The doctor had instructed him to keep the wound clean and dry, and to see his own physician for further care instructions. He had added that the burns were mostly superficial and shouldn’t cause any long-term effect. Genae was making too much of the incident, actually, but he couldn’t say he disliked being the focus of her solicitude--as endearingly awkward as she was in offering it.
The newest glimpse into her past--her long-ago attraction to the local “bad boy”--intrigued him, as so much about her did. The more time he spent with Genae, the more he became aware that there were many layers to her, some of them hidden so deeply beneath the surface that it would take persistence and determination for anyone else to uncover them.
Funny. When he’d first met her, he had thought of her as a slightly more irritable version of Raylene. Now he understood just how erroneous that impression had been.
He admired Raylene a great deal. She was intelligent, witty, kindhearted, competent and serene. A pleasure to be around. She would make his sometimes difficult friend Jonathan very happy.
As for her twin--Genae was more complex in some ways than Raylene. Moodier, more reserved, more suspicious--traits that had initially taken him aback, but now made him more interested in learning everything about her. He was curious how a woman so similar to Raylene in appearance, raised at the same time by the same parents, could turn out so differently. It could possibly take years to fully decipher the puzzle that was Genae.
Maybe a lifetime.
The errant thought made him clear his throat as she came back into the room carrying a glass of water. Damn, she looked good in those shorts. And now that he knew exactly how silky her legs felt, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on them again.
She held out one hand to him, revealing two white pills in her palm, “Take these.”
“I’ll take one of them. You can put the other back in the container.”
“You’re supposed to take two.”
“I don’t like that fuzzy-head feeling. And it doesn’t hurt that badly, anyway.”
“But...”
He settled the issue by plucking one of the pills from her hand and popping it into his mouth. Taking the glass of water, he washed the pill down, “There,” he said, lowering the glass. “That should do it.”
She shook her head, but didn’t try to insist that he take the other. After returning it to the container, she stood at the end of the couch, looking as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do next. “Would you like me to call one of your people to drive you home?”
“My people?” He repeated, amused by her wording.
“Should I have said one of your minions?”
“Cute. But, no, I don’t need one of my ‘minions’ at the moment. I can drive myself home when I’m ready.”
“You aren’t supposed to drive or operate heavy equipment while you’re taking those pills.”
“I’m not planning to use a forklift this evening. I’m just driving home, which is only a few miles from here, I should point out. I would be on the road all of ten or fifteen minutes.”
“That’s plenty of time to get into an accident and hurt yourself...or someone else. At least let me call Jason or someone to give you a lift.”
“Jason is my security officer, not my chauffeur. He has much more important duties to attend to.”
“Then who is your chauffeur?”
“I don’t have one. I prefer to drive myself.”
“Then I’ll drive you and call a cab to bring me home.”
“Are you so anxious to get rid of me?”
She crossed her arms and looked away from him. “I simply thought you might want to rest. You’ve had a rather stressful day.”
He decided he’d had enough of her benevolence, charming as it was. It was time to point out to her that it would take more than a couple of burns to get the best of him. Rising to his feet, he paused just a moment to let the medication-induced dizziness subside, making sure he gave no sign of the condition. And then he moved toward Genae.
“I haven’t found the day particularly stressful. It was very nice, actually. I enjoyed having lunch with you and wandering through the streets of Hot Springs with you. I’ve had a nice time sitting here watching baseball with you, too.”
“Did you enjoy almost being trapped in a burning car?” she asked cynically, “Having your arm burned? Spending a couple of hours in a hospital emergency room?”
He shrugged. “I’m glad I was able to help that family--though if I hadn’t, someone else would have. As for the ER, I didn’t particularly enjoy being swabbed and swaddled, but it was worth even that to spend the day with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “There are no microphones hidden in my apartment. You can drop the phony sweet talk.”
“Maybe I mean it.”
“And maybe you’re full of hot air.”
He chuckled and reached up to stroke his knuckles against her jaw line, “I really do love being with you.”
Her cheeks darkened. It always fascinated him that she blushed so easily with him. And it pleased him that he could make her do so. The stern frown she gave him didn’t quite diminish the effect of the blush.
“I’ll drive you home now.”
“Not just yet. First I want to thank you for taking such good care of me this afternoon.”
Her reply was brusque, “You’re welcome.”
He bent his head closer to hers, “I haven’t thanked you yet.”
“You don’t--”
He smothered whatever she intended to say beneath his lips.
He had kissed her before--to play his part, or to prove a point, or just to shake her up. This time he kissed her for no other reason except that he wanted to.
Had she made any effort to push him away, he would have backed off immediately. He gave her every opportunity to do so, holding back at first until he could tell if she was going to respond. At first she froze, holding herself very still for what seemed like forever, and then very gradually, she began to respond. Her lips moved tentatively, experimentally. And when he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, she parted her lips just slightly.
The result was powerful enough to almost rock him back on his heels. If Genae kissed this well when she was hardly even trying, he couldn’t imagine how it might be when she gave it her all. He couldn’t wait to find out.
It seemed there was still a bit of the rebel left in her.
He knew he should draw back before the kiss got out of control--as it so easily could. Already his hands itched to caress and explore. The blood was beginning to heat up and surge through his body. It was only a kiss, but it could so easily develop into more.
He found the resolve to pull away by reminding himself that Genae would probably bolt if he tried to move too quickly. He would have to start all over winning her trust--what little he had gained thus far.
He half expected her to turn away when he ended the kiss--to either pretend it hadn’t happened or to bluster and blame him for initiating it in the first place. He’d figured out that bravado was her way of hiding insecurities that she didn’t want anyone else to see.
Instead her gaze held his as she smoothed her hands down her hips and cleared her throat, “Well,” she said after a moment. “I supposed that was an emotional release, of sorts. It was a more traumatic day than you’ve admitted, wasn’t it?”
So she had decided to be calm and analytical about it. He would almost prefer one of her fiery flashes of temper. At least that would indicate that he wasn’t the only one who’d been affected on an emotional level. “That’s what you think we were doing? Letting off steam?”
She did turn away then, her expression half-hidden from him. “Of course. What else?”
What else? He didn’t think she was ready to hear his theories about that yet. “Maybe I’d better go now,” he said instead.
She turned back to face him. “I’ll drive you.”
“If you insist. You can bring my car back here. I’ll have it picked up tomorrow.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You would let me keep it overnight?”
“Of course. If anything happens to it, I’ll simply take it out of your hide.”
That made her smile, as he had hoped it would. As much as he liked his car, it wasn’t quite as important to him as Genae implied. He could buy a fleet of cars if he wanted. But he enjoyed watching Genae’s pleasure with the vehicle--not that he was stupid enough to offer again to buy her a car.
There was no more talk about the kiss during the drive to the house he maintained in a gated neighborhood on the Arkansas River. In fact, there was very little talk at all. Brian leaned back against his seat, trying not to be too obvious about watching Genae as she drove. And while they might not have talked about the kiss, that didn’t mean he stopped thinking about it, replaying it in his mind, wondering what might have happened if he’d taken the risk of carrying it further.
He’d kissed Raylene a couple of times during their few dates. They had been friendly kisses at the end of the evenings. Warm and affectionate, but hardly passionate. At the time, he’d considered himself holding back until Raye had a chance to decide what she wanted from their relationship. Only now did he realize that he’s subconsciously sensed that they weren’t right for each other, no matter how diligently he had tried to convince himself that they were.
It had been easier with Raylene, in some ways. He’d known exactly where they stood and what he had thought he wanted from her. He had liked her, admired her, respected her. She’d met almost every qualification he’d listed.
When she’d been kidnapped, he had been frantic with worry about her, and guiltily furious that her association with him had put her in danger. But even then, Genae had occupied his thoughts almost as much as Raylene. He’d spent those days reassuring her that he would bring her sister safely back to her, and dealing with her fear and anger. He’d sat quietly while Genae had released her roiling emotions by yelling at him, and he had watched over her when stress and exhaustion finally caught up with her and she’d fallen asleep on his couch.
His resigned acceptance when Raylene told him there would be no future for them had proved his heart had never been involved in their experimental relationship. The quiet pleasure he’d felt when he’d realized that Raye and Jonathan had fallen in love demonstrated once and for all that he’d never thought of Raylene as more than a good friend.
His feelings about Genae weren’t nearly as clear-cut. Nor was he at all confident about how to proceed from here with her.
Genae was always uncomfortable in Brian’s house. Though there was nothing she would describe as ostentatious about the place, she saw signs of his wealth everywhere she looked. The strict security measures established by the community. The marble and crystal and fresh flowers in his foyer. The awareness that he could have almost anything he wanted at the touch of a button. And, even more incredible to her, the knowledge that this wasn’t his only home. He maintained apartments in at least two major cities--that she knew of, at least.
“Is there someone here to take care of you if you need anything?” she asked, moving around the quiet entryway, “A housekeeper or bodyguard or valet, maybe?”
“My housekeeper doesn’t sleep over. I don’t employ bodyguards for myself, and I’ve never in my life had a valet,” he replied, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
Feeling a bit foolish, she shrugged and handed him the plastic container of pills he’d been given at the hospital. “Take these when you need them. They’ll help you rest tonight. And don’t forget to see your doctor tomorrow, just to make sure there are no complications.”
“I’ll remember.”
“Do you want me to take your car to work in the morning? You can have someone pick it up there and I’ll hitch a ride home with Raye.”
“That’ll be fine....are you going straight home?”
She gave him a look. “Don’t worry. I’m not going joyriding in your car.”
“That isn’t what concerns me and you know it.”
She sighed. “Yes, I’m going home. I plan to spend the rest of the evening doing laundry and watching mindless TV programs, okay? I’ll lock myself in and I won’t open the door to strangers. You can give your security guy the night off.”
He looked at her for a moment as if he were trying to decide whether or not to believe her--which only annoyed her more, of course--and then he nodded. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Fine.” She turned toward the door.
His hand was on the knob before she could reach for it. “Genae?”
Instinctively she tensed, anxious about what he might say now, “What?”
“It was more than blowing off steam.”
She didn’t have to ask him to clarify the quietly spoken remark. He was referring to the kiss she had been trying hard not to think about. Nor did she intend to ask him why he had kissed her, if not as an emotional release. When it came to Brian, she had decided that her new motto should be, “Better safe than sorry.”
Because she couldn’t think of anything at all to say, she kept her mouth shut, simply gazing at him until he smiled ruefully and opened the door for her. “Drive carefully.”
She nodded and stepped through the door, saying over her shoulder. “G’night, Brian. Take care of your arm.”
She almost ran to the car. She couldn’t help glancing in the rearview mirror several times on her way home to make sure Brian wasn’t having her followed--for her own good, of course.
He was becoming entirely too embroiled in her life. If she wasn’t very careful, he could invade it completely.
The rescue made the headlines. Genae heard about it the minute she walked into the shop Monday morning.
“I know Brian’s trying to make sure you and he are in the public eye, but does he have to be quite so dramatic about it?" Raylene asked, looking up from the newspaper spread on the counter in front of her.
“Very funny.”
“Jonathan almost went nuts this morning when he heard about this. He had to leave immediately to make sure Brian was okay. He’s probably still chewing him out for playing the hero and getting himself hurt.”
“I already gave him that lecture. He scared the shit out of me. But, really, Raye, what else could he have done? He pulled a little boy out of the car and then went back for the baby. If I’d been the one who’d gotten there first, I’d have done the same thing. Who wouldn’t try to save a helpless baby?”
“A lot of people wouldn’t--not if it meant risking their own lives.”
“Brian never even hesitated. I don’t think he gave a thought to his own safety.”
“He wouldn’t.” Raylene smiled and folded the paper. “He wasn’t acting the hero, he was simply being himself.”
“Let’s not get carried away with his praises.” Genae walked into the office to stow her purse and place the keys to Brian’s car in her desk drawer. She assumed someone would be along soon to collect it.
Raylene followed her into the room, “How is Brian, really? He told Jonathan on the phone that the burns were only superficial, but the newspaper accounts made them seem much worse.”
“I think you could say the truth lies somewhere between those two reports.”
“Did his arm look very bad?”
Remembering Brian’s raw, red skin, Genae nodded. “I’ve seen worse, but yeah, it looked painful.”
“You know, Justin and I can handle things around here today if you think you should spend some time with him.”
Genae looked at her sister blankly. “Why would I do that?”
“You know--to take care of him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Raylene made a face. “Honestly, Genae, he’s been hurt. He was burned saving lives. It just seems like it would be a nice gesture if you spent some time with him today.”
“He has plenty of people to take care of him. You said yourself that Jonathan rushed to his side this morning. Heaven only knows how many others did so.”
“I just thought you--”
“Don’t you start believing the stories, Raye. None of this is real.”
Raylene frowned, “His injuries are real. Even for the sake of the charade, don’t you think it looks odd that you aren’t with him today?”
“I don’t think anyone’s paying that close attention to us,” Genae returned. “Besides, he really wasn’t hurt that badly. It was hardly worse than a very bad sunburn. Painful, but not life-threatening.”
Raylene looked dissatisfied, “It’s your decision, of course.”
Genae saw no need to admit that she had tossed and turned for most of the night reliving those long minutes when Brian had been in the car and the smell of gasoline and smoke had been heavy in the air. She wouldn’t admit that his burned arm had been the first image in her mind when the alarm had awakened her from a fitful sleep.
Confessions like that would only encourage the disquieting matchmaking urge Genae had seen in her sister lately.
She glanced at her watch. “We’d better get to work. It’s almost time to open.”
She thought she did a fair job of hiding her distraction as she worked. Only a few times did someone have to say her name repeatedly to get her attention. She only stocked items on the wrong shelves twice, and incorrectly answered only a few customer questions. More than once she found herself standing beside the phone, one hand on the receiver, even though there wasn’t anyone in particular that she needed to call.
She worked through her lunch break, explaining that she wasn’t hungry when Justin offered to make a food run. Finally, at just after 2:00, she went into her office, picked up the phone and dialed Brian’s cell number. It was the number he’d given her to use whenever she needed to talk to him; he kept that phone with him at all times, answered it himself, and gave the number out only to a very few.
He answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Brian, it’s Genae.”
His voice changed instantly from brusque and businesslike to warm and intimate. “Hi, Gen...how are you today?”
She wished she knew what it was about him that even the sound of his voice made a shiver run through her. Sometimes she felt like a silly schoolgirl around him, foolishly impressed by his looks and his charm. “I’m the one who should be asking that question. How are you? Did you see the doctor?”
“First thing this morning. Jonathan accompanied me to the clinic.”
Genae laughed. “From your tone, I would guess that he dragged you to the doctor’s office.”
“That’s another way of phrasing it. But either way, I’m fine. My doctor assures me I’ll heal completely. Probably won’t even scar permanently, except for maybe a couple of small spots.”
“So I guess you won’t need that tattoo, after all.”
“Only if you want me to get it.”
She wrinkled her nose, even though he couldn’t see the face she made. “I think we’ve covered this territory already.”
“Right. Just let me know if you change your mind. I was thinking of something along the lines of a skull with a rose between its teeth.”
She remembered the word he’d used when she’d described her “bad boy’s” tattoo. “Charming.”
“It could even have your name printed beneath it.”
“Gee, thanks, but no thanks. Anyway, the reason I called...”
“You mean it wasn’t just to hear my voice?”
“The reason I called,” she repeated firmly, “was to ask about your car. No one’s come by to collect it yet.”
“There’s no rush. My doctor doesn’t want me to drive for another few days, anyway, because of the meds I’m taking. And I have the Navigator if I need a car for any reason.”
He probably had access to half a dozen cars, she thought wryly. Which didn’t answer her question. “So what should I do about the Beamer?”
“Drive it,” he replied. “Keep it a week or so.”
She frowned, torn between the temptation of having his car at her disposal for a few days and suspicion of his motives for offering it. “What if something happens to it?”
“The car’s insured. Just make sure you don’t hurt yourself. Drive carefully and wear your seat belt. Oh, and don’t touch the exhaust pipe. It gets hot.”
“Very funny,” she muttered as he chuckled at his own witticism.
“Really, Gen, I don’t need the car right now and you enjoy driving it. So why not? I’ll take it back as soon as my arm’s better.”
She wasn’t made of stone. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be careful with it.”
“I know you will. So how about picking me up for dinner tomorrow night? I’d ask you for tonight, but to tell the truth, my arm’s throbbing like crazy after the doctor messed with it today, so I think I’m just going to crash at my place and catch up on some paperwork.”
“Um--dinner? Tomorrow night?”
“Yes. I’d like to go someplace public to show everyone I’m up and about. I’ve heard there are rumors going around that I practically toasted myself yesterday. That sort of gossip is bad for business.”
It made sense. She, of all people, knew how quickly rumors could get out of hand. “Okay, but let’s not make it anyplace fancy. I’m not in the mood for snooty.”
He chuckled again. “We’ll pick someplace busy and casual. Lots of visibility, plenty of background noise to cover our conversation. We could even have Raye and Jonathan join us and make it a party. How does that sound?”
Very safe. She didn’t quite trust herself to be alone with Brian at the moment. Not with the memory of his kisses so clear in her mind. “Perfect.”
“So you’ll pick me up around seven?”
“Fine.”
“Great. I’ll make arrangements with Jonathan.”
“See you tomorrow, Brian.”
“I’ll be counting the moments, darling.”
She hung up on him. And then she couldn’t help laughing ruefully at the sheer brass of the man.
