All Night Woman: A Contemporary Romance (14 page)

“Miles.  You okay?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You seem ... preoccupied.”

“Just thinking.”  Miles checked the rearview mirror again. 

“Don’t even think about it, man,” Adam said under his breath.

As if he had a choice.  But for the remainder of the trip, he kept his eyes on the road.

––––––––

F
inally.
  Miles slid his big body into the seat next to Liz. She had managed to avoid being close to him during check-in and while they’d idled in the waiting area, but there was no escaping him now.  Across the aisle, Adam gave him a warning look, but he ignored it. 

Liz didn’t turn away from the window, but he did notice the tense set to her shoulders when he sat down. Was she worried about Holly and Adam finding out about them?  Or was there more to it than that? 

As the plane lifted, Liz sat back in her seat and closed her eyes.  The smallest of smiles curved her lips.

“Take-off has always been my favorite part, too,” Miles said quietly.  “No matter how many times I fly, it never gets old.”

Liz opened her eyes and looked at him.  For one brief, interminable moment, he saw the hurt there before she managed to hide it.  Any doubts he had about this being more than just keeping a low profile evaporated quickly. 

“Liz,” he began, scrambling for the right thing to say.  He wasn’t sure why she was hurt, but he could guess.  Holly had probably told her that he was in town, and he hadn’t called.  Maybe he should have, but he’d needed the time to sort things out.  As it was, he felt like he was standing on the edge of a precipice, about to take a huge leap without knowing what awaited him below.  He wanted her to understand that she was a big part of that, but how?  This wasn’t exactly the ideal time or place for baring his soul, and Adam kept shooting sideways glances their way.

Apparently she thought so, too.  Her eyes flicked over to Holly and Adam before settling in her lap.  “Not here.  Not now,” she murmured.  “Please.”

“Later, then,” he said.

Her lips drew into a thin line, but she didn’t respond.  They
would
be talking as soon as the opportunity presented itself.  For now, he would have to be content with being close to her.  Even pissed off with him as she was, her nearness soothed some of the unusual anxiety he’d been feeling lately.  And wasn’t that a bitch.

He would use the flight time to devise a plan; he found that success in marketing was often due to careful preparation, a clear goal, and a contingency plan for each possible snag.  When it all came right down to it, he was selling himself, and this might just be the biggest deal of his life. 

He would defer the long-range planning for later, though.  Right now, her light floral scent was making it hard for him to concentrate on anything but the fastest way into her bed. 

––––––––

“I
’ve never flown first-class before,” Holly said as they wound their way through the airport to the car rental kiosk.  “I think you’ve ruined me for coach, Miles.”

Miles chuckled.  As part of his wedding present, he had surprised them with a first-class upgrade.  And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to impress Liz a little, too.  She hadn’t said anything, but he hadn’t missed the way her hands caressed the soft, roomy seats, or the way her eyes widened when she saw the restaurant-quality meal.  His favorite part, though, was when the flight attendant started flirting with him and Liz white-knuckled the arm rest.  It bolstered his spirits and gave him hope.

“My pleasure, Holly.  Hey, are you okay?  You look a little pale.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I don’t think the in-flight meal is agreeing with me.  As a matter of fact...”  Holly put her hand over her mouth and sprinted for the ladies room.  Liz was right on her heels.

“Pre-wedding jitters?” Miles teased Adam, but his eyes held concern.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Miles finished signing the rental agreement and turned to face his brother.  “Excuse me?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Miles.”

“No, I really don’t.”  He did.

“You’re flirting with Liz.  That’s a red zone, Miles.  Liz is Holly’s best friend.  She will kick both of our asses.”

Miles stiffened.  “Last time I checked, Liz was a mature, adult woman capable of making her own decisions.  And you weren’t pussy-whipped.”  His blue eyes bored into his brother’s.

Adam’s face went blank.  “Oh, fuck.  You’ve already done it, haven’t you?  You seduced Liz.” 

Miles didn’t deny it.  Adam ran his hand through his hair.  “Christ, Miles.  When?  Was it the night you took her home?  Shit.  I
trusted
you.  I told Holly she would be safe with you.”

“Calm down, Adam.  Whatever is between me and Liz does not concern you.”  Not yet, anyway.  If he had his way, it would – soon – but there was no way he was going to take the spotlight away from Adam and Holly this weekend.

“Doesn’t concern me?”  Adam’s eyes went wide.  “Are you fucking kidding me?  You are my best man and my brother.  Liz is Holly’s maid of honor and her best friend.  How can you possibly think this doesn’t concern me?  Jesus.  Does Holly know?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“Yeah.  If she knew, I would have heard about it by now.”

Two familiar forms exited the bathroom.  Holly looked a little better than she had going in.  Liz’s expression was unreadable.  “They are coming,” Miles said quietly.  “I suggest you pull yourself together, little brother.”

“
I am getting married, Miles
,” Adam hissed.  “If you fuck this weekend up for me, I will never forgive you, do you hear me?” 

“Is there a problem?” Holly said, looking between the two men, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“No,” Miles said with a practiced smile.  “Just a little disagreement over who gets to drive the rental.  I won, and Adam’s not taking it well.”

With that, he dangled the keys in front of Adam and turned for the exit.  In a deliberate move, he placed his hand on Liz’s lower back.  He felt her muscles tense, but kept it there anyway, counting on her not to make a scene.  She didn’t.  “Shall we?”

She shot him a look that did not bode well for his hopes for the evening. 

Good thing he performed his best under pressure. 
Game on
.

“I
thought you said you weren’t pregnant,” Liz chastised lightly as she handed the cool cloth over to Holly.  Holly looked up and smiled weakly from her kneeling position in front of the toilet. 

“That’s what the stick said.”  She sighed.  “I thought it was stress.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“Yeah, last week.  I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, Liz, but I wanted to be sure this time.  You are the only one who knows, besides Adam of course.”

“How does he feel about it?”

“I think he’s still a little stunned, but happy, too.  He actually had tears in his eyes,” Holly said, tearing up again herself.  “He’s going to make a great dad, Liz.”

“Yeah, he will.”

Adam knocked on the doorframe and peeked in.  “Hey, baby, I managed to get some crackers and ginger ale.”

“Well, that’s my cue,” Liz said, standing and helping Holly up.  “Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything, ok?”

“Yeah, thanks.  I’m sorry, Liz.  I wanted this to be fun.”

“It will be,” Liz assured her, giving her a hug.  “Just take care of yourself.  You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“I will.”

Liz slipped out of Holly and Adam’s room and walked a few doors down the hallway to her own.  She’d just slipped the key card into the slot as Miles was stepping off the elevator.

“Liz, wait.”

She sighed and turned around to face him, blocking the doorway with her body.  Hopefully, he’d take the hint.  “I’m tired, Miles.”

“Please, Liz.  I - ” he pushed both hands down into his pants pockets.  “Can we just talk for a few minutes?”

Miles Grayson wanted to
talk
?  She crossed her arms and stood her ground.  “Okay, talk.”

“Privately?”  When Liz made no move to let him in, he added, “Seriously, Liz, we need to talk.  I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

That was the problem.  There was so much she wanted him to do.  But that was her hormones talking, not her head.  She was more than a warm, willing, sexually-charged body.  At least she hoped she was.  At the moment, the all-too-familiar tingles in her lower regions begged to disagree.

“Fine.”

She opened the door and stepped inside, setting her key on the carved desk just inside the door.  Miles followed closely, the soft snick of the door behind him ominous in the silence.  Only one small lamp was on, bathing the room in a dim, soft glow.  It was soothing before, but now it seemed entirely too intimate.

Liz toed off her comfortable ballet flats and went immediately for the refrigerated mini bar.  She had no intentions of drinking alcohol in Miles’ presence.  After he left, then she’d see.  Instead she grabbed a Coke.  She thought about not offering him anything in an attempt to move this along, then decided that would be rude.  She could, and would, be mature about this.

“Coke?”

“Sprite, if you’ve got it.  Thanks.” 

She reached in, grabbed the can, then tossed it lightly to him.  Liz moved over to the small table and chairs and sank down, resting her feet on the edge so that her knees were by her chest.  It did little to relieve the ache, but she needed all the help she could get.  For the last few days she had been planning what she would say to him.  She’d managed to come up with some good stuff, too, but the man had a way of dominating her thoughts, making it hard to remember any of it.

He cleared his throat and sank his lean, fit frame down into the other chair.  “How is Holly?  She was looking a little green when we checked in.”

“Better.”  She didn’t offer any more details; Holly had said that she was the only one they’d told, and it wasn’t Liz’s news to share.  “But that’s not why you’re here.  What did you want to talk about, Miles?”

He looked... conflicted.  In their two brief, prior encounters, she had seen him look arrogant, smug, lost in the throes of passion, and well-sated.  Conflicted was a new one.  And despite her resolve, it tugged at her heartstrings a little. 
Be strong, Elizabeth.

“I owe you an apology, Liz.”

It was a good start, but she wasn’t going to let him charm her over that quickly.  She wondered idly how long he must have practiced that sincere, puppy-dog look in the mirror to make it look so genuine.

“For what?”

Deep blue eyes focused intently on her, and she had to remember to breathe.  No man should be able to do that with just his eyes.

“Liz, I’m going to be honest with you.  I don’t like playing games.  I had enough of that with my ex-wife, and I spent the last fifteen years in sales, so I know when someone is slinging bullshit.  With you I just want it to be ... real.  Can we do that?”

Somewhat taken aback, Liz nodded.  “Sure, Miles.  We can do real.  I’m not much for games either.”

“Good,” he said.  “Let’s start with you telling me why you’re angry with me.”

She raised an eyebrow and sipped her cola.

* * *

“I
mean, I can guess, but I’d rather you just tell me, so I don’t waste a lot of time groveling for the wrong thing.”

The corners of her lips quirked, which he hoped was a good sign.  Christ, he hadn’t felt this nervous around a woman since he was in high school.  He had signed international contracts with fewer butterflies in his stomach.  Of course, he hadn’t had such a personal stake in the outcome of those, either.

“Fair enough,” she said.  “And for the record, I’m not angry with you.”

He pinned her with a skeptical look.  “No bullshit, Liz.”

“I am not mad, Miles.  Not at you.  I was – and still am - disappointed, and not nearly as much in you as I am in myself.”

“I should have called you.  I’m sorry, Liz.”

She exhaled.  “I’m not blaming you, Miles,” she said, shaking her head.  “You never promised me anything.  I knew what would happen.  I told myself it was just sex and nothing more, but ...”

Miles held his breath.  Dare he hope that she felt the same way?  That this – whatever this was between them – had blindsided her as well? 

“But?” he coaxed.

“But it wasn’t.”

Hell no, it wasn’t.  Sure, it might have started out that way, but somewhere along the line, she’d gotten under his skin.  If it had been just sex, he wouldn’t be thinking about her every minute of every goddamn day.  His body wouldn’t ache at night, wanting her. 

Even now, burying himself in her sexy little body was practically all he could think about.  Sitting so close, smelling that light hint of roses, knowing that beneath a layer of fabric lay an expanse of creamy, fragrant skin just begging to be kissed and licked and stroked -

“Anyway, I guess I owe you an apology.”

Wait, what?  He forced his thoughts from his fantasy feast and replayed her words in his head.  “For what?”

“I can’t do this, Miles.  I thought I could, but I can’t.  The sex is great – really great – but I want more than that.”

Thank God!  His heart started pounding against the walls of his chest.  “What if that’s what I want, too?”

Her eyes snapped up to his, flashing.  Gone was the hurt, replaced by anger. 
Now
she was mad.

She shook her head in disbelief.  “You really are the consummate salesman, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“You’ll say anything to get what you want, won’t you, Miles?”

“What?  No, of course not.”

“We’re being honest, remember?” 

“Yes.”

“Don’t, Miles.  If you have even an ounce of respect for me, then please don’t insult my intelligence.  You are not the only one with a working bullshit detector.”

He stiffened.  “You think I’m lying?”

“I think you want to get laid,” she said plainly, shooting a meaningful look at the bulge in his pants.  “Are you going to tell me you don’t?”

“Of course I do.  You are a beautiful, sexy woman, and it’s impossible for me to be anywhere near you without getting aroused.”