Her smile showed a certain pride. “That would be her. We’re actually fraternal twins, as if you couldn’t figure that out from our obvious physical differences.”
Yet neither woman lacked in beauty despite the fact one was blond and the other brunette. “Piper and Sunshine are both rather unusual names. Did they hold some significance for your parents?”
Her expression turned somber. “It’s my understanding my mother named Sunny. Unfortunately, we don’t know our father. Actually, we don’t even know who he is, and I’m not sure my mother does, either. You could say we were a thorn in her socialite side. Our grandparents basically raised us for that reason.”
That explained her sudden change in demeanor. But due to his own questions about his heritage, he believed discussing family dynamics in-depth should be avoided at all costs. “You said your mother named your sister. Who named you?”
“My grandfather did,” she said with a smile. “He adores bagpipes.”
Her elevated mood pleased him greatly. “I learned to play the bagpipes at school, but I quickly determined the kilts weren’t at all my style.”
She paused to lean back against the railing. “Tell me something. Is it true that men wear nothing under those kilts?”
“A man needs some reminder that he is still a man while wearing a skirt.” Being so close to this particular woman served to remind him of his manhood at every turn.
She laughed softly. “I suppose that’s true. Why did your parents send you to boarding school?”
He’d asked that question many times, and he’d always received the same answer that he’d never quite believed. “I was an incorrigible lad, or so I’m told, and my father decided I could use the structure a military academy provides.”
“Guess he wasn’t counting on the panty raids.”
Hearing the word panty coming out of her pretty mouth did not help his current predicament in the least. “He never learned about them as far as I know.” His father had never really been close to his youngest son, if the truth were known.
“I’m sure if you’d ask him today,” Piper said, “he’d probably admit he knew everything. Fathers and grandfathers have an uncanny knack of knowing your business.”
He moved to her side, faced the lake and rested his hands on the railing. “My father passed away not long ago. My mother died some time ago.”
“I’m sorry, A.J.,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be so thoughtless.”
“No need to apologize, Piper. You had no way of knowing.” Nor did she know he hailed from Middle Eastern royalty, and that bothered him quite a bit. Yet she had clearly stated she loathed men with fortunes, and he had a sizable one. For that reason, he would continue to keep that information concealed.
Tonight he preferred to be only the pilot, not the prince. “Did you attend university?” he asked, keeping his attention trained on the less-interesting view in order to keep his desire for her in check.
“Yes, I did. In South Carolina. An all-women’s university. Evidently my grandfather believed I couldn’t handle the opposite sex. But since he was footing the bill, I put up with it long enough to get the dreaded business degree.”
He shifted to face her, one elbow braced on the top of the railing. “Since business is apparently not your chosen field of expertise, what would you do if you weren’t playing the ambassador?”
“Art,” she said without the slightest hesitation. “Painting is my passion.”
He knew all about passion, only his involved planes. “Then why not pursue that dream?”
She sighed. “I have several reasons, most having to do with obligation.”
“To your grandfather?”
“Yes.”
Not so unlike his obligation to his legacy. “What about remaining true to yourself and your own happiness, Piper?”
A span of silence passed before she spoke again. “It’s complicated.”
Family dynamics always were, especially in his case.
When he noticed Piper appeared to be shivering, Adan cursed his thoughtlessness. “Obviously you’re cold. Do you wish to return to the hotel now?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You’re wearing little more than a glorified sweater, and I suspect your teeth are chattering behind that beautiful mouth of yours.”
Her laugh drew him further into her lair, as did the pleasant scent of her perfume. “Maybe a tad. It’s rather nippy for April.”
“Let me remedy that for you.”
When Adan began to slip the buttons on his overcoat, Piper raised both hands as if to ward him off. “Heavens, no. I don’t want to be responsible for you freezing to death.”
Her smile alone generated enough heat in Adan to fuel half the city of Chicago. “Are you sure? I am accustomed to extreme temperatures.”
“Seriously, I’m okay.”
Without waiting for another protest, he shrugged out of his coat, wrapped it around her shoulders and took a step back. “Better?”
“Much better, but now you’re going to be cold.”
Not likely. Not while she stood before him with her dark hair blowing in the breeze, her bright blue eyes reflecting the light above them and her coral-painted lips enticing him to kiss her. Answering the invitation was a risk he didn’t dare take.
She inhaled deeply then released a slightly broken breath. “I need something else from you, A.J.”
He hoped she meant something warm to drink, a good excuse to retire back inside the hotel before he hurled wisdom to the blustery wind. “What would that be?”
“I need you to kiss me.”
Bloody hell, what could he to say to that? Should he answer “absolutely not” when he wanted to blurt out a resounding yes? He brushed away a strand of hair from her cheek and ran his thumb along her jaw. “I’m not certain that would be a banner idea.” Many times he had heard that phrase, but never coming out of his own mouth.
Disappointment called out from her eyes. “Why not?”
“Because if I kiss you, I would not want to stop with only a kiss.”
She sent him an angel’s smile. “Do you have issues with maintaining control?”
He prided himself on control when it came to flying jets and yes, wooing women. Still, there was something about this particular woman that told him he could end up losing the war he now waged with his libido.
Before he could respond, she wrapped her hand around his neck and lowered his lips to hers. He immediately discovered the angel kissed like the devil, and he liked it. He liked the way she tasted and the silken glide of her tongue against his, and he definitely liked the way she pressed her entire body against him. He would like it better if they were in his hotel bed without the hindrance of clothing. He did not particularly care for the warning bells sounding inside his brain.
Gathering every ounce of strength he still possessed, Adan pulled away and stepped back before he did something they might both regret. The dejected look on Piper’s face gave him pause, and the urge to come up with some viable excuse. “You, lovely lady, are too much of a temptation for even the most controlled man.”
Her expression brightened. “No one has ever accused me of that before.”
“Apparently you have not been with anyone who appreciates your finer points.”
Now