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Authors: Heather Graham
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of him.
And maybe that was good.
And maybe it was a good thing that she seemed so determined to keep a certain distance from him. After the dinosaur play in the park that first day, things had gone rather badly. She seemed to think that he was out to hurt her and Max in some way. He wasn’t. He’d do anything in the world for either of them and he was just as convinced as Reggie that Max was innocent. She didn’t understand. And he wanted her to. Too much. His attraction to her was frightening. Maybe because he’d never felt quite this kind of thing before.
This type of thing … He growled inwardly. He wanted her. It was simple. It wasn’t anything magical.
It was just strong. Harder, stronger, more insistent than any feeling he’d had before. Max’s twin was beautiful. But he didn’t think it was the beauty. He’d known many beautiful women. Shelley had been beautiful, and even with her, the longing had been something that had grown.
Longing and love. He had loved Shelley, he thought almost numbly. He scarcely knew Reggie Delaney.
But still, there were things that created the longing in him that were far stronger than any simple draw of beauty. She was a contrast of so many things. There was a shyness about her—unless she was cloaked in dinosaur foam or in the flagrant crimson of the dance hall girl. There was something in her eyes that spoke of innocence.
Yet when it came to defending her brother, she was a lioness.
And then again, there had been the way she had been with him. When she had been dressed as Dierdre Dinosaur, she’d been having fun—a lot of it. She didn’t mind teasing, and she didn’t mind playing. But she did like the cloak of anonymity.
He sighed softly, watching her sip an iced tea and look around the room from beneath the rich shade of her luxurious dark lashes. She was obviously wishing she had sent her pride to the wind and had gone ahead and changed into street clothing—with or without him.
He suddenly wished they could start over again.
But they couldn’t. You could never go back in life. He knew that. Maybe he could convince her that he wasn’t her enemy.
But then again, maybe he was her enemy in a way, because he would use her to get at the truth if he had to, and he did have to get at the truth.
He couldn’t help teasing her, just a bit. He leaned forward. “Others may not appreciate it to the fullest extent, but have I told you yet? That’s really a great dress.”
She smiled sweetly, setting her tea glass on the table. “Have I told you yet, Mr. Blake? I really think that you should eat dirt!”
He laughed. “Maybe I had that coming.”
“You certainly did.”
Their waitress arrived with their lobsters. They looked great. Cracked, broiled with butter—just flown in from Maine that morning, according to the placards on the walls.
“Would you like another beer with your meal, sir?” the waitress asked him. He glanced at his bottle. “Sure. One more. Reggie? How about a glass of wine?”
“I don’t care for wine, thank you.”
“A beer then.”
“I don’t—”
“Just a beer for me then, please,” he told the waitress pleasantly. “Sorry—my date here is just a wondrous pillar of virtue.”
He thought Reggie’s smile was about to crack, but she kept it in place for the waitress, who had been looking wide-eyed at Reggie’s costume.
“One must try to be virtuous when out with the date from hell!” she said with a soft, sweet sigh.
The waitress looked at them both as if they were crazy, but kept up a valiant smile, then hurried away for another beer.
“You’re just staring at your food,” Wes commented.
“I’m waiting for you.”
He passed her a shell cracker. “I’m all set.”
She cracked into her first claw. She did it so hard that a piece of shell flew straight into the air, then landed on Wes’s plate with a big clicking sound. He stared at her, arching a brow. She flushed slightly. “Sorry.”
“Are you sure you
And maybe that was good.
And maybe it was a good thing that she seemed so determined to keep a certain distance from him. After the dinosaur play in the park that first day, things had gone rather badly. She seemed to think that he was out to hurt her and Max in some way. He wasn’t. He’d do anything in the world for either of them and he was just as convinced as Reggie that Max was innocent. She didn’t understand. And he wanted her to. Too much. His attraction to her was frightening. Maybe because he’d never felt quite this kind of thing before.
This type of thing … He growled inwardly. He wanted her. It was simple. It wasn’t anything magical.
It was just strong. Harder, stronger, more insistent than any feeling he’d had before. Max’s twin was beautiful. But he didn’t think it was the beauty. He’d known many beautiful women. Shelley had been beautiful, and even with her, the longing had been something that had grown.
Longing and love. He had loved Shelley, he thought almost numbly. He scarcely knew Reggie Delaney.
But still, there were things that created the longing in him that were far stronger than any simple draw of beauty. She was a contrast of so many things. There was a shyness about her—unless she was cloaked in dinosaur foam or in the flagrant crimson of the dance hall girl. There was something in her eyes that spoke of innocence.
Yet when it came to defending her brother, she was a lioness.
And then again, there had been the way she had been with him. When she had been dressed as Dierdre Dinosaur, she’d been having fun—a lot of it. She didn’t mind teasing, and she didn’t mind playing. But she did like the cloak of anonymity.
He sighed softly, watching her sip an iced tea and look around the room from beneath the rich shade of her luxurious dark lashes. She was obviously wishing she had sent her pride to the wind and had gone ahead and changed into street clothing—with or without him.
He suddenly wished they could start over again.
But they couldn’t. You could never go back in life. He knew that. Maybe he could convince her that he wasn’t her enemy.
But then again, maybe he was her enemy in a way, because he would use her to get at the truth if he had to, and he did have to get at the truth.
He couldn’t help teasing her, just a bit. He leaned forward. “Others may not appreciate it to the fullest extent, but have I told you yet? That’s really a great dress.”
She smiled sweetly, setting her tea glass on the table. “Have I told you yet, Mr. Blake? I really think that you should eat dirt!”
He laughed. “Maybe I had that coming.”
“You certainly did.”
Their waitress arrived with their lobsters. They looked great. Cracked, broiled with butter—just flown in from Maine that morning, according to the placards on the walls.
“Would you like another beer with your meal, sir?” the waitress asked him. He glanced at his bottle. “Sure. One more. Reggie? How about a glass of wine?”
“I don’t care for wine, thank you.”
“A beer then.”
“I don’t—”
“Just a beer for me then, please,” he told the waitress pleasantly. “Sorry—my date here is just a wondrous pillar of virtue.”
He thought Reggie’s smile was about to crack, but she kept it in place for the waitress, who had been looking wide-eyed at Reggie’s costume.
“One must try to be virtuous when out with the date from hell!” she said with a soft, sweet sigh.
The waitress looked at them both as if they were crazy, but kept up a valiant smile, then hurried away for another beer.
“You’re just staring at your food,” Wes commented.
“I’m waiting for you.”
He passed her a shell cracker. “I’m all set.”
She cracked into her first claw. She did it so hard that a piece of shell flew straight into the air, then landed on Wes’s plate with a big clicking sound. He stared at her, arching a brow. She flushed slightly. “Sorry.”
“Are you sure you
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