two weeks. You wouldn’t believe all the things I have laid out to pack for my trip. It’s almost like I’m moving back home. Hey, maybe that’s not such a bad idea.
Fondly,
Todd
It was a typical e-mail from Todd. He made it a point to e-mail her every day now. Sometimes just to say hello. Once in awhile he sent along a joke or told her about a problem he was having at work. Over the past few weeks, his messages had become more personal. He’d mentioned several times how anxious he was to see her again.
Kate just hoped he had the same reaction as Brock when he saw her in the skirt. Just thinking about that flare of heat she’d seen in Brock’s gray eyes made her heart skip a beat. If the skirt could affect a man as implacable as Brock Gannon, it could work on anyone.
She clicked on the next message, surprised that Todd had broken his routine and sent her two e-mails on the same day. She was even more surprised when she read it.
Kate,
I’m normally not an impulsive person but it’s late and I’ve been thinking about you and I’m going to ask you before I chicken out. Will you go out to dinner with me when I get to Seattle?
Hopefully yours,
Todd
Kate stared at the computer screen, unable to believe her eyes. He’d asked her out. Todd Winslow. High school golden boy. Owner of one of the most successful home shopping networks on cable television. She planted both palms on the computer desk and took a deep breath. It was happening. It was really happening.
And he hadn’t even seen her in the skirt yet!
Once he did…anything could happen. Chelsea and Gwen were proof of that. In a few short weeks, it could be Kate walking down the aisle. She closed her eyes, picturing the moment. The glow of happiness on her bridegroom’s face. Her eyes flew open when she realized the man waiting at the altar in her imagination was not Todd Winslow.
It was Brock Gannon.
Flustered, she stood up at the same time a soft knock sounded on the door to her suite. She let the housekeeper in, then helped her make up the sofa. There was a perfectly logical explanation for confusing Brock with Todd, she thought to herself as she plumped a feather pillow. She hadn’t seen Todd in person for over a decade, just his image on television.
While Brock was in the next room. Naked in the next room. And she had to admit he’d turned into a strikingly handsome man. Okay, handsome might be an understatement. Just looking at him made her long for steamy nights and silk sheets. But any woman would be having fantasies about him. It was perfectly natural.
“Will there be anything else, Ms. Talavera?” the maid asked.
“No, thank you, Marva,” Kate replied, handing her a tip. “Wait a minute, there is one more thing.” She walked into the bedroom and pulled the skirt out of the closet. “Could you make sure this gets to the drycleaner for me? It has a small spot near the hem and I’m afraid to wash it.”
“Certainly,” Marva said, taking the hanger out of Kate’s hand. “It should be back on Friday.”
“I’m going to call the drycleaner tomorrow morning and give him special instructions, so I’ll probably make arrangements to pick it up myself.”
“Very well, Ms. Talavera.”
As soon as the maid left the suite, Kate marched over to the computer and sat down to accept Todd’s invitation. This was not a time for second thoughts. Not when her dream was about to come true.
She knew Todd was perfect for her. He was bright, articulate and successful. They’d practically grown up together. Not that she’d spent a lot of time with Todd back then, since they had run with different crowds. In fact, more than once she’d gotten the feeling that he went out of his way to avoid her. But she’d probably just been paranoid about her weight. Besides, they were both older now. More mature. She’d dated enough Mr. Wrongs to know a Mr. Right when she saw one.
Although, she hadn’t actually seen him, except on his television show. And she’d only recently begun corresponding with him. Seeing Brock again reminded her how much a person could change. He definitely didn’t seem like the same recalcitrant boy who had been in detention as regularly as he’d raided their refrigerator.
Kate smiled to herself, remembering how intrigued she’d once been by him. At fourteen, she’d just discovered gothic romances and in her mind, seventeen year old Brock Gannon had embodied the perfect gothic hero. Dark. Brooding. A little dangerous.
There was still an aura of danger around him, although it didn’t scare her. Just the opposite, in fact. Brock Gannon exuded a primal sensuality that was both daunting and exciting. It was in his stormy gray eyes and the set of his square jaw. The way he carried himself, with a cool confidence that made other men seem insignificant in comparison. Kate couldn’t deny that she found him fascinating.
“What am I doing?” she muttered to herself when she realized she was thinking about Brock again. Focusing her attention back on the computer screen, she hit the send button before she had time to talk herself out of it. Todd Winslow was the right man for her.
He had to be.
The sound of the bathroom door opening made her turn around in the chair. Brock emerged, wearing only a pair of plaid cotton pajama pants tied low on his waist with a drawstring. The dark hair on his chest still glistened with tiny droplets of water. The scent of soap and male permeated the air. His short hair was slicked back on his head and his feet were bare.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” he said, moving toward the sofa.
“No, I’m all finished here.” She stood up, her mouth suddenly dry. Okay, so maybe Brock did have solid broad shoulders, a tight washboard stomach and bulging muscles in his arms. It’s not like she’d never seen a man’s naked body before. Maybe none quite as spectacular as Brock’s, but with all the same basic parts. Images of those parts flashed in her mind, sending a wave of heat through her.
She watched as he pulled back the blanket on the sofa bed, then lay down and settled back against the pillow. He pulled the sheet up to his waist so that all she could see was his bare chest. It gave the illusion that he wasn’t wearing anything. His flat nipples were a dusky pink and the cords of his neck stood out as he folded his hands behind his head.
She swallowed. “How was the shower?”
He hesitated. “Refreshing.”
Kate turned and switched the computer off. Maybe sharing a hotel suite with Brock wasn’t such a great idea after all. It put all sorts of crazy notions in her head. “I think I’ll go to bed. It’s been an exhausting day.”
“Good night, Kate.”
“Good night.” She practically ran for the bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and took a deep breath. Then another. Why did Brock Gannon have to show up in her life again? Why did he have to make her start doubting the perfect future she had all planned out for herself?
“Two weeks,” she said softly, slipping out of her pantsuit and hanging it in the closet. Then she took her favorite nightshirt out of the dresser drawer. It was a man’s striped pajama top that hung three inches above her knees.
She pulled back the quilted comforter and climbed into bed. “In two weeks, Brock will be gone and I’ll forget all about him.”
If she was lucky, in two weeks she’d be planning a wedding. Mrs. Todd Winslow. It had a nice ring to it. But when she closed her eyes, she still saw Brock Gannon standing at the altar.
BROCK WINCED as he turned the doorknob leading to the bedroom. He hoped the slight squeak hadn’t awakened Kate. Moving stealthily into the room, he paused until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. After a few moments, he could make out Kate’s long slender form on the bed. He could hear the steady rhythm of her soft breathing. See the shadows of her silky curls spilling over the pillow. She