrine. The smaller ones are diamonds
and sapphires. The intricacy of the metalwork shows a fine hand, we think European.
I’ve occasionally tried to discover its maker but I haven’t been able to so far.”

Jared tried not to stare but couldn’t help himself. It seemed like such a far-fetched
idea but he couldn’t ignore the voice in his head telling him this was one of Aphrodite’s
Tears, part of the set his grandmother had mentioned earlier. The pin and matching
ring had been stolen so many years ago, he’d never seen anything but pictures. Still,
this pin fit the description exactly.

If it was…Holy shit. How much of a coincidence would that be?

“I’m sorry.” Annabelle’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I must be boring you talking
shop.”

His gaze lifted to catch embarrassment staining what he could see of her cheeks beneath
her mask. Her gaze slid away across the crowded dance floor.

“You’re not boring me. In fact”—he surprised her by spinning her in a tight circle
before drawing her close again—“I find it fascinating. Tell me more.”

Belle’s eyes lit up as she smiled. Not a sexy smile, designed to seduce, but a grin
of pleasure. She started talking about antiques, provenance and historical significance,
words that held no meaning at the moment.

Her bright eyes held his attention. He would gladly drown in that green gaze. Typically,
women attracted him first with their looks. He was a man, after all. But he bored
easily if there was nothing but air behind the beauty.

This woman’s intelligence intensified her beauty.

And she could be wearing his grandmother’s pin.

No, it couldn’t be. His grandmother mentioning it earlier had just made him think
it was. That’s all.

“So where is this shop of yours?” he asked when she paused.

Her gaze faltered for a second. He would have attributed it to the dance, but they
weren’t doing more than a slow circle at the moment.

“Outside the city.” She shrugged. “It’s not huge but we—I do a decent business. I
travel a lot. Granddad and I were never in the same place more than a few months when
I was growing up. I traveled the world with an antiques dealer and a tutor with a
doctorate in history. It was an unorthodox upbringing.”

He wondered what she meant by that. Unorthodox. “Sounds interesting.”

She smiled, but it was perfunctory, as if she’d shut down her emotions. “It was. Unfortunately,
my grandfather died a year ago.” She shook her head and her smile began to warm. “I’m
sorry, I’ve monopolized the conversation. Tell me about you. And”—her eyes widened
as she realized they’d just danced through three songs nonstop—“I don’t want to get
you in trouble with your boss. Do you need to get back to work?”

Jared quashed a smile, shooting a glance at the door to see if Tyler was sending lightning
bolts his way. But his brother wasn’t at the entrance.

“Actually, my boss must’ve stepped out.” He spotted his parents, sitting at a table
in the corner, but Tyler wasn’t with them either. “There really isn’t much to tell.
I’ve been with the hotel since it opened. I enjoy my job and the people I work with.
And it has its perks.”

He flashed her one of his most charming grins, and she laughed.

“I bet.” Her teeth sank into her lower lip, making him want to do the same. “You must
meet a lot of people in a job like this.”

“Yes, I do. Though I’ve never met anyone like you.”

He didn’t realize how true that was until he said the words. He frowned at the thought,
and Belle dropped her gaze. She took a deep breath, drawing his attention again to
the pin.

Damn, what was he going to do about that? However, he knew exactly what he wanted
to do with the woman.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Tyler clapped him on the shoulder, startling him and causing
Belle to step out of his arms. They had danced to the opposite side of the room. “I
need you at the door for a few minutes, Jed.” Tyler lowered his voice. “And you have
to honor our agreement.”

With a raised eyebrow for Jared and a slight smile for Belle, Tyler moved away.

“I should get back to my friend, anyway.” Belle made a slight wave in the direction
of her table. “Thank you for the dance.”

The fact that her flirtatious smile nearly made him go caveman and toss her over his
shoulder threw him for a second, and he didn’t say anything until she started to move
away.

“Wait.” He caught her upper arm gently, smoothing a thumb over her silky flesh. “I’d
like to see you later.”

“I…I really shouldn’t have deserted my friend like that.” Consternation clouded her
expression, but she paused. “When are you finished for the night?”

“Meet me at twelve thirty in the lobby, by the courtyard entrance. The garden is beautiful.”

Her smile brightened again. “I’d love to see it.”

She turned and walked away and he couldn’t tear his gaze from her.

Twelve thirty couldn’t come fast enough.

“I don’t believe I recognized the woman you were dancing with. Should I?”

Jared waltzed his mother sedately around the dance floor, sliding glances when he
could at Belle, irrational outrage swamping him when she smiled at another man standing
by her table.

While
he
danced with his mother.