Kate Hoffmann - Brian

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No. But if he's in, just tell him that Lily Gallagher is here to see him. He's probably expecting me."

She punched a few buttons on her console, then spoke into her headset. "Lily Gallagher to see you, Brian," she said. She waited for a few seconds. "All right." She glanced up at Lily. "He'll be right out."

A minute later, a door swung open and Brian walked through. Lily felt a tiny thrill rush through her. God, every time she saw him he managed to look even sexier than before. Today, he wore a blue Oxford shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, the sleeves rolled up, and tailored trousers that accented his narrow waist and flat belly.

He slowed as he approached her, then stopped about ten feet away. His hair, usually tidy, looked as if he'd been running his hands through it and Lily felt her own fingers clench as she remembered how the strands felt between her fingers. He watched her warily as she searched for something to say. "Hi," she finally said, certain that was all she could manage for the moment.

His eyebrow arched. "What are you doing here, Lily?"

She glanced around. "Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately?"

"I don't think we have anything to say to each other."

She could tell he was angry. "You saw the article in the Herald?"

"So has everyone else at the station."

"Can we please talk? I need to explain."

Brian nodded curtly, then turned and walked through the door. Lily had no choice but to follow. They walked down a long hallway, Lily a few steps behind him. He reached another door and pushed it open, holding it for Lily. She walked into a small room, empty of furniture, the walls padded with carpet. A single window overlooked a control room.

"What is this?"

"It's a sound studio." He reached over and closed the blinds on the window, then turned back to face her. "Say what you came to say," he murmured.

"I'm sorry." Lily clutched her hands in front of her and shifted back and forth. "I know you think it was me, but it wasn't. I had the information, but I don't think I would have used it. I do follow a certain set of principles, no matter what you might believe right now."

"Who leaked the story?" Brian demanded.

"I can't say."

"So your principles don't include telling the truth?" Brian asked.

"Who do you think did it?" Lily said.

"I think one of Patterson's cronies probably leaked the information, carefully, so it couldn't be traced back to him."

"I can neither confirm nor deny," Lily said with a weak smile. "All I can say is that I hope it doesn't cause you too many problems. I've handled situations like these. There may be some talk but it will die down. It's not like you committed murder or had sex with a prostitute. You just possessed a little youthful enthusiasm, that's all."

"They're putting together a damn focus group," he muttered, pacing back and forth across the room. "The station manager pulled me in the minute I got to work this morning. He's worried about my image and the news director is thinking about taking me off the air for a while."

"I'm sorry," Lily murmured, reaching out to touch his arm, her hand trembling slightly.

He stepped back, avoiding her touch. "Do you really care?"

His gaze met hers, and suddenly she knew they weren't just talking about the report. "Of-of course I do. I don't want to see you hurt."

They stared at each other for a long moment and then, as if a bomb had exploded in the studio, they threw themselves into each other's arms. Brian took her face between his hands and brought his mouth down on hers, his kiss hot and demanding. Lily's hands smoothed over his chest, aching to touch his skin.

Nothing seemed to matter but the taste of him, yet even that wasn't enough. He pushed her back against the carpeted wall and pressed his hips into hers, the heat of his arousal evident between him. Lily reached down to touch him there, needing to prove to herself that he still wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Slowly, she stroked him through the fabric of his trousers, his breath coming in hot gasps, his mouth ravaging hers. With a low growl, he brushed her touch away and pinned her wrists above her head, then fumbled with the buttons of her blouse.

Lily moaned as he tore at her bra, pushing it aside to reveal the soft swell of her breast. And then his mouth left hers and drifted down to her nipple. How could she possibly resist these incredible sensations racing through her body? He made her tremble all over, made her ache for his touch. When she was with him, he made her breathless and weak with longing.

But as quickly as it started, it was over. Brian released her hands and straightened, then carefully began to rearrange her clothes. He drew a ragged breath as he turned his attention to the buttons on her blouse. "We can't do this. I'm in enough hot water here."

"Kiss me again," Lily whispered, caressing his cheek.

He did as he was asked, but this time, some of the desperation was gone. This time, he was gentle and sweet. "We can't keep doing this, Lily," he murmured, his forehead pressed to hers. "I want something more."

"What do you want? Tell me and I'll give it to you."

He stared down at her for a long moment. "I want… a date. Something normal. I pick you up, we go out. We get to know each other better, maybe find out if there's something more going on here than just…"

"Lust?" she asked.

"Maybe."

"I thought we agreed that night in the limo that-"

"I didn't agree to anything," Brian interrupted, his jaw tight. He finished buttoning her blouse, then tucked it into the front of her skirt. "You asked me what I wanted and I told you. I'll call you, we'll go out for dinner."

Lily hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan. She knew the dangers she faced in trying to make a relationship work with Brian. When it was just lust, what they shared was simple. But when it was more, then she risked getting hurt. And Brian Quinn was exactly the kind of man who could shatter her heart into a million pieces.

He changed women almost as often as he changed his socks. She'd read it all in the report. He pursued women for as long as they resisted and then cut another notch in his bedpost and moved on. She'd known his type before. But that didn't mean she wasn't tempted.

"All right," she said, reaching for the door. An instant later, she felt Brian's hands on her waist. He slowly turned her around. His gaze met hers and then he bent close and kissed her again, his hands smoothing over her face as if he couldn't get enough of touching her. And when he was through, he sighed softly. "You go ahead."

"Are you coming?"

Brian chuckled, then glanced down at the front of his trousers. "I think I might need a few minutes-to compose myself."

Lily felt a blush warm her cheeks. "All right. I guess I'll see you then. It's a date."

"I guess you will. I'll call."

Brian pulled up in front of the Eliot Hotel and scanned the sidewalk for Lily. He saw her standing near the door, chatting with a bellman and he watched silently.

She wore a pretty cotton dress with a loose, flowing skirt that moved in the warm summer breeze. Her hair, a riot of curls, was pulled up into a haphazard ponytail and tied with a colorful scarf.

When the sun hit her, he could see the outline of her legs through the fabric of her dress. "God, she's beautiful," Brian muttered.

He'd been thinking about her all week but had deliberately held off calling her until yesterday. He'd hoped that, given time, he'd be able to understand his attraction to her, and thereby control it. But all he'd learned was that his desire for Lily was completely irrational.

He ought to hate her, or at least mistrust her motives. But the furor over the Herald article had died down. He was back on the schedule and according to a station focus group, the article had served to improve his image as a regular guy and a native Bostonian.