impromptu beach party for this afternoon," she replied caustically. "Of course, I was under the impression that you were here alone with nothing to do all day."
"Obviously you were wrong," Cole returned with a complacent smile.
His arm tightened unexpectedly around Lacey's waist, drawing her more fully against his side before she could make a move to stop him.
"Don't!" she protested in a low angry whisper.
By the time his grip lessened, it was too late. Monica was already turning on her heel, her long blond hair swinging around her shoulders.
"We're going, Vic," she snapped.
"I'll see you, Cole," Vic shrugged, but it was Lacey he was looking at before he turned to follow his sister.
"Monica, do you remember what I told you the other day?" Cole's voice halted her at the top of the stairs, her attractive features haughty with pride. "I think you understand now that I meant it when I said, 'Don't call me, I'll call you.'"
Liquid green eyes shimmered briefly and resentfully at Lacey. Then Monica was descending the stairs with a faintly smiling Vic behind her. Neither Lacey nor Cole moved or spoke until they heard the front door shut.
"You shou—" Lacey began reprovingly.
But the deep, rich laughter coming from his throat stunned her into silence. The hand resting lightly on the back of her waist suddenly exerted pressure to sweep her against his chest.
"You' re a godsend, Lacey!" he laughed.
In the next second, his mouth was swooping down to claim her lips in a hard, sure kiss that took her breath away. When he lifted his head to study her, her reaction was chaotic.
The firm imprint of his mouth still tingled on her lips, the scent of soap and shaving cream assailing her nose. Her heart was tripping over itself, unable to find its normal beat. Over all that, confusion reigned at his lightning change from sarcastic coldness with Monica to this warm, hearty amusement.
He locked his hands together at the small of her back. Lacey's own fingers were spread across his chest in mute protest, aware of the solidness of his naked flesh.
His wickedly glinting eyes looked deeply into hers, crinkling at the corners while taking note of the confusion darkening her brown eyes.
"I've been trying to get that attractive crow off my back for several months," he explained. "I think the sight of you scared her off for good. For that, you possess my undying gratitude."
"Who is she?" Lacey frowned.
"A couple of years ago I briefly, and unwisely, made her my fiancée. I soon rectified that mistake, but Monica isn't the type to take rejection lightly. In fact, she's been trying to persuade me to change my mind ever since I broke our engagement." His face was disconcertingly near hers, the chiseled male contours shadowed by the overnight beard growth.
"So that's why you deliberately let her believe we'd spent the night together—in the intimate sense," Lacey said, half in accusation and half in conclusion.
"Exactly. She wouldn't have believed me if I'd tried to convince her otherwise," Cole insisted calmly. "Knowing the way her mind works, if there'd been a motion picture camera hidden in the house to film all that happened—or failed to happen—last night, she still would have been certain that I'd somehow messed up the film."
Lacey wriggled free of his unrestraining hold, finding his nearness just a little too disturbing, especially when he was only half-clothed. She moved a few feet away under his watchful yet mellow gaze.
"I am sorry, though," he added. "It wasn't really fair to involve you, not when you're an innocent bystander." A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, deepening the cleft in his chin. "I hope you don't mind being unjustly branded as a scarlet woman."
"Spending a night with a man in today's society doesn't put a scarlet stain on a girl anymore," Lacey answered, adultly shrugging away the suggestion. "To be honest, I thought for a moment that she was your wife, and I was more worried about being named a
"Obviously you were wrong," Cole returned with a complacent smile.
His arm tightened unexpectedly around Lacey's waist, drawing her more fully against his side before she could make a move to stop him.
"Don't!" she protested in a low angry whisper.
By the time his grip lessened, it was too late. Monica was already turning on her heel, her long blond hair swinging around her shoulders.
"We're going, Vic," she snapped.
"I'll see you, Cole," Vic shrugged, but it was Lacey he was looking at before he turned to follow his sister.
"Monica, do you remember what I told you the other day?" Cole's voice halted her at the top of the stairs, her attractive features haughty with pride. "I think you understand now that I meant it when I said, 'Don't call me, I'll call you.'"
Liquid green eyes shimmered briefly and resentfully at Lacey. Then Monica was descending the stairs with a faintly smiling Vic behind her. Neither Lacey nor Cole moved or spoke until they heard the front door shut.
"You shou—" Lacey began reprovingly.
But the deep, rich laughter coming from his throat stunned her into silence. The hand resting lightly on the back of her waist suddenly exerted pressure to sweep her against his chest.
"You' re a godsend, Lacey!" he laughed.
In the next second, his mouth was swooping down to claim her lips in a hard, sure kiss that took her breath away. When he lifted his head to study her, her reaction was chaotic.
The firm imprint of his mouth still tingled on her lips, the scent of soap and shaving cream assailing her nose. Her heart was tripping over itself, unable to find its normal beat. Over all that, confusion reigned at his lightning change from sarcastic coldness with Monica to this warm, hearty amusement.
He locked his hands together at the small of her back. Lacey's own fingers were spread across his chest in mute protest, aware of the solidness of his naked flesh.
His wickedly glinting eyes looked deeply into hers, crinkling at the corners while taking note of the confusion darkening her brown eyes.
"I've been trying to get that attractive crow off my back for several months," he explained. "I think the sight of you scared her off for good. For that, you possess my undying gratitude."
"Who is she?" Lacey frowned.
"A couple of years ago I briefly, and unwisely, made her my fiancée. I soon rectified that mistake, but Monica isn't the type to take rejection lightly. In fact, she's been trying to persuade me to change my mind ever since I broke our engagement." His face was disconcertingly near hers, the chiseled male contours shadowed by the overnight beard growth.
"So that's why you deliberately let her believe we'd spent the night together—in the intimate sense," Lacey said, half in accusation and half in conclusion.
"Exactly. She wouldn't have believed me if I'd tried to convince her otherwise," Cole insisted calmly. "Knowing the way her mind works, if there'd been a motion picture camera hidden in the house to film all that happened—or failed to happen—last night, she still would have been certain that I'd somehow messed up the film."
Lacey wriggled free of his unrestraining hold, finding his nearness just a little too disturbing, especially when he was only half-clothed. She moved a few feet away under his watchful yet mellow gaze.
"I am sorry, though," he added. "It wasn't really fair to involve you, not when you're an innocent bystander." A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, deepening the cleft in his chin. "I hope you don't mind being unjustly branded as a scarlet woman."
"Spending a night with a man in today's society doesn't put a scarlet stain on a girl anymore," Lacey answered, adultly shrugging away the suggestion. "To be honest, I thought for a moment that she was your wife, and I was more worried about being named a
Similar Books
