Carly Phillips - Hot Stuff

"Will do," Vaughn said, feeling somewhat guilty for not telling Yank the truth. But what could he say? I'm sleeping with your niece? With a shake of his head, he pushed his uneasiness away and grabbed Yank in a bear hug. "Take care," he said to the other man.

"You, too. See you in a few days."

Vaughn nodded and while Yank headed back to face his problems in New York, Vaughn took off for a promising evening with Annabelle.

AS ANNABELLE LOADED the animals into Vaughn's SUV for her trip back to New York, her heart pounded in her chest and regret filled her. She found it hard to leave Vaughn behind, especially with their night at the lodge so fresh in her mind. She'd intended to take him away from all the pressures in his life and bring him to the one place where he could be himself. Instead she'd found a place where she felt more herself as well. As they'd laughed, playing twenty questions about each other, she'd realized he already knew the answers. The man understood her insecurities and admired her strengths in a way no man had before.

They'd shared the dinner she'd brought along with a bottle of wine and watched the sun set beneath the tree they'd settled under. It was another perfect memory to add to the others. Which only cemented this separation as a dam good idea. She didn't need to get any more attached to the man than she already was.

Their time together had been intimate and special, leaving Annabelle with her needs sated, both physical and emotional. Oh yes, she thought. Distance was very necessary right now. Better she turn her attention to the family fun fest that awaited her. She'd promised her sisters she'd come a couple of days before the party to help with the last-minute details and to shop for something to wear.

"Tell me something," she said as she slammed the trunk of Vaughn's truck closed and tried to sound nonchalant.

Vaughn was lending her his vehicle. He planned to drive down with Nick and Mara the day of the party, so he wouldn't have to leave the lodge for too long a time.

"What?" he asked.

"If this party is something we throw every year, why does it seem to get more complicated and make me more nervous each time?"

He walked her around to the open driver's side door and paused, one hand on the window. "Maybe because this year you invited an extra couple of dozen people?" He brushed her hair off her face. "Which you didn't have to do but I appreciate anyway."

"I know. That's why I did it. For you."

He smiled that killer smile. Not the sinful grin that made her knees melt or the sensual twist to his lips he used on many people but which meant nothing. No, he smiled the one-hundred-percent genuine smile focused on her alone. The one that made her feel alive, special…and even loved. Yet he'd promised her everything but.

Loved.

She blinked into the glare of the morning sun. The morning after she'd spent the night in Vaughn's bed, his arms wrapped tight around her, her animals surrounding her, and when all had been right with the world. Because she was in love.

Love.

Oh, no. She was obviously a complete idiot, she thought. Because she'd gone and done it again. She'd fallen in love when she'd sworn she would keep her heart under lock and key. And she'd fallen in love with Brandon Vaughn of all people, the egocentric, football jock who couldn't see beyond his own self-importance.

Hah. She wished those words were true. If only the description she'd thought pegged Vaughn was accurate, her heart wouldn't be in jeopardy right now.

"Are you okay? You spaced out on me for a minute."

She pasted a sunny smile on her face. "My mind's already on the trip and everything I have to do once I get to New York," she lied.

"Then you should get going."

"I should."

But he didn't step aside, still blocking her access to the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Say goodbye, Vaughn," he said, his voice dropping a husky octave.

"Goodbye, Vaughn," she heard herself repeat, mesmerized by his voice. His compelling gaze. By him.

He leaned in closer. "Goodbye, Annabelle."

I'm going to miss you, she thought but didn't say so out loud.

And when his lips closed over hers, she thought he'd miss her, too.

AFTER GREENLAWN, New York City felt like another planet. Annabelle walked into Barney's to meet Lola and her sisters to shop for outfits for the party. What would normally be a near orgasmic experience for her, since she loved shopping in the extreme, felt like a chore because it didn't involve Vaughn. She knew she had it bad.

"Annabelle, darling!" Elizabeth, her personal shopper, met her before she'd reached the cosmetics counter not three feet from the door.

"Hi," Annabelle said, greeting her with a warm, brief hug.

"So good to see you! It's been way too long, so either you're cheating on me or you've repeated the outfits in your closet one too many times," Elizabeth chided.

Elizabeth had dressed Annabelle for events from black tie fund-raisers to afternoon picnics and lawn parties.

Annabelle laughed. "I'm not hitting other stores, I've just been busy."

"Well," she said, linking her arm through Annabelle's, "let me show you some of the special things I've pulled. I spent hours choosing just the right outfits for each one of you so Lola, you and your beautiful sisters will all stand out from the crowd."

"I'm sure I'll love everything," Annabelle murmured.

Elizabeth steered Annabelle toward the private back room. "While we're waiting for the others, tell me who you're working with now."

Annabelle forced a smile. Normally she loved indulging the other woman's taste for gossip about the athletes she worked with, though she never revealed anything Elizabeth couldn't find in the papers. But everything Annabelle felt for Vaughn was fresh and new. Most of all, her feelings and emotions were too private to share.

She hoped her sisters would get here soon and deflect interest off of her. Thankfully within minutes her wish was granted. Lola arrived, followed by Sophie who had a cell phone tucked against her ear and a pad and paper in hand, then Micki who predictably grumbled about having perfectly fine clothes in her closet and wasting her time shopping.

Elizabeth had her hands full getting Sophie's attention between phone calls, and Micki's fondness for pants drove the saleswoman insane. Then there was Lola who shocked Elizabeth by waving a dismissive hand at all of the conservative clothing the other woman had picked based on her past choices.

"Think Sophia Loren," Lola repeatedly said, sending Elizabeth back to peruse her inventory.

Micki shot Annabelle an amused look. "Thank God she didn't say Cher," Micki said, laughing.

By choice, Annabelle went last, content to watch her family and the chaos surrounding them. Normally this was when she was happiest, watching her family interact, laugh and act just like she expected. Normally this made her feel safe and secure. Normally she wasn't thinking about Brandon Vaughn.

Somehow he'd come to mean something to her beyond a fun time in bed. She'd come to understand what made him tick. Knowing that, she chose her outfit carefully with Vaughn in mind and holding on to the knowledge that she had to make a lasting impression because too soon, the police would find the saboteur and Vaughn wouldn't need her for damage control. She'd be able to do her PR from the office and her time with him would come to an end.

ANNABELLE HAD ONLY BEEN gone for two days. Not even a full forty-eight hours and Vaughn's entire mood had changed and not for the better. He was anxious and edgy, and lonely in a way he'd never been before!

Vaughn used to like peace and quiet. He used to enjoy solitude and privacy but no longer. For someone who'd always lived alone and loved it, after having a brief taste of not just company, but what felt like family, he hated knowing he was walking into an unoccupied house. Everything felt empty without Annabelle's vibrant smile and quiet understanding.