Irish Rose by Nora Roberts Page B

them."
    "More secrets?" Patiently he caught her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. It was far more difficult to resist her now when her cheeks were pale, her eyes a little damp and the vulnerability like a sheen on her skin. "You shouldn't worry so much about what people think of you. I know you wash dishes and faint at the sight of horses, but I still like you."
    "Do you?" A reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. "Really?"
    "Well enough." Unaccustomed to resisting any desire for long, he lowered his mouth to hers, to taste, to nibble, to explore. She lifted a hand to his chest as if to hold him off, but then her fingers simply curled into his shirt and held him there.
    His other kisses hadn't made her feel peaceful or secure. Anything but. Yet this one was different. Even as excitement shimmered warm in her stomach, she felt safe. Maybe it was the way his hand curved around her neck, with his fingers gentle and soothing. Or maybe it was the way his lips made hers feel soft and tingly.
    He wanted to draw her close, to cuddle her, to rock her on his lap and murmur foolish things. He'd never had that urge with a woman before. It was an odd and uneasy sensation, and at the same time… comforting.
    He drew away slightly, but kept her close. "I'll take you home."
    "Home? But I want to see the races." For some reason she felt as though she could face anything at that moment. "I'm fine, I promise you. Besides, maybe if I can learn to watch them from a distance I won't freeze up when I'm near one." She stood, grateful that her legs were sturdy again. "Come now, Burke, we didn't fly all the way to—where are we?"
    "Florida," he told her, and rose.
    "Aye, Florida to turn right around and go home again. That great beast in there is going to win, isn't he?"
    "I've got my money on him."
    "And I've got ten more on the nose."
    With a laugh, he accepted the hand she held out. "Let's go get a seat."
    The stands were already filling up. In them, Erin indeed saw many faces, tanned and sunburned ones, faces with lines spreading out from the eyes and more with skin as smooth as new cream. Some people pored over racing forms, others smoked fat cigars or sipped from plastic cups.
    But in the boxes was elegance, the kind that spoke of confidence and poise. Sheer summer dresses in pastels mixed well with light cotton suits and straw hats. She saw more than one tanned, slender woman tilt a head in Burke's direction. Now and then he lifted a hand, but he made no effort to mix with them.
    From Burke's box in the front, she could see the wide brown oval where the horses would ran and the lush green infield filled with tropical flowers and pink flamingos. Still farther away were more stands with more people. Every minute, more were filing in.
    "I've never seen so many people in one place at one time. And they're all here to watch the race."
    "Want a beer?"
    Erin nodded absently and continued to take in everything as Burke left her. She spotted Durnam not far away, talking to a woman in the tiniest pair of shorts Erin had ever seen. Erin passed over him and looked at the electronic board that was beginning to flash with numbers and odds for the first race.
    "I want you to explain to me what it all means up there," Erin began before Burke had a chance to sit down again. "So I'll know best how to bet."
    "If you want a tip, you'll wait for the third race, bet on number five."
    "Why?"
    "The horse is out of Royal Meadows. Sentiment aside, he's a strong runner. Record's a little shaky, but he looks good today. First race is anybody's game. So far the odds aren't spectacular."
    "Are you betting on it?"
    "No."
    "I thought you were a gambler."
    "I like to pick my own game."
    Erin sat back and listened to the announcements for the first race. "Crystal Maiden sounds pretty."
    "Pretty names don't win races. Hold on to your money, Irish."
    She settled back and contented herself with absorbing the sounds and sights around her. By the time the horses were