A Lasting Love (2 page)

"Thank you." She tugged uncomfortably on her
hand,
still encased in his. "Perhaps I do remember
you." She
knew she had attended those functions, but
racked her
brain to recall this impressive man before
her. Surely she
wouldn't have dismissed him so
casually.

"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind
since we
met, and I wanted to know you
better."

She folded her arms defensively across her
chest. "After
the scare you gave me this week, I'll
probably never get
you out of my mind either. I don't
appreciate your methods, Mr. Mecina. Do you know I called the
police about
you last night? You really frightened
me."

"I suppose you could say I got your attention,
but I'm
sorry I scared you." He sat in the chair in
front of her desk
and balanced
a manila
folder on his knee.
"I followed you
once before out of curiosity. And you
lost me. The next
time I was ready for that. You
definitely are a challenge, you know."

"What do you want?" She still stood before him,
glaring down at his seated figure.

He motioned to her. "Please, sit down, so we can
talk."

In her own office he had the audacity to offer her a
seat.

He continued with a slight smile. "I wanted to talk
to you. It's that simple. I wanted to see you, introduce myself,
ask you out, without bringing my father's name before the entire
office staff."

She refused to sit. "You might have gotten a better
reception if you had mentioned him." She narrowed her blue eyes
angrily. He had scared the hell out of her and now expected to
apologize and proceed like old friends.

"As I said, I didn't want my father's name to be
bandied about this office. I'm really not looking for a job. I'm in
Washington to manage Dad’s office. I was looking specifically for
you. No one else. And especially not Congressman Neilson."

"So you lied. Well, you have my undivided attention.
What do you want?"

"When can we go out? Tonight?"

"I'm busy tonight. I have a date," she answered
boldly.

"Tomorrow?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Mecina. I'm busy all weekend."
She refused to encourage him. This man was intriguing and
masculine, and he did have a very nice voice, as Anne had
predicted. But he was not for her. She must have decided this at
their earlier meetings, which explained why she'd forgotten
him.

"I heard that you played hard-to-get. That's why I
tried to find out as much about you as I could before our little
encounter today. Don't forget, I know where you live."

"Is that a threat?"

He shrugged and answered with a slight grin. "Just a
statement of fact, that's all. You won't get rid of me this easily.
Why don't you sit down, Loren. Then we can talk without me craning
my neck." He motioned again for her to sit down.

This time she obliged, perching on the edge of the
chair. "I think our conversation is finished."

"No, it isn't. Are you going to the ambassador's
dinner tonight?"

She flashed her eyes briefly, then controlled her
tone. "Maybe."

"Good. I'll see you there. Meanwhile, read my
credentials on my father’s website. Anyone can tell you about me
and my family. And I'm sure my father will vouch for me."

She stiffened. "I'm not interested in your
credentials, nor your father's high opinion of you."

"That's too bad, because I'm very interested in you.
And I need someone knowledgeable to escort me around
Washington."

"I'm not in the tour guide business."

"Let's talk about it tonight."

"Don't bother trying to find me, Mr. Mecina. There
will be approximately four hundred people dining tonight."

A wicked grin crossed his swarthy face. "But I have
experience in tracking you, remember?"

Her blue eyes flashed. "How could I forget?"

Confidently he nodded. "I'll find you. It'll give us
a chance to talk in the company of others. That's what's bothering
you, isn't it?"

She leaned forward.
"You
are who's bothering me. Why don't you just leave me
alone?"

He leaned forward too. "Because I'm in love with your
blue eyes. They are the most fantastic eyes I've ever seen. Have
you ever been to Texas in the spring, Loren, when the bluebonnets
are in bloom?"

She shook her head.

His large hands spread expressively as he spoke in a
low, mesmerizing tone. "Well, the bluebonnets carpet the hills
around small towns like Navasota and Brenham with the most
magnificent blue blossoms you've ever seen. And your eyes, Loren,
remind me of those flowers. They are a vibrant color, with just a
touch of violet. Like the bluebonnets. I wish you could see
them."

Loren gulped, not daring to reveal that she could
already visualize them from his vivid description. "I thought you
were from Arizona."

"I am. But I've traveled quite a bit. And I swear
there's not a prettier sight anywhere than those fields of
bluebonnets in April . . . except your eyes."

She took a deep breath. "Flattery will not sway me,
Mr. Mecina."

"Please, call me Reid. I'd like to show you those
bluebonnets this spring, Loren."

"Don't plan on it." She couldn't seem to dissuade
this persistent man.

"Oh, but I am. I think you would love it, Loren. This
spring. . . don't forget. And tonight. I'll see you tonight, blue
eyes." He made a notation in the folder, then closed it and handed
it to her. "My dossier. Check me out. You'll find I'm respectable
enough."

Angrily Loren stared after him, even after his
square frame had disappeared through the door. He was unnerving,
that man.
He
was not at all the kind of
man she was usually attracted to. His hair was too dark and his
eyes too penetrating. But, then, no one caught her attention for
long. The man was right in observing that she
usually
played hard-to-get. She was simply too busy to be
hindered by the numerous males who pursued her in this
town. She wasn't interested in these men who were too
soon gone. Of course, no one had intrigued her like
this
man.
This Arizona
man, Reid Mecina.

She hoped fervently that she wouldn't see him
tonight.
Then he would know that her "date" for the
evening was fifty-six-year-old Representative Steiger and two of
his
office staff. They all lived in Alexandria and
generally
went together to these dull functions. It
gave them some
one familiar to chat with.

Loren packed her briefcase with files she
needed to read over the weekend. She would brief Congressman
Neilson on Monday. There was always something to prepare for
which was what made her job so interesting. She picked
up the folder left by that arrogant man. She certainly
didn't want to leave it around for someone else to
find.
Curiously Loren let the folder fall open and
glanced down
the first page. Her eyes flew over the
neatly typed informa
tion to the bold scrawling at the
bottom of the page.

‘
Make love in April in a field of bluebonnets
with Lor
en, the girl with the bluebonnet-blue
eyes.’

"Damn!" Loren's mouth dropped open, and
she
snapped the folder shut and stuffed it into her
briefcase.
The rude audacity of that man. First, he
follows me home
and scares the hell out of me. Then he
gives a false name
to the staff at my office and seeks
me out personally. Now
he hands me an official dossier
where he has noted to make
love to
me
—
in a field of flowers in Texas yet.
The nerve.

The ambassador's dinner was crowded with the
elegant
ly attired elite of Washington. Champagne and
liquor
were flowing freely under glittering
chandeliers; the sound
of false laughter was
everywhere.

"You wouldn't be trying to give me the slip
tonight,
would you?"

Loren's stomach gave a disparaging flip, for
she knew
that the masculine tones stinging her ears
were from the
very man she was trying to avoid. She
wheeled around and
gave a silent gasp, hoping
fervently that her rapidly beat
ing heart wasn't
apparent through her low-cut gown.
Musical strains
from the full orchestra filled the background and, before she could
respond to the man, Loren
found herself swept into his
sturdy arms and onto the
dance floor.

"You know, of course, that you stand out in a
crowd,
even in four hundred. Every man in the room is
ogling
you in that dress. The color exactly matches
your eyes,
and it exactly fits . . . everything." He
held her loosely,
watching her face for a reaction to
his bold statement.

Loren blushed all the way down to the creamy
swells
of her breasts, hating herself for not being
able to control
her emotions any better. Her
frustration sputtered out in
a small explosion. "I
should have worn a black sack."

"Ah, I would be able to spot you in anything,
Loren.
Those blue eyes can't be camouflaged." His
smile radiated
through her, and she warmed under his
gaze. There was
also that single intriguing dimple in
one creased cheek.

"Neither can your intentions, Mr. Mecina!"
Loren
prayed she was disguising the erratic beat of
her heart as
his dark eyes created havoc with her
self-control. Even her
skin tingled under his velvet
gaze.

He pressed her closer, bringing her taut
breasts in slight
contact with his shirt. She could
feel the warmth from his
chest reaching out to her.
There was a certain strength, an
energy, that drew
them together, and it frightened Loren.

She was trying very hard to dislike Reid Mecina, yet
was pulled in his direction by invisible cords.

"I hope you'll soon feel familiar enough to call me
Reid. I want to dance only with you, get to know you, Loren." His
voice softly massaged the air. "That's all. Is that so bad?"

Loren took a reluctant breath, fearing he would hear
its raggedness. "All right. One dance then." It was an unnecessary
consent, since they were already dancing, but she felt better
having agreed.

Reid loosened the tension apparent in his arms and
shifted her closer. Her breasts swelled against his chest as she
relaxed in his arms. They finished the dance quietly, allowing the
magic between them to develop naturally.

For Loren, it was a reluctant effort. Her
reason told her to hold back, be heedful, and proceed with caution.
And yet her instincts wanted to throw caution to the wind.
Is that so bad?
His words rang in her head. No,
she mused. It felt very nice, indeed, to be in his arms. Oh, yes,
Loren could feel the magic.

When the dance ended they reluctantly drew apart, the
cool space between them fanning heated emotions. Reid's dark eyes
sought hers, questioning. For a brief moment Loren thought he felt
the same magical attraction she did, then decided that was silly.
It was a romantic fantasy, suddenly racing through her imagination.
The band struck up again, this time a country tune.

"Since I don't see your date for the evening,
Loren, shall we try another dance?
Blue
Eyes Crying in the Rain
is one of my favorites, but
you don't often hear it from an orchestra's strings."

His arms were around her easily, quickly. Or had she
floated there eagerly? Later, when she recalled the evening's
events, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that they spent a good
deal of the night in each other's arms.

"I have an admission," Loren offered, wondering why
she was so eager to confess.

"What?"

"I don't have a date tonight."

His breath was warm on her ear. "I know."

"You do?" She drew back to look up at him.

"I did a little surveillance earlier this evening.
You don't think I would risk encountering the outraged escort of
such a gorgeous lady, do you?"

"After the way you behaved this last week, I
wasn't sure what you would risk encountering," she
answered
.

"You are definitely worth the risk, Loren," he
murmured against her ear. The velvety softness of his breath sent
chills down her spine, and she longed to sink closer to him, to
press against his hard chest. Of course, she did not. After all,
they barely knew each other. Perhaps tonight would be a time for
remedying that.

"I've never met a man so bold."
Or one who makes me feel this way.

"I'm captivated by you, Loren Randolph. I've never
seen eyes quite the color of yours. They're enchanting . . . and so
are you." His voice was a hoarse whisper and wrapped around her as
securely as his arms.

"You're a silver tongued devil." She laughed.

"Who's intrigued with you, Loren."