He stood for a long moment, his face nestled into the curve of her neck. "You don't have to ask," Lily murmured. "I want this as much as you do."

He probed at her moist entrance then slowly slipped inside of her. The sensation of him filling her with his heat was more than she could take. It hadn't felt this way the first time. There had been pleasure then, but not this intense longing. Lily groaned, shifting herself until he touched her very core.

Brian moved slowly at first but Lily was so close and with every thrust she risked tumbling over the edge. She murmured his name, but she wasn't sure if he heard her. When he softly bit her neck, she knew the pain was the only thing keeping her in the present and she relished the reminder.

Lily furrowed her fingers through his hair and brought his lips back to hers, whispering soft pleas against his mouth. She kissed him, her tongue matching each thrust, desperate to taste him. And then, like a sudden cloudburst on a sunny day, Lily felt herself tense and convulse around him. A shower of pure pleasure washed over her body and a moment later, he joined her, driving into her hard, moaning her name.

She wasn't sure how he managed to remain standing, but he did, still kissing her softly as her breathing came back to normal. He opened his eyes and stared down at her. "I'm in love with you, Lily."

She reached out and pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't say that."

"I have to. It's the only thing I know for sure right now, except that I don't want this to end. I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I wanted you to know."

An uneasy silence fell over the elevator and she fought the temptation to return the sentiments. It would be so easy to tell him that she loved him, but she'd said those words before and they'd only come back to haunt her-and hurt her. "Everything has to end sometime," Lily murmured.

He slowly lowered her to the floor and they sat on the scattered clothes, Lily curled up against his naked body, a sheen of perspiration causing her skin to chill. He stroked her arm with his hand, a lazy caress that seemed wonderfully possessive. Then he grabbed hisshirt and wrapped it around her, drawing her back against his body.

They sat silently, both lost in their own thoughts. Lily wasn't sure what to say to him. Right now, her mind was a mass of confusion and conflicting emotions. Maybe she did love him and she just didn't realize it. Or maybe she wanted to love him but wasn't capable. Or maybe this was still all about sex and nothing more.

How could she be sure that he loved her? Had he really meant what he'd said, or was it just a response to what they'd shared? Questions swirled in her head and she closed her eyes, searching for an answer, any answer.

Suddenly, the elevator moved, jerking once, then restarting. She looked up at the lights above the doors and noticed they were going down. With a soft cry, Lily scrambled to gather up her clothes. Brian helped her slip into her blouse and handed her her skirt, but she stuffed her underwear in her pocket.

And then, to her horror, the elevator stopped and the doors opened on the lobby. They both looked up to find the elevator maintenance man staring at them, his tool belt hanging from his waist and his mouth agape. "They're all right, Barney," he shouted.

Brian, still completely naked, grinned, and shifted slightly to shield Lily's body from the man's view. "We'll be right with you," he murmured, reaching out to hit the "close door" button on the panel.

Lily fumbled with the front of her blouse, rebuttoning it twice before she got it right. "So, I guess you're going to be able to air your story tonight. If you hurry, you'll make it to the station with plenty of time to spare."

"No," he murmured.

"But I thought-"

"I just told you that to see your reaction. It's not ready yet." As he held his finger on the button, he kissed Lily again. "Remember what I said, Lily. And think about it. We could be great together."

A crowd of reporters had gathered at the construction site. Brian recognized vans from the other three network stations in Boston and watched through the window as the reporters chatted with each other. As news went, a ground-breaking was a pretty minor event. But this project had had a high profile from the start. Brian couldn't seem to stay away-but it wasn't because of the news value.

It had been three days since he'd last seen Lily, since the evening they'd spent trapped together in the elevator. After everything she'd said to him, and everything they'd done to each other, Brian was even more certain that they belonged together. But convincing Lily of that fact had turned into a near impossibility.

He cursed the men in her life who had made her so distrustful. Though she'd never told him about her past, Brian sensed that she'd been hurt, and not just once or twice. He was loath to believe that he'd be another name on that list. But the choice had been hers, not his. He'd admitted his feelings for her and now it was up to her.

"What time is this supposed to start?" Brian asked.

Taneesha held out the press release. "Three p.m. sharp. Why are we here? I thought you'd already edited this piece."

"I'm not happy with it yet," Brian said. "There's something missing."

"Hello," Bob said, peering out the front window of the news van. "What's this?"

Brian stood between the two front seats and watched as a line of vehicles drove onto the property. As each one stopped, five or six people hopped out, each of them carrying a sign and a plastic garbage bag. Brian chuckled. "We have a protest. Maybe this is worth covering."

"Who are they?" Taneesha asked. "And what's with the garbage bags?"

"They're commercial fishermen," Brian said. "And dockworkers." He caught sight of a familiar shock of white hair. "Aw, hell, that's my da out there." Brian yanked the side door open and jumped out of the van. "Set up outside. I think this might get interesting."

Brian wove through the growing crowd of people, their signs clearly putting them in opposition to Richard Patterson's plans for the waterfront. He caught up with his father just as Seamus Quinn was shouting directions to a group of dockworkers.

"Da!"

The older man turned, then broke into a grin. "Hey, boyo! Are you here to put us on the news? Make sure you shoot me from my good side." He grabbed a wizened old man and pulled him over. "You should talk to Eddie here. He used to operate a fishing boat right off that pier over there, the Maggie Belle. Brought in the biggest load of codfish in Boston fishing history. When was that, Eddie?"

"That would have been 1952," Eddie said.

"What's in the garbage bags, Da?"

"Never you mind," Seamus said.

Brian shook his head. "Don't do anything stupid, all right? I'm not going to have time to bail you out of jail."

The crowd began to shout and Brian turned and saw two black limousines rumbling down the dusty road. The reporters moved in a swarm to catch Richard Patterson as he emerged from the car. But Brian was waiting for someone else. Lily stepped out of the next limo, frowning as she took in the unruly crowd of protesters and the clamoring reporters.

Apprehension niggled at Brian's brain. He didn't like the way things were beginning to look. The protesters seemed a little too volatile and the reporters were more interested in the protesters. He tried to catch Lily's eye, but she moved closer to Patterson and whispered something in his ear. Then they walked toward the small stage that had been set up at the head of the pier.

"Save our waterfront!" the crowd began to chant. "No more development!"

Lily forced a smile as she stepped in front of the microphone. But just as she began to introduce Richard Patterson, all hell broke loose. Something flew out of the crowd and hit the podium. Brian rushed forward and more objects whizzed through the air in the direction of Patterson. It was then he realized the protesters were throwing dead fish-and from the smell, they were more than a few days dead.

"Go back to the van," he shouted to Bob. "Taneesha, keep the tape rolling."

Brian shoved through the crowd of protesters as they surged toward the podium. The reporters backed away, not willing to risk a close encounter with a rotten fish. Richard Patterson had already disappeared behind a wall of bodyguards, but he'd left Lily to fend for herself, dodging and ducking flying fish.

Brian reached her a few seconds later and she was still trying to calm the crowd. "Come on," he shouted. "You've got to get out of here."

"No!" Lily said.

With a low curse, Brian grabbed her legs and pulled her off her feet. She fell over his shoulder and he carried her through the crowd to the news van. Bob slid the door open as Brian approached.

"Put me down!" Lily shouted, kicking her feet. "I can handle this!"

"The hell you can," Brian said.

"Brian, put her down!" Seamus shouted just outside the van. "Don't you go actin' the hero. You know what happens."

Brian ignored his father and the rotten fish that hit him on the shoulder. Lily screamed as another fish hit her head. When he reached the van, Brian dropped her inside, then climbed in after her.

She brushed the hair out of her eyes and glared at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Saving your pretty little butt," Brian said.

"I can't let these people scare me," Lily said. "You have to stand up to protesters. If you wanted to help me, why didn't you call the police so they could arrest them all and throw them in jail."

"Isn't security your responsibility?" Brian asked. "After all, this was your ground-breaking ceremony, not mine."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you," Lily snapped. "This is just great news for you."