Breath of Scandal(149)

"Where did you get a key?"

"If you don't stop asking questions, you'll spoil the surprise. "

"What surprise?"

"That's another question."

The musty smell peculiar to vacant houses greeted them as he pushed open the front door and ushered Jade into the wide vestibule. He switched on the flashlight and swept it across the Italian tile floor.

"This is quite a showplace."

Jade hugged her elbows. "I like it much better in the daytime. This is spooky."

She was confused and vaguely disappointed. When they had left her house, she had assumed he would take her directly to his trailer. Staying at her house had been out of the question. Even if they could sneak him past Cathy and Graham, she would feel awkward, knowing that they were in nearby rooms. She didn't need anything contributing to her inhibitions tonight.

Given time to think about this, she might lose her nerve. This rambling old house, which had stood empty for years, was hardly putting her at ease. She was also a trifle miffed over the delay. Was his ardor that easily cooled?

"Take my hand and watch your step."

She gave him her hand. He started upstairs, surprising her by avoiding the steps that were damaged and could have been hazardous. "You've been here before?"

"Uh-huh. " "Without me?" "Uh-huh." "When?" "Careful, there's an exposed rusty nail."

When they reached the landing, Dillon turned right, sweeping the hallway with the flashlight. The doors to all the rooms stood open, except one at the end of the hall. It was to that door that Dillon led her. He looked at her expectantly before turning the porcelain knob and swinging the door open.

Jade crossed the threshold and stepped into the room.



416



Sandra Brown

- Breath ofScandal



417



Unlike the rest of the house, this room had been cleaned. There were no cobwebs in the comers of the tall ceiling or clinging to the crystal teardrops of the overhead chandelier. The finish on the hardwood floor was dull, but it had been swept free of dust and debris.

There was one piece of furniture in the room-a brass bed. Jade had admired it during her first visit to the house, although it had appeared hopelessly tarnished. Now, it shone in the beam of Dillon's flashlight. In the Victorian style, the tall headboard was elaborate with swirls and curls. Pillows in fresh white linens were piled against it. There were fresh sheets and a comforter covering the mattress. Mosquito netting had been suspended from the ceiling to drape the bed.

Dumbfounded, Jade stood gazing at it all while Dillon moved to the marble fireplace and lit the candles that had been arranged on the hearth. Then he went around the room lighting dozens of other candles, until the pale moir6 walls shimmered in the soft light and the brass bed beneath the gauze gleamed incandescently. When the last candle had been lit, he blew out the match and tossed it into the fireplace, then turned to face Jade. He looked sheepish and apprehensive.

"Well, what do you think?"

She raised her hands at her sides and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I don't have a lot to do most nights," he said. "Ever since you swung the deal on this house, I've been coming here after hours, doing odd jobs.

He directed an uneasy glance toward the bed. "It might seem presumptuous, I know. But I knew how much you liked this place. So I thought that if you ever . . . that if we . . . Hell. " He ran his hand around the back of his neck and shoved the other one into the waistband of his jeans.

"Look, I couldn't take you to that damned trailer, okay? That's about the least romantic setting imaginable and . . . and I thought you needed, deserved, to be romanced.- He muttered a string of curses. "I sound like a jerk, right? Well, I feel like a goddamn fool. The most romantic thing



I've done for any woman, since Debra died, is ask her her name first." He blew out a breath of pure disgust. "This probably wasn't a good idea after all. You can back out if you want to. "

Mutely Jade shook her head.

"I won't he mad, I swear," he said. "Say you want to call it quits, and we'll call it quits."

She approached him. "I'm beginning to think you're the one who's scared, Dillon."

"I am. I'm scared you might back out." Gruffly he added, "I don't want you to. 11

"I'll probably be a miserable flop."

Candlelight was reflected in his intense stare. "That's not possible."

Self-consciously, she averted her gaze to the bed. "The room is lovely. Really. It was a thoughtful-and romanticgesture. "

"Thanks. She brought her head back around and smiled shyly. "I'm glad it's going to be with you, Dillon."

He reached for her hand and clasped it. His thumb followed the bumpy ridge of her knuckles. "So am 1. But why is it me?"

Her lashes swept down to obscure her eyes. "I'm still not sure I can go through with it, but . . . you're the first man that ever made me wish I could. For the first time, I think it's worth taking the risk."

Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed the back of it. "At any point along the way, all you have to say is stop, and I'll stop. I'll probably curse. I might even cry," he said with a half-smile. "But I'll stop."