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,
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
'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-'
'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.
