Let It Snow... by Jennifer LaBrecque, Leslie Kelly Page A

lap as he thought about her brother. “Have you heard from him?” he was compelled to ask.
    A shadow crossed her face. “No, not a word in weeks.”
    “And you’re worried?”
    “Yes, plus more than a little hurt, to be honest. I was furious at first. Now I just feel betrayed.”
    Philip reached out and grasped her hand. “I am going to be thankful every day for the rest of my life that your wastrel brother took advantage of us both.”
    She gazed at him, her lovely eyes gleaming in the candlelight. “I suspect I am, too,” she whispered.
    They stared at one another for a long moment, saying so many things without speaking. And at that moment, Philip knew Claire was in love with him, too. Neither of them had said the words, but the emotion was there, thick and powerful, swirling between them like an undeniable force.
    “Philip?”
    “Yes, love?”
    “I think I’m ready for you to take me home now.”
    He smiled, knowing what she wanted. She was as ready to make love as he was. What she didn’t realize was that they didn’t have a long car ride between them and ultimate pleasure.
    “Let’s go,” he told her, reaching out once more for her hand.
    She glanced around, looking for their waiter. “Is this how you could afford to take me here?” she asked with a chuckle. “Are we doing a dine and dash?”
    “Not at all. Everything’s taken care of already. They’ll bill the meal to my room.”
    Surprise and excitement flashed in her eyes. “You mean we don’t have to ride all the way back to my place?”
    “No, Claire. We just have to ride up in an elevator to our suite.” He slid an arm around her waist. “I’m not letting you get away from me until morning.”
    * * *
    T HEY DIDN ’ T EXCHANGE a word as they left the restaurant and crossed the lobby to the elevators. The sexual tension that had been building between them for days was about to erupt. She kept herself in check, not touching him, though they walked closely enough for their legs to brush. If he reached for her, or she for him, they’d be making out in the elevator, not giving a damn about who might walk in on them.
    And, of course, someone did step in—an older couple and two businessmen, forcing them to the back corner. Claire wondered what they must think, given the tension between Philip and her. Musk and desire seeped from every one of Philip’s masculine pores, and her own body had to be giving off all kinds of pheromones. She felt practically in heat around this man.
    He nearly sent her through the roof when he reached into his pocket, retrieved the black silk panties she’d given him at the start of the evening, and brought them to his lips. To anyone looking over a shoulder, he might appear to be wiping his mouth with a black handkerchief. But Claire felt her legs sag, and had to lean against the back wall, clenching her thighs together as moisture welled from her aching sex.
    For the past twenty-four hours she’d been wanting to be filled by him. If they were alone, she’d hike up her dress and take him right now, mirrors and cameras be damned.
    She only hoped he’d brought that entire box of condoms, because she intended for tonight to be one she would never forget.
    Theirs was the first stop, thank goodness, and Philip twined his fingers in hers and pulled her after him the moment the doors swished open. Claire caught the stare of the one woman in the group and would swear the older lady, who looked long-married and content, gave her a surreptitious wink.
    A few steps, the flash of an electronic key and they were inside an opulent room. But Claire wasn’t even curious enough to look around. She just wanted him .
    He seemed every bit as frenzied. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, he bent and picked her up in his arms, carrying her across the huge suite to the massive bed that dominated the bedroom. The covers were already pulled down and, she was shocked to see, red rose petals were strewn over the silky