Falling Into You (13 page)

Tucking
his phone back into his pocket, he stepped off the elevator and strode across
the luxurious lobby. The upscale hotel, located in the heart of downtown
Atlanta, was one that he frequently used for entertaining clients, out of town
guests and, yes, mistresses.

As he
approached the front desk, the blond clerk gave him a bright, cheerful smile
that defied the early hour.

“Did you
enjoy your stay, Dr. Wolf?”

“I did,
thank you.” Manning smiled. “Listen, I have to run to a meeting, but my
companion is going to take advantage of your excellent amenities a while
longer. Can you make sure she’s well taken care of? Breakfast in bed, spa
treatment, massage—anything she wants. And when she’s ready to leave,
send for my driver.”

“Yes,
sir,” the clerk promised. “I’ll see to it that she receives the VIP treatment.”

“Thanks,
I appreciate it.” Manning glanced discreetly at the woman’s nametag, then
winked. “Have a good day, Phoebe.”

She
beamed with pleasure. “Same to you, Dr. Wolf. Come back and see us soon.”

“I will.”

Manning
slid on a pair of dark sunglasses as he started toward the front entrance,
where he could see his chauffeured car waiting outside. He and Mr. Haley had
been together for so long that Manning hadn’t needed to summon the driver.
Whenever he stayed out late—and chose not to drive—Mr. Haley knew
to pick him up by six-thirty the next morning, unless he requested otherwise.

Manning
had nearly reached the double glass doors when his attention was snared by the
sight of a woman standing in line at the hotel’s gourmet coffee shop. Out of
habit he stopped and lowered his shades to peer over the rim, giving the woman
a slow, thorough perusal.

She had
skin the color of melted brown sugar. Her dark hair was pulled back from her
face and secured into a high bun, like a ballerina’s. She wore a midriff-baring
off-the-shoulder top with dark jeans that molded a round, luscious ass and
long, curvy legs that any man would
kill
to have wrapped around his back during hot, raunchy sex.

Dayuuum
, Manning thought,
swallowing hard as his groin heated.
 

He knew
he should keep it moving. He needed to get home and change for work, and after
the way he’d just snuck out on one woman, he had no business even
looking
at another.

But he
couldn’t resist.

So he
backtracked and casually sauntered into the coffee shop.

The woman
was at the counter placing her order, and as Manning approached, the view got
even better.

He
stepped in line behind her, close enough to savor the sweet scent of her skin,
to envy the smooth wisps of hair that caressed the nape of her neck, to feel
the heat radiating from her body.

He was
intoxicated, and he hadn’t even seen her face yet.
 

Murmuring
her thanks to the cashier, the woman picked up her coffee, then turned and ran
smack into Manning’s chest.

“
Shit!
” she hissed as the covered cup
slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, spilling creamy coffee.

“My bad,
darling,” Manning drawled, tingling from the brief contact with her lush body.
“Didn’t mean to get in your way.”

“No, it’s
my fault,” she muttered, her eyes concealed behind dark sunglasses as she
quickly sidestepped the spreading pool of coffee. “I wasn’t watching where I
was going.”

They
knelt together and reached for the fallen cup at the same time. As their hands
connected, their gazes met over the tops of their shades.

“Oh, my
God,” the woman breathed, pushing her sunglasses off her face as he did the
same. “
Manning?
”

Manning
couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Taylor?”
he whispered.

Time
stood still as they stared at each other, memories bombarding Manning like a
movie reel painting images onto his eyes.

He
remembered their first kiss, her lips soft and sweetly flavored with his
great-grandmother’s pound cake.

He
remembered their first date, which had ended with him chasing her through the
snow, her girlish peals of laughter filling him with such joy he could hardly
contain it.

And he
remembered the first and only time they’d made love. The most profoundly
beautiful night of his life…and the most heartbreakingly painful.

As they
rose from the floor—spilled coffee forgotten—Manning caught Taylor
around the waist and swept her right off her feet. As he spun her around, she
laughed and clung tightly to his neck. They were oblivious to the minor
commotion they were causing, the curious stares and smiles they were attracting
from other customers.

After
another jubilant twirl, Manning set Taylor down and slowly looked her over,
staggered by how much she’d changed over the years. Not only did she have
hourglass curves with cleavage-popping breasts, but time had matured her face
into a stunning portrait of sensual beauty—high cheekbones, sultry doe
eyes, and luscious lips that just begged to be kissed. Even her
voice—smooth, cultured, with smoky undertones—was sexy as hell.

“My God,”
Manning marveled, framing her face between his hands. His heart was slamming
against his ribcage, and he couldn’t seem to draw enough air into his lungs.
“It really
is
you.”

“And it’s
really
you
.” Taylor smiled, her dark
eyes twinkling as she gave him an appreciative once-over. “You look amazing,
Manning. But then you never were an ugly duckling, were you? Goodness, how long
has it been?”

Manning
shook his head at her. “Too long.”

Her soft
smile held a trace of sorrow. “Over twenty years too long.”

Manning
swallowed hard, feeling his chest tighten with emotions that should have been
long buried and forgotten. “What’re you doing in Atlanta?”

“I’m an
artist-in-residence at Emory. I’ll be teaching master classes and performing
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.”

“Really?
That’s wonderful, Taylor.” Manning remembered how proud he’d been to learn that
she was an accomplished violinist who’d studied at Juilliard before moving to
Paris, where she’d been living ever since. “How long will you be in town?”

“Three
weeks,” she answered.

Disappointment
knifed through Manning. “Only three?”

She
nodded. “That’s how long the summer residency lasts.”

“Then
we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Let me take you to breakfast.”

Taylor
smiled regretfully. “I’d love to, but I have to be at Em—”

“
There
you are,” a male voice
interrupted.

Manning
and Taylor glanced around to find a tall, fair-skinned man frowning at them,
his eyes narrowed with suspicion behind rimless glasses.

“Aidan.”
Taylor looked surprised—and a shade guilty. “Why aren’t you on your way
to the airport?”

“I
decided to stay another day. Good thing, too.” He glared pointedly at Manning,
whose hands had been cradling Taylor’s face the entire time they’d been
talking.

Taylor
discreetly stepped away from Manning and cleared her throat. “Um, Manning, I’d
like you to meet Aidan, my—”

“Boyfriend,”
the man finished, stepping forward. He and Manning gripped hands, their eyes
locked as they sized each other up.

“I’m
Taylor’s boyfriend,” Aidan repeated, jaw tightly clenched. “And you are?”

Manning
slanted a lazy smile at his blushing childhood sweetheart. “I guess you could
say I was Taylor’s first love.”

And her last if
I
have anything to say about it!

#####