Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (15 page)

Ian then took her glass and placed it down
on the counter. He looked at her, his gaze sliding over her
features. She knew he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to, but
when he leaned forward, she placed a hand on his chest. She felt
the rapid beat of his heart beneath her palm, felt the sultry heat
radiating between them. The sexual tension was like a constant
undercurrent with them, but she couldn't sleep with him no matter
how much she'd like to. Nelson and she may have a casual
relationship based on convenience, but it still didn't make it all
right to sleep with someone else.

Nelson and she hadn't slept together in
months, she reminded herself. He'd been too busy, too tired, too
whatever the excuse had been.

Ian frowned, obviously not understanding her
hesitation. Her fingers curled around his T-shirt and she closed
her eyes. "What the hell, it's just a kiss." Before she lost her
nerve, she pulled him closer.

That's all the encouragement Ian needed. He
slanted his mouth over hers, giving her a long slow caress that
clouded her mind. His kiss lightly chafed his shadow beard across
her jaw, reminding her of his caresses of long ago. Her skin would
bear the mark of transgression, but she didn't care. It was worth
it. She drank him in, feeling a little drunk from being kissed so
thoroughly. The sound of bells chimed like a soft melody near her
ear. She pulled away to look at Ian. "Did you hear that?"

"Mm-hmm…yeah, ignore it. It's only the
faeries, remember?" He leaned forward to resume kissing her, but
she halted him with her hand on his chest again.

"What is it with you and your grandfather
about faeries?" Her brows drew together, wanting him to explain the
odd statement.

His breath was warm and smelled of wine as
he chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's what my
granddad always says to explain the unexplainable. It's just bells,
Aubrey. Probably the wind chimes outside." His left hand covered
hers, removing the barrier as he turned her to completely face him,
positioning himself between her legs.

"It's just a phrase. It doesn't mean
anything." She felt stupid for even considering for half a second
the bells could be faeries speaking to each other. She blamed Mr.
O'Grady and his legends for her lapse into the world of make
believe.

"You're smiling." Ian brushed a thumb over
her curved lips.

"I was thinking about your grandfather."

His brows rose. "Now? I'm making a move on
you and my Granddad has you distracted. I don't know if I should be
offended or amused." He chuckled, his eyes twinkling like water
sparkling in sunlight.

"Your grandfather claimed the sound of bells
meant the faeries were speaking."

"Ah, I see." He brushed a wayward strand of
hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Perhaps they
are telling us they approve of us kissing."

She smiled. "Convenient deduction."

His shoulders lifted in a shrug. "If you
know the Irish legends, Faeries can be mischievous by nature. If
they didn't want us together, they would be by far more creative
than sounding off with the tinkling of bells."

She ran her hand over his shoulder. His arms
were defined, muscled from his work around the inn. "You've thought
this through, haven't you?" She was still amused at where the
conversation had turned.

"Oh aye, lass." She loved it when he
mimicked the Irish brogue.

Conversation never lagged or felt
uncomfortable with Ian. It was as if time had waited for them to
find each other again. Maybe this was their second chance to be
together, but before she could even contemplate such a notion, she
needed to set things right with Nelson and tell him it was over
between them. The sad reality was she didn't think Nelson would
care. He had his life and she was a second thought to his busy
schedule. It was time for both of them to move on.

Ian leaned forward again and this time she
let him take her under his spell, where she forgot about the bells,
the faeries, and about her life back in Seattle with Nelson.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The day turned toward evening by the time
they all filed into the truck to head back to the inn. Ian's lips
curved into a smile when Aubrey leaned her head on his shoulder. A
familiar tenderness swept through him, one he recognized the first
time he met her in Ireland. She pushed her way into his heart again
and he didn't want to let her go. They were right together. He
glanced at his brother who sat on the other side of Aubrey in the
cab. Reece arrived home just as they were pulling out of the
driveway and decided to come along for the ride.

His brother met his gaze with a cheesy grin
and wiggled his eyebrows up and down as he nodded and gave him the
thumbs up sign of approval.

Ian rolled his eyes at his brother, but
couldn't have agreed more.

Arriving at the inn, he parked in his usual
spot near the front. The sun sat low in the sky and the light
breeze felt cool against his skin.

Even though Aubrey didn't need a hat
anymore, she plopped it on top of her head, letting her long golden
strands cascade over her shoulders and down her back. Ian glanced
at Reece, who gave him a quick nod.

Aubrey must have caught the mischievous
glint in their eyes because she lifted one lovely shaped brow as
she leveled her gaze on them both. "What are you two up to?"

"Go for it," Reece said and Ian made a move
to snatch Aubrey's hat off her head.

"Oh, no you don't." Aubrey jumped away,
catching onto their playful mood.

"You can get her, Ian." Reece
encouraged.

She laughed and cleverly dodged Ian again.
She sprinted toward the inn and up the steps with Ian close behind.
Bursting into the lobby, she whirled around to face him. She never
looked so beautiful standing there with her hands on her hips. Her
chin lifted as she met his gaze head on. "Is that all you
have?"

He could never refuse a challenge and took a
step to go after her.

"Aubrey?"

Ian heard the man's voice, but it didn't
register that he had called to Aubrey,
his Aubrey
.

For a split second, she turned away,
stopping dead in her tracks, which gave Ian the opportunity to whip
the hat off her head.

"Got it." He declared victory. Her smile had
slipped away and she stood dead still, as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Aubrey, what's wrong?" When she didn't answer him, he followed her
gaze.

"Nelson." Her voice came out like a hoarse
whisper. She glanced back at him with a nervous lick of her lips.
"Ian, I—" Whatever she was going to say, she choked back the words.
She took a deep breath and brushed her hair out of her eyes before
turning away from him. Her steps took her to the man standing at
the front desk.

Ian looked on, unable to move from his spot.
Nelson?
Who in the hell's Nelson?

"Who's the guy with Miss Jules?" Reece stood
next to him now, echoing his thoughts.

He watched Aubrey stand on her tiptoes and
give the tall and classy-dressed man a kiss on his cheek. The quick
twist in his gut was hard to ignore. She turned toward him as she
looped her arm through Nelson's, leading the man over to him.
Nelson's anxious expression probably mirrored his.
Yeah man, I
know how you're feeling. I don't know you either, but it's obvious
you mean something to her. Don't be too upset if I punch you in the
nose anyway.

"Nelson," she said. "This is Ian Quinn and
his brother Reece. Ian, Reece, this is Nelson Carr."

Ian met Nelson's gaze, sizing him up and
gritting his teeth as he counted to ten. Punching Nelson in the
nose probably wouldn't win him points with Aubrey. What could he
do? He held out his hand. Nelson hesitated for a moment before he
gripped it. Ian glanced at Aubrey for an explanation, already
knowing he wouldn't find one.

She's practically hanging on this guy.
Was Nelson her boyfriend? Hell, was she married?
His gaze
shifted to her hand, already knowing she didn't wear a wedding
band, but that didn't mean anything. Not everyone wore a wedding
ring.
If she is taken, why did she let me kiss her? Why did she
let me believe we had a shot together?

"Ian helps run the inn with his
grandfather," she droned on. "He gave me a tour of the harbor
and...the sights. You know, for the magazine piece," she added,
belatedly. "Reece had a game today and I needed a break from
writing so I decided to join them. I didn't know you were coming,
Nelson, or I would have waited for you here." Her rambling chatter
only proved her guilt. She was seeing this Nelson character. She
wasn't free to see him. She as good as lied, maybe not with words,
but definitely with actions.

"My team won," Reece added, and Ian nudged
him to be quiet. "What?" Reece frowned at him. Obviously the subtle
hint hadn't worked.

"How about you see if Granddad left you a
snack?" Food always distracted his brother.

Reece rubbed his hands together and his eyes
lit up at the prospect of a treat. "He told me this morning he
planned to make one of his fruit pies." Before Reece took off
toward the kitchen, he looked at Aubrey. "Thanks again for coming
to my game today."

"I had a good time, Reece. You're a
magnificent player."

He beamed with pleasure. "Thanks." With a
nod, he continued on his way.

Ian met Aubrey's gaze before he looked at
Nelson, wondering if the guy was buying all this…generous
hospitality crap. Nelson appeared relaxed, his stance nonchalant
with his hands in his pockets. Either he was a better actor than
he, or the man didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary.
Fine—I'll keep quiet for now, but
I want an
explanation.
He pinned Aubrey down again, narrowing his gaze on
her. Her eyes widened and she licked her lips before looking away,
not wanting to meet his gaze. Oh, but he was sure she got his
silent message loud and clear.

"It's nice of the hotel to offer amenities."
Nelson stared at Ian, his gaze pinning him down with an underlying
meaning. Maybe he wasn't buying all this after all. His gaze skated
over Ian as he draped an arm around Aubrey's shoulders in a
possessive display.

"Well, we aim to please." Ian spoke with
such quiet intensity, Aubrey finally looked at him. He stared at
her without blinking. "It's been a pleasure, Miss Jules." Frost
laced his words, but he couldn't help it. Had the last few days all
been a ploy for her to get back at him for leaving her stranded in
Ireland? Her gaze held his, perhaps with regret for the way things
ended here, but he had a hunch he would never truly know. He tossed
the hat to her and she caught it, clutching it to her chest.
Without a backward glance, he strode out of the room.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Aubrey stared after Ian, wanting to go after
him and explain why she hadn't mentioned Nelson. She frowned.
Why hadn't she mentioned him?
God, what he must think of
her. She'd let him kiss her. Who was she fooling? He wasn't the
only one doing the kissing. She'd kissed him back. She chewed on
her lower lip, not listening to what Nelson was saying until two
words caught her attention. "My room?" Her gaze landed on him in
panic. "What about my room?"

"Aubrey, have you heard a word I've said to
you?"

No, she hadn't. "I'm listening. Go on."

"I had my luggage sent to your room. I'm
taking you up on your offer. I thought we'd spend a week here
before we head back to Seattle." He leaned forward to kiss her, but
at the last moment, she turned her cheek. He pulled back to look at
her. "Not exactly the reception I was hoping for. You don't seem
happy to see me."

"Don't be silly." Her chuckle almost choked
her. Only hours before, she had decided to call it quits with him
for his lack of interest in their relationship, but here he was
willing to spend the week with her. "I'd love to spend time with
you, but I'm not quite finished with my article." An understatement
since she hadn't started it yet. Sure, she had the background
information and the photos, but she needed to pull it all together
with the stories regarding the magic box. "Loretta's been breathing
down my neck." This wasn't a lie either. "I don't have time to
entertain you."
Ouch. That didn't come out right.

His brows lifted and he stared wide-eyed for
a full two seconds. "Entertain me?"

"I mean…" She wasn't explaining herself
well. Why did Nelson show up now? He told her he couldn't leave
town and then without notice he waltzes right in here and expects
her to drop everything. This stunt was so Nelson. He expected her
to be available when he managed the time to be. Then a pang of
remorse shot through her. She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge
of her nose. She should be thrilled to see him. Why wasn't she? She
took a deep breath, looked at him and started over. "I'll be busy
with my article. I won't be much fun." Her lips slid into an
apologetic smile.

He studied her and she could tell he was
trying to find a reason he shouldn't believe her. "Are you sure
that's all?"

"What else would it be, Nelson? I
do
work." She sounded defensive even to her own ears.

"I never said you didn't. If you want, I'll
ask for another room." He turned toward the front desk, but the
desk clerk had stepped away. Nelson reached for the gold bell at
the end of the counter.

I've hurt Nelson's feelings, but it's his
fault, damn it. Why didn't he call me first?

She shook her head, realizing how ridiculous
that sounded. She grabbed his arm, halting him. Nelson was her
boyfriend, for goodness sakes. A few days with Ian didn't change
the fact, and he came all this way to be with her.

Then it hit her, the weird feeling of free
fall in the pit of her stomach. She knew why Nelson had dropped
everything to be with her. Why he'd been spontaneous for the first
time in his life. "Well, I'll be damned."