A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series (21 page)

After several minutes, he released her mouth and continued, "When I found out you worked at Dodd, I figured my prayers had been answered.  But then, every time we grew closer, I'd see you with another man or returning from lunch with your hair all mussed."

"The way you're mussing my hair now?" she teased.

He went on, "I grew insanely jealous and bitter.  What a rotten trick for God to play.  And the way you let your boyfriend drape himself all over another woman at the dinner dance!  I couldn't fathom why you'd allow such a thing.  All the while, I stood by, waiting for you to come to your senses."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes. How was I to know James was your brother?"

Kate drew away from the man and allowed her mouth to drop open.  The pieces began to fit together now.  That's why he'd been so rotten, both to her and to Kiki.

"He's lucky I didn’t kill him when he spoke of spending the night with you," Robert added.

Katrina began to giggle.  She reached for the man, lacing her fingers behind his neck.

"Easy there, Lovely One, or I won't be held accountable for what happens," he said, his voice husky.

"What did you think when Doris called me
Violet
last night?" she asked, allowing her hands to slide over his chest.

"I didn't know what to think.  My frustration intensified, and I was determined to force some kind of resolution between us.  I knew you felt something for me, but dealing with all your lovers was too much for me to accept."

She swatted his chest again.

"You know I've never had a lover."

"Well, I do now, but before you spilled the truth about James, I figured you had two or three.  Let's see," Robert said, rubbing his chin as if in thought.  "There was Jimmy, who flaunted his plans to spend the night with you—that's one.  The man who sent a limo to collect you for lunchtime trysts—that's two.  Oh, yeah, and Bernard—that makes three, Beautiful.   I didn't know what to do with you!"

"What about the leggy
Giselle
?" she demanded.

"You mean Leiselle?" he chuckled.  "She put on quite a show last night, didn’t she?"

"Yes, she did.  I'm afraid you've cooked your goose with Doris, if you ever cared about impressing her," she said.

"You'll impress her for me, Katrina," he whispered, lowering his head to reach the sensitive spot below her ear.

He allowed his lips to linger on her neck, scorching her soft skin with his kisses.  He took his time, enjoying the feel of her in his arms and the way she melted against him.  A small moan escaped Kate's lips, and she felt every muscle in his body tense as he drew her even closer.  Her breath became ragged, matching his.  Robert forced himself to stop.  Katrina glanced up at him and lost herself within the blaze burning in his dark eyes as the man struggled to control himself.  His gaze trailed over her every feature, drinking her in.  He took a deep breath and smiled.

"I only donated to the museum because I remembered your love of jewelry.  I figured it would give me something to impress you with.  Imagine my surprise when we ran into each other at the gala.  Oh, and Leiselle is no more.  I broke it off after you revealed you had a brother.  It was quite a relief to be able to stop loathing another human being the way I hated him."

Robert ran his hands over her shoulders, stopping to press his thumbs below her clavicle bones.  His touch made Katrina light headed.

He added, "By the way, that note I caught you reading, the one with the flowers?  That was from my mother,
not
a girlfriend."

  "You don't say!"  She drew back to read his face, smiling.  She continued, "
You're
the reason I've had trouble concentrating, and the reason I fainted, you know!  I had to go through a battery of tests last week, all for the doctor to tell me there's nothing wrong," she exclaimed, exhaling.

He brushed the back of one hand over her cheek and searched her eyes with his deep gaze, which didn't help to control the fire he set off in her.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"  His eyebrows knit together in worry before Kate nodded.  "Thank God," he said, brushing a stray lock from her face.

That alone was enough to send electricity coursing through her.

He continued, "After you said James was your brother, I went home and Googled Violet Sparks.  Hitting on your blog was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I recognized myself in those posts right away."

"Egotist!" she exclaimed.

"I couldn't sleep all night, my love, thinking about what I would do to you when I got you alone," he breathed into her ear.

She blushed a deep crimson.  But, his words reminded her of where they were, her office at Dodd and Company.  She'd lost all track of time and place in his arms.

"Robert, did you really quit your job?" she asked out of the blue.

"Uh huh," he rumbled, stroking her hair.

"Why?"  She worried that her friend, Kiki, had something to do with it. 

The man sighed, his breath stirring the air about her with his scent.  She drank in the outdoorsy aroma of pine that she so loved.

"I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway.  William is back to stay.  He and Samantha are a couple.  I figured three's a crowd, even though he asked me to stay on."

"You're kidding!"

Kate remembered how William Dodd beamed with her old supervisor on his arm.

"Is that what he's been up to on the east coast all these months? Pursuing Samantha?"

"I think so, at least part of the time.  Once his wife filed, it looked like a long battle would ensue.  About two months ago, he told me he'd settled with Maureen, giving her everything she asked for.  She's already moved on with her tennis pro, or pool boy, or some such younger man.  William met up with Samantha in New York, and they decided to give a personal relationship a try."

"That's a shocker," she commented.  "Were you so terrible to Kiki in her review?" she ventured to ask.

"I'm afraid so.  I didn't get as far as I did with yours though, because she stomped out.  I thought she was cheating with your boyfriend.  It infuriated me that someone you trusted would take advantage of you, Katrina."

"You gave me a terrible review as well."

Robert laughed and squeezed his arms around her, tight, his strong grasp making it difficult for her to breathe.

"I couldn't bring myself to post it. You looked so broken and lovely.  I hate to confess it, but I'd seen you and Bernard kissing and it drove me out of my mind."

"When?" she asked, pulling away one more time and glancing up at him from behind long, wet lashes. 

"I heard you were sick, and I raced over to your place to make sure you were all right.  I arrived in time to see Bernard, or whatever you call him, kissing you out front.  Jealousy can drive a man to do all sorts of things, Kate,"  he said before capturing her mouth in another deep kiss, his lips hard and demanding this time.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, risking the insanity that accompanied touching his body, and with one hand dragged her fingers through his thick hair, as she'd always longed to do.  Heat ran through her from head to toe as the thrill of being with
the man of her dreams
raced through every fiber of her being.

Robert groaned.

"I'm going to make you my wife as soon as possible," he said in her ear, his voice a low, husky rumble.

Katrina didn't exactly hear his words. The tautness of his muscles captured her full attention as he held her close, as if never to let go.

I hope you enjoyed A Solitary Romance.  Below is a preview of A Lone Star Romance, Kiki's story.

Amarillo by night didn't show well, at least not from the air.  A gentle bump signaled that the plane had landed, and ten minutes later, Kiki stood near baggage claim, scanning the crowd for Mr. Liu.  Mechanical issues in Phoenix delayed the small commercial jet three hours.  She worried that the driver scheduled to pick her up from the airport may have given up and left.  After all, this was Texas, and the first time visitor had no idea how they did things here.

She had only secured her job at Tsang Fine Arts Consulting a month prior.  Recommended for the position by her advisor at UCLA, she started one week after earning her master's degree.  Leaving Dodd and Company, where she'd served as receptionist, office manager, and jack-of-all-trades, had been a smart move.  Now, she had a plum post working in her field of interest.  The consulting group employed only a handful of people, yet they were considered a major player in the field of Asian Fine Arts, advising enthusiasts regarding acquisitions, providing appraisals, locating pieces for those building collections, and giving expert counsel to museums and auction houses.

When Tsang received the call that a Mr. Liu needed help with his newly acquired collection of Asian antiques, Ronald Jen assigned Kiki the position of assisting Alfred Shen with the task.  Their client had inherited a large, possibly important collection from his great uncle.  Knowing nothing about fine arts, he'd contacted the owner of their firm, asking for appraisals.  Somehow, the major auction houses had not gotten wind of the valuable stockpile, and their loss had become Tsang's gain.

Jen chose Al Shen to run the job with the new employee as his assistant.  Mr. Shen would appraise the items while Kiki catalogued the pieces and learned the business.  In Chinese, the name Shen meant
to sink
, and unfortunately, that's exactly what Alfred did the day before their scheduled trip.

The owner of Tsang Consulting phoned his newest employee that morning from Hong Kong.  He informed her that Al had broken both legs, badly, in a jet ski accident in Long Beach.  He required surgery and could not accompany Kiki to Texas.  Not wanting to risk losing the deal, her boss decided she'd have to travel solo and catalogue all the items by period, style, and form.  A qualified appraiser would join her as soon as possible.  Mr. Jen himself remained tied up overseas, pursuing a contract worth millions to the firm.

So, here she was, stuck in a Texas airport, alone.  The crowd began to thin, and still no sign of Mr. Liu.  She found her eyes wandering to an old, dirty cowboy.

That's something you don't see in LA.

Arms entwined over his chest, hat pulled low across his eyes, the man reclined against a column, his long legs stretching in front, crossed.  He'd been there since she first arrived and hadn't moved.  Maybe he was one of those statues that looks real?   Even propped against the post, he remained head and shoulders above the rest of the mob, easy to spot.

As more travelers greeted their loved ones, pulled luggage from the carousel and left the airport, Kiki got a good look at the cowpoke.  Worn, snub-nosed leather boots protruded from filthy Levis, which hugged his muscular legs.  A red and black plaid flannel jacket covered most of his torso, but a snug waffle knit shirt, tucked into an old belt beneath the coat, revealed a hint of hard muscle.  Maybe he wasn't as old as she first thought.  She couldn't see his eyes due to that darned hat, but the stubble on his face only accentuated his large, square jaw.  Some kind of hostility emanated from the man, which kept others arm's distance from him.  Whoever he was, she didn't like the look of him.

Glancing towards the carousel, she saw her baggage bouncing down the shoot.  Kiki made her way to the conveyor belt and waited for her bags to circle around again.  She didn't relish struggling with the heavy designer cases by herself.  As the last of the throng left the area, she took note of their clothes.  She wondered if her chic LA business attire might not be appropriate for Amarillo.

Bending to grab the smaller piece of luggage, she became aware that her tight pencil skirt crept up her thighs.  Kiki set her carry-on, containing her laptop and other essentials, down on the terrazzo floor and tugged at her hem.  She snagged the square case and waited for the behemoth one to arrive.

She braced herself for the huge heave that would be required to lift the bag from the moving channel and extended her arm, shaking her hand to loosen her wrist.  She reached for the suitcase, anticipating its imminent arrival.

Just as she grabbed the handle, a large, rough hand came down on hers, trapping her fingers between its palm and the leather grip. 
Ouch!
  The man slung the valise from the belt to the floor,  and Kiki caught sight of a muscular arm clad in plaid flannel.  As he dropped the bag in front of her, his hard chest grazed her back while his upper arm touched her shoulder.   The expensive suitcase landed with a
thud
.

She turned to thank the man, cringing inside.  The vibes he sent out frightened her.

"Thank you," she said in a polite tone.

A grimace met her forced smile.  The cowboy towered over Kiki, his eyes still shaded by a dark brown felt brim.

"You K. K. Tam?" he snarled.

"Yes," she replied, taking a step back.  Her suitcase stopped her retreat.

"I'm your driver."

"What?" she said with what sounded like a gasp.

The man drew himself up even taller and frowned.  He must have taken offense to her reaction.  Kiki glanced around the airport.  Only she and the cowboy remained.

"Mr. Liu sent you to pick me up?" she asked, her voice tentative, trying to smooth things over.

"It's late.  You want a ride or not?" he said with what she assumed was a Texas accent and a gruff tone.

Various thoughts flooded her brain. 
Who is this guy?  Should I get in a car with him?
 
He did know my name
—
well, sort of.

"Yes," she said, trying to sound brave but feeling uneasy.

Without another word, he grabbed her luggage, slung her carry-on over his shoulder, and headed for the automatic sliding exit.  She watched him go, mesmerized by his long gait.  At the doors, he turned and scowled—her signal to follow.

She rushed after the man, stopping when a cold blast of air hit her at the glass opening.

The cowboy glowered at her again.

"You got a coat in there?" he growled, jerking a thumb towards her large suitcase.