The Elliotts: Bedrooms Not Boardrooms!

Hmm. Why did she have trouble believing that?

Because she wanted more. She wanted a loving husband, children, a home and a minivan. Despite her parents’ bad examples, she knew there was such a thing as a happy marriage. Her college friends had married and started families. Aubrey frowned. She couldn’t remember when she had last spoken to her friends. In the last few years work had taken over her life. Each time one of her friends had called she’d been shackled to her desk by some urgent deadline. She’d even given up her jogs in the park for a treadmill—with her laptop fastened to the handlebars—in her spare bedroom. Voice-recognition software made it possible for her to dictate her work as she ran.

Unfortunately, she could never have the American dream of 2-point-whatever children and a house with a yard with Liam. Even if it were possible to get over their Romeo and Juliet family situation, they’d met and ignited too quickly. Love at first sight—not that she imagined herself in love yet—wasn’t based on anything deep and meaningful, and therefore it burned out quickly and painfully, and it left scars behind. Just look at her mother. Pamela Holt Dean Getty Richards Curtis paid more for therapy each month than Aubrey paid in rent and utilities combined.

The swinging door opened, interrupting her dark thoughts. Liam entered carrying a tray holding two plates and a small bowl. He set a plate before her. The other dish he placed in front of the chair at a right angle to hers and put the bowl between them. He discarded the tray, pulled a bottle of wine from the crook of his arm, efficiently uncorked it and poured the deep red liquid into the waiting goblets and then sat.

From the bowl he extracted a cloth and extended his hand. “May I?”

Surprised by this consideration, Aubrey placed her palm over his. Liam wrapped the warm, damp lemon-scented cloth around her hand and then embarked on the most sensual hand washing of Aubrey’s life. He dragged the cloth between each finger, massaged her palm and the sensitive inner skin of her wrist, and then he repeated the process with her other hand. By the time he finished, the desire he’d so recently sated had rekindled and her breath came in short bursts. All because he’d washed her hands. She couldn’t get over it. How did he get to her so easily?

He lifted his wine glass. “Enjoy.”

“For as long as it lasts.” She touched her glass to his with a clink of fine crystal and then sipped. Liam definitely knew his wines. Aubrey lifted her knife and sliced into the tender beef and then paused. “If we’re going to have this … affair shouldn’t we make some ground rules?”

“Good idea.”

“No calls at work,” she offered and then took a bite. The succulent meat melted in her mouth. “Delicious.”

“Thank you. You’re right. Calling at work was risky even with the precautions I took. We need to keep our business and private lives separate. Completely separate,” he stressed.

Guilt stabbed Aubrey between the shoulder blades. She washed down the lump in her throat with a gulp of wine. She had to destroy the report from the sales department. “Okay. And when either of us wants to end this, all we have to do is say so and that’s it. No further contact. No questions asked. No explanations required.”

“Agreed.”

“No ‘I love yous’ or talk of the future. We both know this is temporary.”

“Got it. Here and now. That’s it.”

A few moments passed as each ate in silence. Aubrey couldn’t imagine being ready to say goodbye anytime soon, but then her mother probably never went into any of her marriages anticipating the messy divorces that followed, either.

She met Liam’s gaze. “Meeting in public is out, and we can’t meet at my apartment. My father owns the building and he lives in the penthouse above me. Besides the risk of running into him, there would be too many prying eyes. But a hotel seems.” She shrugged.

“Sleazy. My place is safe. My neighbor is overseas more often than he’s home, and Carlos the doorman has been here forever. He’s discreet.”

Aubrey paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “You mean there was no chance of us being interrupted in the elevator tonight?”

Liam’s lips curled upward. “Not unless there was a fire, and, sweetheart, you came damn close to starting one. Watching you watch us.” He shook his head and then exhaled through pursed lips.

Warmth swept her cheeks at the compliment. “You could have told me sooner. About your neighbor, I mean.”

“And spoil your fantasy?”

A smile twitched on her lips. She’d never had a man ask her what her fantasies were, let alone go to such lengths to deliver one. She said a silent prayer of thanks that baseball season was over and she wouldn’t be expected to play out his fantasy at the stadium. “Fantasies rarely live up to expectations, but this one did. You definitely didn’t disappoint me.”

“Glad to hear it.”

And then Aubrey’s blood chilled. “Oh my God. You don’t have security cameras in the elevator, do you? I should have thought to ask before but I—”

His grin faded and he laid down his silverware. “We don’t. Aubrey, you have my promise that I will never deliberately do anything to hurt or humiliate you.”

Tension drained and panic subsided. That could have been a disastrous mistake. “Nor I you.”

And she meant it. Her father would have to find another minion to investigate EPH.

Liam covered her hand with his on the table. His thumb stroked a trail of chaos along her inner wrist. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for me to sit here knowing you’re not wearing panties?”

Her appetite for food vanished and a hunger for Liam reawakened deep in her belly. She lowered her gaze from the fire in his eyes and surprisingly discovered her plate was empty. She barely remembered eating. “Let me help with the dishes.”

She hastily snatched up her plate and his, rushed into the kitchen and unloaded them into the sink. After plugging the drain she turned on the water. Liam’s arms bracketed her, caging her against the counter. He leaned forward until his chest pressed her shoulder blades and his erection rested in the crease of her bottom. His breath stirred the tendrils around her ear and she shivered. If it were possible for bones to melt, hers would be in a puddle on the granite floor.

“The dishes can wait. Join me in the shower. I want to get you wet.”

She turned in his arms and pressed her hands to his chest. Her heart echoed the rapid beat of his beneath her palm. “I think you already have, but I’m willing to let you keep practicing if you insist.”

For better or worse, her forbidden affair had begun.

Aubrey dropped her towel and reached for her dress. Liam snapped out of the sensual fog induced by the sight of her damp ivory skin. “Stay. Tomorrow’s Sunday. No need to rush home.”

She turned, chewing her bottom lip. “Are you sure?”

“Without a doubt.”

Barely nine and they’d already had dinner and made love twice. She’d destroyed him, totally wrecked him, and five minutes ago after he’d come unglued in the shower he would have sworn he’d be sated for months to come. So why did hunger still gnaw at his veins? And why did the idea of waking up beside Aubrey make his body twitch to life?

She rested her palms on his chest, sifting through his chest hairs in a way guaranteed to make his soldier salute. He pressed his hands over hers, stilling her dangerous digits. Undeterred, she bent to sip a trail of kisses along his collarbone. He tangled his fingers in her damp hair and gently tugged her head back. “I thought you said you needed to rest.”

Her siren’s smile could tempt a saint—something he’d never aspired to be. “We’ll rest awhile if you insist. You can show me your wine collection.”

He didn’t need to rest. His hard-on proved that, but he wanted to share his wine collection with Aubrey. No one but his grandfather knew the extent of his interest in enology. He laced his fingers through hers, led her back to the kitchen and folded back the wooden cabinet doors concealing his built-in wine refrigerator.

Her eyebrows lifted. How he managed to keep his eyes on her face when her luscious naked body was there to tempt him he didn’t know. “You’re a serious collector.”

“I have more.”

“Show me.”

But instead of taking her to the cases stored in the third bedroom he led her to the library. She released his hand and strolled toward the ceiling-high bookcases. The shift of her buttocks and the swish of her long legs as she crossed the room, followed by the sight of her fingers caressing the spines of his collection of books on enology and viticulture, had him gritting his teeth on a surge of pure, unadulterated lust.

“My family has an estate in Napa. It belonged to my grandparents. Maybe you and I.” Her voice trailed off. Regret darkened her eyes and turned down the corners of her luscious mouth. They couldn’t visit her family’s estate without word of their affair getting out.

She sank in his leather desk chair, tucked her knees to her chest and spun the chair around. Butter-soft ivory skin on burgundy leather. Liam’s fingers flexed in anticipation. If he had a condom with him he’d have her flat on her back on top of his cherry desk in seconds. He considered making a quick trip to his bedroom to retrieve protection, but a knock at his front door doused his desire like a coach’s sideline shower from the water cooler after a ball game.

Aubrey planted her feet on the floor and halted the chair with a jerk. Her eyes widened with alarm and her face paled. “Are you expecting someone?”

“No.” Liam tried to think but it wasn’t easy with a naked lady sitting in his desk chair. “It’s probably Cade. Otherwise the doorman would have called.”

“Cade’s a friend?”

“And a co-worker.”

“Oh.” A dose of apprehension flavored the word.

“Head for my room. I’ll get the door.”

“You might want to put on some pants first in case it’s not your friend.”

Where was his brain? Lost somewhere between Panic Avenue and Lust Lane. “Good idea.”

The knocking continued as they raced back to Liam’s room. He yanked on his pants and then closed the bedroom door on his way out. “All right. I’m coming.”

He paused a second to catch his breath and then opened the door. Cade stood on the threshold. His friend immediately stepped inside, heading for the den, the way he had dozens of times before.

“I was about to give up on you. Mind if I hang out here for a while? Jessie and her girlfriends are oohing and aahing over wedding magazines. They kicked me out.” When Liam remained by the door instead of following him, Cade turned and took in Liam’s bare chest, the pants he’d fastened but hadn’t bothered to belt and his bare feet. “Did I get you out of bed?”

Liam wiped a hand over his face and shut the door. It was pretty damned obvious from his state of undress that Cade had interrupted something. Better his buddy think he’d awakened him than have him ask questions. “Yes.”

And the lie began. At that moment it hit home exactly what a relationship with Aubrey would entail. Sneaking around, lying to family and friends and keeping quiet about the only woman who’d put a smile on his face since Patrick’s contest began.

Cade’s gaze drifted past Liam to the champagne, roses and purse still on the dining room table. “You’re not alone.”

Damn. You couldn’t lie with two empty champagne flutes in plain view. “No.”

Cade pointed at Liam’s neck. “Is that what I think it is?”

“What?”

“A hickey.”

Liam fought the urge to cover his heating skin. “Possibly.”

A wicked grin spread over Cade’s face. “If you’d mentioned you had a hot date tonight I wouldn’t have dropped in. So who is she?”

“Nobody you know.”

“The gallery lady with you in the picture in the paper?”

“Good night, Cade. We’ll hang out another time.”

“You’re not talking? She must be special.”

Denial sprang to Liam’s lips, but he bit it back. Aubrey special? She was, but not in the way Cade meant. There wouldn’t be a wedding at the end of this affair. Liam opened the door, an unsubtle hint. “I’ll catch up with you Monday.”

“I knew you were having women troubles,” Cade said on his way past. “You’ve been zoned out all week. But I guess you’ve worked them out.”

Not good to know his distraction was obvious. “No troubles to work out.”

But he lied. Liam shut the door and leaned against it. The trouble had just begun. He’d chosen a path through a mine field. One misstep and life as he knew it could be blown to hell.

What if they’d been caught?

Aubrey’s heart beat a frantic baboom as she pulled on her clothing. With her hands trembling like fall leaves in a stiff breeze, rolling up the expensive stockings was beyond her capabilities. She wadded them up and stepped barefoot into her heels.

The low rumble of male voices carried through the door, but she couldn’t understand the words. No matter. As soon as Liam’s visitor left she had to go. Spending the night and brazenly waltzing outside in the morning sunshine was too risky. Better to slink home under the cover of darkness.

A clandestine affair. So over the top. So Hollywood. So not her. And yet she wasn’t ready to give up Liam. Not yet. Not when she finally felt alive again for the first time in years.

The opening bedroom door startled her. She spun to face Liam. His gaze ran over her and a pleat formed between his eyebrows. “You’re dressed.”

“Yes. I need to go.”

“Why?”

“Because staying isn’t a good idea. I thought—But no. I mean I—” She was blathering. She stopped and pressed her fingers to her lips.

He cupped her shoulders. “Aubrey, it’s okay. No one knows you’re here.”

She looked into his understanding blue eyes and almost caved. Almost. She’d love to spend the night pleasuring Liam and letting him return the favor, because he was exceptionally good at delivering pleasure, and she’d love to wake up in arms, but the stakes were too high. “I want to go home.”

“Spend the weekend with me. We’ll drive to the coast or upstate and find a place where we don’t have to worry about anyone knocking on our door.” His thumbs stroked the hollows beneath her collarbones with thought-blocking sensuality.

“I can’t. My father is entertaining tomorrow night. I’m his hostess. Maybe next weekend.”

He shook his head. “Next weekend I have to fly to Colorado for Cade’s engagement party.”

Aubrey sighed in resignation. Their time together would consist of stolen interludes, until finding time for each other became more hassle than happiness and one or the other of them would end the relationship. Had she expected otherwise? No, because she hadn’t bothered to think that far in advance. In fact, thinking seemed to be an ability she lacked around Liam Elliott.

The relationship was moving too fast. Aubrey needed to step back and assess the situation. Otherwise, she’d end up in one of her mother’s relationship train wrecks.

“I want to go home,” she repeated.

He must have recognized the determination in her eyes, because he didn’t argue this time. He raked a hand over his hair, standing the blond strands up in spikes. “I’ll call a cab.”

“No. It’s only a few blocks.”

“Then I’ll walk you to your door.”

“No.” She bit her lip. She hadn’t intended to shout.

His lips flattened. “Either I walk you to your door or you take a cab. It’s better to risk exposure than have you get mugged or worse.”

Once again, his thoughtfulness surprised her. Liam Elliott was truly a prize. A prize she couldn’t keep.

“You can walk me to the street corner in view of the well-lit entrance to my building, but not to my door.” If she wanted to protect her heart, then she had to keep the boundaries of this affair firmly in sight.

Liam’s week had been a tug-of-war between family duty, his friendship with Cade and his desire for Aubrey. There had been moments where it seemed like he—the rope—would snap.

He’d spent his days at work, dodging Cade’s knowing smirk and probing questions, trying to pacify antsy advertisers and attempting to alleviate the tension between the EPH staff members. Each evening he came home to Aubrey. She made the headaches disappear. He cooked dinner with her and had the hottest sex of his life. And they talked. About anything, about nothing. It didn’t matter. Just being with her was enough.

He couldn’t leave town without saying goodbye. Again. They’d said goodbye last night very satisfactorily. If he was a little worried that he was becoming too dependent on her, then he shrugged it off as a temporary hurdle. All too soon this sensual interval would end.

Hoping Aubrey wouldn’t mind being awakened so early in the morning, he snatched up his cell phone and punched in her number. He’d programmed her as number one on his speed dial list. He tucked the unit beneath his ear and resumed shoving clothing and his toiletry bag into his suitcase.

“Hello,” Aubrey answered in a sleep-roughened voice.

One word, that was all it took to reignite the sparks of hunger deep in his belly. “I called to say goodbye before I take off for the airport.”

“It’s only five-thirty. You’re getting an early start.”

He didn’t want to go. The realization surprised him. He’d always wanted to travel, but he’d stayed close to EPH, fearing that if he left he’d give the impression that he didn’t care about his job. In other circumstances he’d love to see Colorado and spend time with his family away from the stress of work, but the timing of Cade’s engagement party reeked. Liam loved Cade like a brother and he was happy his friend had found Jessie, but watching the lovers cuddle and kiss would rub salt in an open wound. Liam and Aubrey could never have what Cade and Jessie had—an open relationship and a family celebration.

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