LITMIR.BIZ

      Ian glanced at the clock on his office wall and decided to give up his pretense of working, since he wasn’t concentrating on the reports, anyway. He had too many other things on his mind.

      He resisted the urge, as he’d done several times within the past couple of hours, to push the button and see what was going on in the casino, in hopes he would get a glimpse of Brooke. His hand tightened around the paper he held in his hand. He thought he was downright pathetic. And just to think, she was booked for two weeks.

      It took him a minute to notice his private line was blinking, and he quickly picked up his phone. “Yes?”

      “Ian, how are you?”

      He smiled as he recognized Tara’s voice. A pediatrician, she was married to his cousin, Thorn, a nationally known motorcycle builder and racer. “Tara, I’m doing fine. And what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

      “Delaney’s surprise birthday party. Shelly and I are finalizing the guest list and we wanted to check with you about someone who’s on it.”

      Ian leaned back in his chair. It was hard to believe that his cousin Delaney would be thirty. Her husband, Prince Jamal Ari Yasir, wanted to give his wife the celebration of a lifetime and he wanted it held at the Rolling Cascade. It seemed only yesterday when he, his brothers and cousins had taken turns keeping an eye on the woman they’d thought at the time was the only female in the Westmoreland family in their generation.

      Delaney hadn’t made the job easy, and most of the time she’d deliberately been a pain in the ass, but now she was princess of a country called Tahran and mother of the future king. And to top things off, she and Jamal were expecting their second child.

      “Who do you want to check with me about?”

      “Brooke Chamberlain.”

      Ian rubbed a hand down his face. Talk about coincidences. Hearing Brooke’s name brought a flash of anger. “What about Brooke?”

      “I know Delaney would love to see her again, but we thought we’d better check with you. We don’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way. I know how things were at Dare and Shelly’s wedding.”

      Ian leaned back in his chair. He doubted anyone knew how difficult things had been for him at that wedding. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I can handle it.”

      There was a slight pause. “You sure?”

      “Yes, I’m sure.” He decided not to bother mentioning that Brooke was presently in the casino and they were sharing the same air, as she’d put it. “I got over Brooke years ago. She means nothing to me now.”

      Ian sighed deeply and hoped with all his heart that the words he’d just said were true.

      Two

      Sitting at a table in the back that afforded him a good view of everything that was going on, Ian saw Brooke the moment she walked into the Blue Lagoon Lounge. Under ordinary circumstances he would have given any other beautiful woman no more than a cursory glance. But unfortunately, not in this case. Brooke was, and always had been, a woman who warranted more than one glance, and her entrance into any room could elicit looks of envy in most women’s eyes and a frisson of desire down many men’s spines.

      Taking a deep breath, he frowned in irritation when he saw the look of heated interest in several masculine gazes as she wove her way through the crowded room with confidence, sophistication and style. And what bothered him more than anything was the fact that the same heated interest in other men’s eyes was reflected in his, as well. And her outfit wasn’t helping matters. Talk about sexy….

      She was wearing her hair up in a knot on her head but had allowed a few strands to fall downward to capitalize on the gracefulness of her neck and the dark lashes that fanned her eyes. And her luscious lips were painted a wicked, flaming-hot red.

      But it was that sensuous black number draping her body that had practically every male in the room drooling. Emphasizing every curve as well as those long, beautiful legs, the short dress had splits on both sides, and Ian actually heard the tightening of several male throats when she slid onto a bar stool and exposed a generous amount of thigh. Before she could settle in the seat, he watched as several men stood, eager to hit on her.

      Ian took a leisurely sip of his drink. Unless she had changed a lot over the past four years, the poor fools that were all but knocking over chairs to get to her were in for a rude awakening. Although she probably appreciated a hot stare as much as the next female, Brooke was not a woman to fawn over male attention. He had learned that particular lesson the hard way the day they’d met. From that day forward he had never underestimated her as a woman again.

      And after being deeply involved with her, he also had a more intimate view of the woman who was the center of every male’s attention in the lounge tonight. Without a doubt he was probably the only man in the room who knew about the insecurities that had plagued her through most of her young life. Her father and two older brothers had been known as the Chamberlain Gang, robbing banks as they zigzagged across state lines before the FBI brought an end to their six-month crime spree.

      As a teenager, Brooke and her mother had moved to Atlanta to start a new life and find peace from the taunts, ridicule and insensitivity of those less inclined to put the matter to rest. It was then, while in high school, that Brooke decided to bring honor and dignity back to the Chamberlain name by working on the right side of the law.

      The activities in the room reclaimed Ian’s attention, and he chuckled as one man after another was treated to Brooke’s most dazzling smile, followed by her more than courteous refusal. He lifted his drink, and before taking another sip he muttered quietly, “Cheers.”