but didn’t release her grip. It took a few long seconds before he felt her racing heart begin to slow and the shivers stop racking her body.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” she finally murmured.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll help you fight for your job, hire a lawyer...”
“Forget it. I’m not sure I want it now. I’m a lot more upset about being naked in front of the boss.”
He stiffened. “Ditto.”
“I mean, when I realized he wasn’t you, I was terrified.”
“Was that before or after he kissed you?”
She pulled away and gazed up at him. “I thought he was you.”
“I know,” he growled. “Can’t say I’m happy that some other man kissed you. In fact, I hate it like hell and don’t ever want it to happen again.”
“Ever?” she asked, obviously hearing something in his tone that clued her in to what he was really saying.
He made it clear. “Ever.”
It was way too soon to have this conversation. He had no idea if she still had feelings for him—other than intense passion—but he couldn’t pretend that his feelings were merely casual. Despite living in the movie capital of the world, he wasn’t a good enough actor to even try to convince her that he’d sought her out merely to finish something.
“I was crazy about you when we were younger. I’ve thought about you thousands of times...it seemed like every day,” he said. “I’ve never for one minute felt about another woman the way I have always felt about you. I want to do bodily injury to anybody who so much as lays a finger on you.”
Her brown eyes misted. “Then why....” She fell silent, as if unsure whether she wanted to ask the question he was sure she had been about to ask.
“Why did I stay away? Why didn’t I write or return your messages?”
She nodded, nibbling on her lush, well-kissed bottom lip.
“I promised Seth I wouldn’t.”
She gasped, her mouth falling open.
“Don’t be mad at him,” he insisted when he saw the beginning of an angry frown on her lips. “He was doing what he figured was best, playing the father role when he wasn’t much more than a kid himself.”
“He had no business doing that.”
“He believed he did. He made me promise I’d leave you alone and let you grow up. As far as I’m concerned, twenty-five is pretty damned grown-up, so I decided to find you.”
She searched his face, searching for any words he hadn’t yet said. “But you told me you came here to finish what we started. And I assumed you were talking about sex.”
“I wasn’t just talking about sex, Em.” Lifting a hand, he brushed it against her soft cheek, wondering how he’d lasted seven years without seeing this beautiful face anywhere but in his dreams. “I was talking about us—you and me. Something started between us, something I’ve never gotten over. And I came here to find out what it meant and where it might lead.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “Are you serious?”
“Very.”
“You want more than tonight?”
“I want so much more than tonight. I want us to be together. Now that we’re both adults with careers and lives and no overprotective brothers.”
She laughed softly, curling her face into his hand and kissing his fingertips.
“I have no idea if your feelings are still as strong for me as mine are for you. But I loved you once, and after what happened between us tonight, I’m sure I still do.”
She stared at him, unblinking, emotion and tenderness pouring off her. “I loved you, too. I have never had those emotions for anyone else, Rand. And I still have them for you. I convinced myself I wasn’t the type of girl who was wild and passionate. But I’d just buried that girl deep within myself. You brought her out again. You brought me out again.”
Relief washed through him. Cupping her chin in his hand, he tilted her head back and brushed his mouth against hers. They melted together, holding on tight, kissing again, revealing even more than their words just had.
When they finally broke apart, she made it clear. “I do love you, Rand McConnell.”
“And I love you, Emily.”
“This is going to take some work,” she replied. “I might not lose my job, you realize.”
“Hey, I’ve always wanted to wear white sox.”
She laughed softly. “That’s very sweet, but we won’t know what happens until the morning.”
He squeezed her. “I can’t believe that bastard would let you be fired for something that was his own damn fault.”
“I’m not sure I can ever face Mr. Black again. Maybe I’ll quit,” she said.
He couldn’t say he’d mind that, especially given how the rich hotel owner had ogled her. Frankly, if Damien Black never got within ten feet of Emily again, Rand would be very happy.
“I might be happy living in L.A. It would be nice to be near Seth and Lauren.”
He couldn’t stop a frown from tugging at his brow. “Will your brother ever forgive me?”
She cupped his face in her soft hands and stared into his eyes. “He will, because he loves me, because he’s learned a lot about people coming together after spending years apart. And because he’s missed you.”
“Not as much as I’ve missed you,” Rand said, kissing her again.
They kissed and kissed, sharing whispers and gentle touches, until they finally remembered the billionaire in the other room. The one who might want his bed back. Good Lord, it was going to be a long night. But as long as Rand had Emily by his side, he didn’t care if they had to spend it sitting up on a bench in the lobby.
“So, will the big hotshot ballplayer be able to stand sleeping in my queen-sized bed in my tiny apartment?” she asked, her mind obviously going in the same direction.
“As long as you’re sharing it with me, Em, I’m up for absolutely anything.”
“I can safely assure you that I will be. Our strikeout days are over—it’s nothing but grand slams from here on out.”
That sounded perfect to him.
They would make a life worth waiting seven years for.
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from LYING IN YOUR ARMS by Leslie Kelly.
Prologue
