Into the Fire. Leslie Kelly

her mind.

      She wasn’t that type of person, however. She was responsible and conservative, restrained and professional. Any lapses with trampolines, thong panties or to-die-for strangers with amazing lips were genetic flukes, not the real her.

      Were they?

      “I guess we ought to get out and dry off,” she said, hearing a note of regret in her voice. “I imagine I’ve already been missed. I don’t exactly know how I’m going to get out of this one.”

      “Can’t you just slip out, go home without saying anything?” He pulled himself out of the pool, then turned to lend her a hand, easily hoisting her up to stand in front of him on the pool deck.

      Before she could reply, she watched as he dropped his gaze to her bare shoulders, no longer covered by the straps of her dress, which had loosened and fallen down her arms. She breathed deeply. His eyes followed the movement of her skin, studying her throat, then moved down to the curves of her breasts. Her heart picked up its pace, beating wildly inside her as this man touched every inch of her body with nothing but his heavy-lidded stare.

      She knew she looked a hideous mess. She also knew he wanted her. Not having had much experience with men, Lacey couldn’t really say how she could be so certain. Perhaps it was the furrow in his brow, the way his chest moved as his breaths deepened. The way his tightly coiled body radiated heat and energy so powerful she almost felt it snapping across the scant inches separating them.

      But he never touched her.

      Finally, Lacey pulled her thoughts together, ordered her pulse to stop racing and took a quick step away from him. He shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind, and she knew he’d been as affected as she by the charged moment.

      “No, I can’t just leave,” she said, finally answering his question. “It’s complicated.” She didn’t want complicated right now. For the past several minutes, since she’d leaped into the pool after a stranger, she’d felt uncomplicated pleasure. Sharing laughter and heated glances with a gorgeous man was much better than worrying about J.T.’s plans for the evening.

      His plans certainly weren’t going to go over very well if she showed up wearing a soaking wet cocktail dress. How could he officially introduce her to Baltimore society and the magazine executives when she looked like a drowned rat?

      “I think I’m going to need to call a friend for help.”

      “I should do the same thing. Do you happen to have a cell phone? Mine’s a little wet.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone and a small tape recorder, both of which dripped water.

      “There’s a phone over there by the door,” she said. “There’s also a bathroom on the other side of the trampoline. You call first. I’m going to try to do something about the way I look.”

      “You’re beyond beautiful,” he said with a wistful smile. “Thanks again for saving my life.” He accompanied the comment with a tender brush of his fingers against her brow as he tucked her hair behind her ear. Nothing else. Just a gentle touch, and she thought her legs were going to shake apart, sending her back into the water.

      “You’re welcome.” She finally managed to whisper the words on a slowly exhaled breath.

      When he turned away and walked toward the phone, she took a few seconds to collect herself. What was it about the man that so intrigued her? His looks were divine, of course, but there was more than that. Perhaps at the party it had been the self-assurance, the appearance of a man totally comfortable in his own skin, that had attracted her attention. A man who could fit in anywhere, knew where he belonged in his world. Unlike Lacey, who was never quite sure where she was supposed to be in life. But now, after their strange meeting in the pool, it was more than fascination. She found herself wanting to talk to him, to hear his deep voice, to see those lips curl up into a smile meant only for her.

      Somehow, Lacey found the strength to get her legs moving again, and she headed straight for the bathroom, leaving him to use the phone in privacy. She definitely needed a minute alone to regain her composure.

      When she shut the bathroom door behind her, flipped on the light and saw herself in the mirror, she let out a yelp of dismay. Her wet hair stuck to her scalp like a swim cap. Her makeup was mostly gone, and what was left had shifted around so her mascara was on her cheeks and her lipstick on her chin. One of her pretty gold earrings was missing, and if she wasn’t mistaken, that was a streak of black dye from her dress staining one shoulder.

      Beyond beautiful, he’d called her. Beyond repair was more like it.

      AFTER his stunning rescuer disappeared into the bathroom, Nate spent about thirty seconds wishing he’d gone ahead and kissed her the way he’d been dying to as they stood by the pool. If there had been only attraction between them, he might have done it. But there had been more than attraction.

      He was seriously interested in her. Interested and intrigued, charmed and amused, and he didn’t even know her name! He intended to remedy that, but not right away. He still wasn’t ready for the introduction stage. If she was at a party at J.T.’s house, then she probably knew the name Nate Logan. He didn’t want any preconceptions to interfere with what might prove to be the start of something special.

      Ridiculous, really, to think in those terms about a woman he didn’t know. But there had been something magical about her from the moment she’d entered the room. It wasn’t just her underwear, though that, of course, had been very special, too. He couldn’t put his finger on what so intrigued him about her. The pale blue eyes shining with an innate sense of humor? The light dusting of freckles on her nose, which probably drove her crazy but made him want to lean over to kiss every single one? He didn’t know yet, but he planned to find out.

      He reached for the phone, then dialed Raul’s cell phone number. When the other man answered, Nate could hear the voices and tinkling glasses in the background, meaning Raul was still at the party. He gave him a slightly abridged version of what had happened, not mentioning his blond rescuer. Or the trampoline. And especially not the black thong panties.

      “You mean, you tripped and fell into the pool and now you’re hiding out in the gym in a soaking wet tuxedo?”

      Nate tried not to take offense at the laughter in the other man’s voice. “Would you please spread the word that I was called away on an emergency and I’ll try to get back in an hour? I should have enough time to get out of here, race home, change and come back. Okay?”

      After Raul agreed, Nate hung up and waited for the woman to come out of the bathroom. He tugged off the hated bow tie, which was nearly choking him now that it was tight and wet, and dropped it and his jacket on the floor. Then he kicked off his ruined shoes and socks. When she still hadn’t emerged, he muttered, “To hell with it,” and started to yank off his white dress shirt. She chose to come out just as he’d pulled the shirt off his shoulders.

      The look in her eyes made him glad he worked out.

      She froze in the open doorway, her mouth opening slowly but no sound coming out. Her hand rose to her neck, her index finger resting on the sexy spot right in the hollow of her throat. The same spot he’d fantasized about kissing minutes earlier by the pool.

      She wore a white terry-cloth bathrobe, and her face was clean, washed free of makeup. The damp golden hair was combed in a sleek wave to brush her shoulders. He couldn’t resist looking down the rest of her, at the slim legs and delicate bare feet revealed by the robe. She’d been gorgeous in the black dress. Now, wearing absolutely nothing but the robe—he somehow imagined she’d shed the minuscule underclothes, which had to have been soaking wet—she was deadly.

      When he finally lifted his gaze to her face, he noticed her attention still fixed somewhere around his collarbone. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes off his chest, at least until he dropped the shirt entirely. Then she moved her stare to his shoulders. She did absolutely nothing but look, and he reacted as if they’d shared a passionate embrace. The woman’s covetous eyes had brought about a strong reaction below his waist. Very strong. Very pressing.