“Beats me. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Those two have known each other forever. If there’s a problem, they’ll work it out.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” She tipped her head slightly and reached up to remove one glittery earring.
“None of my business, anyway.”
He turned around and went very deliberately toward her. “You’re wrong, it is your business.”
She was startled. “Why do you say that?”
“You’re with me now.” He reached down and raised her gently to her feet. “Like it or not, while we’re together, you’re involved with my family. That gives you a license to comment.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Well, then, I think your family is very nice.”
“Yeah?” He was amused. “The words that come to my mind are ‘interfering,’
‘meddling’ and ‘intrusive.’”
She laughed, “That, too. Guess it’s a family thing.”
He moved his fingers to the back of the little black dress and slowly lowered the zipper. “Luckily non f the members of my family are around at the moment. So tell me, do you always wear black?”
“No,” she said. “Sometimes I wear nothing at all.”
“Works for me.”
* * *
Irene stirred amid the rumpled sheets. The lovemaking had left her feeling boneless, utterly content and curiously calm deep inside. The feeling wouldn’t last, she knew, but for now it was enough.
p. In the glow of the night-light she could see Luke sprawled on his stomach beside her. His face wa urned away on the pillow. The white sheet draped carelessly across his lower body.
He looked exoti nd mysterious and very male lying there beside her, an exciting creature of the night who had materialized out of her most intimate fantasies.
She stroked the sleek contours of his back, enjoying the heat and strength he exuded.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
“I am now.” He rolled onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”
“More questions.”
“Let’s have em.”
“I know I shouldn’t bring up the subject,” she said, “especially at a time like this. All of the advice books say that it’s a mistake to talk about previous relationships, especially in bed.”
He freed one hand, caught and kissed her fingers.
“This is about Katy isn’t it?” he said.
“Well, I am a little curious,” she admitted. “Tonight I could see that the two of you were on friendly terms. There was obviously no animosity between you. In fact, you both seemed quite fond of each other. I just can’t help myself, I have to ask. Why didn’t things work out between the two of you?”
For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer. He studied the bedroom ceiling as thoug earching for inspiration.
“It was my fault,” he said finally.
“How is that?”
“I told you that when I got out of the Marines I planned a strategy designed to make me fit into the real world.”
She nodded. “You told me that marrying Katy was part of that strategy.”
“It took me a while, but it eventually dawned on me that she agreed to marry me because she was too kindhearted and too concerned about me to turn me down.”
That gave her pause. “Are you sure about that?”
He exhaled deeply. “Everyone in the family thought the marriage was a terrific idea.
They put Kat nder a tremendous amount of pressure. I think she was given the clear impression that if she rejecte e I might jump off a bridge.”
“And you came to this realization in the course of that unfortunate weekend on the coast?”
“I sure did.” He paused, looking reflective. “I had that weekend all planned out, same way I had every other element of my strategy planned. Booked the honeymoon suite.”
“Oh, my.”
“You should have seen the room. It looked like a damned wedding cake. All pale blue and white wit ots of gold touches everywhere. The bed was round and there was this stupid lacy thing draped ove he top. The bathroom was marble with gold fixtures.”
“Gosh. Doesn’t sound quite like the honeymoon suite at the Sunrise on the Lake Lodge.”
He slanted her a dangerous look. “You want to hear this story or not?”
She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I can’t wait for the rest.
What happened next?”
“I went into the bathroom to get undressed, that’s what happened next.”
“And?” she prompted.
He cleared his throat. “I looked at myself in the mirror, realized that I was way too old for Katy an ad my little epiphany.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles that were rushing up inside her. “I think I’ve got the visuals.”
“You’ve heard about the bride who is too nervous to come out of the bathroom on her wedding night?”
“Yes.”
“Gotta tell you, it’s a heck of a lot less amusing when the one hiding in the bathroom is the groom. Or,
in this case, the fiance.”
She buried her face in her hands.
“You’re laughing, aren’t you?” He sounded grimly resigned. “I knew this would happen.”
“I can’t help it. I’m sorry. It must have been awful for both of you.”
“You’ve got a warped sense of humor, woman.”
She raised her head. “What on earth did you do?”
“What the hell do you think I did? I finally opened the bathroom door and told Katy it wasn’t going to work. I got the feeling that she was secretly relieved. But she leaped to the conclusion that the rea eason I was ending things was that I had this little physical problem due to my presumed case of PTSD.”
“And the conversation went downhill from there?”
“It certainly did.”
“You let the impression that you had an erectile dysfunction problem stand?”
He cocked a brow. “That’s just it, there wasn’t anything standing.”
“Oh. Right.”
“How was I supposed to prove that I didn’t have a problem in that department?”
“I see what you mean.”
“I told her that 1 wasn’t ready for an intimate relationship with any woman. Said I needed my space,