Free Velvet Touch by Velvet Touch Page B

with my
life and walked out"
    "What
happened?" Lacey was enthralled.
    "The family yelled blue murder, naturally. They all
claimed I was walking away from my responsibilities, that my grandparents had
been led to count on
me."
    "I can hear it now!" Lacey nodded her head
understandingly.
    "I told them to forget their plans for me, that I was
formulating my own. And I did," he concluded simply, reaching for his
wineglass.
    "You really left it all behind?" Lacey couldn't
keep the skepticism out of her voice.
    "Umm-hmmm. Got a job with an international hotel firm
and wound up managing the start-up of hotels all over the world. It was an
interesting life. I got to live in Acapulco, the Bahamas, Europe, and
Asia."
    Lacey
sighed enviously. "It sounds marvelous."
    The edge
of his mouth quirked. "It was. Fast, exciting . . . Everything you're
looking for, in fact"
    "Everything?"
    "Yes,"
he assured her blandly, "including the affairs."
    'Holt!"
    "You're turning pinker than the salmon on your
plate," he noted in amusement.
    "Never mind that," she gritted, mentally pushing aside
the thought of Holt involved in a series of torrid love affairs. It was too
disturbing. "Tell me what happened next.  How did you wind up back
here?"
    "I think I'll tell you Chapter Two of my life story
some other time," he said with abrupt decisiveness, pouring her another
glass of the crisp Washington State Chenin Blanc.
    "I want to hear it now," she protested eagerly,
ignoring his actions.
    "One of the things I've learned in life is that we
don't always get what we want precisely when we want it," he teased, eyes
glinting. "Eat your fish before it gets cold."
    "You're doing this to annoy me, aren't you?" She
groaned ruefully. "You know I won't rest until I hear the rest of the
tale!"
    "Excellent," he murmured in tones of utmost satisfaction. "It will
give you something to think about tonight after I take you back to the cottage."
    "You want me to think about you?" she dared,
glancing up at him through lowered lashes.
    "That's exactly what I want," he tossed back imper-turbably, picking up his
fork and paying no attention to the obvious flirtation.

 
     
     
    5
     
    O nce
Lacey gave up the futile attempt to coax Holt into giving her the rest of the
story, the conversation moved easily between them again, as easily as it always
did when they weren't clashing over the issue of her future.
    She was turning that realization over in her mind when Holt
brought his silver Alfa Romeo sports car to a halt in his private parking space
at the inn.
    "Going to invite me inside?" he demanded softly
as he walked her up the path to her cottage.
    Lacey slanted him a calculating glance, wondering if she
would. It was a question she had been asking herself off and on for an hour.
    "If I do, will you tell me the second half of your
story?" she tried.
    "Not a chance. I'm going to get all the mileage I can
out of it and that means keeping you dangling."
    They were at the door of the cottage and Holt calmly took
the key from Lacey's hand and inserted it He was in the room, nonchalantly
beginning to build a fire before she realized she hadn't actually invited him.
    With a
tiny, wry smile Lacey went into the kitchen and made a pot of tea. Holt
appeared to be intending to stay awhile.
    She emerged a few minutes later to the sensual strains of a
flamenco guitar.
    "Found my record collection, I see." She smiled,
seating herself and pouring the Darjeeling tea.
    "Your taste in music is as reckless as the rest of
you," Holt drawled, sitting down beside her and reaching for the cup and
saucer. "But who am I to complain?"
    "Understanding as you do the crisis I'm going
through?" she concluded for him tauntingly. The full skirt of her soft,
ruffled summer dress spread across the sofa cushion as Lacey slipped off her
sandals and tucked one ankle under her.
    He shrugged, the silvery eyes meeting hers over the rim of
the cup. "Would you laugh in my face if I told you that what you're
looking for