Momentary Marriage (6 page)

He blinked at her, uncomprehending. On the other side of him, Amy sat unresponsively staring ahead, but Kelsey knew she was drinking in every millisecond of their conversation.

Kelsey turned away, frustrated.

She could only be relieved, a few minutes later, when the lights came up and the evening’s band began to play while people made their way to the small dance floor.

Instantly, Doug stood up. “Would you like to dance, Kels?”

“I don’t think so,” Jared said, appearing next to her, his hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “We're making an early evening of it.”

Doug stood next to her chair, his eyes locked fiercely with his boss’. Never had Kelsey felt more bone-like.

After a moment, he looked away, his innate discretion winning out over whatever urges warred within him. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Kelsey.”

“Good night,” she said faintly, standing up to go. “Good night, Sis.”

Jared led her away from the table, her hand locked safely in his. They wended their way through the crowded room, stopping several times to greet people. Kelsey had been with the agency long enough to have developed a reputation and made contacts in the community.

When they finally made it to the ballroom door, having said their last goodbyes and air-kissed the last acquaintance, Kelsey’s hand was still tucked in Jared’s. It felt surprisingly good, being held onto so securely when she felt shaken by the evening’s debacle. The confrontation with Doug troubled her almost as much as Amy’s statements about her in the restroom. Was she really emotionally detached and uncaring? Was falling for a lot of unrealistic, hurtful romantic hooey the only way to be a caring person?

Still, with Jared's solid, masculine presence shepherding her, she could understand how women succumbed to the fantasy of believing one single man would always be there.

“This way.” Jared tugged her away from the hotel entrance.

“Where?”

He punched the button for one of the elevators.

“Where are we going?” she asked, intrigued.

“Up.”

The elevator door opened and Jared swept her inside. “You got cheated out of a dance. Elevators always have music.”

Kelsey started laughing as he pulled her into his arms. “You know, they have places people go specifically to dance.”

“Ah, but none so…private. And we have an affinity for elevators, the two of us.”

His voice was a low, velvet rumble, the heat of his body surrounding her. Kelsey’s voice vanished. He smelled so wonderful, felt so solid and right.

His hand was sure at her back, guiding her steps inside the tiny space. The music, soft and almost nondescript, faded as the drumbeat of her heart sounded in her ears.

Who would’ve thought a man with the knack of annoying her could trigger so many other, much more pleasant responses?

She felt the imprint of each of his fingers, splayed across skin, the thin material of her dress the only barrier between them. Surrendering to an urge, Kelsey closed her eyes. He was strong and sexy as sin. She could understand now how infatuation made people think they’d found the end of the rainbow. Falling in love felt good even if it was a delusional experience.

But falling in love with Jared would be a bad, bad thing, she reminded herself. He was too complicated, too irritating, too much…everything.

The texture of his dinner jacket was soft beneath her hand, cuddled against his shoulder. She wanted to curl into him like a kitten, to snuggle against him, to seek his mouth with her own.

Being held so close, her body effortlessly following his movements, made her want to throw caution to the winds. Made her want to forget the realities of love and its inevitable demise.

At one point, the elevator stopped on a floor, the door opening in front of a startled elderly couple.

“Sorry, this car’s taken,” Jared said pleasantly, still dancing to the music.

The door closed on the couple’s garbled apologies.

Kelsey laughed softly into his shoulder, leaning her forehead against him. “You are crazy.”

“Mmmm.” His arms tightened around her.

After a few more minutes, the elevator returned to the lobby and Jared led her out.

“Thank you,” she said past the lump of some unnamed emotion in her throat. “That was different…but lovely.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled.

They stood out in the warmth of the busy street, waiting for the limo. Kelsey couldn’t find the words to chat lightheartedly. The evening had left her with too much to think about.

In the limo, she sat on her side of the car, her gaze fastened on Jared’s hands where they rested on his knees. He had strong hands, well-shaped and skilled, she was sure.

The
thrum
that had started in the office elevator days ago, buzzed louder between them now. Despite the fact that she’d dated her share of guys, Kelsey didn’t view sex as a natural conclusion to every social evening. Even if her sister did think she was a heartless, dating machine.

But tonight, she wanted a man like never before. Jared. That was the only coherent thought she could form. It was a lousy thought, fraught with poor logic. But it was all she had.

The limousine pulled up in front of her building and Jared helped her out. He walked with her into her lobby—without telling the driver anything, she noticed.

Of course, limos have phones in them. He could always call the driver from her place. Have the car come pick him up in the morning—if he intended to try and spend the night.

Kelsey wasn’t quite sure of her feelings on the subject of his staying over. Certainly, he drew her, but just as certainly Jared ran deeper than the in which waters she usually swam.

They rode up this elevator in silence, not touching. Kelsey felt her heart beating against her breast bone.

The elevator opened at her floor and Jared walked with her down the hall. She fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the locks.

Turning back to face him, Kelsey held her breath.

Jared stood close, his dark gaze serious on her face. “Thank you…for a lovely evening.”

She swallowed, fighting against the urge to wet her lips.

Jared lifted his hand, the tips of his fingers grazing a line along her jaw. “Good night, Kelsey.”

To her shock, he turned and walked away.

She stood, amazed and stunned, watching him. Feeling cheated and bewildered. Twice now, he’d done this to her, brought her to the brink of a kiss, curiosity and desire running high. Twice now, he’d walked away.

She should feel grateful, she knew, but all Kelsey wanted to do was kick something. Preferably Jared Barrett.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kelsey knew she had a big problem. She stared blearily at the ceiling, her radio alarm going off for the sixth time. Resisting the urge to slap the snooze button again, she still couldn’t make herself get up.

She’d tossed and turned most of the night after Jared had left, her fragmented wakeful periods filled with a jumble of thoughts. The banquet, Jared’s body close to hers as they danced in the elevator. How his hand had locked on hers as he’d towed her out of that uncomfortable moment with Doug at the end of the banquet.

Amy’s tears. The situation with her and Doug was a puzzle that had disturbed Kelsey’s sleep the most.

“Good morning, Greater New York area, if you’re due at work by eight o’clock and you haven’t left yet, give it up! Traffic is hell. You might as well stay in bed all day and listen to us!”

Kelsey groaned, muttering curses on the too-chipper deejay as she rolled out of bed. Heading to the bathroom, she washed her face and stared at herself morosely in the mirror.

What on earth did Doug see in her to get so worked up about? Yes, she had decent skin, except for those few days of the month. When combed, her dark hair framed her face nicely and contrasted pleasantly enough with her blue eyes.

Big deal.

There were thousands of fairly attractive women in the city, shoals of which would jump to go out with a nice guy. Amy was proof of that. So why had Doug gotten so stuck on her, Kelsey? If she were bluntly honest with herself, she had to admit that she hadn’t even been a very good friend to him. Or a good sister to Amy. It just hadn’t dawned on her that Doug thought he was actually in love with her or that he held hope of her someday returning his feelings.

She was a clueless excuse for a woman.

Doug had always been a shoulder to cry on, a phone number she could call to complain. Why hadn’t she seen the big picture?

No one could ever call Doug a lightweight. Clearly, he wasn’t a man to be easily dissuaded from a goal. But his goal in this instance was sadly wrong.
She
was way wrong for him.

Men were so pathetic sometimes. Put a nice pair of legs and a decent body in front of them and they lost the ability to act rationally.

Kelsey turned away from the mirror, tossing the wash cloth over the towel rod.

Amy was a saint to put up with all this, Kelsey thought, thinking back over his behavior last evening. She must really love Doug. How could this fact have escaped her loving sister? Of course, she’d always known Amy enjoyed Doug, but love?

Schlepping into her minuscule kitchen, Kelsey made coffee and searched fruitlessly for a pastry. Returning to the bedroom, she scrounged around, trying to put together an outfit.

Catching a glimpse at the clock, she yelped. The forest green dress and brown belt would have to do. She was going to be late if she didn’t shift into overdrive.

Diving under the shower, she scrubbed her hair. Maybe all this mess with Doug could have been avoided if she’d married Michael when he asked several years ago.

Or Kevin. He’d had a great job.

Even Corbin. She’d been crazy about him for a while. But she’d never been inspired to get married, though Corbin had asked her twice in one week.

If only she’d recognized then how Doug was fixated on her. Realized how much he meant to her sister. Somehow, she suspected her being married would have cured Doug’s infatuation. If he believed she loved a man enough to commit to him legally, then he’d have known there was no hope for the two of them. He had told her more than once that she had a commitment problem that would only be solved when she fell deeply in love.

If she’d married, he would have gone on with his own life, making his own messy relationships to sort through. Maybe he’d have fallen in love with Amy if he’d let himself really see her.

Kelsey turned off the shower, vigorously toweled dry and scurried into her room to get dressed.

Five minutes later, she gulped down half a cup of coffee, while aiming a blow dryer at her hair. She’d gotten pretty good at multi-tasking.

Returning to her bedroom to grab her purse and briefcase, Kelsey’s gaze fell on the red dress she'd worn last night, now tossed over a chair.

Jared. Now there was another puzzle.

If she’d made him sweat last night, he hadn’t shown it. Instead, he'd baffled her with his charming, capricious ways. Dancing in an elevator, for heaven’s sake! Then he’d gone home without even kissing her.

She wouldn’t have slept with him. At least, she didn’t think she would have. But it irked her that he hadn’t even kissed her. Last night, she’d thought that one kiss would clear the air, satisfy her curiosity and help her reassert her objectivity with this man.

This morning, it looked more prudent to forgo the kiss and keep reminding herself not to play with fire.

They had a meeting scheduled this morning to finalize the ads for The Meriton. Both Jared and Doug would undoubtedly be there. She’d play it cool with the former, she promised herself, and take the first opportunity to straighten out the latter’s foolish crush on her.

Feeling reassured by these decisions, she left the apartment with a confident step.

*
**

“Doug!” Kelsey said, glad she’d reached the meeting room early enough to catch him before they got started. “Come out in the hall a minute. I need to talk to you.”

“Of course!” Doug got up with pitifully obvious alacrity and followed her out of the room. He paused next to her, asking in caressing tones, “How are you this morning?”

“I’m fine.” Kelsey kept her tone brisk. As much as she didn’t want to hurt him, she still had to get the message across. She owed it to both Doug and her sister. “But after last night, I feel the need to clarify something.”

“What?” He looked at her with puzzled eyes.

“Doug,” she said gently, pulling him closer and lowering her voice so she wouldn’t be overheard. “I-I don’t want to hurt you, but, last night, and a lot of other times lately, I’m beginning to see—“

She broke off, unsure how to continue.

“What’s the matter, Kels?” he asked, a tender smile on his lips.

“Doug,” she started again. “When we dated in high school and I broke up with you to go with—“

“Mark Kimes,” Doug said with a sudden darkening in his eyes.

“Yes. When I broke up with you,” Kelsey said, feeling incredibly awkward, but knowing she had to plunge ahead. “I told you then that I loved you like brother.”