"I don't remember much of it. He was really drunk. Most of what he said didn't make sense." Sean sighed. "All those Mighty Quinn stories. Hell, I don't blame him. Turning over any control to a woman is dangerous."

"You've got to talk to Ma about this."

"Why? So she can make some excuse? She was supposed to love us. She was supposed to be faithful to Da. That's what marriage is all about. Till death do us part."

"People make mistakes, Sean. And marriage is difficult enough, without a husband who's away for weeks at a time and who drinks too much and who gambles his pay away."

"Are you saying she had a good excuse to cheat?"

"I'm saying you need to talk to her and get this out in the open. She wants her family back and you're part of that family."

Sean shoved his glass across the bar. "Tell Da that I'll tend bar tomorrow. I have to go."

Brian sighed as Sean strode to the door. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed so hard. But he'd been on edge all day and provoking his brother into an argument had simply been a reaction to his mood.

"I have to forget Lily Gallagher," he murmured. "I just have to forget her."

"I don't know what I'm doing here," Lily said. "Patterson hasn't explained what he needs." Grabbing a piece of paper, she sat down at her desk in the living room of her hotel suite. She slowly scribbled on the paper as she spoke to Emma Carsten, her best friend and co-worker at the agency. "We've got a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, so I guess I'll find out then."

"Why did you have to be in Boston this weekend?"

Lily drew a heart and traced over it again and again. "I don't know. I guess he wanted me to attend this benefit he was sponsoring so I could see what a good guy he is."

Emma and Lily had started work at DeLay Scoville the same month and had struggled through their first year together, calling on each other whenever they had questions. Now that they had more experience, they still discussed their clients with each other.

"Why would he come all the way to Chicago to look for a PR firm?" Emma asked. "There must be plenty of firms in Boston."

"I don't know," Lily said. "I'll have to ask him."

"He must know you're good with a scandal. Do you think he's got a scandal he wants you to fix?"

"If he does, I hope it isn't too messy or I'm going to be here for a while."

"So, what are the men like in Boston?" Emma asked. "Are they cuter than they are in Chicago? Did you meet anyone interesting at the party?"

Lily's breath caught in her throat. Brian Quinn certainly had been interesting. How many times had his image flashed in her head since last night? She'd expected to put the evening aside and get on with her work here in Boston.

But making love to Brian Quinn in the back of a limo had been the craziest, most dangerous thing she'd ever done. And rather than satisfy her desire, it only made her want more-more of his mouth and his hair and his incredible body. More of the need and excitement and shudders of ecstasy.

Lily swallowed hard. "I-I'm not here to meet men," she said. "I'm here to work."

Emma was silent for a moment. "Are you all right? You sound a little strange. Tense."

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you thinking about Daniel? This assignment was probably the best thing for you. You'll put some distance between you and him and get on with your life."

In truth, Lily hadn't thought about Daniel at all-not since the moment she'd met Brian Quinn. "I'm over him," she said. "I'm moving on. From now on, I'm not going to let myself get caught up in romantic fantasies. In fact, I'm not going to let myself fall for any man."

"I think that's a good attitude to have," Emma said. "For now."

A knock sounded on the door. "Listen, I ordered a little snack and it's here. I'll call you on Tuesday after I talk with Patterson. Make sure you water my plants. And don't let the mail pile up." They said their goodbyes and Lily hung up the phone.

She flipped on the television as she crossed the room to the door, the sound of the eleven o'clock news filling the room. Though she'd had healthy salad and a diet soda in the hotel restaurant earlier that evening, she'd been craving sweets all evening long. She'd promised herself to get into a regular workout routine, but decided tomorrow would be a better time to start. Besides, she'd gotten a day's exercise walking around Back Bay and Beacon Hill, shopping and taking in the sights of the historic neighborhoods, learning more about the city that would be her home for the next few months.

But even with shopping to distract her, Lily's thoughts had returned again and again to the previous night. Even now, she felt her cheeks warm as she thought of what she'd done. Pausing at the door, she pressed her palms to her face. Why should she feel embarrassed? She'd decided what she wanted and she'd gone after it. Just because that involved unbridled lust and an earth-shattering orgasm didn't make it a crime.

"That's what I'll keep telling myself," she said.

Another knock sounded on the door and she pulled it open. A waiter stood outside with a tray. "Good evening, Ms. Gallagher."

"Hi," she said. "You can just put that on the table, thanks."

Lily followed him inside and signed the bill for the pie and ice cream, adding a generous tip. Richard Patterson was picking up the tab for her hotel, so why not? But as she was signing the check, a familiar voice drifted through the room. She froze, then slowly turned to face the television.

Lily's jaw dropped. There he was! Brian Quinn was sitting behind a news desk reading the news. She closed her eyes and cursed. Now she was imagining him on television, and not just in her bed or in the limo or showering in her hotel bathroom. She opened her eyes and stared at the screen, prepared to realize she'd been wrong. "Oh, my God," she murmured. "It's him."

"He's really good," the waiter said, nodding in the direction of the television.

She snapped her head around to look at him. "What?"

"That guy. Quinn. He did an investigation on the auto repair business in Boston. It was really an eye-opener. Two of the biggest dealerships in town were taking cars in for repair and they were deliberately breaking things, just so they could charge to fix them. And this Quinn just went in and stuck a microphone in their faces, daring them not to answer the tough questions."

Lily turned back to the television, her attention transfixed by the image on the screen. He really was a handsome man with his dark hair and beautiful eyes, those chiseled cheekbones and sculpted lips. A tiny shiver skittered through her as she listened to his voice. It was hard to believe this was the same man she'd been with the previous night. He'd never mentioned what he did for a living-although that had been one of their little rules.

"He usually doesn't read the news," the waiter said. "He's like an… investigative reporter. I read somewhere he's from Southie."

"Southie?"

"South Boston. Hometown boy. Working-class neighborhood."

Lily handed the check back to him. "Thanks," she murmured.

The waiter smiled and nodded. "Have a nice evening, Ms. Gallagher. Just give me a call if there's anything else I can get for you."

She didn't see the waiter leave the room. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on the television, slowly sitting down at the table. How odd it was to be looking at him again. When he'd left her last night, she'd assumed it would be the last time she saw him. And now, here he was, in her hotel room with her.

She grabbed a fork and dug in to the piece of apple pie a la mode, her eyes still transfixed by the news broadcast. This was not supposed to happen! She wasn't supposed to feel this way. A one-night stand was supposed to last just one night!

But now she knew where to find him. He wasn't just some stranger in the night, he was a man with a job and a home and people who knew him. If she wanted, she could dial the television station right now and leave a message. And when he got that message, he'd stop by her hotel room and they'd-

Lily glanced down at the pie then methodically devoured the remainder of it in four large bites. Then she snatched up the room service menu and dialed the kitchen. "Hello. Yes, Lily Gallagher in 312. I'd like a piece of lemon meringue pie and a piece of pecan pie. And send up one of those chocolate fudge brownie sundaes, too, as well as two glasses of milk. And hurry."

She hung the phone up and went back to the television, pacing back and forth in front of it. "Stick to your guns," she muttered. "Don't imagine something that isn't there. This is all about control."

Lily groaned and sat down on the end of the sofa to wait for her food. If she was in complete control, then why did she want another night with Brian Quinn, and several more after that? And why did she feel like gobbling down an entire pie? Lily covered her face with her hands, groaning softly. "What have I done?"

3

Lily sat in her office at Patterson Properties and Investments, staring out the window at the Boston skyline. She pushed up from her desk and peered down on the streets in the financial district, watching the traffic crawl along. Though Boston was beautiful, it wasn't Chicago. Lily sighed. She'd only been in town for only three days and she was already homesick.

After her breakup with Daniel, she'd decided to make some big changes in her life. She'd stumbled upon an old house for sale in the WickerPark neighborhood of Chicago and without really thinking about it, put in an offer. The act of purchasing a home had been her first step toward independence. From the time she'd left college, Lily had always rented, believing that her perfect mate would come along, they'd get married and buy a house together.