"Brian Quinn."

Lily's heart hammered in her chest at the sound of his voice, so deep and smooth. "Mr. Quinn?"

"Who is this?"

"My name isn't important. I have some information I'd like to share with you… about Richard Patterson. Is there someplace we can meet?"

The line was silent for a moment. "All right. There's a place in Southie, a pub. Quinn's Pub."

"Quinn's?"

"My father owns it. We'll be able to talk there. Trust me. How will I know you?"

"I'll know you. Three p.m. today," Lily said. "Be there." She quickly hung up the phone and then drew a deep breath, her head still spinning. His father's pub was still on his turf, but if she had protested too much, he might have gotten suspicious. Quinn's Pub was as good a place as any to confront him.

"So what am I going to say?" Lily rubbed her forehead, trying to banish the confusion that muddled her brain. Whatever she said, she'd need to make sure that he had no doubt about where she stood. She was not going to jump in the back seat of the nearest car and repeat what they'd shared that night in the limo. She'd be polite and warn him to stay away from Richard Patterson. She'd ignore his sexy smile and his incredible body and the way he looked at her, as if he wanted nothing more than to rip all her clothes off and ravish her.

"I can do this," Lily muttered. "This isn't just a job-it's an adventure."

Brian parked his car in front of Quinn's Pub five minutes before three. He jumped out, then looked up and down the street, wondering if his contact would be waiting outside. He knew it was a woman, but that was all he knew.

As an investigative reporter, he'd spent countless hours tracking down people who might be willing to spill their guts, convincing ex-secretaries and nosy neighbors and even relatives to turn on those he felt were guilty of some type of misbehavior. He suspected that this woman was probably an employee, or if he was lucky, an ex-lover of Patterson's, someone who might break this story wide open.

He took the steps two at a time and pulled the front door open. Thankfully, the bar was nearly empty. A few of the regulars sat at one end, playing cards with Seamus. And a couple sat at one of the tables, eating lunch. Though the pub had been busy since the Roamer's listing, three o'clock was long after the lunch rush and well before happy hour.

"Hey, Da," Brian called. Seamus tossed his cards down, but Brian held out his hand. "I'll get my own drink."

He stepped around the end of the bar and grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator, then sat down on a stool to wait. Hell, he wasn't even sure she'd show up. A large percentage of his contacts ended up backing out at the last minute, worried that their comments might somehow put their safety at risk. But Brian had learned to be pragmatic and patient about getting a story. A good story, one worth reporting, usually revealed itself in its own good time.

The door opened behind him and Brian turned around, only to find his brother Sean strolling in. Sean nodded at him and took the stool beside him. "Hey, Brian," his brother murmured.

"Sean," Brian replied.

"I was hoping I'd find you here." Sean reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket. He slid it across the bar to Brian. "There you go."

"What's this?"

"Lily Gallagher. She's staying at the Eliot on Commonwealth. Room 312."

Brian gasped, then shoved the paper back at his brother. "I didn't ask you to find her."

"You didn't have to. Since you're going to be marrying her, I figured you'd want to know where she was."

Brian stood. "Goddamn it, I'm not going to marry her!"

Sean shrugged. "So you say. I think it's pretty much a done deal." He retrieved the paper, but at the last minute, Brian snatched it from his fingers. His brother grinned. "I rest my case."

"Did you come here for a reason or were you simply interested in tormenting me?"

Sean reached in another jacket pocket and produced a sheaf of papers. "These are the names of some people who have left the employ of Richard Patterson over the past year. You asked me to get these for you a few weeks ago, remember?"

Brian irritation faded as he stared at the long list. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to get something so quick."

"There are seventeen names. Secretaries, middle management and one guy from the financial office."

"Thanks, bro. I owe you."

Sean pushed away from the bar. "I'll send you a bill," he said, a crooked smile curving his lips. "I have to go. See ya later."

Brian watched as his brother walked to the door. Sean pulled it open, then stopped and danced back and forth with another patron who was trying to get inside. Finally, Sean stepped aside and the woman came in, turning to stare at Sean with her mouth agape.

Brian slowly stood. "Lily?" He blinked, certain that he was simply engaged in some strange fantasy. But it was her. Lily Gallagher was in Quinn's Pub. What the hell was she doing here? Had he mentioned the place to her? Had she come looking for him?

He sighed. God, she looked pretty. Her auburn hair was pulled back and twisted at the nape of her neck. She wore a conservative business suit that served to hide all her assets, but she still took his breath away the same way she had the first time he'd seen her in her gold gown and sexy little shoes.

Her mouth snapped shut as she saw him, then she frowned and glanced back at the door.

Brian slowly approached her. "My twin brother, Sean," he explained. "People say we look alike, but I don't see it. What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you again."

She crossed her arms in front of her, her eyes darting everywhere but to his face. "We had an appointment. At three p.m.?"

Brian frowned. "You're my contact? How can that be?"

"I work for Richard Patterson," she said, her voice calm, almost cold.

He gasped. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm a public relations consultant. And he hired me to protect him from people like you."

He couldn't help but laugh. She made him sound like some kind of criminal. "People like me?"

"Reporters." She said the word as if it caused a vile taste in her mouth. "So just stay away, or you'll be sorry." Then she cursed softly and walked away. But just as she reached the door, she turned around and stalked back to him, her impassive expression now suffused with anger. "You know this is all your fault. If you wouldn't have suggested those silly rules when we met, then none of this would have happened. I would have known who you were and you would have known who I was and we could have avoided… well, we'd never have taken that little tour of Boston."

"You work for Richard Patterson," Brian said. "So what. The only thing that could make me regret what happened in the limo was if you announced that you were Richard Patterson's wife."

Lily shook her head. "I have to go. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to protect his interests. It's my job and I'm very, very good at my job." She turned on her heel and started back to the door, but Brian wasn't about to let her walk out.

He caught up with her in a few short steps and grabbed her hand. The moment he touched her, he realized that she wasn't nearly as tough as she acted. Her voice caught in her throat and she stumbled slightly. "Wait a second," he murmured. "You can't just leave like that. We have a few more things to talk about."

Lily swallowed hard, then twisted out of his grasp. "We-we have nothing more to talk about. You know where I stand and I know where you stand. That's all that needs to be-" His gaze caught hers and for a moment, it seemed as if she forgot what she wanted to say. "Said," she finished in a weak voice.

"You're acting like there's nothing more between us, Lily. And you know that's not true."

She gnawed on her lower lip. "There's nothing between us," she said. She pulled the door open and stumbled down the steps. For a second, he considered letting her go. But Brian wasn't willing to concede that this might be the last time he ever saw her. He jogged over to her, stepping in front of her to prevent her escape.

"You just used me for sex and then tossed me aside," he said, walking backward. "I guess I didn't realize how coldhearted you really were." That caused her to stop short.

"I didn't use-" She snapped her mouth shut, but her emotions were all there in her eyes-anger, frustration, a good measure of doubt and insecurity. And hidden behind it all, an undeniable attraction.

He reached out to take her hand. "I know you felt something, Lily," he said, softening his tone. "Remember, I was there. It may have started out as just sex, but it didn't end that way, did it?" It felt good to touch her again, Brian mused. In truth, it was all he could do not to yank her into his arms and kiss away this stupid argument.

"Don't make this about that night," Lily warned, her voice cracking slightly. "That was a mistake and this is a completely separate issue."

"Well then, let's agree that we're both going to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. I'm going to go after Patterson hard and you're going to try to stop me. That's fine with me. May the best person win."

"It was sex," Lily murmured.

"You keep believing that, Lily. You believe that you were just using me, that you just wanted to take your pleasure and walk away. But you won't convince me. I was there. I saw you, I felt you. And right now, you're looking at me and wondering just what you'd have to do to make it all happen again."

"Stop it!" she cried. Lily glanced around. "I'm leaving now and I don't ever want to see you again."

She started toward the street, but in her anger she wasn't watching for traffic. Brian caught her just as she stepped off the curb. He yanked her back as a car sped by. "Lily, stop. You can't just run out in the-"