Lover Beware

dated have carnal thoughts about you, you’re far more naive than I would have believed.”
    The husky note in his voice turned the banter personal. Intimate. She licked her lips and tried to keep things light. “Of course not. According to studies, men have carnal thoughts every ten seconds or so. Women know this. We just prefer to ignore it.”
    “I wasn’t talking about the occasional random hard-on. I was talking about the way men react to you. You’re an intensely desirable woman, Lily.”
    Suddenly the air burned in her lungs, thick and sweet, and she was overwhelmingly conscious of her hands. Of the need to touch him—and the need to keep herself from doing any such thing. Lily looked down at her lap, smoothed the silk of her dress, and listened to her heartbeat pounding and pounding in her throat. She couldn’t think of a thing to say.
    After a moment he sighed. “And now I’ve made you uncomfortable. Too much honesty too soon. What do you do when you aren’t arresting lawbreakers?”
    “I like to run, hike, paddle around in the ocean. I’ve done some rock climbing. What do you do when you aren’t jet-setting around or turning hairy?”
    He chuckled. “Hairy or smooth, I like to run, hike, and paddle around in the ocean, too. Climbing, though, is better done with hands.”
    “That makes sense. Um…I should probably warn you about my family. My grandmother knows who you are. I’m not sure my mother does—I left a message with your name—but she’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”
    “Will that be a problem?”
    “Probably,” she said gloomily. “You’re certainly not Chinese. If you were a surgeon, that might not matter. Or a lawyer, as long as you worked for a prestigious firm. She’s very big on personal achievement. About my grandmother, though…” Her voice trailed off.
    “The one you call Tiger Lady?”
    “For heaven’s sake, don’t call her that tonight. The closest Chinese translation is, uh, not respectful.” She sighed. There was no way to explain Grandmother. One had to experience her. “Just treat her as if she were royalty.”
     
    HE WAS MAKING mistakes with her. Rule knew that, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He wanted to claim her, and he didn’t want to wait. But whenever he let his urgency slip out, she retreated.
    Lily wasn’t sure about him. That was only natural. Even if he hadn’t been what he was, she would have wanted time to know him, to know her own mind. He understood. He even agreed. But his blood was up, and the discipline of years was stretched taut just by being with her.
    It didn’t help to know she was as attracted as he, however she tried to hide it.
    Tonight’s date was about as safe as a first date could be, he thought wryly as they entered the restaurant. They were on her turf, surrounded by her family. He would rather have taken her someplace quiet and private, someplace where he could look at her as much as he liked. Touching would have been nice, too. But it eased something inside him to look at the curve of her throat or the slightly crooked incisor that only showed when she grinned. “You have a lot of relatives,” he murmured.
    The restaurant itself was less obviously oriental than he’d expected. The tables were round, white-draped, with western place settings. A few people sat at those tables, but most milled around—easily fifty in this room, he estimated, and there was at least one more section to the restaurant. All wore evening dress, with many of the men in tuxedos. He’d wondered about that. A tux had seemed excessive for a family birthday party. He’d worn it anyway; Lily had said the party was formal, and he admitted to possessing his share of vanity. He looked good in a tux.
    “I’m not related to everyone. Just most of them.” She slanted him an amused glance. “Grandmother is probably holding court on the terrace. We’d better find her and deliver this.” She lifted the small, elegantly wrapped box in her left hand. “It may take awhile. You do draw attention.”
    It took awhile. Rule was tense, hyperalert in the way typical of this time of the month, his balance a delicate thing. Scents and sounds assaulted him with every new person to meet and charm. Outside, unseen, the moon was yet unrisen, but he felt it sliding nearer the horizon with every pulse. The sensation was pleasant, but distracting.
    The discipline of years helped him stay focused on the room and the need to mask his feelings. He was helped