All Night Woman: A Contemporary Romance (18 page)

With purposeful steps, Liz set a course for the director’s office in the back.  She was only about halfway across the large room when her steps slowed, then stopped entirely.  She blinked again, staring into a beautifully crafted photographic display chronicling her parent’s forty years of marriage.  Her eyes took them in one by one.  Many of them were familiar; some she had never seen.

“Ah, Miss Benning, good.  I wanted to review the final menu with you before the guests started arriving.”

Liz turned to find a small woman, nearly as wide as she was tall, beaming up at her with curly reddish-hair and warm brown eyes.  It was not the same woman with whom she had spoken the day before, but she did bear a strong resemblance.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Of course.  Silly me!  I’m just so excited.  I’m Charlotte, Dottie’s sister.  She called me in yesterday, along with everyone else on staff.  It took some doing, but I must say, you have excellent taste.  The residents will be talking about this for years to come.”

“They will?” Liz blinked.  Family-style chicken and beef with a few extra sides didn’t seem like that like big of a deal.

“Oh, yes.  Many of our residents are on fixed incomes.  They don’t get steak and lobster champagne brunches often.”

“Steak.  Lobster.  Champagne,” Liz parroted, bemused.

“When your assistant came by yesterday with the changes, I was skeptical.  But then he arranged everything, even extra help from
Le Grande Maison
.”

“My assistant?”

“Yes, he is wonderful.  And so very handsome.  I would hang on to that one, dear.  Oh, excuse me, please.  It looks like the caterers are here now.  And look, our first guests are arriving.  Perfect timing!”

Liz could only stare at her as she bustled away.  What the hell was going on? 

––––––––

“O
h, Liz,” her mother cried, enveloping her in a hug, her eyes brimming with tears.  “This is the most wonderful surprise!  How in the world did you manage all this?”

That’s what she wanted to know.

She didn’t have the heart to tell her mother she hadn’t had anything to do with this; not when she hadn’t seen her mother smile like this in years.  Her parents were dancing, laughing, acting like newlyweds.  Everyone was gushing with praise and seemed to be having a great time.  She was not going to be the one to ruin all that and bring everyone down. 

Yeah, she would figure all of this out later.

Liz sank down in the corner with a glass of champagne.  Who in the world could have done all of this?

She scanned the crowd of happy, smiling faces.  A small gaggle of older women had congregated in the corner.  Over a sea of gray, white, and blue hair, she saw what – or rather who - had commanded their attention.  A man.  Tall.  Broad.  Dark hair.  And though she couldn’t see from this far away, crystal blue eyes.

Miles Grayson
.

* * *

M
iles knew the moment her eyes locked on him.  He’d remained out of sight for the first hour or two – not an easy thing to do with Liz sniffing around like a hound dog on a scent, but he couldn’t help sneaking peeks now and then.  She was so adorably confused, though every time someone approached her she smiled and rolled with it.

Adaptability was a damn sexy quality for a woman to have.  Actually, he was hard-pressed to find something about Liz Benning that wasn’t damn sexy.

The staff thought it was romantic.  They were all in on it, of course.  Many of the ladies had beamed at him, patted his hand, and told him it was the most romantic gesture they had ever seen.  He could only hope Liz agreed.

As Dean Martin crooned over the speakers, he figured it was now or never.  He excused himself from the bevy of blue-haired beauties and stalked over to Liz.  The move required him to dig deep for the confidence he usually wore so easily; he hadn’t been this nervous – or this excited – for a long time.

He stopped just before her table and held out his hand.  “Dance with me?”

Blue-gray eyes seared into his.  Oh, those eyes.  He felt the power of them acutely.  He refused to turn away, or to blink, or show any other sign of weakness.  This was one deal he couldn’t afford to lose.

An eternity seemed to pass before she put her hand in his and stood.  Miles withheld the sigh of relief that wanted to escape; he had to be cool, confident.  The consummate professional.

He guided her to the dance floor, his hand light against her lower back.  As they began to sway to the music, she kept a respectable distance between them.  That wasn’t going to cut it.  He wanted her to be every bit as lost as he was.  He used his size and strength to his advantage, pulling her closer.

After only a moment of resistance, she softened and rested her head lightly against his shoulder.  It was heaven having her in his arms again.  By dipping his head, he caught the delicate rose fragrance he associated exclusively with Liz.  The effect it had on him was almost embarrassing.  It seemed that every time he scented roses now, he got hard as hell.  Even now, he was certain she had to feel it.

“I missed you, Liz.”

She tensed, but only for a second or two.  And she didn’t say anything, didn’t return the sentiment.  Miles rallied against the disappointment that tried to take hold.  He had known it wouldn’t be easy.

“Did you miss me, Liz?” he prompted.

She sighed against him.  “What’s going on, Miles?” she murmured.

“I told you.  I missed you.”

She tried to pull away.  He held on, refusing to let go.  After a moment or two, she stopped resisting and leaned into him again.

“You missed me,” she sighed.

“Yes.”

“You are in Covendale for weeks, and in all that time, you don’t call or stop by.  That’s not very indicative of a man who misses me, Miles.”

He took the hit.  She was right.  “I’m sorry, Liz.  I had some things to work through.  And to be honest, I didn’t really think you wanted to hear from me.”

“Well, you’re right about that,” Liz agreed.  The song ended, and when she pulled away this time, he allowed it.  He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight, though.  He grabbed hold of her hand and followed closely behind as she went to the champagne fountain and held a glass beneath the flow.

“I thought it was against your better judgment to drink in my presence.”

“It was.”

“Not anymore?”

“No.”

* * *

I
t was a lie.  A bald-faced lie.  Three minutes in Miles’ arms and she was ready to yank him into a storage closet and have her wicked way with him.  Probably not the best urge to have when her parents (and approximately one hundred of their neighbors and friends) were watching their every move like they were filming the season finale of The Bachelor or something.

She forced a smile for their benefit.  “Tell me why you are really here, Miles.”

“I told you.  I missed you.”

“A man doesn’t fly twelve hundred miles and do all of this - ” she waved around the room with her free hand “ – because he misses someone.”

“This man does.  And maybe I wanted to impress you a little.”

“Why would you want to impress me, Miles?”

“Because you are special, Liz.”

Liz snorted softly at that.  Yeah, she was special.  He had proven exactly how special she was in Vegas.  The memory of those two women pawing at him still sent a red haze across her vision and an ache in her chest. 

Some of that must have shown on her face, because Miles frowned and said, “You don’t believe me.”

She gave him a tight smile.  “Let’s just say that in my book, actions speak louder than words.”

“Exactly!” he said, holding his arms out, as if she had just proven his point.

Okay, well, he had her there.  Pulling all this together was pretty impressive, she grudgingly admitted.  But it wasn’t enough.

“I appreciate the thought and the effort, Miles, but - ”  But what?  She stopped before she could finished that sentence with “it’s too late”, “it won’t work”, or any of the other phrases that came to mind.  They sounded too decisive, too final.  Yes, her brain had come to terms with the fact that she and Miles Grayson were not going to be the next Holly and Adam, but her heart still wasn’t convinced. 

She chickened out, opting for a slight change in direction.  “How did you come up with all of this, anyway?”

“I was talking to your parents, and they said – ”

“You were talking to my parents?  When?”

“Yesterday,” he said.  “I called them.  We had lunch.  It was nice.”

What?  How could Miles have lunch with her parents and she not know about it?  The only time she had been away from them had been when she’d come to the Center to finalize the arrangements.  Her eyes narrowed.

“Convenient.”

“Very,” he said, unrepentantly.  “Do you know how long I waited for you to leave the house, Liz?  Who comes to Florida and stays inside all day?”  He completely ignored her little gasp and continued.

“Anyway, we got to talking, and they said one of the things they missed most about living in Pennsylvania were the white winters.  So...”  Miles waved his hand around the room.  “Winter Wonderland.”

She gaped at him, opening her mouth several times to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come.  Liz couldn’t decide whether to be outraged or to melt in a puddle at his feet. 

“I still don’t understand,” she managed finally, shaking her head.  “Why, Miles?”

He took a deep breath and looked deeply into her eyes.  “Because I am in love with you, Elizabeth Benning.  And I was afraid just telling you wouldn’t be enough.”

I
t was as if a small bomb had exploded in her mind, temporarily paralyzing her.  Long minutes ticked by in silence, and Liz said nothing, unable to process his words.  She’d heard them clearly.  English was her first language, so her brain recognized them on an intellectual level.  But she must have misheard, because Miles Grayson couldn’t possibly be in love with her. 

He chuckled.  “I know, right?  Kind of took me by surprise, too.  I was miserable, and I had no idea why.  It seemed impossible, really.  But then I finally pulled my head out of my ass and there it was, plain as day.  I love you, Liz.  I want to be with you.  And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove it to you.”

“But...” Her mind worked frantically, trying to reconcile his words with the pain of the last several weeks.  “You didn’t call.  You didn’t come by.  And in Vegas...”

Miles looked genuinely regretful.  “I’m so sorry, Liz.  It was all right there, and I fought it.  Damn it, Liz, I didn’t want this.”

Liz stiffened.  “Good to know.”

“Christ,” he mumbled, running his hand through his hair.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  How do I keep fucking this up?”  He took a deep breath.  “What I meant was, I’m not so sure I can be the man you need, Liz.  I did the marriage thing once before and it didn’t work out so well.  But goddamn it, woman, I can’t stop thinking about you.  Lord knows I’ve tried, but the harder I try, the worse I feel, and the more I want you.”

Well, those words softened the blow, but they were still damn confusing.  Deep in her chest, her heart was pounding, hiding behind her rib cage and peeking out fearfully.  Her brain sought frantically to make sense of what he was saying.  One word in particular kept tripping her up.

“What are you saying, Miles?  You want to marry me?” she asked doubtfully.

“Yes.  Maybe.  I don’t know.  The thing is, I’m not sure I’m really quality husband material.”

Liz exhaled in stunned shock and sat back.  Miles had used the “M” word, even if he was obviously conflicted about it.  She could relate; she was feeling rather conflicted herself.  In fact, their emotions seemed to be running in parallel.  She loved Miles, too.  Couldn’t stop thinking about him.  And she wasn’t sure he was husband material, either.

At that point, she wasn’t sure it mattered.  She had always believed that when she did find the man she wanted to share her life with, marriage would be part of the equation.  That being said, if it came down to a choice between spending time with Miles or requiring a ring and a license, she already knew she’d pick Miles, every damn time.   

Simply put, the man just did it for her.  She didn’t want anyone else.  The sad truth of the matter was, she already belonged to him mind, body, and soul.  Had from that very first night.  She could fight and deny it as much as she wanted, but it wouldn’t change anything.

He just didn’t know it yet.

“Then what do you want, Miles?”

“You.  I want you, Liz.  Not just in my bed.  In my life.  I want you by my side.  I want to take you places you’ve never been and experience the wonder of everything through your eyes.  I want to fall asleep with you in my arms every night.  I want to wake up with you and make you breakfast every day.  That’s what I want, Liz.” 

Yes, please
.  Liz struggled to keep her expression neutral, to keep the euphoria his words incited contained.  This was too important to leave things open to misinterpretation. 

“You want to live together?”

He shrugged.  “It’s a start.  We can think of it as a trial period.”

“Excuse me?”

“You are obviously a very intelligent, capable woman, Liz.  I don’t expect you to drop everything and jump into my arms after all that’s happened, as nice as that might be,” he said, smiling wryly.  “So I’m appealing to your logic and common sense.  Three months, Liz.  Give us three months.”

“Three months is not a long time, Miles.”

“No,” he agreed.  “But I knew within a couple of weeks of living with my ex that it wasn’t going to work.  And the thing is, I just can’t see it
not
working with us, Liz.  It’s just too...
right
.”

She clamped her legs tightly together, holding back the riot of ache and want trying to rise up.  When that didn’t work, she crossed her legs and regarded him thoughtfully.  Miles’ gaze flicked to the movement.  Knowledge flared in his eyes, triumph in the tiny quirk at the corner of those capable lips. 

Crap
.  The sexy bastard
knew
.  So much for playing it cool and unaffected.