Shadows
Authors: Jen Black
ORCHARD HILL Publishing
Copyright © 2011 Jen Black
All rights reserved. eBooks are not transferable and cannot be given away, sold or shared. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, faxing, forwarded by email, recording or by any information retrieval and storage system without permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, as this is an infringement on the copyright of this work. Brief quotations within reviews or articles are acceptable.
ISBN 978-0-9570603-1-9
Publisher’s Note. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to a person or persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is purely coincidental.
DECEMBER 2011
Melissa stood in the little alcove next to the balcony overlooking the Thames, a half-empty wine glass clutched in her hand. Conversation, laughter and music filled the room behind her. She shouldn't have come to Jonny's party. He'd introduced her to everyone in relentless fashion, but most of the guests were his work colleagues and none of the financial whiz kids present shared her interests in books and history.
She eyed the door. Could she sneak out of the expensive flat without being noticed? At a light touch on her shoulder, she turned with a sigh. “Hello again, Jonny. Someone else I simply must meet?”
Jonny's amiable grin made her regret her sarcasm. He ushered forward his latest candidate for her approval. “This is my good friend, Rory Hepburn. Rory, meet Melissa Holden.”
She looked up into hot blue eyes and a starburst exploded in her head. The word wow radiated out through the detonation. He was incredible.
The clink of glasses and outbursts of polite party laughter faded into the background.
Rory leaned forward, and collected her small hand in his huge one. “I’m delighted to meet you, Melissa. I’ve heard so much about you from Jonny.”
His voice reminded her of warm molasses slipping slowly from the spoon, and an odd tingling started up in the back of her knees. She wanted to sink back on some soft chaise longue, have him kneel at her side and declare his undying love. Unable to tear her gaze from him, she inhaled the drift of Ralph Lauren’s Polo and smiled and smiled until an ache in her neck forced her to break eye contact.
At five feet and six inches, Melissa was not small, but she had to look up a long way to meet Rory Hepburn's amused eyes. She hung from his gaze, and would surely crumple like a boneless doll when he looked away.
Heat rushed into her face and her embarrassment increased. The man was making a fool of her. Or was she doing it all by herself?
She wrenched her hand free. Maybe that would break the spell. “Jonny tells the tallest tales to all his friends. I expect you’ll be disappointed.”
“Surely not.” Rory's charming smile widened.
Jonny cleared his throat. “Melissa is the most intelligent of my friends, Rory. She’s smarter than you and tougher than me by a long shot. She’ll rule the British Library one day and she’ll do it with a rod of iron.”
Indignation forced Melissa's gaze to Jonny. “If you believe that you’ll believe anything. I can’t even get my own team to do what I want.”
“That can’t possibly be true.” The thread of laughter still colored Rory's voice.
Antagonism rose in Melissa’s breast. She tilted her head back and risked those dangerous eyes. “Oh, it’s true enough. They run rings round me. Everyone does. Especially Jonny.” She'd never forgive Jonny for embarrassing her like this.
Rory chuckled, a soft rumble of sound that made her toes curl inside her shoes.
Jonny shook his head, and feigned wide-eyed innocence.
Inhaling a deep, steadying breath Melissa tried for normal conversation. “Your accent sounds vaguely American, Rory. Are you in financial services like the rest of Jonny’s friends?”
The man held himself like an athlete. On the beginning of a holiday weekend, everyone else in the room flaunted colored silks, linens and leather, but he must have come straight from the office. The quality of his tailoring made Melissa wish she’d worn something smarter than the turquoise shift she’d fished out of the closet that morning. The dress hinted at her slender waist and the color set off her brown hair, but next to Rory Hepburn's wide shouldered and neatly barbered elegance, she must look like somebody who'd wandered in off the street.
“I am Scots.” From his tone, he might as well have claimed to be royalty. “But I travel often in the States. Perhaps I have picked up a little of the accent.” He was still smiling. Would anything dent this man’s confidence? Aware of the heat in her cheeks, she flicked a glance at her wristwatch. Escape would be good, but how to get by Jonny was the problem.
“How nice for you.” She couldn't help the edge on her voice.
“Rory’s a solicitor, Melissa. The hottest young hot-shot lawyer articled to a firm that’s going places at the speed of the jet stream.”
Well, that explained the expensive suits.
Jonny turned to Rory. “Melissa, on the other hand, is the British Library’s research sleuth. She probably knows everyone’s secrets.”
“That's so not true. You make me sound like a snoop going through everyone's records.” Surprised and hurt, she glared at Jonny. Even if he was half-way drunk, he had no right to say such things. “If you don’t stop making fun of me, I shall leave.”
But Jonny shook his head. “Behind that demure façade, our Melissa is a sharp little operator.” He spoke to Rory as if Melissa was not there.
Furious, Melissa slammed her glass onto the table and stabbed her index finger against Jonny's chest. “Take that back at once. What will Rory think?” He might actually believe Jonny, and she didn't want that at all.
Rory suppressed a grin. “What would anyone think?”
Jonny leaned toward Melissa and dropped one eyelid in a sly wink. “It’ll put his lordship,” he nodded toward Rory, “on his mettle. He needs to be stretched now and then. Gets lazy, you know? Can’t be bothered to make the effort.”
“Jonny,” she wailed. The attempt to pair her off with Rory was so blatant he might as well have thrown her into Rory's arms. “Behave.” She couldn't look at Rory, who would surely be trying hard not to laugh out loud.
Rory put his glass next to Melissa’s, took hold of Jonny by both shoulders, twirled him around and gave him a push toward the far corner of the room. “Go and annoy someone else. Melissa and I will amuse ourselves.”
Jonny, a stupid grin on his face, wandered toward another couple. Guilt made Melissa bit her lip. Perhaps she shouldn't have shouted at him. But he'd been giving Rory a very bad impression of her. She darted a swift glance at the man at her side. “We should ignore everything he said. He's drunk.”
“Jonny’s a great guy, but best taken sober.” Rory retrieved both glasses, handed one to her, sipped from his own and grimaced as if the wine had gone sour. “Where were we? I know nothing about you except your name, and that you work in the British Library.”
He wanted to continue the conversation. She'd expected a smart remark and a swift exit. Melissa swallowed too quickly and her eyes watered as the wine choked her. Some silly fifteen-year-old gazing at a pop star would handle herself better than this. Get a grip on the conversation before he decides you're an idiot. “Jonny’s relentlessly introducing me to everyone. I thought of escaping when he wasn’t looking, but—”
