that there was something more to life than wining, dining and bedding the beauty of the week. The feeling got more intense every time he was around Alana and he wanted to explore it to its fullest.
He turned off the shower and was about to leave the glassed-in stall when he heard a familiar voice calling to him from the living room.
“Don’t come out here naked, you’ve got company.”
He jumped and then groaned loudly. It was his nosy sister Pamela. He’d made a mistake in giving his parents the keys to his loft since she’d obviously appropriated them.
“What have I told you about coming over when you’re not invited,” he yelled at her. “You’re gonna get mistaken for a prowler and shot in the head if you don’t watch yourself.”
A chorus of giggles was all he heard as he went into the bedroom and dressed quickly in what he considered his driving clothes, a comfortable navy jogging suit that fitted his muscular body perfectly. The outfit looked fashionable and expensive. He carried his cashmere socks and his Italian driving moccasins into the living room and glared at Pam, who was in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee.
“Why are you here?” he asked irritably.
“I came over to call shotgun,” she said cheerfully. “Unlike everyone else, I packed last night and I’m ready to roll. You know how impatient I am. I can’t stand being in the middle of a lot of last-minute scampering around. So I left. Where are your cups?”
He grudgingly showed her the cupboard where they were stored and sat on a bar stool to don his footwear. Despite her proclivity for making mischief, Pamela was a very organized person who was always focused on her tasks, which explained why she was ready to go while the rest of the family was still making preparations to leave the hotel.
Pam put coffee in front of him along with a plate containing a warm bagel with cream cheese and lox that she’d picked up on the way to the loft and he had to forgive her intrusion, especially when she offered to pack his bags for him. She traveled extensively in her job and she was the family pro when it came to putting a suitcase together. That didn’t mean she would do it quietly, however.
“So why didn’t you ask Alana to come with us to Chicago?” she asked. “I know you’re gonna miss her while you’re gone.”
“Pamela, is there any chance that you could mind your own business for a change?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. It’s too out of character for me. I like knowing what’s going on in everyone’s lives. That’s why I’m a reporter, duh.”
Zipping his garment bag closed, she dusted her hands together and announced that she was finished. “We can stop by Alana’s to say good-bye before we go to the hotel,” she said with a dimpled grin. “Then you can lay another hot kiss on her before you disappear. That way she’ll be longing for you to come back and you can pick up where you left off.”
For one wild hot second, Roland thought about doing just that, but reason took over. There was no way in hell he was going to try to cop a few greedy kisses with his notoriously big-mouthed baby sister at his elbow with her handy smartphone. He would have been more than happy to grab Alana and kiss her senseless because she had the most tantalizing lips he’d ever tasted, but he wanted privacy. The concept of privacy was totally foreign to Pam.
“Just try minding your own business for five minutes, won’t you please? It can be my Christmas present,” he said as he picked up his bags and urged her to the door.
“Seriously? You mean I could’ve saved all the money I spent on you? Maybe I can return it,” she said. “No, on second thought, I like getting in your business. I still say you should run by Alana’s before we leave and give her something to remember you by. It’s like bookmarking your favorite site on the internet.”
Roland swung his overnight bag so that it hit her square in the tush. When she squeaked in outrage he mumbled, “I’d like to bookmark you. Only I’d fold you in half and stick you in a dictionary right between pest and pestilence. Let’s go, woman, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”
Chapter 3
The holidays were finally over and Alana couldn’t have been more relieved. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as she’d anticipated, but she was glad to see the last of the decorations disappear until next year. She stayed busy the whole time and all the activity proved to be her salvation. Between the last-minute shopping and the cooking and cleaning, she really didn’t have too many spare moments to dwell on her own pain.
She had to help clean Alexis’s old house from top to bottom in preparation for Adrienne moving in, but that was no big deal since Alexis kept a spotless home. Her family had their big meal and gift exchange on Christmas Eve, because they were all going to cook and serve dinner at Jared’s restaurant on Christmas day. It was a tradition he’d started in Chicago; all of his restaurants were open to anyone who wanted to come in for a festive meal at no charge. It was nice to have something positive to do that would take a lot of energy and focus, so she welcomed the opportunity to help.
There was a lot to keep her mind occupied between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and she was grateful. There were casual gatherings at her mother’s house, as well as an open house at Alexis and Jared’s. She got to spend time with David Stratton, who’d been a really close friend before they’d gone off to college in two different states.
She even had two more houseguests to entertain, Sugar and Sweetie, the two Westies that belonged to Sherri Stratton’s little girl. When Sherri and Lucas went on their honeymoon, his parents took Sydney to Disneyworld and Alana gladly babysat the little dogs.
Alexis had two Welsh corgis of her own, plus she and Jared took care of the elder VanBurens’ corgis while they were on their trip.
It was a nice change for Alana to have the little terriers around the house because she loved dogs and she couldn’t have one while she’d been married due to Sam’s allergies. When she remembered this holiday she’d remember a lot of laughter, barking and eating, as well as a lot of fun.
But she was truly glad to see the last of the old year and more than ready to charge into the new year. The only thing that was bugging her right now was the dreams she kept having, night after night.
Alana didn’t sleep well; she hadn’t for years. She’d toss and turn for hours before drifting into a fitful sleep and when she did drop off, she would have nocturnal visits from Sam. She’d had dreams about him ever since she’d lost him and she usually woke up in tears of frustration, especially when it was one of those dreams from their past where everything was the way it used to be.
But now the dreams were taking off into another dimension altogether. She’d wake up in tears and if she could slip back into slumber she’d be treated to what seemed like hours of intensely erotic dreams, all featuring Roland. The wicked scenes of steamy sex with him were bad enough, but in addition to the sex, there were moments of tender romance so vivid that she would wake up moaning his name.
It was a mess, that’s what it was. During the day she was cool, collected and in control, but her nights were leaving her disoriented, disheveled and totally distraught. Or as close to distraught as she cared to come to in this lifetime. It would have made sense for her to confide in someone, but Alana didn’t even consider it. It was too embarrassing, too raw and too strange for her to verbalize. She didn’t notice that the strain was beginning to show in her face, but others did.
It was a sunny morning and she was sitting at her desk in the office behind the showroom of Custom Classics, going over the week’s schedule. A tap on the door preceded the entrance of Tolerance Taylor, her part-time IT specialist and full-time friend. Tolerance was known as Tollie to everyone and she was always in a great mood, smiling and talkative.
“Okay, which do you prefer, Hershey’s or Dove chocolate?” Tollie asked.
“Dove,” Alana answered, never taking her eyes from