One Winter Wedding. Barbara Hannay
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hat. Finally, she demanded, “What?”
Shaking his head, Connor seemed to snap out of his stupor. “I hadn’t realized how much you look like Emily.”
His words hit like a punch in the stomach. Look like Emily? Not a chance. She’d seen the disappointment in the Wilsons’ faces when they first saw her. If Emily and Aileen were beautiful Barbie dolls, then Kelsey was clearly supposed to be Skipper, a younger, blonder version. But she looked nothing like her cousins, a point driven home at every Wilson function, with every meeting of their friends and associates. The surprise—if not flat-out disbelief—when Kelsey was introduced as one of the Wilsons.
I hope they had her DNA tested, Kelsey had heard one uninformed, high-society snob whisper. It wouldn’t surprise me if that girl ended up being a con artist out for the family fortune.
Kelsey had struggled to hold her head high and hold back the tears when she’d wanted to lash out at the woman. She was every bit her mother’s daughter, not her father’s, and inside she was as much a Wilson as Gordon, Aileen and Emily. But outside—where it counted—she couldn’t be more different.
“Give me a break!” She tried to laugh off the remark, but the fake sound stuck in her throat. “Emily and I look nothing alike! She’s tall and thin and blond and—beautiful!”
Her voice broke on the last word, and Kelsey had never been so close to hitting anyone. Giving in to the impulse, she socked Connor in the shoulder. She had a quick impression of dense muscle and bone, but he caught her hand before she could fool herself into thinking she could do more damage.
“Hey!” A quick tug of her arm had her falling against him. “So are you!”
“Tall? Blond?” Kelsey shot back sarcastically.
“Beautiful!” he retorted.
“But I’m not—”
“Not Emily?” he interjected softly. He brushed an escaping strand of hair—her unforgettable hair—back from her face, and the touch she’d only imagined became reality as he traced his index finger over her eyebrow, across her cheekbone, and skimmed the corner of her mouth. Heat and hunger combined with a tenderness that snuck beneath her defenses. “There’s more than one ideal for beauty, Kelsey.”
Still pressed against his muscular chest, she knew Connor was the epitome of masculine beauty for her, and she had the devastating feeling that would never change, even years from now. He was the best of the best, and she was a long shot, the dark horse.
“Stop it,” she whispered furiously.
“You don’t have to be Emily. You can just be yourself.”
The deep murmur of his voice reached inside and touched that vulnerable place, but this time instead of opening old wounds, his words offered a healing balm. And meeting his gaze, Kelsey realized he understood her vulnerability in a way no one else could because he’d felt the same way. He’d never been good enough to date the daughter of the wealthy Wilsons, and she had never felt good enough to be one of the wealthy Wilsons.
“Connor…” Just one word, his name spoken in a hushed whisper, broke the connection. He blinked, or maybe Kelsey did, because when she looked again, his sexy smile was back in place, all sense of vulnerability gone. “Except for right now. Right now you have to be someone Todd won’t recognize.”
“Right.” Kelsey pulled back, and Connor let her go. She might not have a sexy smile to hide behind, but she could be businesslike and professional…or as businesslike and professional as a wedding coordinator spying on a future groom could be.
“Come on,” she muttered as she tugged the brim lower. She didn’t know if she’d need the hat to hide her identity from Todd, but maybe she could use it to hide her emotions from Connor. “Let’s do this.”
She climbed from the car and was headed straight for the building by the time Connor caught up with her. Grabbing her hand, he said, “This way.”
With Connor leading the way, they walked half a block before crossing the street and doubling back behind Todd’s building. But the lot was empty except for some abandoned crates and an overflowing Dumpster.
“Let’s go. Todd’s meeting must have been canceled,” Kelsey said. She walked around to the front of the building without bothering to take the circular route that got them there, her low heels striking the steaming pavement.
Connor caught up to her as she reached the front of the building. “Look, I admit this was a dud, but—” He cut off with a curse.
Kelsey didn’t have time to take a breath before he shoved her into a recessed doorway and nearly smothered her with his body. Her vehement protest came out a puny squeak.
“Don’t move.” The husky whisper and warm breath against her ear guaranteed she couldn’t take a single step without falling flat on her face. “Todd’s pulling into the parking lot.”
No, no, no! This could not be happening! Swallowing against a lump of horror, Kelsey fisted her hands in his T-shirt and tugged. “Let’s go,” she hissed.
“Can’t. He’ll see us if we move. Just…relax.”
Despite the advice, every muscle in his body was tense, primed and ready for action. But it was Kelsey who jumped when the car door slammed. “He’ll see us.”
“No, he won’t. He’s heading for his office.”
She had to take Connor’s word for it. With his body blocking every bit of daylight, she couldn’t see beyond his broad shoulders. Too bad the rest of her senses weren’t so completely cut off. Instead, the scent of his sea-breeze aftershave combined with potent warm male, and the masculine heat of Connor’s chest burned into her skin where he made contact with her. Kelsey locked her knees to keep from sinking right into him.
Heart pounding in her ears, she whispered, “Where is he now?”
“Unlocking the door.”
She felt as much as heard his low murmur and hissed, “We should go.” Right now, before the heat went straight to her head and she did something unforgivably stupid, like melt into a puddle of desire at Connor’s feet.
Chapter Five
“I am not meant for a life of crime.”
Seated in a restaurant not far from Dunworthy’s business, Connor pressed a beer into Kelsey’s hand. That she took it without complaint told him how much the incident at Todd’s office had shaken her.
Their near miss had lasted only seconds. Connor had pulled Kelsey toward the car immediately after Todd entered the suite; she’d barely ducked inside the Mustang’s ovenlike interior when he came back outside. Connor might have suspected the other man sensed something wrong if not for the way he sauntered out to his top-of-the-line SUV without checking his surroundings. If he had, it was a good bet he would have caught sight of Connor sliding into the driver’s seat only a few yards away.
Connor had wanted to follow him, but with Kelsey along, the risk wasn’t worth it. Not that it was her fault they’d nearly been spotted. No, Connor took full blame. He’d let Kelsey distract him. He could have driven her back to the hotel and her waiting car but had instead veered off to the restaurant, which had a bar. He figured she could use a drink. After standing in the doorway with the Arizona sun roasting his back, Connor could use a cold shower, but a cold beer was the next best thing.
Liar, a mocking voice jeered. The hundred-plus temperature was a killer, but it was the feeling of Kelsey’s body pressed to his that heated his blood.
“Hate to tell you, but we didn’t break any laws.”
She took a long pull on the bottle, then set it back on the bar with an audible clunk. “We were trespassing.”
Hiding