Return to You

"What?" If he didn't
he wouldn't have to deal with it?
    He shook his head and kissed her, so softly it was
like a whisper against her lips. "Let's not ruin the time we have
left by fighting, okay?"
    She started to tell him to shove it but he quickly
covered her mouth with his. Before she realized it, she was kissing
him back with matched fervor.
    Much later back in his room, she lay in his arms,
listening to him breathe peacefully in his sleep and remembering
the giddy look of happiness on Lainie's face. The lucky woman was
just starting her romantic adventure.
    For Olivia, it was the beginning of the end.
     
     

Chapter Twenty-eight
     
     
    Parker sipped his scotch, his eye trained on the
door. He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes till she arrived.
    He felt an unfamiliar twinge around his midsection.
After some reflection, he realized it was nerves.
    He shook his head and took another calming sip. He
hadn't felt nervous since he first started in the movie industry
thirty-seven years before. He hadn't even felt anything remotely
anxious the first time he ran into Lily—literally. When he met
Lily, he'd just felt a calm sureness that she was meant to be
his.
    With Elaine he felt anything but calm.
    He didn't know what possessed her to demand to be
taken out, but he hoped after this evening she'd snap out of this
strangeness and go back to being the efficient, unobtrusive
assistant he relied upon. Not that she wasn't still efficient, but
she was far from unobtrusive. She'd taken permanent residence in
his mind. Even when she wasn't around he wondered where she was and
what provocative thing she was wearing now.
    The door opened and she walked in. Her hair was
rumpled from the wind. Even when they worked well into the night on
a deadline her hair was always picture perfect. Now, it looked soft
and touchable like she'd just rolled out of bed.
    He shot back the rest of his scotch. One thing he
didn't need to do was think about what Elaine looked like just out
of bed.
    He watched her as she scanned the restaurant. When
her gaze fell on him, she smiled.
    His gut clenched. He couldn't remember anyone
smiling at him like that. Not in twenty-five years since Lily
died.
    "Hello," she said when she reached the table. Her
voice sounded the same as always, a little low and husky, but
tonight it grabbed him and refused to let go.
    He stood up. "You're early."
    "So are you."
    He helped her out of her coat and handed it to the
host who waited patiently beside their table. He pulled out her
chair and froze as he noticed what she was wearing.
    Her dress was red silk, simple and elegant. It
revealed quite a bit of cleavage, which he could have dealt with on
its own. After all, he'd been dealing with it for weeks now. But
when she sat down, the skirt fell away, revealing a length of
creamy skin almost to her hip. His mouth went dry and he felt a
strange dizziness he attributed to drinking his scotch too fast on
an empty stomach.
    She was devious. She'd been hiding this side of her
from him and he didn't like it one bit. Then he looked down and saw
her shoes—the sensible, quality shoes she always wore—and felt
relief. It was comforting to know that underneath the seductive
Elaine the Elaine he was most familiar with still existed.
    He sat down, feeling like he was on more stable
ground than before. "Can I order you a drink?"
    "A glass of wine would be nice, thank you."
    He gazed at her while he waited for the server to
come, noticing for the first time Elaine's nervousness. It was in
the way her brows creased and the tension in her shoulders. He was
shocked at the impulse to take her hand and reassure her so he
could see her smile again.
    "Your dress is lovely."
    He was as surprised to hear himself say it as Elaine
appeared to be. "Thank you."
    "Red becomes you. You should wear it often."
    She blushed charmingly. "Olivia tells me the same
thing."
    Ah. So it was his daughter who was making this
profound difference in Elaine. He wasn't sure yet if he should
thank her or curse her. "You and Olivia have gotten close."
    "It wasn't difficult. Olivia is wonderful. You're
fortunate to have a daughter like her. She'll realize how much you
love her and come around," Elaine said sagely. "Just give it
time."
    Her gaze seemed to see right through him. It made
him uncomfortable. He wanted to tell her this was a mistake. He
wanted to leave, to go back to LA and establish the old
boundaries.
    Then her hand covered his. It was slightly chilled
and