8

Lily sat in the corner of the elevator, her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. She glanced over at Brian who sat in the opposite corner, his gaze fixed on her legs. He looked up and realized that she'd caught him staring.

"You have nice legs," he said. "It's not against the law to look."

Lily tugged on her skirt, pulling it down to just above her knees. "When are we going to get out of here?" she muttered.

"We've only been stuck for fifteen minutes," Brian said. "It'll be soon." He glanced at his watch. "It better be soon. I have to get to the station."

"Maybe this is Fate stepping in-to keep you from broadcasting that report."

"Or maybe it's the lack of decent elevator repairmen in this city," he countered.

She shouldn't even be talking to him, Lily mused. After everything she'd said outside the elevator, it was almost hypocritical to act like nothing had happened once they were trapped inside. She'd called an end to their relationship once and for all, and now, she'd have to do it all again.

"I'm hungry," Lily said. "I didn't have dinner."

Brian reached into his pocket and produced a box of breath mints. "That's about it. You're going to have to make them last."

"How long do you think we'll be in here?"

"The security guy said it would be at least an hour before they got a repairman over here. So why don't we make the best of our time?" He grinned. "Wanna play five questions again?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "All right. But we each get two passes."

"You first," Brian said.

"Are you really going to air your story tonight or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

"I'm really going to air it-if I get out of here in time. My turn. Are you really going to walk away from us or did you just tell me that to see how I'd react?"

Lily sighed. "I meant what I said." She thought about her next question. "Any regrets?"

He nodded slowly. "I have a few regrets."

"That's not a good enough answer. Tell me what they are."

Brian stared down at his shoes. "I regret that I never got a chance to make love to you the way I really wanted to," he murmured. "What about you? Do you have any regrets?"

Lily hesitated. They were telling the truth here. Why not be honest? "I was thinking that I'd never seen you… naked," Lily said. "We've shared such intimacies but we've never been completely intimate with each other."

"That can be remedied." Brian reached for the buttons of his shirt and Lily realized that maybe honesty hadn't been the best policy.

"Don't you dare."

"Why not? As long as we're stuck here, we might as well be comfortable. And I don't want to leave you with any regrets." He yanked off his shoes and socks, and Lily was certain that he was only teasing, certain that he'd stop there. But he returned to his shirt and unbuttoned it from top to bottom.

It gaped open, revealing a tantalizing view of muscle and skin, a broad chest with a light dusting of hair that ran from his collarbone to his belly. Lily felt her fingers twitch as she remembered touching him down there. Though the sight of him had started her heart racing, she tried to appear calm, as if men undressed in front of her on a regular basis.

Brian stood and began to unbuckle his belt. When he was finished, he pulled it from the loops and dangled it in front of her face.

"Hey, don't entertain me," she said. "Play to the camera."

"The camera?"

Lily pointed above her head to a clear glass window above the control panel. "Security camera," she said. "They can see everything you're doing."

Brian glanced up, then pulled his keychain from his pocket. He used a tiny pocket knife to unscrew the panel, then grabbed his sock and covered the camera lens. "Complete privacy," he said.

The phone rang and Lily giggled. "Complete?"

Brian grabbed the phone and answered it. "Yeah, she's here." He handed to the phone to Lily. "It's the guard."

"Miss Gallagher, are you all right? Something has happened to the security camera."

"I'm fine," Lily said. Her eyes went wide as she watched Brian shrug out of his shirt and drop it on the floor beside her. "Just get us out of here."

"It's going to be at least a few hours," the guard said. "Are you sure you're all right? If I have to, I can call in the fire department. They could force the door and-"

"No," Lily said, suddenly realizing that maybe she wanted to stay. "That won't be necessary." She handed Brian the phone and he hung it up. "Two hours now."

"There's a lot we can do in two hours," he said. He held out his hand. "Come on."

"I'm not taking off my clothes," Lily said.

"We can dance. There's music." He gently pulled her to her feet. "We were good at dancing, remember?"

Lily did remember-she remembered how it had felt that first time he'd touched her and how dancing had been a prelude to seduction. He pulled her into his arms, and the moment he did, she knew she'd made a mistake. Her breath dissolved and for a moment, she wasn't sure she could draw another. She suddenly felt dizzy and weak.

His chest was so smooth and warm as she slid her hand up to his shoulder. The music piped into the elevator played softly and they moved along with it.

They'd known each other for nearly three weeks now, but there were times when Lily felt as if she'd known him her whole life. She felt comfortable in his arms, as if she somehow belonged there all along. But she'd made so many mistakes with men in the past, been fooled so many times. She let her head rest against his shoulder. If they could just stay here, alone in the elevator, everything might work.

The music never ended so they continued to dance, his hands lazily drifting over her body, his fingertips discovering something new with each touch. There was no use fighting the desire. They were trapped together for two hours. If she didn't give in to him now, she'd surely capitulate later.

But this time, she was going to let Brian set the pace. She wanted to be seduced and she knew if she let him, he'd give her a night she'd never forget-even if it happened to be in an elevator.

As they danced, he slowly removed her jacket and tossed it on the floor with his discarded shirt. Easy listening wasn't exactly the best accompaniment to their striptease, but then her intimate encounters with Brian Quinn had never been conventional. Piece by piece, they finished undressing each other, after each item aside, taking time to explore what had just been revealed.

When he'd skimmed her panties over her hips and down her legs, Lily felt oddly vulnerable. Before this, it had always been about lust. But this was different, so slow and easy and deliberate. Though she wanted the passion, she also hungered to feel close to him, to somehow touch his soul this time. If this was the last time, then she wanted to experience it fully and without hesitation.

He pulled her against his body and Lily lost herself in a deep, soul-shattering kiss. She could barely breathe and when she tried to think, her mind was occupied with the wild sensations racing through her body. "I can't believe we're doing this," she murmured.

"Dancing naked in an elevator? Been there, done that," Brian teased.

"You have not," she said.

"No, I haven't. I'd never made love in a limo either. Or watched fireworks from a rooftop. Or drank champagne from a woman's navel."

"We never did that," Lily said.

"Then I guess we have something to look forward to."

Lily groaned inwardly. Why did he have to be so damn romantic? Why couldn't he be like every other guy on the planet-aloof, self-absorbed, distracted? She hadn't wanted to meet the perfect man, she'd just wanted a tidy little one-night stand. And here he was, making her feel all these things that she didn't want to feel, making her believe in the possibilities of love.

He caught her chin with his finger and tipped her face up until she met his gaze again. He kissed her, gently at first and then with greater conviction. The kiss spun out, each moment filled with unquenchable desire. It had always been like this between them, first gentleness, then giving way to unbridled passion.

Lily moaned softly as he traced a line of kisses from her neck to her shoulder to her breast. His tongue teased at her nipple, drawing it to a hard nub before he moved to her other breast. She tipped her head back and enjoyed the shivers that raced through her. But Brian didn't stop at her breasts. He dipped lower, to her belly, then lower still, making love to her with his tongue.

A tremor shook her body and for a moment, her knees went soft. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she couldn't stand, but yet she was aware of every sensation that pulsed through her. It had always been so easy for him to bring her pleasure. She barely had to take a breath before the knot in her belly tightened and she gave way to her release.

But this time, he didn't bring her all the way. Instead he drew her closer and closer to the edge, then eased her away. Lily's breath came in ragged gasps as she leaned back against the elevator door, the metal surface cool on her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she watched him retrieve a condom from his wallet on the floor.

Even if he hadn't had protection, Lily wasn't sure she could have resisted. Not now. She needed to feel him inside her again, needed the heat and the hardness and the final surrender. Needed to assure herself that what she was feeling was real. He gave her the condom after removing it from the package and let her sheath him. As she smoothed it over his erection, Brian closed his eyes and sighed softly.

When he opened his eyes again, she saw a look there that caused another shiver to race through her. He wanted her and nothing was going to stand in his way. Brian lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, then pressed her back against the wall of the elevator.