Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (8 page)

Aubrey picked up her wine glass again, not
really wanting to drink. It was more for something to do. Nice
dinner, wine, great atmosphere with an incredibly handsome man. If
her soul mate walked in the door right now, she'd probably tell him
to take a hike. The candlelight cast tricky shadows on Ian's
handsome face, but she recognized the raw sexual heat in his gaze
and the way it made every hormone in her body sizzle. She
remembered the way he made love to her, the way her body responded
to his every touch. She snorted in self-disgust. This was not going
to happen. "I won't sleep with you," she blurted.

He choked on his wine, nearly spitting it
out at her. Taking his napkin, Ian wiped his mouth before he
carefully placed his glass down. "Who said I wanted to sleep with
you?"

"You're a guy, aren't you and I see...." Her
hand waved at him accusingly. "I see the way you're looking at
me."

His lips twitched. "And how is that
exactly?"

She leaned forward. "Like I'm dessert." Her
voice lowered to a mere whisper.

His all too sensual mouth widened into a
grin. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about seducing
you."

She sat back in her seat, crossing her arms
across her chest.

"But I knew before I asked you out that my
chances weren't good."

"So, why am I here, Ian? Why did you go to
so much trouble? If you need to clear your conscience, you could
have bared your soul back at the inn." Her terse attitude came out
in her voice, but she was angry with herself. One heavy lidded-look
from Ian and her body came alive, reacting as if it had been
waiting for him to show up.

"I suppose I could have, but I thought this
would be nicer."

"Just get to the point. Tell me what it is
you need to tell me and drive me back to the hotel."

His hand circled the wine glass again. He
picked it up and tossed back the wine in a single swallow. Placing
the glass back down, his gaze met hers and held. "Here goes." He
took a deep breath. "To the point. I didn't dump you in Ireland. I
let you go for your own good."

She straightened in her chair. "How very
thoughtful of you." Irked, sarcasm laced her words, making her
sound exactly like a jilted lover. "You said you loved me. Leaving
a girl stranded isn't the way you show her. Why did you do it? What
happened that you couldn't tell me to my face you were
leaving?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "I called
home, something I did every so often to check in with worried
parents."

"Yes, I know you did that. So?"

"That night…the night we…"

"I remember the night, Ian." She didn't mean
to snap, but her voice was edged with annoyance anyway. "We had
sex. Is it so difficult for you to admit it?"

"No, it's not. But it wasn't just sex. Not
for me it wasn't." He looked at her, pinning her down and making
her feel guilty for belittling what they shared when she didn't
mean it.

The chatter of low murmurs from the
surrounding tables filled the silence between them. The aroma of
good food and freshly brewed coffee filled her nostrils, but she'd
lost her appetite.

The sound of his voice drew her to him. "I
loved you, Aubrey. It was real."

She closed her eyes and bit back the sob in
her chest. That's why it hurt when he left and that's why it still
hurt. "It was real for me, too." She looked at him now and took a
deep breath, determined to keep her emotions in check and let him
finish his story for both of their sakes. "Tell me what
happened."

"You were sleeping and I went downstairs to
the lobby so I could use the phone. My granddad answered and I
could tell he'd been crying."

It was difficult for her to imagine the
cheerful Mr. O'Grady in tears.

"There'd been an accident." The words
slipped out painfully and she knew he wasn't just telling her the
story. He was reliving the day that changed his life.

On impulse she reached across the table,
covering his hand with hers. "Why couldn't you share your grief
with me?"

"Because of what it meant. My parents were
dead, Aubrey. I couldn't go traipsing across Europe with you. With
that last phone call, my life had changed. I couldn't be with you,
and there'd be no more college. I had to grow up—and grow up fast.
I had a two and half year old brother I'd have to raise."

"I would have understood. I would have
helped."

"Would you? You were nineteen, Aubrey. You
had your whole life ahead of you. Would you have given it all up,
and come back to the States to help me raise a baby?" He couldn't
disguise the doubt in his gaze and it hurt to think he hadn't
trusted her.

Her hand slipped away and she sat back in
her seat. "You never gave me the chance."

"Because I loved you. I didn't want you to
feel obligated, and I didn't want you to know how I really felt."
He sighed heavily, his voice filled with anguish. "I suppose that's
why I foolishly left a note with the hotel clerk—I truly thought
she'd give it to you."

His haunted expression pulled at her
heartstrings, making her take a step back from her own grief. Ian
had been a young man just starting his life, but with one phone
call his whole life took another route he hadn't expected to take.
"Tell me why you couldn't face me?"

He leveled his gaze on her, his emotions
exposed, leaving him vulnerable. "How could I look you in the eye
and ask you to come back with me when I didn't want to go home
myself?" His fist hit the table, making the silverware clink
together and the wine slosh dangerously close to the rim of her
glass. "What kind of man doesn't want to help his family?" Anguish
caused his voice to lower to barely above a whisper. "My granddad
was seventy-five when my parents died. He couldn't take care of a
toddler and run the hotel. I was ashamed that I could be so
selfish."

Tears pricked her eyes. He had lost his
parents, his security, and his dreams. "Ian, you were scared. That
was a lot of responsibility to place on your shoulders." Now it
made sense what Reece had said to her. Ian had given up so much for
his brother. Reece told her their parents had died, but she never
thought it had been the night Ian had left her. "You're more a man
than most could ever claim to be. Reece adores you. You did right
by him."

Anger pinched between his dark brows. "I
don't want your pity."

"Good, because you won't have any from me.
The facts prove what you've done with your life."

His shoulders relaxed and hard lines of his
face softened. "I don't regret my decision to be there for Reece,
but I do regret leaving you." His gaze clung to hers. "I tried to
find you, you know, but we never discussed where we lived in the
States." He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. "I thought we'd have time
for all the details of our lives back home."

All these years, Aubrey had thought he was a
jerk, that he used her. She never once considered something tragic
happened to make him leave.

"Can you ever forgive me for abandoning
you?" he asked.

Her gaze locked onto his. She noticed his
Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed nervously. He thought
she wouldn't forgive him; maybe a part of him believed he didn't
deserve forgiveness.

"You know I kind of liked the idea of you
being the cad. I have no desire to take over your post. You leaving
me royally sucked, but God, Ian..." It was her turn to swallow the
lump in her throat. "Of course I forgive you, if that's what you
need—but you were young and scared. It was a horrible tragedy and…a
terrible misunderstanding. You don't need to feel guilty." She
reached for his hand again and he clasped hers in a firm grip. A
pang of longing shot through her, wishing for the years they were
denied.

"Aubrey?"

"Hmm?" she met his gaze.

"Do you want to get out of here and go for a
walk?"

Her lips curved. "I would love to."

Chapter Fourteen

Ian and Aubrey strolled the boardwalk along
with other patrons. The cool wind blew, bringing with it the salty
smell of the sea. In the distance they could hear music playing,
laughter, and the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves rippling
toward shore. Aubrey slipped her hand into Ian's, surprising him.
The warmth of her smooth hand against his rough textured skin felt
comforting. Maybe she really did forgive him after all. "How did
you end up working for a paranormal magazine?" His curiosity
couldn't be ignored any longer.

"I met this crazy red-head in college.
Loretta Sinclair. She's funny and brilliant. She wanted to do the
unbelievable—investigate what others wouldn't. Before I knew it,
her enthusiasm rubbed off on me and I couldn't resist. I needed the
job. I needed to believe that wishes
do
come true, that
faeries exist, and that the Loch Ness Monster isn't a figment of
the imagination."

"And what of my granddad's magic box?"

"Yes, I'd like to believe in the magic box,
too." Her brows furrowed.

"For one who claims she wants magic in her
life, you don't sound convinced the paranormal is alive and
kicking."

Her features relaxed and her laugh was warm
and inviting. "It doesn't mean I can't keep hoping." She gazed at
him. "Tell me honestly. Do you believe in the magic box?"

He opened his mouth then shut it again,
pursing his lips together.

She latched onto his hesitation and pushed.
"Come on, tell me."

"Is this off the record or am I going to be
quoted in your next article?"

She nudged him playfully. "Off the record. I
really want to know what you think."

He squeezed her hand, bringing her to a
halt. "There's something to it." He looked at her, taking in her
every feature. The curve of her lips, the tilt of her nose, the way
her dark lashes lay on her cheek when she lowered her eyelids. He
blinked to clear his thoughts. "Once a year people flock to the inn
to make the annual Spring Equinox wish, all craving a new
beginning. Every year the faeries make their choice or choices. I
don't know, maybe it's simply the power of suggestion. Perhaps the
person they were looking for was always there, but they'd refused
to see them until they opened themselves up to the possibility." He
moved a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering on
her cheek. "So, yes, I believe in the magic box." Her eyes
fluttered closed as if she wanted him to kiss her, as if she waited
in hopes that he would.

Awareness filled the air around him—her
nearness…the scent of her. Sweet and feminine like sunshine in the
morning and all so tempting. His gaze lingered on her lips, open in
invitation, but he reined in his desire and let his hand fall away.
Not yet.

She looked at him, her eyebrows puckering in
the center. He was sure his own solemn expression didn't help her
confusion as to why he put on the brakes. They were just finding
their way back to each other. He didn't want to blow it by rushing
things.

He curved his lips into a smile. "Are you up
for chocolate cake and coffee?"

There was a slight hesitation, but then she
returned the gesture with a smile of her own. "Give me chocolate
and I'll reveal top secrets."

He tucked her arm beneath his. "Hmm. Remind
me to question you later."

Chapter Fifteen

They ended up at one of the local coffee
houses and didn't leave until the owner was ready to lock up.
How did time slip away so easily?
Aubrey thought with a
smile. They arrived back at the hotel sometime after the stars were
the brightest and most people had turned in for the night.

They entered the inn and Aubrey's gaze
lingered on the night clerk sitting at the front desk. He stood and
smoothed back his hair as they entered.

"Good evening, Mr. Quinn. Miss." The clerk's
lips curved, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Aubrey. "I hope
you both had an enjoyable evening."

"Very nice, Nathan." Ian nodded. "How's
college treating you?" He drew the young man's gaze with his
question.

"Good. Passed my mid-terms with flying
colors. Made my mother real happy." He chuckled.

"You keep up the good work. Let us know if
the workload is too much. We'll work something out."

Nathan waved his hand in dismissal. "Nah, I
got it covered. Besides, I could use the extra cash."

"The offer still stands."

"Thanks."

Ian led Aubrey up the stairs, his hand warm
on the small of her back. She could have told him she didn't need
the escort, but parting company would leave her alone in a room
meant for romance. Having Ian's company for a while longer would
ease the loneliness.

If she were back home in Seattle and Ian
walked her home, she'd have asked him in, but this was a hotel
room. Wined and dined and off to a hotel room— Hmm…sounded like a
cliché. After all these years, the attraction was still there
between them, still intense, as if a fire burned threatening to
blaze out of control, but it didn't make it right to act on the
impulse. One evening together didn't give her enough information to
truly know the man Ian had become.

She sighed with longing. Her mind might have
a handle on the logical conservative approach to dealing with Ian,
but her libido definitely had other ideas, evident by the way her
heart raced with a mere touch of his hand. Like now, his fingers
lay lightly on her back, sending fire through her veins.

Her hand slipped into her purse and pulled
out the key card for the room. His steady steps beside her were
long and sure. She breathed in the smell of the soap he used and
the intoxicating scent that was all him. The heat of his body
warmed her, making her acutely aware of how close he strode beside
her.

She fantasized about pushing him against the
wall and taking liberty with his mouth to inflict a long, slow
kiss, letting her tongue mate with his until they were breathless
and wanting more. Yeah, so much more. She sighed with frustration.
As much as she would like to ravish every bit of him, she wouldn't
act upon it. But if Ian did, what would she do then?