Notorious by Vicki Lewis Thompson Page A

glanced at Keely, who was nonchalantly swishing bits of dirt from her shapely knees. She had never seemed more beautiful to him. The flush in her cheeks obviously came from pleasure, not shame. When she finished brushing herself off and peeked up at him, her eyes sparkled with remnants of desire.
    He’d kissed off all that satiny peach lipstick, and her dress was rumpled, giving testimony to exactly what they’d been doing. Yes, he was embarrassed that they’d been discovered here, but in a way he was proud that he was the guy this gorgeous woman had been making out with.
    While the gardener stared, Keely picked up her purse and the bag containing her drugstore purchases as calmly as if she were leaving a restaurant after a meal and the gardener was the busboy waiting to clear the table.
    Noah thought of the boxes of condoms inside that bag and wondered what would have happened if the gardener hadn’t come along. Noah suspected that if he’d been willing to makelove to Keely’s breasts, chances were he might have been coaxed to make love to the rest of her. The thought of the gardener coming upon them later and catching something even more involved made him break out in a cold sweat.
    Swinging her purse strap over her shoulder, Keely flashed a winning smile at the gardener. “Qué pasa, Jose?”
    For one startled moment Noah thought she might know the gardener, but then he glanced at the man’s breast pocket and noticed the name embroidered on it.
    Jose’s shock and disapproval seemed to melt in the glow of Keely’s smile. Slowly he grinned back and gave a little shrug. “Nada, señorita.”
    She winked at him. “ Bien. Adiós .” Then she picked her way carefully around the edge of the rock and headed for the sidewalk.
    As Noah followed, he heard the gardener sigh with longing. Keely had made another conquest.
    She was waiting for him at the edge of the sidewalk, and naturally she’d attracted a number of glances, both of the curious and of the lecherous kind. The way the damp dress clung to her was close to indecent and the moisture had turned her wavy hair into a mass of ringlets. She looked delicious.
    When he stepped out from behind the foliage, several people stared openly. He tried to act as if prowling around in the hotel landscaping was a perfectly normal thing to do.
    â€œDr. Livingston, I presume?” she said with a grin.
    He figured he had to get things straightened out right away. “Keely, don’t get the wrong idea. What happened back there was—”
    â€œAll my fault,” she said. “I know. I was a bad girl.” She didn’t look particularly sorry about that.
    Bad girl . Damn, but that phrase made his blood race. But he had to control those impulses from now on, or he might as well forget about his plan to rehabilitate her. “No, it wasn’t all your fault. After all, I’m the one who dragged you backthere in the first place. From now on, I don’t intend on anything like that happening again. I just want you to know that.” He looked into her eyes so he wouldn’t be tempted to notice how the dress molded to her figure. Fortunately, sunlight filtered down to the sidewalk and the material was beginning to dry already.
    â€œAll right.” She looked far from convinced.
    â€œI mean it, Keely. No fooling around. We’re going to get your résumé in shape.”
    â€œAnd I really appreciate that.” She gave him a saucy look. “I’m just worried that my résumé’s not very well suited to what you have in mind. But if you’re willing to massage it a little, maybe there’s hope. I’m looking forward to your input.”
    Heat flooded through him. “Stop that.”
    â€œStop what?” She widened her eyes in innocence.
    â€œYou know perfectly well. Your choice of words. Like massage and input. You’re trying to make me think