Beauty and the Wolf / Their Miracle Twins: Beauty and the Wolf

Moments passed while they concentrated on their pizza.

“So, how boring was the cocktail party?” Eli asked after he’d finished his first slice.

“Deadly.”

“That bad, huh?”

Frankie pursed her lips, considering. “On the scale of really bad, it was somewhere between the torture of sitting through an hour lecture on the conception process of boll weevils and the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Whoa.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not even going to tell you about the most boring work party I was ever forced to attend. You win.”

She smiled sunnily, the last remnants of weary annoyance from a long day fading away. “Sometimes parties at work aren’t boring—I think this one wasn’t enjoyable because it was last-minute on a Friday night. Plus I was annoyed that it forced me to change our plans.”

“I know what you mean.” He nodded and picked up another pizza slice. They ate in companionable silence.

Frankie finished her second piece with a sigh of contentment, set her plate on the coffee table and picked up the remote.

“Is there anything you want to watch?”

“ESPN.”

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” he coaxed. “I brought you pizza—and there’s a Knicks game on tonight.”

“How about a compromise? I won’t make you watch a chick flick if you don’t make me watch a ball game.”

He tipped his bottle and eyed her over the rim. “How about a guy movie?”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What, exactly, are we talking about here?”

“Cruise through the channel listings and I’ll show you.”

“Okay.” Frankie thumbed the remote and brought up the channel log. “See anything interesting?”

They finally settled on an action film starring Will Smith.

As the opening credits began to roll, rain hammered against the windows outside. January in Seattle often brought winter storms roaring in off the Pacific to pound the city with wind and rain. Tonight was clearly no exception.

Inside, Frankie curled her legs under her. Eli stretched his long legs out in front of him, propping his feet on the coffee table, ankles crossed.

The wind whistled around the corner of the building. Frankie looked at the windows, where the shadowy shapes of tree branches, tossing in the wind, were visible in the faint glow from streetlights.

“Brr.” She shivered, clutching a throw pillow against her middle. “I’m glad we’re not at Harry’s. We’d have to drive home in this.”

“It’s nasty out there,” Eli agreed. He looked sideways at her. “Come here.” He reached out and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, toppling her sideways against him. Her head rested on his shoulder, his arm cradling her. Startled, she twisted to look up at him, but he gently pushed her head back down on his shoulder. “This is more comfortable,” he told her before pointing at the screen. “Shh, the movie’s starting.”

He’s right, Frankie thought as she wriggled slightly and stretched out her legs on the sofa cushions. This is very comfortable. His chest was warm and solid against her side, his arm draped around her enclosed her in a warm cocoon of male heat and his shoulder was the perfect cushion for her head.

“You still have freckles,” he murmured a few moments later, trailing a fingertip over the bridge of her nose.

She tilted her head back to look up and found him watching her instead of the television screen. “You noticed I had freckles?” she asked, surprised.

“Of course.” He looked faintly insulted. “You were a cute little kid with a little spray of freckles just over your nose and your cheekbones.”

His head lowered, and he brushed soft, tasting kisses over her face, following the arch of her cheekbone. Frankie’s breath caught.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he murmured as he drew back a few inches.

“Have you?” she whispered. His thick, dark lashes were half lowered as he cupped her chin in his palm and stroked his thumb over her cheek. She shivered. The faintly rough pad of his thumb moved against her sensitive skin, stirring heat in her midsection. His lashes lifted, his gaze leaving her mouth and lifting to meet hers. Desire, hot and alive, lit his eyes. Her skin warmed, flushing under his stare.

“Eli, I don’t want to mistake what’s happening here.” Her voice was a soft murmur. “We agreed to pretend we’re attracted to each other to fool Harry—but at the moment, he’s not here. It’s just the two of us.”

“Frankie,” he muttered, his fingertips trailing down her throat. “Just so we’re clear—this has nothing to do with Harry.” His gaze flicked to the base of her throat, where his thumb stroked over the fast race of her pulse. “I want you.”

His blunt words widened Frankie’s eyes and sent heat flooding through her body. “Eli, I don’t—”

He stopped her with a fingertip across her lips. “I’m not saying I want out of our deal to fool Harry. I just want you to know that if I’m kissing you—” he paused, his eyes going hotter “—or anything else physical, I’m not acting.”

Frankie’s gaze searched his face but found only sincere, focused intent. Much as she was tempted to tell him she wanted him, too, she was scared to death of opening that door. Desire warred with a deep conviction that she needed to protect her heart.

But if she wanted to move past her schoolgirl crush, maybe she needed to be a little more daring. Perhaps limited lovemaking with Eli would inoculate her against another full-blown crush, she thought.

Or maybe she was rationalizing because she desperately wanted more of his kisses. Whatever it was, Frankie decided to take a chance.

“Okay,” she murmured. He didn’t move, his gaze fixed on hers. Although his thumb continued to stroke seductively against her throat, he clearly waited for her to respond further. She’d never had a conversation quite like this with any man she’d dated but decided to be equally blunt with him. “I’m not ready to sleep with you yet.”

“All right.”

His body had tensed with her words, his restraint palpable as he waited.

She slipped her arms around his neck, her fingers testing the heavy silk of his dark hair. “Just so we’re clear, when we’re alone, I’m not pretending, either. And I’m sure I’m ready for more kissing.” His muscles tightened against hers. “Maybe some serious fooling around?” she ventured.

A half smile tilted his lips. “I’ll take whatever I can get,” he murmured before he lifted her, settling her across his lap, and his mouth took hers.

When Eli left Frankie’s condo several hours later, he was aroused and hungry, but he’d managed to keep his vow to honor Frankie’s decision not to make love.

How the hell he’d kept from seducing her on the sofa, or the carpet or any other available flat surface, he had no idea. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this badly, nor when he’d been so turned on just by kissing.

He drove home and went to bed, but his dreams were hot and vividly sexual.

And all of them featured making love with Frankie.

After one last sizzling good-night kiss, Frankie closed the door behind Eli and slumped against the wood panels. When she straightened, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled and tumbled to her shoulders; her mouth was deeply pink and faintly swollen from the pressure of Eli’s lips; her eyes were heavy-lidded and her skin flushed.

She’d barely managed to keep from begging him to make love to her, and if he’d pushed, she wasn’t sure she could have said no.

Which meant she needed to decide how she felt about him while he wasn’t in the same room, because she obviously lost the ability to think clearly when he was kissing her.

She needed to talk to her sisters, badly.

Frankie picked up the phone and tapped in half the numbers for Tommi before she remembered to look at the clock.

Ten-thirty. On a Friday night. She couldn’t call her sister this late. Tommi was five months’ pregnant, probably exhausted from a long day at her thriving restaurant and, if she was lucky, her guy was rubbing her feet and feeding her chocolates right about now.

Since Max adored Tommi, Frankie was pretty sure he was taking good care of her sister, and she didn’t want to disrupt their time together. Tommi deserved to be cherished and coddled.

She’d talked to Georgie at work earlier that day and knew she had plans to go out that evening.

And that left Bobbie—but Frankie suspected her younger sister and her new husband were also probably engaged in newlywed bliss at the moment.

Where are the Fairchild women when I need them? She sighed and returned the phone to its base. Her two younger sisters were dizzy with happiness, partnered with men who adored them. Frankie couldn’t be happier for them.

But having her sisters busy left Frankie with no one to confide in.

Sighing, she walked into the bathroom. A few moments later, she’d changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, switching off the lamp to stare at the dark ceiling.

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright.

Lily, she realized with delight. She could talk to Lily about Eli. Not only had Lily gone through turmoil before she and Justin had worked out their difficulties to happily marry, but she also knew Eli very well.

She was scheduled to have a playdate with Ava the following morning. They’d arranged to meet at Lily’s boutique in Ballard—she could arrive early and, hopefully, have a private conversation with Lily before Justin dropped off Ava.

Relieved that she had a plan, Frankie closed her eyes. Her evening with Eli continued to replay itself behind her lowered eyelids, however, and it was some time before she finally fell asleep.

Chapter Eight

The following morning, she drove to Princess Lily’s Boutique a full hour before the time she’d agreed to meet Ava, stopping at a Starbucks in downtown Ballard on her way.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Lily’s assistant told her Lily was in the workroom on the second floor. Frankie climbed the stairs and knocked on the open door of the big workspace.

Dressed in slim black slacks, ballet flats and a loose, chic black-and-white patterned top, Lily leaned over the wide table, shears moving swiftly and smoothly as she cut fabric. She glanced over her shoulder at Frankie’s knock, a smile lighting her face.

“Frankie! You’re here—come in.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting you.”

“Not at all.” Lily’s dark hair brushed her shoulders as she shook her head. “I’m glad you could come by early—it seems as if we hardly ever get to chat. We can catch up while we’re waiting for Justin to drop off Ava.”

“What an excellent idea.” Frankie handed Lily a take-out Starbucks cup. “It’s green tea,” she assured her when Lily lifted a questioning eyebrow. “I thought we’d switch to tea for a while. I considered chai tea,” she said, perching on a stool next to Lily’s, one of several ranged along the edges of the long worktable that filled the center of the room, “but wasn’t sure if you liked the black pepper and spices.”

“I’m not a big fan,” Lily said. “But I love green tea—so thanks for thinking of me.” She leaned a hip against the wide cutting table where a roll of apricot silk snuggled against a half-unrolled bolt of cobalt blue. “I had the distinct impression when you called this morning that this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment visit.”

“No,” Frankie admitted. “I need a woman’s perspective about something, and I can’t talk to my sisters about it.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “And you came to me?” She pulled a stool closer and perched on it, her expression pleased. “I’m all ears.” She glanced at her watch. “And we have at least an hour before Justin drops off Ava for your playdate.”

“It’s about Eli—and me.”

“Ahh.” Lily nodded sagely. “I heard you two have been dating.”

“Yes—we have,” Frankie confirmed. She was silent for a moment, tugging on the end of her ponytail.

“And?” Lily prompted when the silence stretched.

“Well …” Frankie drew a deep breath. “Here’s the thing. When we started dating, we agreed that it would be … uncomplicated.” She was having a difficult time finding the words to make Lily understand without confessing the entire scheme to trick Harry.

“Uncomplicated? As in—you were just friends?” Lily asked.

“Yes, sort of.” Frankie sipped her tea and frowned.

“And that’s become a problem?” Lily nudged.

“Exactly.” Frankie rubbed her fingertips against her temple. “Will you promise not to tell Justin about this?”

“Of course,” Lily said firmly.

“Good,” Frankie said with relief. “Because he and Eli are such good friends, and I don’t want him telling Eli about our conversation.”

“I totally understand,” Lily assured her.

“So, here’s the thing. Since Eli and I have been dating, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to say no to him. It’s not that other men haven’t wanted to go to bed with me, but … this is Eli.” Frankie spread her hands expressively, the take-out cup of tea tilting precariously in one hand. “He’s practically part of my extended family. If I sleep with him and things don’t work out, it’s not as if I can just walk away. I’ll keep running into him at family gatherings. I’ll hear about him in casual conversation from Justin or Uncle Harry.”

“I see your problem,” Lily said slowly, sipping her tea.

“Not to mention the fact that he hasn’t said a word about where he thinks our relationship is going,” Frankie added.

Lily’s sable eyebrows lifted. “Do you want it to go somewhere? Permanently, I mean?”

Frankie’s mouth drooped. “I don’t know. I’ve never wanted a permanent relationship.” She slipped off the stool and paced across the room to stare out the bank of tall windows that looked out on Ballard Avenue. Traffic hummed along the brick street below. “But with Eli, I find myself wondering if having a man in my life for the long haul might not be a bad thing.”

“Are you saying you’ve thought marriage was a bad thing up until now?” Lily asked, her voice gentle.

“Maybe not bad,” Frankie told her. “Just … not something I could see myself choosing.”

“You mean, before Eli?”

“I never thought about it before Eli.”

“Ah.” Lily nodded and sipped her tea.

“Has it been worth it for you? I mean—” Frankie waved her hand to encompass the high-ceilinged, well-appointed workroom with its bright bolts of silk, mannequins and lingerie-design sketches tacked on the white-painted walls “—you were a successful designer before you met Justin and had Ava. It must have been difficult to readjust your life to include a husband and child.”

“Oh, yes.” Lily’s face softened, her eyes warm as her gaze met Frankie’s. “But their presence in my life has made me a better designer. And even more importantly, a happier, more contented, more fulfilled person.”

“Hmm,” Frankie murmured, considering Lily’s words.

“You and Eli haven’t had any conversations, even a few comments, about where your relationship is going?” Lily asked.

Frankie shook her head. “No. We’ve only been seeing each other for a short time.” She paced away from her abandoned stool and Lily, then turned to pace back, too restless to be still. “That’s one of the things that bothers me. How can I feel so strongly about him after only a few weeks—days, really,” she amended.

“But haven’t you known him a long time?”

“Yes, since I was a little girl,” Frankie conceded. “But still …” She stopped, leaned a hip against the worktable, and eyed Lily. “Eli Wolf is handsome, charming and kisses like the devil himself. I’m incredibly attracted to him. But he has a reputation for serial dating. He scares me—and I don’t know what to do about him.”

Lily smiled a mischievous, impish grin. “I swear, I felt the same way about Justin. And I never admitted it to a living soul. Kudos to you, Frankie, for being so honest.”

“I don’t know what good it does me,” Frankie grumbled. “It’s not making me feel better. I hate not having answers. I’m a woman who treasures a rational, reasonable approach to life. My sisters tell me I’m too brainy and value logic over emotion, but the truth is, I’ve never found a situation I couldn’t resolve through research and rational thinking.” She threw up her hands and paced away once more. “And this situation is filled with emotion and too little logic. He’s making me crazy. And on top of everything else about him that’s so incredibly attractive, he doesn’t appear to be the slightest bit intimidated that I have a PhD in English Lit and two master’s degrees. I’ve never dated a man who didn’t ultimately resent me for having a double master’s in math and science. It’s as if men are offended by a female who likes math or science, but Eli doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.”

“So, you’re saying Eli sees you as a woman, not a brain?”

Frankie thought for a moment, eyes narrowed, before nodding abruptly. “I suppose I am.”

Lily’s laugh was infectious. “Frankie, do you realize you have the opposite problem from most pretty women—and you are definitely pretty,” she said firmly. “In any event—” she waved a hand before continuing “—women are more likely to complain that men notice their face and body first, while ignoring their brain. You, on the other hand, appreciate Eli because he sees past your brain to the wonderful woman you are.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Frankie murmured, considering Lily’s words.

“I know I’m right,” Lily said firmly. “And how terrific is it that Eli appreciates your emotional, physical self and accepts the cerebral, brilliant side of you as well?”

“I think that’s part of why I’m so drawn to him,” Frankie admitted.

Clear childish tones sounded in the stairwell, answered by a deep male voice as footsteps clattered on the stairs.

“I think Ava’s arrived,” Lily told her.

The little dark-haired girl burst through the doorway, followed by Justin. Lily’s smile held warm affection as she bent to swing Ava up for a hug. The glance she exchanged with Justin as he bent and brushed a kiss against her mouth was filled with love. A twist of wistful envy swept Frankie.

Could she have that with Eli? Was it possible?

“Hi, cousin.” Justin threw an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick, hard hug. “How’s everything?”

“Fine, Justin, just fine. How are you?”

He gave her a wry grin. “I’ve just spent an hour eating pancakes with Ava at Vera’s Restaurant. My ears hurt from all the chattering.”

Frankie laughed. “That’s what you get for having a bright, precocious daughter. When are you going to have a little boy so your family balances the male-female ratio?”

Justin looked at Lily, lifting an eyebrow. “I’ll let Lily field that question,” he said dryly.

“And Lily’s not talking,” his wife said with a laugh.

“Good for you,” Frankie told them. “Don’t cave in to peer pressure. Have a baby when you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” Ava piped up. “I want a baby brother.”

The adults blinked before exchanging glances and laughing.

A half hour later, Frankie and Ava left Lily and Justin in the design room above the boutique to drive to the park for an hour of play.

“Cousin Frankie, can we ride our bikes over there?” Ava pointed at open space in the parking lot behind them.

“Well, we could,” Frankie acknowledged. “But if we follow the path around the park, we can stop and get hot chocolate at the coffee stand halfway around.”

“Ooh.” Ava’s eyes lit with anticipation. “Let’s go on the path.”

“Yes, let’s.” Frankie unloaded their bikes from the back of the SUV she’d borrowed from Lily. She tucked the keys into the pocket of her black fleece jacket and pushed her bike beside Ava’s little pink and white bicycle with its two-toned training wheels as they set off down the path that wound through the Ballard green space. The park was geared toward family activities, and even on this chilly January day, with a brisk breeze tangling hair and turning cheeks pink, the space was thronged. Parents accompanied children as they rode bicycles, tricycles and scooters along the paths, slid down slides or glided high on swings. Bundled up in boots, jeans, fleeces zipped to just beneath their chins, with gloves on their hands and earmuffs to keep their ears warm, Ava and Frankie joined the other children and adults on the wide, paved bike path.

Ava concentrated on pedaling and keeping her wheels straight, the tip of her pink tongue just visible between her teeth as she focused. The loquacious little girl couldn’t be silent for long, however.

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