"Let go of me!"

Frustrated, he grabbed her other arm and yanked her into his embrace, then kissed her, long and hard. At first, she refused to yield, but then he softened his assault and she slowly went limp in his arms. A tiny moan slipped from her throat and her hands moved from his chest to his neck. Brian had forgotten just how intoxicating she tasted, how when their tongues touched, he seemed to lose the ability to think.

He'd kissed a lot of women and had considered himself pretty good at it. But with Lily, the experience was something more than just the first step in seduction. It was like a silent communication, a chance to share some brief intimacy that he hadn't ever shared with another woman.

When he had kissed her as thoroughly as he possibly could, Brian stepped away and waited for her reaction. He didn't have to wait long. Desire flooded her expression and she fixed her gaze on his mouth, her lips slightly swollen and her ivory complexion flushed. "You can kiss me all day and it's not going to change my mind."

Brian chuckled. Her words didn't seem like a threat, but more like an invitation. "Now there's an idea. Would you like to get started right here or should we find some place a little more comfortable?"

Her brow rose and annoyance replaced desire. "I think you must be the most self-centered, egotistical man I've ever met."

Brian chuckled. "But I know how to kiss you like no one's ever kissed you before."

Her jaw tensed and with a low growl, she walked away from him, crossing the street to a waiting cab. Brian watched as she drove off, then shook his head and started toward his car. After he'd left her that night in the limo, he'd been sure he'd never see her again. And now, Brian knew it was only a matter of time before they'd cross paths once more. And when they did, it promised to be an interesting experience.

Lily tossed her briefcase on the sofa and kicked off her shoes. It was nearly seven and she'd spent a long day at the office going over all of Richard Patterson's press clippings for the past year. She'd looked at videotape of newscasts and flipped through business magazines until she had a good sense of which members of the press were friends and which were enemies. She'd met with his legal team to get their take on the situation.

And she mapped out a strategy to contain any scandal that might come to light.

There was no doubt in her mind that Brian Quinn would come at them hard. From what she could see, he was relentless in the pursuit of a juicy story. She couldn't really fault him for that. From the moment she'd begun her career in public relations, she'd been just as focused on her own goals.

But she'd never really doubted herself. And now, she wondered if maybe she'd stepped into the deep end without a life jacket. If Richard Patterson's business dealings were on the dark side of shady, it would be difficult to make the scandal go away. And an unhappy client was sometimes worse than an unsatisfactory outcome. Added to that, she was also forced to deal with a single-minded reporter who had the capacity to kiss her senseless.

"Just do the job," she murmured, flopping down on the sofa. She reached back and undid the pins from her hair, pulling it free from the confining knot.

Brian had already broadcast one report on the protests against the Wellston waterfront project and it was clear that he had Patterson in his sights. Compared to the community groups who had opposed the project, Quinn was more dangerous. He could reach thousands of viewers a night and affect the decisions of people in power.

Lily felt almost impotent in dealing with him. She had shown him her weaknesses that afternoon in the pub and if he was any type of reporter, he'd exploit them at the first possible opportunity. She groaned softly and rubbed her temples, trying to drive thoughts of work from her head. With this job, more than any other, she needed to leave it at the office or she'd be a basket case by the time she left town.

But that would be easier said than done. Without a social life in Boston, she had no choice but to spend her days and her evenings thinking about work. She'd already broken her own promise to start a workout routine. Lily reached for the box of Milk Duds she'd bought from the vending machine and popped a few in her mouth. Tomorrow was soon enough to get started.

A knock sounded on her door and Lily scrambled off the bed. She hadn't called for dinner yet, but maybe it was the maid with the chocolates for the pillow! Lily yanked the door open, only to find Brian Quinn standing on the other side. He held up a bouquet of flowers, a wide grin on his handsome face. Her heart did a little flip and had she been able to reach inside her chest and slap it, she would have.

"Hi there," he said, his gaze skimming her face and coming to rest on her lips.

Lily groaned and made to close the door, but he gently pushed it open. This was the last thing she needed tonight. "What are you doing here? How did you find out where I was staying?"

"I'm Brian Quinn, investigative reporter," he teased. "I have sources everywhere."

"I don't want to talk to you. We don't have anything to say to each other."

"All right, we won't talk. Let's go."

"Go where?"

"To dinner. You're new to Boston. I know all the best places to eat and I can get in without reservations. I'm inviting you to accompany me to dinner. You don't have to say a word. We won't talk about work, we won't talk about sex, we won't talk at all, we'll just eat."

"I'm not going on a date with you!" Lily cried.

"Did I say this was a date?"

She sent him a sarcastic smile. "Haven't I explained this already? Are you Brian Quinn, reporter, or Brian Quinn, hearing-impaired jackass?"

"I don't think the fact that we're working on opposite sides of an issue should have any bearing on whether we eat together. I can separate my social life from my professional life. Can't you?"

"Of course I can," Lily lied, walking into the room. "I just don't want to at the present moment."

"You haven't even tried," he said, following her inside. "I'm a very charming man and a brilliant conversationalist. I'm also witty and handsome. And modest. Come out to dinner with me and if you're having a horrible time, then you can go home. You have to eat, don't you?"

"I'm tired. I was going to order room service."

Brian shrugged and sat down on the edge of the sofa, stretching his arms across the back and crossing his leg over his knee. "That sounds good, too. Can I see the menu?"

Lily hitched her hands on her hips. "If you don't get off that sofa and out of my room, I'm going to call security and have them throw you out. But first, I'm going to call the media so they'll have cameras ready to witness your graceful exit. And I might just also let slip about your fondness for whips, leather underwear and four-inch heels. Don't you just hate it when the news reporters end up making the news?"

Brian chuckled. "You've been in town for three days. You don't have any juice yet with the local media. No one knows you. They won't show up. So where's the menu? I could go for a burger. How about you?"

God, she hated that he was always one step ahead of her! If this was any indication of how she was going to control the situation, she might as well catch the next plane back to Chicago. She sighed and raked her hand through her hair. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

"Nope."

Lily walked over to the desk and grabbed the room service menu, then threw it at him. To her frustration, he caught it with one hand. "So, how was your day?" he asked as he perused the menu.

"Do you really expect me to answer that?"

"I was just making polite conversation."

Lily strolled over to the easy chair. "I'll tell you, honestly. It was busy. I spent the day looking at media coverage of Richard Patterson. I must say, you haven't been kind. Your report on his Minuteman project was very unflattering. And you didn't check your facts very well." Lily folded her hands on her lap and stared at him, trying to convince herself that he wasn't as handsome as she remembered. "You know, you still owe me two questions."

Brian frowned. "That was Saturday night."

"I don't recall there being a time limit, do you? No? Question number four. What do you have on Richard Patterson?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," Brian said.

"You have to. Total honesty, remember? That was the deal." Lily couldn't help but smile. Now she finally had the upper hand, at least for the moment.

He sat silently and considered the question. "Let's order dinner first and then I'll tell you everything. What will you have?"

Grudgingly, Lily grabbed the menu. "A small salad with vinaigrette dressing, steamed vegetables, and a glass of red wine. By the way, Richard Patterson is paying for this room and the meal. I don't know if you have any ethical problems with that but I just thought I'd warn you. You're eating on his dime."

"I'll buy dinner." He picked up the phone and dialed room service. "Yes. We'll have two New York strip steaks, baked potato, crème brûlée for dessert and a bottle of your best champagne. Oh, and add a shrimp cocktail and some oysters to that as well." Then he proceeded to offer his credit card number.

"I wanted a salad," Lily said.

"Oops," Brian said. "Since I'm paying, you'll have to eat what I ordered."

Lily shook her head. "You are really a pain."

He hung up the phone. "You haven't seen anything yet. Now, you wanted to know what I've got. I know that Richard Patterson has had to make some sleazy deals to get the Wellston project off the ground. Bribes, influence peddling, probably a few illegal campaign contributions. That waterfront project has been tangled in legalities for years. Three different developers have owned the property and they couldn't make it work, yet he suddenly can? Something smells bad here."