The next morning sitting on her bed and staring at her open suitcase, Grace tried to get the energy to start packing. But she felt exhausted from a restless night with little sleep due to all the mental and emotional cartwheels going on in her brain. What she had told Duval had rung a hard note of truth inside her. If she were to deeply analyze herself, she could see that along with love for him was a rather toxic combination of resentment, anger, fear and loss. Even if Duval were a free man to pursue now, she wasn't sure that she would do it. Her feelings for Duval were too tied up with the past. Being forced to examine it now, Grace knew she had always been too afraid to look at her feelings for him too closely in fear that she might crumple under the pain of loving an unreachable man. Now she wondered if she had been braver sooner—if she would have reached this same conclusion years ago.

Grace decided to do her packing later. She could figure out which hotel she should reserve at that time too. There was an uncomfortable feeling that filled her at the thought of remaining any longer at Castle La Mer. Despite her best intentions, she still had confessed her love to a man who was about to get married to another woman.

Cringing, Grace decided to head to town to do some shopping. Beth was available to drive her and she enjoyed spending the next few hours alone shopping and sightseeing. It was good to leave the house and the dark feelings inside of her. Whether she wanted to or not, last night she had become the other woman. Adrian might laugh at that but she felt pretty crappy.

When she returned back to La Mer, Jack told her that Duval and Vivian had gone to meet their wedding planner and Adrian had disappeared into his room since morning to handle some phone calls.

She breathed a sigh of relief and went into her room. She wasn't up to facing people right now. Her things didn't take long to pack. Less then an hour later, she had found and made reservations at a hotel in Wales, only about thirty minutes from Castle La Mer. With her flight out of London not scheduled for another week, she would spend the rest of her vacation actually having a vacation.

For a moment, a pang of bittersweet sadness filled her.

But then it passed. Grace stood in her room and wondered at herself. It had been the right thing to do to come to England. She had been an incomplete person before, unable to be happy because she had been holding on to the past so tightly. Now she was tentatively looking forward to the future.

She had a good career, friends and a decent head on her shoulders. The next step beckoned her.

She wanted a family of her own. Duval was willing to marry a woman he didn't love in order to attain that dream. On the other hand, he seemed plenty attracted to Vivian and so maybe love might come with time. The point was, she could do the same. Find a man she at least liked and have a comfortable life together. It wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she might even fall in love.

Grace cut short that train of thought and abruptly stood up.

Falling in love held old terrors that she wasn't ready to face yet. Her newfound freedom was too fragile and precious. Opening herself up to that vulnerability again made her wary. She could even now understand why Duval would chose to marry someone he didn't love. After losing Elizabeth, how could he ever trust in love again?

She only wished for him to be happy. Duval deserved it and she hoped he would find it.

The sound of rumbling from the sky made her glance up. The atmosphere was getting slightly cooler and more charged. Brushing her hair back from her face, she left her room and started towards the library. Once one of her favorite rooms, she had loved spending rainy afternoons pouring over old books while Elizabeth and Duval played chess or argued about politics and current affairs. And when she was there alone, she would pretend that she was the owner of the magnificent home.

Smiling a bit softly to herself, Grace opened the door of the library. It was dark and empty. Glancing around the empty room, she saw a crystal decanter of warm amber brandy sitting on a silver service. It must've been whatever was left over of Adrian and Duval's night of drinking and fighting while Mr. Lowery presided. Courvoisier.

Usually she did not drink alcohol, today however she was looking forward to enjoying a small glass of the luxurious brandy while watching the sky darken outside. After the last few days of sunny weather, a thunderstorm was only to be expected. The turmoil of the weather was reflected inside her. A storm meant lightning but it also meant change.

An hour later, she was dozing on the sofa, her glass empty and set neatly on the coffee table nearby. Outside the steady thrumming of rain only added the general feeling of contentment. She didn't stir as the library door slowly opened and a tall figure came in.

Adrian tiredly rubbed a hand over his face. Sometimes he enjoyed the wheeling and dealing that came with owning several successful corporations. At other times, he was tempted to chuck it all and go back to wandering around the world like a bum. God those years had been fun. Even when he was broke and could only afford cheap hotel rooms and cheaper food, he had loved the feeling of nothing holding him down. No family, no responsibilities--nothing but the promise of the unexplored places left in the world.

But he must be getting old. Although the brief memory of his carefree days brought a smile to his face, it didn't bring any regret. To his surprise, Adrian realized that despite the series of events that had forced him to leave Wales behind, he had lived his life exactly as he would have done so no matter what. He had tasted, done, felt and seen the world on his own two feet. And he had made a success of himself as well--as far was money went. Hell, nobody had been more surprise then himself when he realized that he was actually rich enough to never have to work again.

So then why was he feeling so—empty?

Opening the library door, he saw that the room was dark. He was about to flip on the light switches when he noticed a small form curled up on the couch. Raising a brow, he looked closer and saw that it was Grace sleeping there.

Something that he didn't want to identify welled up inside of him.

He couldn't really blame Duval for acting so stupid around her. Something about her just made him want to do crazy things. Like having hope. After having survived so many painful experiences herself, she should be as bitter as him. But she wasn't.

Sitting down at the edge of the couch at her feet, he reached out and gently shook her on the shoulder. A glimpse of her empty glass and brandy decanter on the coffee table made him grin.

"Hey, wake up."

Grace stirred lightly but she didn't wake.

Her face was serene, mouth slightly open and snoring softly. Adrian couldn't take his eyes away from that face. There had been so many beautiful women in his life but at that moment he couldn't remember a single one.

Selfish bastard that he was, he decided not to wake her. Not yet. He just wanted to sit there and enjoy the thunderstorm with her, the way they had in the caves. Tracing a light finger down her nose, his gaze became drawn to her finely molded lips.

Pink and delicate, they were slightly parted. Almost against his will, he leaned closer. She didn't wear perfume and there was only the fresh scent of soap and warm woman. And brandy. Another grin made its way to his mouth. Getting drunk on brandy during a thunderstorm—he never would have thought Grace was the type.

She shifted slightly and sighed. Adrian sat back against the couch and tilted his head back closing his eyes. No wonder she had fallen asleep. The sound of rain was soothing, almost narcotic. Tension seeped away from him. He settled her legs over his lap and yawned. Maybe he would join her in a nap.

If Duval found them like this, he was bound to get pissed.

Still grinning and unaware that his feeling of emptiness had quite dissipated, he closed his eyes again and gave himself over to sleep.

Grace woke up feeling warm and comfortable. The library was dark now and the thunderstorm had abated. She stretched luxuriously—then froze. There was someone at the foot of the couch!

Scrambling to her feet, she stood up and stared at Adrian's sleeping form.

He seemed completely passed out.

What the heck was he doing there? She glanced down at her clothes, relieved to find that nothing was undone or missing even though it was ridiculous to think that Adrian would have tried anything while she was sleeping.

But why hadn't he woken her up? And why had he fallen asleep there?

Confused, she bit her lip for a moment and considered his peaceful face. He looked quite innocent and heartbreakingly gorgeous with the hard edges of wiped away by sleep. Maybe she should let him sleep.

Nope. She reached out and shook him hard.

"Adrian! Wake up!"

Her shout jerked him awake. His silky black hair lay rumpled around his face. Blinking, he stared at her with those pale blue eyes filled with momentary confusion.

"Grace?" Sleep raspy, his voice rubbed along her nerve endings. She rubbed her arms and frowned down at him. "What's wrong Grace?"
"Why are you sleeping here?"

The last vestiges of sleep disappeared from his face. Amusement crinkled his eyes and tilted his lips. "Don't you remember?" He asked innocently. "You invited me. You started taking off your clothes and wanted me to ravish your young delectable body but the honorable gentleman that I was, I didn't—."

"Oh be quiet." Grace broke in. Voice exasperated, she sat down next to him. "Like you're ever going to give me a straight answer."

Adrian looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He sighed and said quietly, "You looked so peaceful sleeping there—it kind of drew me in. Sorry. I should have asked first."

Surprised, she raised a brow. Then she broke into laughter. "I never thought you'd apologize about something like that. Doesn't fit in with your bad boy image does it?"

"Not really." He agreed wryly. Clasping his hands behind his head, he leaned back and stretched out his legs. "So what were you doing drinking in the middle of the afternoon?"

Grace shot him a quick look. She wondered if she should tell him of her confession to Duval and her subsequent revelation.

"Grace?"

"I told him." Her face burned. "I told Duval about how I felt."

His expression was hard to read. He nodded slowly. "You told him that you were in love with him. How did he take it?"

"No. No." Grace bit her lip. "I-I told me. I loved him—I always would. But I was not in love with him." Well at least she had tried but Vivian had come into the room and she had left before finishing her sentence.

"Is there a distinction?"
"Yes there is." She took a deep breath. "I mean, this is still very new to me. For ten years I thought I was in love with him. But then I realized—it couldn't be true."

"Why not?"

She turned and looked at him earnestly. "Because, if I really was in love with him, there would have been no way I would have let him marry my sister all those years ago. There would be no way I would let him marry Vivian now." She shook her head. "My god, I can't believe it but what you said in the caves may actually be true. I've been holding on to what I believed was true for so long that I had stopped bothering to examine what it was that I really felt. I was in love with him once—and then I grew to love him because he was a great man—a great friend. I felt so guilty about my feelings that I hid them all away."

"So it was just a friend love thing?" Adrian asked with eyebrows raised.

"Not really—I mean, I was attracted to him—but—." At that she stopped and felt her face turn red for the hundredth time. "But that isn't any of your business."

Adrian tilted his head back and laughed out loud.

"That must have been quite some nap, Grace." He picked up the decanter of brandy on the coffee table and peered at it comically. "Was there some secret magic potion in this bottle—something that makes you see the truth?"

"You don't believe me?" She wasn't sure why but that hurt her.

"I believe you think you're telling the truth. But face it Grace, only yesterday you were crying about how in love you were with him. It couldn't have disappeared so quickly." He shoved off the couch onto his feet and stared down at her with unreadable eyes.

"I do still love Duval." Grace said firmly. She didn't care what he thought, she told herself. She only knew how she felt. "And yes, he is a very attractive guy so I—I was attracted to him. But I'm not in love with him. I told him—and now I have the closure I was looking for."

"So nice and neat." He mocked.

"Why are you being such a jerk?"

Grace's throat was tight. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"I don't know." He finally said and turned to leave.

"Hey!" She yelled, new and foreign courage inside making her voice strong. "Guess what?"

He stopped. Grace lifted her chin. "I think you're just jealous because I was finally able to face my worst fears. Remember what you said? Now can you face yours?"

He shut the door behind him without replying.

Grace stared. Then she went to her room, called a cab and left for her new hotel room in Wales. Swearing wasn't something she usually did easily but—

Fuck the Roussiard men.

"There's someone here to see you, Miss Madison. She says her name is Abby. Shall I send her up?"

Grace stared at the phone receiver in her hands. Fumbling a little, she brought it back to her ears and said, "Yes please. Thank you."

Hanging up the phone on the hotel front desk, Grace wondered what Abby was doing there.

A knock came at the door. She rushed over and opened it to see the smiling face of Abby Roussiard. The younger woman had tied her glossy blond hair up in a flirty ponytail, a few loose strands framing her tanned face. Wearing a pair of fitted jeans paired with a lace tank top and high-heeled sandals, she looked gorgeous and trendy the way only a confident young woman could.

"Hi Grace!"

"Abby!" Grace gave her a quick hug and pulled her in. "What are you doing here? How'd you find me?"

"Mr. Jack Lowry told me where you had gone." Abby said. She looked around and raised her brow at the table filled with dinnerware where Grace had been glumly observing her dinner earlier. "That looks nasty."

Grace grinned and shut the door. "It was."

"Why did you leave Castle La Mer?"

Her grin turned into a grimace. "It's a long story." Grace took the plates to the trash and scraped the congealed mess off. Abby waited patiently while she quickly rinsed her plate.

"Want to talk about it?"
Grace hesitated. "Maybe later."

"How're you feeling?"

"Okay."

Abby gave an exasperated sigh. "I think we can do better then 'okay'."

"I'm fine."

"I'm here to help you."

The expectant way Abby looked at her made Grace laugh.
"Help me with what?"

"Forgetting about him."

"Oh that—it's okay now."

Abby gave a sigh. "Sure it is. And that is why, tonight, we are going out!"

Grace gave her a blank look. Then she pointedly glanced down at her apparel of pajama pants and tee-shirt. "I'm not going anywhere but bed. It's already almost nine-thirty."

"The night is still young. And as for clothes, if you don't have any, I brought some. We're about the same size. You're a bit smaller but that's all right. It'll look cute."

"Abby." Grace shook her head. "I don't want to—."

"Yes you do. I'm not giving you a choice here. Besides, do you really want to spend a Saturday night going to bed early like a grandmother? My goodness Grace, you have to live a little."

Abby's eyes shone with barely suppressed energy and determination. Grace wished she were that young again...except she had never had the kind of vivacious glow that Abby emitted so effortlessly. She thought about her lonely plans for the evening.

"Where did you have in mind?" She finally asked.

"There is a great club in Wales. It's new, very posh, and I've heard that Prince William regularly comes there!" Abby enthused as she steered Grace towards her bedroom. "Now, go put on the clothes I brought and I'll do your make-up and hair."

"A dance club? I don't think I'd like that. I can't dance"

"You don't have to. You can just lounge and look around in a cool, faintly bored manner. You'll love it!"

"Really? But I don't know anyone—."

"I'd introduce you to everyone so you'll know people soon enough, right?" Abby asked reasonably. "Don't worry, Grace. It's a classy place and my friends are great people. You'd like them."

Half an hour later, Grace was staring at herself in the mirror with her mouth wide open. Abby was grinning next to her.

"Perfect."

"I don't think so." Grace began pulling the sleek black dress. It was too tight, clinging to all her curves and making her legs look a million times longer and her butt a million times better—but it was too tight. And combined with the four-inch stilettos Grace looked far from the sensible woman that was used to seeing in the mirror everyday.

"You look drop-dead gorgeous. Don't you take that off! Just imagine if Duval could see you now, hmmm?"

Grace paused. She studied herself in the mirror again. Abby was a magician with make-up, using just enough to make her eyes look dramatic, her skin flushed and her lips an appealing shade of nude berry gloss. Her dark hair had been waved and rumpled artfully, framing her face with sultry perfection. Richly gleaming black Tahitian pearl earrings looked elegant and luxurious among the dark waves of her hair.

"He probably wouldn't even recognize you."

It was true. She bit her lips in indecision then nodded. The only dance club she'd been to was when she was in college. All she remembered was heavy rock music, hairy men drinking beer and women who looked like they could bend nails with their teeth.

But to be fair, she couldn't judge every club based on that one. And since Abby liked this place, there was probably going to be a younger crowd and not likely to listen to heavy rock. Of course that brought up another whole set of problems. One being that was she too old to be attending clubs like this?

"Why are you doing this?" Grace asked Abby quietly.

"Well, you did save my life that summer." Abby came and stood next to her. "Funny."

"Just kidding." She grinned. "We're family, Grace. And it doesn't take a genius to see that you're suffering. I don't want to see you suffering."

Grace broke into a wide smile. "You're so kind."

"Abby poked her hard in the side. "Uh-huh. Now let's go before you chicken out."

Grace took a minute to think. Then she nodded. "Maybe I'll meet someone new." Grace informed Abby half heartedly. Abby laughed.

"You never know." As Grace turned to leave, she didn't see Abby give a gleeful secretive smile of her own. And if she had known of the busy plans running through Abby's mind at the moment, Grace would have turned right back around and pulled on her pajamas and headed straight to bed.

Abby had driven her father's car. It was a low slung, gleaming black Mercedes S-series with a white cream leather interior and a retractable hard-top.

"Wow." Grace murmured as she gingerly lowered herself into the passenger side.

"Nice, isn't it?" Abby sighed. "My father promised I could drive it if I got into medical school. I told him it would be more meaningful if he gave it to me instead."

"What did he say?"

"No."

They both laughed and Grace leaned back in her seat. Abby started the car and music blared out of the speakers. She was remembering now that Abby was just twenty-two years old, still young enough to enjoy driving fast cars and blasting loud dance music. But Grace hadn't realized how much she herself was enjoying it.

The warm night air ruffled through her already mussed hair as Abby lowered the hard top with a push of a button. Her blood seemed to be filled with some effervescent elixir of some sort. Her pulse pumped in time to the throbbing music. In nervousness more then excitement but—at least she was doing something other then lying in bed and reading a book. It had been years since she had done anything even close to this. Starting to get nervous, Grace flipped down the mirror and looked at her almost unrecognizable face.

Abby seemed to be reading her mind.

"Don't worry, you'll have fun! Guys are going to be flocking all over you!"

Grace struggled with her self doubt but in the end, decided to just try to relax and if nothing else, enjoy spending time with Abby.

It took half an hour to drive to their destination. The club had a gate with huge engraved iron posts and a sign that said Frénésie. Giving a honk of her horn, Abby drove in with a grin as the gates slid open. Grace's nervousness subsided a bit as they drove up to park because she noticed that most of the women were dressed in similar clothes. Skimpy tops and far tighter dresses than hers.

"Frénésie means 'frenzy' in English. Crazy, out of control. I love that word." Abby explained as she angled the car to park. Music was loud enough to hear even from the outside of the building.

"Seems to fit." Grace said dryly.

"Come on!"

They made their way to the door and it seemed like only mere seconds before they were being ushered into the elegant but dimly lit interior of the club. Music pulsed like a living thing against her skin, inside her chest. Grace had never felt anything like it.

"I'll get us something to drink!" Abby yelled.

"What?"

In somewhat of a panic, Grace saw only the back of Abby's bright blond head as the younger girl made her way to the packed bar. There were people everywhere. Dancing and grinding, slouching by the walls, laughing in intimate groups. She was now remembering how reckless Duval's cousin could be. After all, she had gone swimming at high tide...

"You wanna dance?"

The slurred voice made her spin around. She focused on a guy not much taller then her, wearing a silky shirt unbuttoned to his breastbone and enough mousse in his hair to lift an elephant into the air.

"No thank you." Grace said politely. She turned to look for Abby and debated the pros and cons of staying where she was or trying to battle her way to the bar and find Abby.

"Come on! Dance with me." The guy persisted. He gave her a slightly off-balanced leer. "You're hot!"

"Thank you." Grace decided to find Abby. She walked away. The moussed-up hair guy grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't go."

Grace yanked her arm away. The touch of his sweaty hand made her skin crawl.

"What's the matter with you? I just wanted to dance, sheesh!" The guy shook his head and left her.

Feeling a bit stupid for her overreaction, Grace wryly thought that this was why she hadn't dated more then twice in the past few years. She simply had no idea how to act in a social setting like this. What were the rules? Were there rules?

There was a tap on her shoulder. Grace grit her teeth and prepared to walk away when someone half-shouted, "Grace?" The familiar voice made her jump around in relief.

"Adrian!" She cried and saw him gazing at her up and down with an eyebrow pitched high in disbelief.

"Do I know you?" He asked in mock wariness. She gripped his arm with her hands like a lifeline.

"Boy am I glad to see you. Abby just left me standing here and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing right now." Grace babbled.

"You're supposed to be having some fun." Adrian nudged her around gently until she faced a tall and extremely striking young woman who had been standing slightly behind him. "This is Jesse. Jesse, this is Grace, my sister-in-law."

"Hi Grace." Jesse was definitely not from the England. Her smoky voice was tinged with an accent that was very southern belle. She had the fresh-farm girl beauty that required little make-up. Slender as a reed except for her generous chest and wearing a wicked short red pleated skirt and body skimming white tank top with thin straps, her body was the kind that made guys weep. With a creamy white flower was pinned behind one ear while long thick gold hair hung straight down in a shiny curtain. Jesse was so beautiful that made the red convertible girl at the gas station look like a troll. And she was obviously Adrian's date.

"Hi." Grace was shocked to find a tiny curl of disappointment welling up inside. She pushed it away and gave Jesse a real smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She gave Grace a mischievous grin. "This is the first time Adrian has ever introduced me to some of his family. I'm intrigued. In the two years I've known him, he's never breathed a word about his family."

"As she's not family by blood, Grace is the only one I'm introducing you to." Adrian drawled. He looked devastating tonight, wearing a black knit shirt that emphasized his broad torso and faded expensive looking jeans that clung to hard thighs like it had been tailored to fit.

"You look nice." Grace noted. Grinning she gave him a thumbs up and realized that she was happy to see him despite his sour attitude from the night before. His dark hair looked soft and waved just slightly by the nape of his neck.

"Is she single?" Jesse drawled. She leaned closer to Adrian and shot Grace an arch look. "You're gorgeous."

"Excuse me?"

Grace knew she was missing something here.

Adrian watched her closely.

"She said that you're gorgeous. I happen to agree, tonight you shine."

"I—thank you." She said awkwardly.

"Do you want to dance?" This was from Jesse, again with a look that Grace couldn't figure out. The woman almost seemed to be flirting—with her?

"Grace isn't interested, Jesse." Adrian kissed the woman on the mouth and gently pushed her away. After giving Adrian a pout from her full lips, Jesse blew Grace a kiss and strolled away.

"She's really beautiful."

"She liked you."

Grace gave an uncertain grin. "That's nice."

He shouted with laughter. All the dark shadows and edgy mood were gone. In their place was a sizzling charm that she had a feeling had knocked over many women.

"Grace, she liked you. Jesse can have any man here she wants, probably including me, but she is not interested. You get it, chere?"

Her face flooded with color. Jesse had been flirting with her? Should she be flattered or offended. Probably flattered. A woman that beautiful—not that she was in any way attracted but it was nice to be noticed.

"So you can speak French?" She changed the subject.

He ignored her. "She wants your body Grace."

"Shut up." Grace knew her face must resemble a tomato by now and was grateful for the dim lighting.

The look on your face." Adrian chuckled. Then he took her arm. "Let's get you a drink."

Grace remembered. "Oh, Abby is already getting me something to drink. But please wait here with me. I'm feeling really out of place here."

"You don't look out of place."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes."
"Thank you."

He looked her over with a considering gaze. "So what made you come here?"

Abby danced up with two pale pink drinks. "I made her come here."

"Abigail Roussiard." Adrian murmured with a pleased smile. "My little cuz. I should've known you were behind this." Adrian plucked the two drinks out of her hands and handed them to Grace before giving her an affectionate hug. "Last time I saw you, you were a freckled face kid."

"I'm a woman now." Abby informed him with a grin. "I even have a boyfriend."

Adrian pretended to frown. "Don't tell me any more. I don't want to know."

"Grace, guess who I saw here." Abby's eyes were wide and innocent.

"Who?"

"It's Duval and Vivian. I'm so sorry, I would never have brought you here if I thought that—."

She stopped talking because Grace had already turned to leave.

"Grace—."

"Wait here." Adrian told her brusquely and strode after Grace. Abby stood there, her frown slowly lifting as she gave her cousin's broad back a speculative look.

Grace didn't know what she was thinking. After having several revelations about her feelings for Duval, she should be more composed. But her instinct was to take flight and she couldn't fight it.

Adrian's form suddenly filled her vision as he stepped irritably in front of her. Topping most everyone around him by about three inches or more, he was a formidable obstacle to overcome. But Grace was propelled by sheer desperation. She determinedly tried to scoot around him—and only ended up being clasped tightly in his arms by the jostling bodies around them.

"Please let me go." She pleaded.

"No." His teeth flashed white. "Don't be a coward. Plus you're over him remember?"

"I don't want them to see me!" She cried.

"Oh I think that they should see you. And me." He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "If you run away, all of your hard work will be for nothing. Let him see you with me here. You swallowed your pride and told him your feelings. And you've moved on. Now make him believe that you're truly over him. You truly no longer are in love with him."

"You're right." She stilled. "

"Besides, it's too late." He murmured above her head. "He's seen us."

Grace stopped moving.

Her heart was thudding so fast that she felt faint. Adrian's hand slid down and grasped hers warmly. The frantic thudding of her pulse slowed and she took a deep breath.

"That's a girl." He whispered approvingly.

"Grace?" Duval's voice was harsh with incredulity. "Are you here with Adrian?"

Grace nodded without giving herself a chance to do otherwise.

She was surprised however when Adrian played up the falsehood by leaning down to give her a brief but warm kiss on the cheek. "I managed to convince her to come out here tonight. Doesn't she look wonderful?" He kept one arm around her shoulders.

Grace remembered that Adrian liked angering Duval. She supposed he was using her for his own personal reasons—probably revenge. But at that moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was being allowed to keep her pride and for that, she was damned grateful.

She returned Duval's cold glare with a calm one of her own.

"Hi Duval." She nodded at and even gave a small smile to Vivian. "You look great Vivian."

It was only the honest truth. The woman was easily the most beautiful woman in the room barring Adrian's friend Jesse. She glowed in her thin gold mini dress. Her wavy hair had been artlessly pinned up in sultry disarray and her arm was wrapped around Duval's lean waist.

"You're here with my brother." Duval flatly repeated. Vivian shot him a queer look. Her lovely eyes were dark.

"Let's leave them to enjoy their evening and go dance, honey." She trailed a long finger down his chest.

Grace noted that the fine white cotton of his shirt set off his dark tan. The top buttons had been left undone, the shirt tail un-tucked over lean khaki trousers. He looked more rumpled and less civilized then the Duval she knew.

"Yes, leave us to enjoy our evening." Adrian drawled. He waved two fingers and hooking an arm around Grace's waist, he started pulling her away. Grace went easily, unwilling to struggle in front of their tense audience.

Adrian leaned down and chuckled. "He's jealous."

Grace nodded woodenly, knowing that Adrian was wrong. It was only Duval's protective instincts that had been looking so angry. With his brother's history, of course Duval would not want her to be with Adrian.

Adrian gave a short sigh. Then before Grace knew what was happening, he had swung her around until they were pressed closely together, chest to chest, one of his hands tangled in the waves of her hair.

His mouth was close to her ear as he whispered, "If you don't believe me, let's make sure than...."

Grace's eyes opened wide as he leaned her backwards. She sensed his intention too late.

As softly as the first touch of snow, Adrian's lips touched hers—but his lips weren't cold. They were warm—almost hot. Despite her shock at the unfamiliar tingling contact, Grace didn't pull away. He never intruded, merely touched his mouth against hers so that she could feel the silken texture of his lips. She closed her eyes. It was hot and soft at the same time and it made her feel as if she were falling and falling....

"Bastard." Duval's voice was low.

Grace opened her eyes as Adrian quickly pulled her upright before he swung around to face his brother. Her glance fell upon Duval and she couldn't help but take a step back. She had never seen such a look of rage upon his face before.

Jerking his brother from her, Duval raised his clenched fist. Adrian seemed equally prepared to brawl, his own hands curling into readiness. But before either brother had a chance to land the first blow, Vivian gave a broken cry and pushed past all of them. Her auburn hair now free from its loose knot and streaming behind her, she quickly disappeared into the crowd of gawking onlookers.

Duval stared after his departing fiancée with the anger draining from a heavy heart. He was about to go after her and explain—explain what? That he had been so jealous when he saw Adrian kissing Grace that he had forgotten reason all together? Vivian had the right to be pissed.

He caught glimpse of his brother's face. The slightest hint of satisfaction was in the bastard's eyes. His teeth clenched again.

"Duval." Grace's calm voice pulled him from his anger. Her solemn face came into view. Around them, the crowd was dispersing now that the excitement seemed to be past.

"Go after her." She said in a matter-of-fact tone that he recognized from years of listening to her advice to everything from how to make up with Elizabeth after a fight to what was the best way to make a roast. He almost smiled.

Examining her face, he took a long look at his own heart. How did he feel about Grace? It was so complex, so muddled up in the past. But he knew that he cared for her so much that the thought of losing Vivian was less painful then the thought of losing Grace. If that made him an ass, then so be it.

It was true that Grace was not as beautiful as his fiancée. But couldn't have mattered less. He loved her face. It was bright and thoughtful, with eyes so deep and mysterious that he couldn't drag his soul free. Grace. So familiar and yet so different. It was as if the five years spent apart had taken away blinders that he hadn't even been aware of. Ten years ago, he had regarded Grace as his friend. A smart, funny and quirky girl that he loved teasing and knew he could always depend on. But now—now things were different. She was still that girl, yet she was much, so much more. She was right, he had to find Vivian. And he had to set things right.

"I'll go find Vivian." He told her quietly and after a small hesitation said, "But we need to talk. Later." Grace nodded, her gray eyes never leaving his.

He turned and left.

"I'd say that was jealousy."

Grace rubbed her forehead as a fierce headache suddenly descended. The look on Duval's face before he had left to go find Vivian—she wasn't sure what it had meant but it had made her stomach take a dive. It had looked so much like goodbye. Her headache grew.

"Abby seems to have left. I'll give you a ride back home."

His voice was cautious now.

Grace looked up at him with refusal on her lips. It would be no hardship to call a cab. In fact, she'd rather be alone at the moment to sort out her feelings and what she should do. But the first thing she noticed was his lips and that recalled what had just happened.

"You kissed me!" She accused.

He relaxed slightly and grinned. "Yeah."

"Don't do that again."

"You didn't like it?"

Grace couldn't lie. Her red face gave away the answer before she could even try refuting it out loud. He laughed softly. Turning on her unsteady heels, she left. Still laughing as if he just hadn't almost got into a fistfight with his brother in front of a crowd of strangers, Adrian grabbed her arm before she could get too far.

"Come on Grace. Don't be mad. I'll take you home."

Since she was an adult, Grace decided to be sensible and take his offer. When they got to the door, Adrian's friend Jesse rushed up to them. She had an eyebrow raised as she looked from one to the other.

"Now I see how it is." She said with a knowing smile.

"It's not." Grace gritted. Jesse turned her beautiful turquoise eyes to her. Then she looked back to Adrian with a sigh. Grace didn't miss the way the beautiful blonde's eyes drifted over the length of his body. She wondered if Adrian had been joking with her. Surely a woman who wasn't interested in men wouldn't be looking at a man with that expression on her face.

"Addy, I think that you'd be the only man to change my mind about men. But I don't think you're interested any longer." Her eyes flickered back to Grace. "And I can't fault your taste. Oh well."

She leaned in close and gave Adrian quick kiss. Then she stepped back and glanced at Grace thoughtfully. She began to lean in towards Grace but Adrian moved Grace smoothly behind him. Dimples showing, he shook his head at her. Jesse flipped her hair and laughed before gliding off.

"Is she really...?"

"She's a lesbian. I merely amuse her from time to time." Adrian looked down at her with gleaming eyes. "She likes to tease."

"Oh." Too much information for Grace. She nodded and shut her mouth. Then she opened it again. "Was she about to kiss me?"

"Uh-huh."

Grace felt her face burn. She couldn't understand it. For thirty years, nobody had really wanted to date her, much less kiss her. And now in the space of a week, she'd had an extremely handsome man kiss her and now it seemed a beautiful woman attempt to kiss her. Life was getting far to complicated for her. She should return home shouldn't she?

To loneliness.

To empty hours when not working and a future with nobody to share it with. Her shoulders sagged. No—she didn't want to return home like that. And she wasn't going too. Again, a growing sense of purpose filled her. If she wanted a life, she had to go out and get one.

They reached what looked like an oversized jeep. Adrian pulled out a set of keys and beeped the car alarm off. When the locks slid open, he opened the door for her and helped her climb up into the tall vehicle.

Getting into the passenger side, he started the powerful engine but he didn't shift the car into drive yet. With the engine idling, he rested his hands on the steering wheel and stared out into the night.

"I'm sorry." He said abruptly. Grace gave him a surprised look.

"For what?"

"For what happened in there."

She sighed. "Please not you too. Why do men regret kissing me after they kiss me? Am I really that bad?"

He shot her a glance. "Duval's an ass."

She didn't protest because it wouldn't do any good. It was his turn to sigh. But the corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. "I'm not sorry that I kissed you. That was the good part." He clarified. "I'm sorry that I might have caused Duval his relationship with Vivian."

Grace honestly didn't know what to say. But she knew she didn't want to keep talking about their kiss. It made her uncomfortable and it was highly inappropriate considering that she had believed herself to be in love with Duval for the past 10 years.

"In any case, I've decided to take your advice." He continued.

Swiveling her head to look at him, she asked, "What advice?"

He gave a tired grin. "Sixteen years is a damned long time to hold a grudge, don't you think?"

"You're going to talk to Duval?" Despite the sorry state of her own life, she couldn't help but smile at Adrian with true happiness. "Set things right?"

"I'm going to talk to Duval." He corrected. "Whether it'll set things right, I don't know."

In an impulsive gesture, Grace jumped over and gave Adrian a crushing hug. For reasons she couldn't figure out, this man had stood by her side and tried to help her in his own way. Adrian was obviously an intensely private man but he had told her things that she suspected no other soul on earth knew.

"Grace." Her arms were still around him. "Listen to me, Grace." His voice was muffled. She was mortified to realize that in her happy haste, she dragged his head right into her chest with her hug. Now his face was pressed against the two soft curves of her breast.

"Sorry!" She cried and tried to pull away. A wave of mortified blood rushed to her own face. He let her go and she nearly fell back onto her own seat.

"I need to tell you something, Grace." His voice seemed so calm that it made her own nerves settle down enough for her to suddenly sense that there was something going on. Her eyes flickered quickly over and saw that Adrian's jaw was clenched with some sort of tension.

"What is it?"

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. In the dim light of the street lamp, his hard face was a study of perfect planes and shadows. His eyes looked like stolen bits of a summer sky at noon on a face already beautiful enough to make angels jealous.

"I have another reason to want to settle things between Duval and I."

Grace realized that she was gawking at him and turned. "Whatever your reasons, I'm just glad you're doing it. You and Duval are brothers. You shouldn't be fighting over this misunderstanding when you don't need to be." She was beginning to babble.

"I like you Grace." He cut into her babble.

She nodded rapidly. "I like you too, Adrian. You've been a great friend to me."

"Remember what you said about friendship?"

"Yes."

"Remember I said that I agreed. Friendship is for children Grace and neither of us are children."

She felt him move before he actually did it. Her chin was in his warm palm and he was turning her to face him. His face was serious, unlike the laughing charming Adrian she had come to know.

"What I'm trying to say is that the real reason I want to things straightened out between my brother and I is because of you."

"Me? Why?" Grace frowned in puzzlement.

Adrian muttered under his breath. "No wonder Duval is so messed up."

"What was that?" She couldn't be sure she had heard him right.

"Forget it. I'll spell it out for you then, you stubborn little doctor, since it seems that you are about as dense as a rock."

He gave a deep sigh.

"I want you Grace. I want you in my life. But I don't want you to think that I'm doing it to get revenge on Duval. So I'm settling with him once and for all before I make my move."

"Make your move?" She repeated faintly, certain that she was asleep at home and this was all a dream. Adrian couldn't possibly be—no—she must be understanding things wrong.

"Yeah, to get you."

"To get me?" She stared.

There was a soft smile on his lips and something that looked suspiciously like laughter in his eyes. He shook his head.

"Because I want you. Not as a friend, Grace, but as my lover."

Grace was too shocked to even say anything.

He trailed a knowing finger along her lips, his lids lowering. "That one kiss was just not enough."

She jumped back as if burned.

"No." She said. "You can't do this."

"Why not?"
"You want to seduce me?" She cried.

"Seduce you?" He laughed outright. "Such an old-fashioned term. That's not exactly what I meant."

She didn't care what he meant. "There are a hundred thousand women out there, I'm sure, who would probably jump at this privilege I'm sure, but please leave me out of it."

"I can't leave you out of it, you're the main character." Adrian no longer seemed tense. In fact, he seemed to be positively brimming with good humor and it made her angry. How dare he play with her this way? And she had trusted him.

"Take me home." She said curtly.

"Look at me." He countered.

She turned and glared at him. His face softened at the distress on hers.

"Duval is not the only man in the world Grace. When are you going to see that?"

"It's not about that." She said stiffly.

"Enlighten me."

"I thought I could trust you."

"You can."

"No I can't." She denied. "Because you never really cared about me if all you wanted is to sleep with me. Not that it matters because it's not going to happen. Now take me back to my hotel." She crossed her arms and turned to stare determinedly ahead.

"You're staying at a hotel? Since when?"

"Since today. I've already moved all of my things there."

"Does the thought of Duval and Vivian getting married still upset you so much that you have to leave the house?" He asked tone suddenly cool.

"My reasons for staying at the hotel are my own. If I had really wanted to leave, I would have already flown back home to Minnesota. And I've already told you, I've come to terms with my feelings for Duval."

Adrian didn't know what to say. He stared at the quietly pretty face that still managed to look as pure as driven snow even with the tight clothes and smoky make-up. The kiss been the most arousing thing he ever experienced. The admiration and like that he'd felt for her had flared up into a needy hunger that he didn't want to examine too closely. Women came and went and that was his motto. Grace was right, he was being a jerk. She didn't play his game and never would. He shouldn't be trying to do something that would only hurt her more in the end.

Adrian gave a wry smile. Of course for that to happen she would have to be interested. Her response to his kiss had said that she was not immune to him but he was beginning to appreciate what Duval said about Grace being stubborn. If she was set on believing that she didn't want him, then she was never going to give in to ordinary measures of persuasion. And that was the crux of the matter. It seemed that her disinterest had awakened a very predatory part of his nature and it wanted him to begin the hunt.

"Which hotel are you staying at?" He asked softly.

"Why do you want to know?" Grace sounded so suspicious he broke into laughter.

"So I can break in later on tonight and try to seduce you of course." He teased in a dry tone.

"Shut up."

Her small face was set in the most stubborn lines he had ever seen.

"You enjoyed my kiss earlier." He leaned in persistently. "And there is something between us. Why not try this out?"

Grace sighed, suddenly tired. "Look Adrian. I'm not experienced in what ever kinds of games that you're used to playing with women. For the last ten years or so, I've suffered over unrequited love for Duval. I'm overworked, alone and tired of being alone. Right now, I'm not too interested getting involved with anyone in anyway unless it's something permanent."

"I see." Adrian became silent. The rest of the drive was quiet.

They pulled up to the hotel entrance. Grace didn't look back as she hopped out of the car. She felt strangely let down that Adrian hadn't pushed the issue. But it didn't matter. Adrian was the last person she would want to pursue her. He seemed even more of a playboy then his brother was and she was so done with playboys.

Adrian lingered outside in the Hummer with the engine idling for a few minutes wondering if he had gone mad. But he couldn't stop thinking about Grace Madison. He rested his forehead against the steering wheel then swearing softly, he turned the powerful vehicle around and drove back to the party. Back to Jesse's flirtatious smile and the unmistakable look of invitation that had been in her eyes. Back to easy fun and no stress. He hadn't told Grace the truth really. Jesse wasn't actually a lesbian. It was true that she loved women, but it was also true that more then once during the two years of knowing each other, she and Adrian had also been lovers and that she was more then eager to resume that part of their relationship.