Brian

8

Lily sat in the corner of the elevator, her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. She glanced over at Brian who sat in the opposite corner, his gaze fixed on her legs. He looked up and realized that she'd caught him staring.

"You have nice legs," he said. "It's not against the law to look."

Lily tugged on her skirt, pulling it down to just above her knees. "When are we going to get out of here?" she muttered.

"We've only been stuck for fifteen minutes," Brian said. "It'll be soon." He glanced at his watch. "It better be soon. I have to get to the station."

"Maybe this is Fate stepping in-to keep you from broadcasting that report."

"Or maybe it's the lack of decent elevator repairmen in this city," he countered.

She shouldn't even be talking to him, Lily mused. After everything she'd said outside the elevator, it was almost hypocritical to act like nothing had happened once they were trapped inside. She'd called an end to their relationship once and for all, and now, she'd have to do it all again.

"I'm hungry," Lily said. "I didn't have dinner."

Brian reached into his pocket and produced a box of breath mints. "That's about it. You're going to have to make them last."

"How long do you think we'll be in here?"

"The security guy said it would be at least an hour before they got a repairman over here. So why don't we make the best of our time?" He grinned. "Wanna play five questions again?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "All right. But we each get two passes."

"You first," Brian said.

"Are you really going to air your story tonight or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

"I'm really going to air it-if I get out of here in time. My turn. Are you really going to walk away from us or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

Lily sighed. "I meant what I said." She thought about her next question. "Any regrets?"

He nodded slowly. "I have a few regrets."

"That's not a good enough answer. Tell me what they are."

Brian stared down at his shoes. "I regret that I never got a chance to make love to you the way I really wanted to," he murmured. "What about you? Do you have any regrets?"

Lily hesitated. They were telling the truth here. Why not be honest? "I was thinking that I'd never seen you… naked," Lily said. "We've shared such intimacies but we've never been completely intimate with each other."

"That can be remedied." Brian reached for the buttons of his shirt and Lily realized that maybe honesty hadn't been the best policy.

"Don't you dare."

"Why not? As long as we're stuck here, we might as well be comfortable. And I don't want to leave you with any regrets." He yanked off his shoes and socks, and Lily was certain that he was only teasing, certain that he'd stop there. But he returned to his shirt and unbuttoned it from top to bottom.

It gaped open, revealing a tantalizing view of muscle and skin, a broad chest with a light dusting of hair that ran from his collarbone to his belly. Lily felt her fingers twitch as she remembered touching him down there. Though the sight of him had started her heart racing, she tried to appear calm, as if men undressed in front of her on a regular basis.

Brian stood and began to unbuckle his belt. When he was finished, he pulled it from the loops and dangled it in front of her face.

"Hey, don't entertain me," she said. "Play to the camera."

"The camera?"

Lily pointed above her head to a clear glass window above the control panel. "Security camera," she said. "They can see everything you're doing."

Brian glanced up, then pulled his keychain from his pocket. He used a tiny pocket knife to unscrew the panel, then grabbed his sock and covered the camera lens. "Complete privacy," he said.

The phone rang and Lily giggled. "Complete?"

Brian grabbed the phone and answered it. "Yeah, she's here." He handed to the phone to Lily. "It's the guard."

"Miss Gallagher, are you all right? Something has happened to the security camera."

"I'm fine," Lily said. Her eyes went wide as she watched Brian shrug out of his shirt and drop it on the floor beside her. "Just get us out of here."

"It's going to be at least a few hours," the guard said. "Are you sure you're all right? If I have to, I can call in the fire department. They could force the door and-"

"No," Lily said, suddenly realizing that maybe she wanted to stay. "That won't be necessary." She handed Brian the phone and he hung it up. "Two hours now."

"There's a lot we can do in two hours," he said. He held out his hand. "Come on."

"I'm not taking off my clothes," Lily said.

"We can dance. There's music." He gently pulled her to her feet. "We were good at dancing, remember?"

Lily did remember-she remembered how it had felt that first time he'd touched her and how dancing had been a prelude to seduction. He pulled her into his arms, and the moment he did, she knew she'd made a mistake. Her breath dissolved and for a moment, she wasn't sure she could draw another. She suddenly felt dizzy and weak.

His chest was so smooth and warm as she slid her hand up to his shoulder. The music piped into the elevator played softly and they moved along with it.

They'd known each other for nearly three weeks now, but there were times when Lily felt as if she'd known him her whole life. She felt comfortable in his arms, as if she somehow belonged there all along. But she'd made so many mistakes with men in the past, been fooled so many times. She let her head rest against his shoulder. If they could just stay here, alone in the elevator, everything might work.

The music never ended so they continued to dance, his hands lazily drifting over her body, his fingertips discovering something new with each touch. There was no use fighting the desire. They were trapped together for two hours. If she didn't give in to him now, she'd surely capitulate later.

But this time, she was going to let Brian set the pace. She wanted to be seduced and she knew if she let him, he'd give her a night she'd never forget-even if it happened to be in an elevator.

As they danced, he slowly removed her jacket and tossed it on the floor with his discarded shirt. Easy listening wasn't exactly the best accompaniment to their striptease, but then her intimate encounters with Brian Quinn had never been conventional. Piece by piece, they finished undressing each other, after each item aside, taking time to explore what had just been revealed.

When he'd skimmed her panties over her hips and down her legs, Lily felt oddly vulnerable. Before this, it had always been about lust. But this was different, so slow and easy and deliberate. Though she wanted the passion, she also hungered to feel close to him, to somehow touch his soul this time. If this was the last time, then she wanted to experience it fully and without hesitation.

He pulled her against his body and Lily lost herself in a deep, soul-shattering kiss. She could barely breathe and when she tried to think, her mind was occupied with the wild sensations racing through her body. "I can't believe we're doing this," she murmured.

"Dancing naked in an elevator? Been there, done that," Brian teased.

"You have not," she said.

"No, I haven't. I'd never made love in a limo either. Or watched fireworks from a rooftop. Or drank champagne from a woman's navel."

"We never did that," Lily said.

"Then I guess we have something to look forward to."

Lily groaned inwardly. Why did he have to be so damn romantic? Why couldn't he be like every other guy on the planet-aloof, self-absorbed, distracted? She hadn't wanted to meet the perfect man, she'd just wanted a tidy little one-night stand. And here he was, making her feel all these things that she didn't want to feel, making her believe in the possibilities of love.

He caught her chin with his finger and tipped her face up until she met his gaze again. He kissed her, gently at first and then with greater conviction. The kiss spun out, each moment filled with unquenchable desire. It had always been like this between them, first gentleness, then giving way to unbridled passion.

Lily moaned softly as he traced a line of kisses from her neck to her shoulder to her breast. His tongue teased at her nipple, drawing it to a hard nub before he moved to her other breast. She tipped her head back and enjoyed the shivers that raced through her. But Brian didn't stop at her breasts. He dipped lower, to her belly, then lower still, making love to her with his tongue.

A tremor shook her body and for a moment, her knees went soft. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she couldn't stand, but yet she was aware of every sensation that pulsed through her. It had always been so easy for him to bring her pleasure. She barely had to take a breath before the knot in her belly tightened and she gave way to her release.

But this time, he didn't bring her all the way. Instead he drew her closer and closer to the edge, then eased her away. Lily's breath came in ragged gasps as she leaned back against the elevator door, the metal surface cool on her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she watched him retrieve a condom from his wallet on the floor.

Even if he hadn't had protection, Lily wasn't sure she could have resisted. Not now. She needed to feel him inside her again, needed the heat and the hardness and the final surrender. Needed to assure herself that what she was feeling was real. He gave her the condom after removing it from the package and let her sheath him. As she smoothed it over his erection, Brian closed his eyes and sighed softly.

When he opened his eyes again, she saw a look there that caused another shiver to race through her. He wanted her and nothing was going to stand in his way. Brian lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, then pressed her back against the wall of the elevator.

He stood for a long moment, his face nestled into the curve of her neck. "You don't have to ask," Lily murmured. "I want this as much as you do."

He probed at her moist entrance then slowly slipped inside of her. The sensation of him filling her with his heat was more than she could take. It hadn't felt this way the first time. There had been pleasure then, but not this intense longing. Lily groaned, shifting herself until he touched her very core.

Brian moved slowly at first but Lily was so close and with every thrust she risked tumbling over the edge. She murmured his name, but she wasn't sure if he heard her. When he softly bit her neck, she knew the pain was the only thing keeping her in the present and she relished the reminder.

Lily furrowed her fingers through his hair and brought his lips back to hers, whispering soft pleas against his mouth. She kissed him, her tongue matching each thrust, desperate to taste him. And then, like a sudden cloudburst on a sunny day, Lily felt herself tense and convulse around him. A shower of pure pleasure washed over her body and a moment later, he joined her, driving into her hard, moaning her name.

She wasn't sure how he managed to remain standing, but he did, still kissing her softly as her breathing came back to normal. He opened his eyes and stared down at her. "I'm in love with you, Lily."

She reached out and pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't say that."

"I have to. It's the only thing I know for sure right now, except that I don't want this to end. I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I wanted you to know."

An uneasy silence fell over the elevator and she fought the temptation to return the sentiments. It would be so easy to tell him that she loved him, but she'd said those words before and they'd only come back to haunt her-and hurt her. "Everything has to end sometime," Lily murmured.

He slowly lowered her to the floor and they sat on the scattered clothes, Lily curled up against his naked body, a sheen of perspiration causing her skin to chill. He stroked her arm with his hand, a lazy caress that seemed wonderfully possessive. Then he grabbed hisshirt and wrapped it around her, drawing her back against his body.

They sat silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Lily wasn't sure what to say to him. Right now, her mind was a mass of confusion and conflicting emotions. Maybe she did love him and she just didn't realize it. Or maybe she wanted to love him but wasn't capable. Or maybe this was still all about sex and nothing more.

How could she be sure that he loved her? Had he really meant what he'd said, or was it just a response to what they'd shared? Questions swirled in her head and she closed her eyes, searching for an answer, any answer.

Suddenly, the elevator moved, jerking once, then restarting. She looked up at the lights above the doors and noticed they were going down. With a soft cry, Lily scrambled to gather up her clothes. Brian helped her slip into her blouse and handed her her skirt, but she stuffed her underwear in her pocket.

And then, to her horror, the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the lobby. They both looked up to find the elevator maintenance man staring at them, his tool belt hanging from his waist and his mouth agape. "They're all right, Barney," he shouted.

Brian, still completely naked, grinned, and shifted slightly to shield Lily's body from the man's view. "We'll be right with you," he murmured, reaching out to hit the "close door" button on the panel.

Lily fumbled with the front of her blouse, rebuttoning it twice before she got it right. "So, I guess you're going to be able to air your story tonight. If you hurry, you'll make it to the station with plenty of time to spare."

"No," he murmured.

"But I thought-"

"I just told you that to see your reaction. It's not ready yet." As he held his finger on the button, he kissed Lily again. "Remember what I said, Lily. And think about it. We could be great together."

A crowd of reporters had gathered at the construction site. Brian recognized vans from the other three network stations in Boston and watched through the window as the reporters chatted with each other. As news went, a ground-breaking was a pretty minor event. But this project had had a high profile from the start. Brian couldn't seem to stay away-but it wasn't because of the news value.

It had been three days since he'd last seen Lily, since the evening they'd spent trapped together in the elevator. After everything she'd said to him, and everything they'd done to each other, Brian was even more certain that they belonged together. But convincing Lily of that fact had turned into a near impossibility.

He cursed the men in her life who had made her so distrustful. Though she'd never told him about her past, Brian sensed that she'd been hurt, and not just once or twice. He was loath to believe that he'd be another name on that list. But the choice had been hers, not his. He'd admitted his feelings for her and now it was up to her.

"What time is this supposed to start?" Brian asked.

Taneesha held out the press release. "Three p.m. sharp. Why are we here? I thought you'd already edited this piece."

"I'm not happy with it yet," Brian said. "There's something missing."

"Hello," Bob said, peering out the front window of the news van. "What's this?"

Brian stood between the two front seats and watched as a line of vehicles drove onto the property. As each one stopped, five or six people hopped out, each of them carrying a sign and a plastic garbage bag. Brian chuckled. "We have a protest. Maybe this is worth covering."

"Who are they?" Taneesha asked. "And what's with the garbage bags?"

"They're commercial fishermen," Brian said. "And dockworkers." He caught sight of a familiar shock of white hair. "Aw, hell, that's my da out there." Brian yanked the side door open and jumped out of the van. "Set up outside. I think this might get interesting."

Brian wove through the growing crowd of people, their signs clearly putting them in opposition to Richard Patterson's plans for the waterfront. He caught up with his father just as Seamus Quinn was shouting directions to a group of dockworkers.

"Da!"

The older man turned, then broke into a grin. "Hey, boyo! Are you here to put us on the news? Make sure you shoot me from my good side." He grabbed a wizened old man and pulled him over. "You should talk to Eddie here. He used to operate a fishing boat right off that pier over there, the Maggie Belle. Brought in the biggest load of codfish in Boston fishing history. When was that, Eddie?"

"That would have been 1952," Eddie said.

"What's in the garbage bags, Da?"

"Never you mind," Seamus said.

Brian shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid, all right? I'm not going to have time to bail you out of jail."

The crowd began to shout and Brian turned and saw two black limousines rumbling down the dusty road. The reporters moved in a swarm to catch Richard Patterson as he emerged from the car. But Brian was waiting for someone else. Lily stepped out of the next limo, frowning as she took in the unruly crowd of protesters and the clamoring reporters.

Apprehension niggled at Brian's brain. He didn't like the way things were beginning to look. The protesters seemed a little too volatile and the reporters were more interested in the protesters. He tried to catch Lily's eye, but she moved closer to Patterson and whispered something in his ear. Then they walked toward the small stage that had been set up at the head of the pier.

"Save our waterfront!" the crowd began to chant. "No more development!"

Lily forced a smile as she stepped in front of the microphone. But just as she began to introduce Richard Patterson, all hell broke loose. Something flew out of the crowd and hit the podium. Brian rushed forward and more objects whizzed through the air in the direction of Patterson. It was then he realized the protesters were throwing dead fish-and from the smell, they were more than a few days dead.

"Go back to the van," he shouted to Bob. "Taneesha, keep the tape rolling."

Brian shoved through the crowd of protesters as they surged toward the podium. The reporters backed away, not willing to risk a close encounter with a rotten fish. Richard Patterson had already disappeared behind a wall of bodyguards, but he'd left Lily to fend for herself, dodging and ducking flying fish.

Brian reached her a few seconds later and she was still trying to calm the crowd. "Come on," he shouted. "You've got to get out of here."

"No!" Lily said.

With a low curse, Brian grabbed her legs and pulled her off her feet. She fell over his shoulder and he carried her through the crowd to the news van. Bob slid the door open as Brian approached.

"Put me down!" Lily shouted, kicking her feet. "I can handle this!"

"The hell you can," Brian said.

"Brian, put her down!" Seamus shouted just outside the van. "Don't you go actin' the hero. You know what happens."

Brian ignored his father and the rotten fish that hit him on the shoulder. Lily screamed as another fish hit her head. When he reached the van, Brian dropped her inside, then climbed in after her.

She brushed the hair out of her eyes and glared at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Saving your pretty little butt," Brian said.

"I can't let these people scare me," Lily said. "You have to stand up to protesters. If you wanted to help me, why didn't you call the police so they could arrest them all and throw them in jail."

"Isn't security your responsibility?" Brian asked. "After all, this was your ground-breaking ceremony, not mine."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you," Lily snapped. "This is just great news for you."

"You think I wanted to come to your rescue?" Brian asked, his anger getting the better of him. He'd just dragged her to safety! The least she could do was thank him. "I might as well have tied an anchor around my neck and thrown myself off the end of the pier. Now I'll have to marry you."

Lily gasped. "What?"

"The curse," Brian said, raking his hand through his hair. "I save your life and that's it. It's all over. The curse. There's no going back now."

"Don't be ridiculous. You didn't save my life. No one ever died from getting hit by rotten fish."

"Well, I saved you from danger. More than once. About five or six times by my count. That all adds up."

"And you think that means I'm going to marry you? You're crazy."

"You won't have a choice in the matter," Brian said. "It's already been decided."

Bob cleared his throat. "Would you like me to leave?" he asked.

Brian ignored him, fixing his attention on Lily. "It's not such a bad idea, you know. You can't deny that there's something between us and it's more than just sexual attraction."

Lily shook her head. "You're wrong. And you know you're wrong. This is all just about the pursuit. You're going after me just like you go after a story, no holds barred. But once you get me, you'll just move on to something new, someone prettier or more interesting, someone who can hold your attention for a little longer than I could."

"Lily, that's not true."

"I am going to leave you two alone," Bob said. He opened the driver's side door to the van.

"No!" Lily cried. "I was just leaving." She jumped out of the side door and started through the crowd of protesters toward the second limo that waited, the fish flying again. Brian watched her, ready to jump to her aid if anyone tried to stop her. But the protesters were happy enough to have broken up the event and limited themselves to a few derisive shouts in her direction. She crawled in the limo and it quickly sped away, the tires kicking up a cloud of dust on the gravel road.

"Did you just ask her to marry you?" Bob inquired.

Startled out of his thoughts, Brian glanced to the front seat of the van. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"I told her I was going to marry her," he murmured. "I didn't ask. There's a difference."

"It was a full-ON disaster," Lily said. "Rotten fish everywhere. It's been all over the news. And there was a photo of me on page nine of the Herald. Actually, not me but my backside. My very big backside."

Lily grasped the newspaper as she paced back and forth in her office. After yesterday's horrific groundbreaking ceremony, she had scrambled to cover all the public relations ramifications. She'd issued a statement to the press touting Richard Patterson's belief in the right to protest, yet his determination to see the Wellston project move forward. She'd answered questions from reporters and analyzed media coverage of the melee. Everything seemed as if it would be all right-until the Boston Herald hit the newsstand.

"It can't be that bad," Emma said, her sympathy diminished only slightly by the distance between them. "You always have a tendency to exaggerate when you're upset."

"He threw me over his shoulder and carried me off the stage," Lily said.

"Who? Patterson?"

"No, Brian Quinn. It was so… mortifying. The Herald got a photo and now, the news media is all over it. Two stations ran tape of it on their noon news and not in the news segments either. They're using it as humor. There's one piece of tape that shows me getting hit in the head with a rotten fish. Before I know it, that tape will end up on one of those bloopers shows." Lily moaned. "And that's not the worst part."

"There's worse?"

"I think he may have asked me to marry him. I'm not sure. I mean, it wasn't a traditional proposal. He tossed me into his news van and said we had to get married."

"This guy sounds like he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic. He hauls you around like some caveman, then demands that you marry him. Lily, what do you see in a guy like that?"

"Oh, that's not the way he is," Lily explained. "He's usually so sweet and considerate. But he's also dangerous." She paused. "And funny… and he's smart, really smart."

"It sounds like you're in love."

"I'm mostly confused," Lily said. "And maybe a little in love."

"A little?"

"Yeah," she admitted, pleased with the thought. "Or maybe I'm just in love with the idea of being in love. It's been so… intense between us, so passionate. I didn't think I was capable of such desire. But the rational side of me knows that this will all fade over time and I'll discover that I'm not in love. Or maybe, it won't fade and he'll discover he's not in-"

"Stop trying to overthink this. Do you or don't you love him?"

She ignored Emma's question, unable to answer it at the moment. "I've already written my letter of resignation. I can't be effective here. I'm a joke."

"Lily, don't make any rash decisions. Don't react emotionally. Isn't that what you always tell your clients? Take some time, see how things play out. Maybe they aren't as bad as you think."

Lily stared down at the newspaper, at the awful photograph. "Oh, they're bad, all right. If you'd like to come to Boston, I can recommend that you replace me. I think I can talk Patterson into keeping the agency on, but with another account manager. And maybe, if I can do that, I can save my job at DeLay Scoville. If not, Gallagher Public Relations will be launched and I'll be eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and buying my designer shoes at K-Mart."

A soft knock sounded on her office door and Marie poked her head inside. "Mr. Patterson would like to see you," she whispered, a worried expression on her face.

"Thanks, Marie." She sent the girl an encouraging smile, then turned her attention back to Emma. "I have to go. I've been summoned. Wish me luck."

"You won't need luck, Lily. Everything will be just fine."

Lily hung up the phone, then slowly stood, taking a last look around her office. She'd already gathered what few personal items she'd brought along and packed them in a bag, just in case. But as she walked to the door, Lily found herself strangely calm.

This all seemed part of some grand cosmic plan. The way Brian talked, they'd been destined to be together from the moment they'd met. Though it was a wonderful fantasy, that was all it was. As soon as they put some distance between them, this overwhelming attraction would fade. It was all about lust and not about love. Lily was honest enough to admit that to herself.

She walked out of the office to find Marie hovering near her desk. "Miss Gallagher, is everything all right?"

"Probably not. But you don't need to worry. It's not your fault."

Lily moved toward the elevator and waited. But the moment she stepped inside, she realized that she should have taken the stairs. Her mind flashed back to the night she and Brian had been caught inside. What had ever possessed her to make love to him in an elevator? She'd lost all sense of professional and personal decorum since she'd arrived in Boston.

But as the doors opened up, Lily couldn't bring herself to step out. She remembered the words he'd said to her and how hard it had been to believe him. Did he really love her or was it just the passion of the moment that had brought the sudden declaration? The doors began to close and she quickly stepped out, putting that night behind her for good.

Mrs. Wilburn was coldly efficient as she showed Lily into Patterson's office, not bothering to offer her coffee. This time, she wasn't greeted with a smile. Patterson's dour expression clearly telegraphed the subject of their meeting. She'd never been fired before, but now that she'd accepted her fate, she felt almost calm.

"Miss Gallagher, please sit down."

Lily shook her head. "I can stand. Just say what you have to say."

Patterson nodded his head. "All right. We're no longer in need of your services. After that photo in the paper, I don't think anyone in the media is going to take you seriously. And I get the feeling that your relationship with Brian Quinn isn't working to my benefit. I've called your boss and told him that he can keep half the retainer. He asked me to tell you he expects you in the office first thing tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Patterson, I know I haven't been very effective, but DeLay Scoville can help you with your public relations work. We have an outstanding staff and highly qualified and effective personnel. If you just give us a chance, I can recommend another consultant who could be here in the morning, ready to jump right in."

"There's no need. I've already contacted a firm in New York."

At that, Lily knew it wouldn't pay to argue any longer. Patterson had already made up his mind. And now that it was over, all she could think about was getting out. "Fine. I'll just clear out my things. But I would like to tell Marie that she still has a job here."

"She does," Patterson said.

"Thank you." Lily turned and walked out, then took the stairs down to her office. She paused on the landing between the two floors and drew a deep breath. "That wasn't so bad," she murmured. "I suppose everyone has to be fired at least once in their lives." But now that she was out of one job, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd be out of a second one soon. And if she found herself out of a second, then that opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

Her mind wandered to Brian Quinn, but Lily shook her head, banishing the image of him from her mind. Yes, he'd asked her to marry him, but Lily couldn't believe he was serious. The Quinn family curse was a ridiculous reason for marriage and one she had no intention of considering.