To give herself credit, she had been working awfully hard. Eighty-hour workweeks filled with ladders, paint cans, scrub brushes and sewing machines could drive every thought out of anybodyâs head. But it wasnât anybody who was going to have to oversee breakfast for their guests. It was her body.
Sighing heavily, sheâd gotten up, wishing sheâd thought to grab a bathrobe from her own room before coming upstairs for the night. Her thin negligee had done nothing to warm her. Sheâd made a mental note to stop to get the robe before coming back up.
In the kitchen, she hadnât bothered to flip on the blinding overhead fixture. The lamp in the hallway banished most of the shadows, and sheâd left the small light over the stove on, as usual, in case Aunt Hildy needed something during the night.
Now she was inside the roomâmaneuvering around familiar cabinets and fixturesâand that was when she realized she wasnât alone. A man stood near the table. A man clothed all in black.
He remained motionless. A shadow. A phantom. A spectral memory of someone whoâd stood there decades before.
She instantly thought of Hildyâs ghost friends. When the shadow moved, separating from the inky blackness in the corner, she made out more of his features and gasped. âGood lord.â
Not a phantom. Not a ghost. And, hopefully, not a maniacal murderer out and about doing his gruesome thing on Halloween night. Because he was very tall. Very broad. Very male.
âDonât be afraid.â
Who wouldnât be afraid? Alone: check. Dark man in kitchen: check. Spooky house: check. Halloween night: start screaming now.
âReally, you have nothing to fear,â he continued in a voice that was both soft and masculine, soothing and melodic.
Sure. Right. Donât be afraid, Iâm harmless, says the cobra to the little pink mouse. Of course, the little pink mouse might drop dead of a heart attack before the big bad snake had a chance to even nibble on a whisker. She backed up until cornered against the countertop. âWho are you? What are you doing here?â
âIâm a guest at the inn for the weekend.â
Her whole body began to relax. âA guest?â
Of course. Hildy had checked in several people today. Gwen obviously hadnât met everyone. She nearly chuckled at her own foolishness. No ghost. No ax-wielding maniac. Just a paying guest. She wasnât used to the fact that they were an open, operating inn, and she and Hildy were no longer alone in this huge, ghostly house. âGood lord, you scared me half to death.â
âIâm sorry.â He stepped closer, until more light from the hall spilled on to his face. His deep-set brown eyes glittered in the near darkness. Simply mesmerizing.
Then he stepped even closer until his entire face was visible. She caught her breath, held it, then released it on a sigh, knowing sheâd never seen a sexier guy in her life.
Each female molecule in her body roared to awareness, reacting to the male sensuality oozing from his body. His cheekbones were high, his chin firm and chiseled. His thick, dark brown hair was a little long, and his cheeks sported a five oâclock shadow, giving him a slightly wolfish look.
Sheâd always had such a thing for dark, rakish-looking men.
And lordy, the man had the most glorious mouth sheâd ever seen. Particularly now, with his eminently kissable lips lifted slightly at the corners as he offered her a tentative smile. The full frontal onslaught of his complete smile could probably rock the ground on which she stood.
âI really didnât mean to frighten you. Forgive me?â
Sheâd forgive him anything. Absolutely anything.
Even if he pulls out a chainsaw and a few various and sundry body parts? Get a grip, Gwen. Get out of here now.
That was her inner turtle speaking. She quickly told it to shut up. âThe kitchen is one of the private areas of the house.â
His eyes twinkled as he gave her a conspiratorial grin. âDonât tell on me. You keep my secret and Iâll keep yours.â
Her first instinct was confusion, then panic set in. Gwen kept only one secretâHildyâs history. But he couldnât know that. No one did. He had to be bluffing.
She tilted her head and eyed him with every bit of false bravado she could manage. âWhy do you think I have a secret?â
He practically tsked. âEveryone has secrets. Besides, Iâm an expert,â he whispered, stepping even closer until he was only a foot away. So close she felt his warmth radiating toward her.
She almost swayed toward him, almost let that warmth envelop her more fully. âAn expert?â She kept her feet planted, even as some deep, feminine part of her ached to step closer.
He nodded. âAbsolutely. And I know one secret of yours. I donât imagine many people know you visit the kitchen dressed soâ¦interestinglyâ¦late at night.â His dark eyes grew darker. His jaw grew tight, and she heard the faint, ragged rasp of his breath.
Gwen followed his pointed stare, looking down at her body, clad in the silkiest, softest white nightgown she possessed. Then she swallowed. Hard. Seeing herself as he must be seeing her.
The deeply slashed neckline glittered with tiny pearl-like beads that picked up and reflected the meager light in the room. The fabric clung across her breasts, which were pushed high, plumped up and spilling over because of the tight bodice.
She could have claimed it was the cold autumn night that made her nipples pucker so tightly against the gown.
She could also have claimed to be engaged to Ben Affleck and having an affair with Brad Pitt. That didnât make it true.
Though she thought of how foolish sheâd been not to grab her robe, a deep-rooted part of Gwen liked the admiration in his eyes. Her track record with romance was damned pathetic. The blow to her confidence brought on by her broken engagement had killed her instinct to even try to attract the opposite sex.
How funny. She now remembered what sheâd once so very much liked about attracting the opposite sex. That look in a manâs eye. The one that promised more than any words could. And hinted he could back up his unspoken promise anytime, anywhere.
Maybe even here and now.
âI didnât remember to bring my robe,â she finally said, wondering how a perfect stranger could bring out the woman sheâd thought was lost forever. âI should get it.â
âDonât go to any trouble on my account.â The intensity in his voice made the words less playful than he may have intended.
Watching his jaw clench, she sucked in a quick gulp of heady night air. How amazing that a manâs stare could make her heart trip over itself as it beat restlessly within her chest. But not with fear. This was pure, one hundred percent excitement.
Gwen
