Love Songs (3 page)

“You’re incredible!” Her eyes widened. “You don’t even know my name!”

“Ah-ah,” he chided, “never underestimate the opposition. Your name is Alanna Evans … soon to be Knight.”

For the first time Alanna felt threatened. If he had seemed less sure of himself, less arrogant, she might have taken it all as a joke. But this man was no crank if his reputation, or his family’s, was worth anything. She was usually able to keep on top of things, yet the fact of hearing her name from Alex Knight’s tongue was upsetting. Or, she wondered fleetingly, was it in the warm inflection that his tongue gave to it…?

“How did you know that?” she asked, fighting for composure.

“Sylvia Frazier is a friend. And there aren’t too many blond-haired beauties with owl-eyes who drop by the clinic at this hour.” He paused, savoring the brief unsureness in her expression before directing his attention to her face. “Do you always hide behind them?”

Alanna frowned in puzzlement. “Behind what?”

“Those glasses. They’re very large and, there at the top, the part through which you’re glaring at me now, very dark. They must be convenient for hiding your emotions from the world. Are you frightened of what the world might see?”

To her chagrin, dark lenses notwithstanding, Alanna realized that she was glaring. Quickly she forced a smile. It was part of the game, she mused, meeting the challenge with a steady hand that reached up, slowly, toward the tortoiseshell frames. Smiling now in gentle defiance, she removed the glasses to reveal large eyes of a deep, soft brown.

“I wear these glasses for one basic reason,” she explained carefully, playing on his sense of expectance. Her pause was deliberate and drama-filled.

“And what might that be?”

“I’m nearsighted.” The words flowed forth in a provocative drawl. Alanna grinned, then rose to the challenge as the man across from her presented several straightened fingers for her to count. “Three,” she proclaimed proudly. “I’m not
that
bad, though I hope I’m not disappointing you. I
do
manage to live quite well with the weakness.”

A mocking eyebrow rose. “I never doubted it for a minute. I’m just surprised you haven’t tried contact lenses. Most women prefer—”

“I’m not most women. My glasses and I get along just fine.” The object under discussion lay, temporarily forgotten, on the table.

“You have lovely eyes.” His teasing tone was gone and Alanna’s mouth felt suddenly dry. Though she sipped the last of her now-cooled coffee, she refused to let his relentless gaze intimidate her. Then, with the twinkle of an eye, his humor made a comeback. “It’s actually gratifying to know that, while the world sees only your specs, I’ll get to see the gems beneath.”

“You presume quite a bit.”

“Not without good reason.”

He could match her, word for word, argument for argument. Though there was an undercurrent of teasing now, there was something else—something that gave Alanna pause.

“You
are
serious, aren’t you?” she asked, puzzled, blunt.

Her bluntness was matched by his response. “Dead serious. I intend to marry you.” Everything in his expression—from the deep set of those charcoal eyes to the matter-of-fact angle of his head to the firm slant of his lips, which monopolized her gaze for a hypnotic moment—reinforced his earnestness.

Exasperated, she shook her head. “Please, Mr. Knight—”

“Alex!”

“Alex … you may be serious, but please believe that I am, too. I have no intention of marrying you or anyone else. My life is just fine the way it is.”

“Is it?” He sat forward, challenging her afresh. “Is that why you’re here? Is that why you can’t sleep at night?”

Alanna stiffened. “I thought dealings with doctors were supposed to be confidential. Whoever is feeding you your information is out of line.” The indignance in her tone was unmistakable. “And if you have any power at all in this hospital you should see that the breach is sealed.”

“Perhaps,” he drawled deeply, “it’s precisely my power that caused the breach to begin with.”

“Then it’s that much less excusable!”

To her dismay Alex smiled, enjoying her unease. The warmth of his gaze melted her resentment, even against her will. “You really have nothing to worry about, Alanna. That’s all I know—your name and your reason for being here. And there was no breach of confidence by any doctor; Sylvia spilled the last, as well. Anything further, I guess I’ll have to ferret out of you. Believe it or not, this hospital
is
closemouthed.”

“That remains to be seen,” Alanna commented wryly. Looking away, she caught the glint of the overhead light as it cast its tawny highlight on the fine hairs on the back of his hand. It was an image she thrust from her mind as being far too sensual, far too appealing. Grasping for an escape, she brightened. “Tell me … what can
you
learn from surface information? Since you don’t know me, whatever makes you think you’d want me as a wife?”

“For starters,” he began without hesitation, “I know that you’re part of the IAT study—that was what Sylvia told me. It says a lot.”

“Such as…?”

“Such as that you’re a working woman—a businesswoman—at the executive level.” At her look of surprise, he explained. “The IAT study—this phase, at least—deals with a very specific group. Executives. Under pressure. Between the ages of thirty and forty-five. I’d say,” his gaze raked her form with astounding thoroughness, pausing longer on her lips before returning to the anticipation in her eyes, “that you are at the bare bottom of that scale.”

“You’re right. I just turned thirty-one.”

“And
that
says a lot more.”

“My age?”

“The fact that you offer it so freely. Some women are very sensitive—”

“I’m not
some
women.”

“Which tells me even more. You’re a nonconformist. You’re self-confident, intelligent to have gotten where you are, and at least moderately aggressive.”

“Moderately?” she asked, amused by his evaluation.

“Actually, with regard to the factor of aggression you’re still an unknown factor. You may be very aggressive in the office; in … ah … other fields you may not have been put to the test yet.” The dark gleam which flickered in his eye spoke clearly of the fields he had in mind. Alanna’s reaction was instant.

“Do you really think that you’ll be the one to test me?”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” she warned softly. “I’ve fought my way from the bottom up, parrying similar threats all too often. Fighting you would be no different than fighting those others who’ve tried before you.”

Even as the words hit the air she wondered at their truth. From that first visual exchange in the elevator she had sensed something different in this man. A fight with him would push her to her limits, of that she was certain. Would it come to that? Despite his claims and her renunciation of them, would she be seeing him again?

“And that’s another thing I like about you,” he went on, totally ignoring her declaration. “You’ve got spunk. That’s good.”

“You’re nuts! Do you know that?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been told so on occasion—but I’ve usually gone on to prove myself totally sane. Are you interested in putting me to the test?”

“What test—proving you sane?” When he shook his head with deliberate slowness she amended her guess, once again with disbelief. “Marrying you?”

“Ummm.” His gaze began to move over her face in a visual caress that was utterly sensual. Beginning with her flaxen-sheened hair, pulled sedately back, his eye-touch stroked the creamy richness of her skin, the delicate symmetry of her nose, the sudden vulnerability of her lips. Awareness coursed through her in echoing ripples.

“I told you,” she argued defensively, her stiff tone belying the helpless cocoa of her eyes, “that I’m not the marrying type. Marriage has nothing to offer me that I don’t already have.”

“Which brings me to my original question. Why do you have insomnia?”

“Insomnia has nothing to do with marriage,” she asserted boldly.

“No, but if your life is as perfect as you seem to feel, you shouldn’t have insomnia. What causes it?”

Exasperated once more, Alanna sighed. “If I knew the answer to that I wouldn’t be here right now. In fact, I’m not quite sure why I
am
sitting here listening to you!”

“You’re listening to me,” Alex informed her without a second’s pause, “because I challenge you. Because I don’t ‘yes’ you all over the place, as I’m sure most of the men you’re used to dealing with do. Because I dare to question you. Because I interest you.”

He was right. She could simply have stood and excused herself when he arrived at her table, and certainly immediately after he popped his half-baked notion that she would one day be his wife. Yet he
did
interest her … and he was obviously interested
in
her. With a quivering in her limbs that she would have liked to attribute to fatigue but could not, Alanna knew she had to leave. Standing quickly, she shouldered her purse and reached for her glasses, slipping them deftly onto her face.

“I really must go, Alex. I have an appointment.” She glanced at her watch and saw, to her horror, that she’d been a full forty-five minutes in the cafeteria. “Oh, no, she’ll be waiting.”

“She’ll find something to keep her busy,” Alex drawled. He, too, had risen and made to escort her. “I presume you
are
talking about Ellen Henderson?”

Alanna was too aware of Alex’s closeness to react naturally to this knowledge of her. Quickening her step, she nodded. “That’s right.”

“Then I’m very happy that Ellen is a
she.
I’m not sure I’d enjoy having you pour your heart out to a
him.
Unless it was me, of course. I tend to be the jealous type.”

As they reached the door of the cafeteria Alanna turned to face him. “Alex, it was nice meeting you, but I really have no time to continue the game. My life is filled to bursting as it is. I hope that you can simply put this weird compulsion of yours out of your mind. We’d both be healthier.”

“Would we?” Taking her arm, he guided her in the direction of the elevator, holding her gently but firmly until the car arrived, entering with her and pushing the button for the proper floor. As fate would have it there were, again, no other passengers. After the door blocked out the rest of the world he looked down at her. “I think you’re wrong. This is the healthiest thing
I’ve
done in years.”

Without a further word he drew her to him, his hands grasping her arms, his head lowering. She hadn’t expected such suddenness. Stunned, she had no time to muster a protest before his lips touched hers. They were warm and gentle, as teasing as his nature. She stood perfectly still, refusing to yield to the pressure as it increased, yet unable to pull away. When teasing turned to seduction she struggled harder to remain indifferent. For, as with everything else about this man, his kiss, too, was different. His lips were vibrant, smoothly awakening her long-dormant senses. The warmth that began in her toes inched slowly upward, slowly and with growing heat as it made its way through her limbs. Her fingers itched to touch, her lips to respond. But his arrogance stayed her; she would no more give in to his cocksure demand than she would agree to his absurd marriage declaration. In the next instant, however, he slyly altered the ground rules.

“Bet you can’t do it,” he drawled softly against her lips.

“Do what?” she whispered, tipping her head back to study him.

“Kiss me with everything you’ve got … then turn and walk away.”

Alanna felt abruptly light-headed. She loved a challenge and this was the perfect out. She could maintain her dignity and meet his dare, all the while giving in to the very tempting lure of his male-strong lips. While a small, private voice within asked if
she
was the crazy one for what she was about to do, that more husky public voice accepted. “You’ve got yourself a bet.”

As though squaring off for a wrestling bout, Alex dropped his arms to his sides. Beaming indulgently down on her, he waited. Alanna’s hands found their way to his shoulders, then around to his back, exploring his strength as she brought her lips tentatively to his. With a mixture of curiosity and growing boldness she pressed sensuously against him—then caught her breath and pulled back in reaction to both the heady jolt of excitement that coursed through her veins and the opening of the elevator door.

Mercifully, there was no one on the other side to witness her momentary loss as she grappled for the poise that had been suddenly shattered. “Oops,” she gasped. “It looks like … we’ve been … thwarted.…”

“Saved by the bell is more like it,” he countered with a knowingly wicked smile. “Come on.” A strong arm about her shoulder pulled her from the elevator.

“Where…?” Numbly, she kept pace; she literally had no choice. They moved a few yards to the fire door, then through it, to the stairwell. “Alex, what are you doing?”

“I don’t think I can stand the suspense. You have a point to prove, I believe.” He moved her gently against the wall, satisfactorily placing the breadth of his back as a shield against any unwanted intrusion. “Now,” he cleared his throat, “that kiss…?”