In Serena's Web by Kay Hooper Page A

knew—or else smoothly changed the subject.
    He wondered if Serena was too conscious of her previous scheme’s failure to be able to let their relationship progress naturally. He wondered if this was a new plot. If so, he was wryly amused to realize that it was working.
    Thinking about it, he wasn’t surprised. Serena had first been a responsibility in his eyes. Amusing, troublesome, yet still a responsibility. Later, almost in the blink of an eye, she had shown herself to be a fascinating, desirable woman, igniting his senses and confusing all rational thought. Then she had confessed her plotting with childlike simplicity and no excuses.
    From child to woman to child—and now back to woman. A friendly, cheerful woman who needed to give no sultry glances or enigmatic smiles to remind a man she was all female. A lady who wore stunning evening gowns with the same simple grace with which she wore jeans or slacks, who now offered no confiding touches or provocative words, and yet somehow made a man stingingly aware of her every casual gesture.
    She was damnably intriguing.
    Brian found that he could actually
feel
his heart beating in her presence, a strong and uneven rhythm. He missed her casual touches, finding excuses himself to make contact with her. He felt a growing tension that was as emotional as it was physical, disturbing his sleep and making him uncharacteristically restless.
    On the third night after her confession, he demanded of Josh, “What in hell is she up to?” He didn’t have to elaborate.
    “I don’t know,” Josh told him, obviously amused. They were all three playing cards in the quiet lounge off the lobby, with drinks and snacks nearby, and Serena had excused herself briefly. “I suppose,” Josh said judiciously, “she’s plotting. But I’m damned if I’m sure. Even after knowing her all her life, I have an uncomfortable feeling Rena could surprise me once a day if she wanted to. You have to admit that she isn’t dull.”
    The only answer to that vast understatement seemed to be a drink, so Brian took a gulp of his. It didn’t help. He hadn’t really expected it to.
    Serena came back into the room just as her halfbrother looked at his watch and stacked his cards neatly. “Deal me out,” he told them as he stood up. “I have a date.”
    “The pianist?” Serena murmured.
    “As a matter of fact, yes.”
    In an idle tone, Serena said, “You know, it’s common practice for women to change their hair color. And when they do, it’s usually from brunette to blond. But I don’t suppose that matters, does it, Josh?”
    Her half brother stared down at her for a moment, then said in a peculiar tone to Brian, “I told you she could still surprise me.” Without another word he left the room.
    “I wonder if he’ll break the date,” Serena mused.
    Brian stared at her. “What was that all about?”
    “His fixation.”
    “Come again?”
    Shuffling cards expertly, Serena laughed softly. “Hadn’t you noticed? It isn’t blondes Josh is obsessed with, it’s brunettes. And he thought I didn’t know.” She shook her head in a gentle reproof of her absent kin.
    “Know
what
?” Brian asked, still confused.
    “Well, Josh is one of those rare people who has always
known
himself. I mean, he always understands why he likes or dislikes something. He doesn’t have to ponder it; he just knows. I think in some ways he’s a bit psychic, about himself, anyway. And being a healthy, self-preserving male, he wants complete control of his life.” She reflected, almost in surprise, “We’re alike in that way.”
    “The point being?”
    “The point being that he
knows
when he falls in love, it’ll be with a brunette, and he’ll fall hard,” she added with certainty.
    “How could he possibly know he’ll fall in love with a brunette?” Brian asked in bewilderment.
    “He just does. He’s never dated a brunette in his life, and a few truly gorgeous ones have tried to get his attention, I can