Early Monday afternoon, Aria knocked on the Lockwoods’ door. She couldn’t believe she was here, but she had made a promise to help Teri. It wouldn’t be fair if she abandoned that promise because she’d crossed a boundary with Eli.
“Teri!” she called when no one answered the door. “You in there?”
Teri opened the door and looked at her warily. “What are you doing here?”
She supposed she deserved the censure after what Teri had witnessed at the beach. As a woman with two older brothers, she knew no girl wanted to see their brother necking. In public, no less.
“I was hoping to see you,” she replied. She was also praying Eli was not at home. His development had been approved by the council that morning, so she assumed he would be at the work site, supervising the contractors while they got started. “I wanted to know how your date went the other night.”
“Oh.” Teri looked younger today, the dark makeup absent from under her eyes. “That’s cool. You want to come in? You can see the kitten. I’ve got him for a little while longer yet.”
“I’d love to.” She really would. Part of her was relieved at how easily Teri had let her in. She had been worried she’d be turned away without a word. “How is the kitty?”
“He’s great,” Teri said with a grin. “I love him.”
Her enthusiasm was contagious. Aria had been concerned that the novelty would wear off quickly; now she was concerned that Teri might get too attached to the kitten. This was only temporary, after all.
Teri led her into one of the bedrooms. It had unadorned, whitewashed walls, and the open cupboards were free of clutter except for a makeup bag on the bedside table. Someone had vacuumed the floor recently, and the dirty washing sat tidily in a basket in the corner. It was bizarre. When Aria was a teenage girl, boy band posters had plastered the walls of her bedroom, and stacks of books and knick-knacks had rendered her cupboards invisible. Even though this was only Teri’s home for a short while, the lack of color in the room saddened Aria. Teri might be rich, but she’d clearly missed out on the chaos of normal childhood.
“Here he is.” Teri grabbed a purring ball of fur from the bed and held him out.
Taking him in one hand so she could pat him with the other, Aria said, “What a cutie.”
“Totally.”
They both fell silent for a moment.
“So, um,” Teri began awkwardly. “About you and Eli...”
Aria closed her eyes, shoving the memory of their passionate embrace on the beach, and what had followed, to the back of her mind. “Nothing is going on between us,” she said. “We got carried away, that’s all.”
“Looked like a bit more than that,” Teri muttered. She stared at her feet, her forehead creased. “I like you,” she said eventually. “But Eli’s girlfriends are usually bitches. I don’t want you to be like that.”
It broke Aria’s heart how serious she was, and how much thought she must have put into this.
“I promise not to be a bitch,” Aria said. “And I’ll be your friend for as long as you want me to.” It shouldn’t be a difficult promise to keep. Teri was special, and before long, she’d be living in the North Island, having completely forgotten about the nobody reporter from Itirangi. “Now, tell me about the cute boy from the beach,” Aria ordered. Teri giggled, and the sound of her laughter lifted Aria’s mood. “Tell me all about it.”
Returning home to the sound of female laughter was a new experience. Eli paused at the door, straining to hear the lowered voices over the pounding of his heart. One was Therese. The other made him hesitate for a beat longer than usual. It was Aria; he was almost certain of it. But what was she doing here?
Although he had no intention of leaving her alone as she’d requested, he assumed he’d need to be persuasive if he wanted her back in his bed. Yet here she was, laughing with his sister, a miracle in itself. Therese had barely spoken to him since Saturday. Funny how she seemed to have no problem talking to Aria. Was there some sort of female club he was excluded from, whose mission in life was to baffle unsuspecting men? It seemed likely. The alternative, that Eli was terrible at communicating with his sister, was another likely scenario. His empathy with children left a lot to be desired, but it was irrelevant because he never planned to have any of his own. No child deserved to be subjected to the sort of cold upbringing he’d endured. Eli was confident that in deciding not to have children, he was making a more responsible choice than his parents had.
Moving quietly, he made his way to Therese’s door and peeked inside, his breath catching. His sister was sitting cross-legged on the bed, relaying a story with animated gestures. Aria was smiling and nodding, encouraging her while she patted the kitten sprawled across her lap. The scene was so sweet, he couldn’t help but watch. Therese was mid-sentence.
“…thought the movie was great, but I didn’t love it. He held my hand the whole time, though, and that, like, totally made up for it. He’s so cute. I’m so happy my first date wasn’t a total flop,” she gushed. “It was great. But I suppose you’ve been on heaps of dates.”
Now, things were getting interesting. Eli leaned forward, straining to hear Aria’s answer.
“I’ve been on my fair share,” she replied, annoyingly vague. “Nothing wonderful, though. The best was a ballet show. I’m not a huge fan of ballet, but there’s something romantic about going to see a live performance.”
“What would your dream date be?” Therese asked.
“A beach,” Aria said without hesitation. “Imagine getting whisked away to a tropical island for a weekend. You could go for a horse trek down the beach and finish with a picnic.”
Therese sighed. “My parents could afford that a million times over, but they’d never spend their money that way.”
Eli heard the truth in her words and felt for her. It was the first time he’d understood his sister’s position. Being a Lockwood was lonely and often disheartening. Feeling guilty for eavesdropping, he rapped on the door.
“Come in,” Therese called. When he did, her nose crinkled up. “You look gross.”
Just great. Aria looked fresh and lovely in a pair of baby-blue shorts and a high-necked shirt, while he looked ‘gross’.
“I probably smell worse,” he admitted.
“Hi,” Aria said softly, chewing on her lower lip. “I thought you’d be working.”
That explained a few things. She hadn’t intended to see him. In fact, she’d probably come in the middle of the day to avoid him.
He shrugged. “I came home for lunch and a quick run. Why are you here?”
“To see Teri,” she replied, stroking the kitten’s stomach.
His sister must have picked up on the tension in the room. “Talk properly,” she said. “I can’t handle your weird silent conversation.”
“We don’t need to talk,” Aria replied at the same time Eli said, “Yes, let’s talk.”
Teri looked from one to the other and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to talk, you’d better do it out there.” She pointed at the door. “This is my bedroom, you know.”
Aria looked as if she was considering making a run for it through the open window.
“Please talk to me,” he said.
“Fine,” she agreed, then handed the kitten to Teri and tried to smooth the fur off her shorts.
When they were in the hall, Aria looked him up and down. “How about you have a shower, and we’ll talk afterwards?”
Was he that bad? Eli surreptitiously sniffed his armpit. Yup, he was that bad. “Give me ten minutes.”
Aria’s mouth had gone dry when Eli walked into the room, breathtakingly sexy in running shorts and a singlet. Her brain had gone blank, so she’d done the smart thing and pretended to be disgusted by him. When he came back nine and a half minutes later (she’d timed it), she focused on her chipped fingernails rather than admire the way his damp hair curled against his shoulders.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, taking a direct approach.
“Us.” The word was clipped.
“There is no us,” she said. If she wanted him to leave her alone before she lost her dignity and her heart, she needed to push him away. “We made a mistake. I got carried away. I shouldn’t have let it happen, and it won’t happen again.”
“Nice try,” he said, taking a few steps toward her. There was a hint of swagger in his steps, as if he was confident he would win their standoff. “But I’m onto you, princess. You want me.”
Another step forward, and his chest brushed hers. Aria’s hand came up to rest over his heart. She’d been planning to shove him away, but, instead, her fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt, drawing him closer. Maybe it was time to be honest.
“I want you, Eli,” she confessed. “But I don’t want to want you.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” he said, resting his palm across the back of her neck. Involuntarily, she leaned into his touch. He took her movement as encouragement and lowered his lips to hers.
The moment they touched, Aria sprang away. “You can’t kiss me.”
He looked bemused. “I just did.”
She stomped her foot, feeling ridiculous, but she needed to make a statement. “You’re not listening to me.”
“You’re not making sense,” he teased, cupping a hand under her chin.
She jerked out of his grip. “If you can’t respect my choices, then I can’t have you in my life.”
Finally, he seemed to realize how serious she was, and the smile faded from his face.
“I see.” He was already distancing himself from her, closing himself off, even though he hadn’t moved. It was what she’d asked for, but that didn’t stop the twinge of disappointment.
Eli didn’t say anything else, and she didn’t explain. She couldn’t tell him how messed up she was about men when she didn’t fully understand it herself. As she walked away, her footfalls echoed throughout the house, and the click of the front door was loud in the unnatural silence.
Eli stared at the door. Nothing was going the way he wanted. He’d known his beautiful Aria desired him, and he’d thought he could sway her around to his way of thinking, as he so often did with business acquaintances, but he’d miscalculated. There was more to this than met the eye. He needed help.
Only one person he knew never put a foot wrong with women, and that was Mark Talbot. The prominent lawyer was a playboy of the first degree. He’d dated scores of women and had a reputation for loving them and leaving them. More impressive was the fact that ninety-nine percent of the time, he parted amicably from his paramours.
Eli dialed Mark’s number three times before Mark picked up.
“This had better be good,” his friend said good-naturedly. “I have company.”
“I need help,” Eli said, getting straight to the point.
“Are we talking legal help, or ‘I killed my neighbor and I want to bury the body’ help? Because my company is very lovely and very naked.”
“I need help with a woman.”
“Then you’ve come to the right person.”
Eli could hear the grin in Mark’s voice. “Is it worth your time?”
“Buddy, hearing you ask for help is always worth my time. If it’s about a woman, then all the better. I’ve never known you to be at a loss with a girl. Just give me a moment.” Muffled noises sounded on the other end of the phone. “The lovely Elouise is standing by to give her opinion as well. What’s the situation?”
“I think I’ve upset this woman,” Eli began. “We slept together, and now she doesn’t want to know me.”
Mark laughed. “Was it that bad for her, then?”
Eli scowled. “There were no complaints at the time.” It had been indescribably good for him. Surely, it had been the same for her too. While she might say she didn’t want him, her body sent a very different message. Lack of chemistry certainly wasn’t the problem.
“Tell me about her.”
How best to describe her? He didn’t want to outright admit to Mark that he’d been correct in assuming Eli was interested in Aria for more than her connection with Teri. “She’s bossy and sweet and quirky,” he said.
“Interesting. What does she do for a living?”
Busted. “She’s a journalist.”
“Ah, the reporter you asked me to look into. I thought as much. I have the information you requested.”
“Thanks,” Eli said, wondering if his friend had found anything.
“She’s pretty,” Mark added.
“She’s mine,” Eli snapped. He couldn’t help it. Even if no one else realized it yet, and even if only for a short time, she was his. Pity she was the type who would want children. If he thought she’d be happy remaining childless forever, then he could imagine spending his life with her. She was unusual and passionate, and she’d be able to keep him on his toes. Unfortunately, she seemed to have those pesky maternal instincts, which made her perfect for helping with Teri but totally unsuitable for being his partner. He and Aria would have to go their separate ways at some point, but he wasn’t ready for it to happen yet.
“Of course,” Mark murmured. “Do you know what I found?”
“Probably not much,” Eli guessed. “She seems like a straight arrow.”
“Not quite.”
The tone of Mark’s voice made him uneasy. “What did you find?”
“Your lady friend worked at the Press in Christchurch until a year ago, when rumor has it she slept with the boss to get a promotion.”
Eli shook his head emphatically, forgetting Mark couldn’t see him. “I don’t believe it.”
“The co-worker I spoke to was convinced of it.”
It couldn’t be true. Aria wasn’t the type. “That’s not the woman I know.”
“It might not be who she is now, but I’m telling you that’s who she was. Are you sure this girl isn’t using you?”
Eli stopped to think about it. What would Aria gain by sleeping with him, then pushing him away? Nothing. And besides, what they had between them was too special. It couldn’t be fake. “She’s not.”
“If you say so.” Mark clearly didn’t believe it. “Tell me more about her.”
Eli shook his head, trying to erase the accusation against Aria from his mind. “She has two brothers.”
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Eli was tired of Mark’s cryptic statements.
“If you upset her and she goes running to her brothers, they’ll want to destroy you.” Mark was far too pleased by the prospect. “Are they big guys?”
Eli gulped. “Bigger than me.”
“Avoid girls with brothers. It’s just asking for trouble. She’s a hometown girl?”
“Yeah. She grew up here, although she must have lived somewhere else while she earned her degree.”
“She’s an educated woman,” Mark commented. “Interesting.”
“I date educated women,” Eli interjected, taking issue with his friend’s tone.
“You date women who speak multiple languages and were born into power and influence, not necessarily ones who have gone out of their way to earn an education.”
What was the difference?
“Elouise agrees with me. She’s studying for a diploma in interior design, isn’t that right, sweetums?” A murmur in the background. “The point is, winning over this girl of yours requires different techniques from the ones you usually use. What did you do to upset her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then don’t try to figure it out. It’ll hurt your brain. Women aren’t logical, Eli. Their instincts aren’t logical. Now, what does she want?”
“My head on a platter? For aliens to probe me?”
Mark chuckled. “Realistically, what does she want from you?”
“She wants me to leave her alone. She wants a good story.” Realization struck. “She wants to be accepted and respected by her town. She loves this little backwater.”
Mark was quiet while the cogs turned in his brain. “Clearly, option one is out. Option two as well, unless you’ve changed your view on making a fool of yourself in the media. Option three, we can work with. She loves her town. How can you use that knowledge to impress her?”
Eli couldn’t say, off the top of his head, but Mark had given him a lot to think about. “Appreciate your help,” he said. “It was good talking to you.” Then he hung up and started brainstorming possibilities. Before long, he struck gold. His plan wouldn’t be quick to put into action, but it would be effective.