Page 48 of This Heart Of Mine (Chicago Stars 5)

“Now, that surprises me. This should be right up your alley, since you seem to like preying on the unsuspecting.”

Time hadn’t diminished the embarrassment she felt. She opened her mouth to apologize once again, only to have something calculating in his expression stop her. With a shock she realized that Kevin wasn’t interested in groveling. He wanted to be entertained with an argument.

He deserved her very best, but her brain had been inactive for so long, it was hard to come up with a response. “Only when I’m drunk.”

“Are you saying you were drunk that night?” He glanced out the window, then back at her.

“Totally wasted. Stoli on ice. Why else do you think I behaved like that?”

Another look out the window, this one lasting a bit longer. “I don’t remember you being drunk.”

“You were asleep.”

“What I remember is that you told me you were sleepwalking.”

She managed a huffy sniff. “Well, I hardly wanted to confess that I had a problem with alcohol.”

“Recovered now, are you?” Those green eyes were much too perceptive.

“Even the thought of Stoli makes me nauseous.”

His gaze raked a slow, steady path over her body. “You know what I think?”

She swallowed. “I’m not interested.”

“I think I was just irresistible to you.”

She searched her imaginative brain for a scorching comeback, but the best she could come up with was a rather pitiful “Whatever makes you happy.”

He shifted his position to get a better view of the scene outside. Then he winced. “That’s got to hurt.”

She wanted to look so badly she could barely stand it. “That’s sick. Don’t watch them.”

“It’s interesting.” He tilted his head slightly. “Now, that’s a new way to go about it.”

“Stop it!”

“And I don’t even think that’s legal.”

She couldn’t stand it any longer, and she whirled around, only to realize that the lovers had vanished.

His chuckle had an evil edge. “If you run outside, you might be able to catch them before they’re done.”

“You think you’re funny.”

“Fairly amusing.”

“Well, then, this should really entertain you. I dipped into Aunt Judith’s computer records, and the B&B seems to be booked solid into September. Most of the cottages, too. You won’t believe how much people are willing to pay to stay here.”

“Let me see that.” He pushed past her to get to the computer.

“Enjoy yourself. I’m going to find someplace to stay.”

He was busy scanning the screen, and he didn’t respond, not even when she reached over him to pick up the piece of notepaper she’d used to jot down the names of the vacant cottages.

A pegboard hung on the wall next to the desk. She found the appropriate keys, stuck them in her pocket, and made her way through the kitchen. She hadn’t eaten that day, and on the way she picked up a leftover slice of Charlotte Long’s cranberry bread. The first bite told her that Mrs. Long had been right when she’d said she wasn’t much of a cook, and she dropped it in the trash.

When she reached the hallway, curiosity won out over her fatigue, and she climbed the steps to see the rest of the house. Roo trotted at her side as she peered into the guest rooms, each of which had been individually decorated. There were book-filled nooks, pretty views from the windows, and the homey decorating touches people expected at an upscale B&B.

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