The By Request Collection - Kate Hardy Mills & Boon e-Book Collections

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of course she didn’t. “Whose?”

      “Well...”

      Eve folded her arms, narrowed her eyes and flashed that don’t-screw-with-me look Gracie had seen countless times growing up, and said in a motherly voice, “Gracie...?”

      She had no choice but to fess up. “Me. He came here with me.”

      Her outrage made Gracie wince. “Why?”

      “It’s not what you think. It’s not a date. We aren’t back together, or getting back together. It’s just business.”

      “Considering the way he’s looking at you right now, I find that a little hard to believe.”

      Gracie looked over to where Roman was now speaking with one of Hollywood’s most well-known power couples and an Illinois state representative. But his eyes were on her. He smiled and winked.

      Oh hell. Why did he have to go and do that? Especially in front of her sister.

      “I rest my case,” Eve said.

      Gracie turned back to her sister. “The truth is, Daddy asked me to bring him.”

      Eve closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “Oh, honey, what is he making you do now?”

      Apparently even her sister thought their father’s overreaching was inappropriate. “He thinks Roman is up to something and he asked me to...well...”

      Eve regarded her pensively. “To what?”

      “He was hoping I might be able to find out what Roman is up to. Since he and I were so close before.”

      Eve was not happy. “Who the hell does he think you are? James Bond?”

      “That’s exactly what I thought, but he guilted me into it.” As usual. “He said he can’t take another scandal.”

      Eve took her hands. “Honey, I know Daddy is very sick, and his time is limited, but you don’t have to do this. Not if it’s upsetting to you. There are other ways he can get what he needs. After everything Roman put you through...”

      “It’s really okay,” Gracie said, and realized that she meant it. “He and I have unresolved issues. Maybe it’s time we clear the air. And let go of the past.”

      “So do you think Roman is up to something?”

      That question had been hounding her all night. “I don’t know. He takes full responsibility for the problems he caused us seven years ago, but says that he had nothing to do with spreading the rumors about Daddy’s alleged illegitimate children in the media this time around. That Brooks acted on his own with information that Roman warned him hadn’t been verified. Has Graham mentioned anything?”

      Eve frowned. “We don’t talk about Brooks. And they don’t talk to each other right now. Graham is still furious with him. But if you want my personal opinion...”

      Boy, did she ever. “Please.”

      “Be careful.”

      Her sister was right, but as Gracie glanced Roman’s way and their eyes met, and she felt that tingly anticipation, she wondered if she was already in way over her head.

       Five

      After making a full sweep of the ballroom and securing commitments for very generous sums from donors, Gracie found an empty seat with a view of the dance floor and settled back to have a drink. Her third of the night, which was her absolute limit. She was scanning the room to see where Roman might be when she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Would you care to dance?”

      Gracie looked up to find Roman standing beside her, and like a dummy said, “Dance?”

      “It’s what those people over there are doing,” he said, gesturing to the dance floor with that wry grin. “I hold you, we sway.”

      “I know what it is,” she said, trying not to smile. He was only making it worse, poking fun at her like that. And she liked it far too much for her own good. The drink was making her feel fuzzy and loosening her inhibitions. Which couldn’t have been worse.

      She set it down on the table beside her.

      “I’m just not sure I want to.”

      “If I recall, you loved to dance.”

      “Are you sure you have room on your ticket?” she asked, since as far as she could tell he had danced with practically every young, single woman here tonight.

      “What’s the matter, Gracie? Are you jealous?” he asked with a playful look that melted her.

      She rolled her eyes. “As if.”

      He leaned in close, the whisper of his breath caressing her ear. “You know you’re the only one I really want to dance with.”

      Why did he have to say things like that? To have him hold her hand had been tantalizing enough, but the idea of being that close to him, and the feelings it would stir up, terrified her. But he was so handsome and charming that when he offered his arm she took it and let him lead her to the dance floor, knowing that the second he pulled her into his arms she would both regret and love it at the same time.

      She really shouldn’t have had that third drink.

      Feeling his huge hand on her lower back, she braced herself as he eased her in close. Much closer than those other women he’d danced with. And as her breasts brushed against his wide chest she felt her nipples tingle and harden. His grip on her hand was gentle yet firm, and as her other hand came to rest on his biceps, she could feel the hard muscle underneath his tuxedo jacket.

      Roman had always been a big guy, but now? There was just so much of him. And it felt good.

      Way too good. Too much like the old days when keeping their hands off each other had been impossible. Her thigh brushed his and against her will she could feel herself relaxing in his arms. Roman had always been a good dancer, and his injuries didn’t seem to have changed that.

      As if reading her mind, Roman said, “I seem to recall us doing this a time or two before.” He paused, his eyes snagging hers, and then added, “Although not with quite so many clothes on. And not vertically.”

      Her knees went weak and her cheeks burned. He had to go and remind her, didn’t he? Making love with Roman had never been anything but wonderful. They connected in a way that she never had with anyone else. Not before and not since. They would spend hours in bed lying naked together alternating between kissing and making love and just talking. Touching him, running her hands over his body, had always been a favorite pastime that never grew old.

      Apparently not even now.

      “You’re pushing it,” she warned him, feeling dizzy from the musky scent of his aftershave as the rest of the world faded into the background, until it felt as if it was just the two of them there in the ballroom.

      “It’s the truth,” he said. “I know you haven’t forgotten.”

      She wished she could, but what they’d had together had been pretty unforgettable. “Stop trying to seduce me.”

      A grin tilted the corners of his beautiful mouth. “Is that what I’m doing?”

      She cursed the wobble in her voice as she said, “I told you that this isn’t a date.”

      The deep baritone of his voice strummed across her senses and his breath tickled her cheek. “So, no good-night kiss at your doorstep?”

      “I picked you up,” she reminded him.

      “No kiss at mine?”

      Since the limo had fetched him at his office, she had no idea where he even lived. Not that it made a difference either way. “No kissing anywhere.”

      “Not

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