“Ooh, I love it when you talk to me like that,” he called out, amusement rippling through his voice.
This time Vaughn did give in to the joy that bubbled within her. She laughed all the way up the stairs to her room and didn’t stop until she’d showered, finished dressing in a pair of designer jeans and matching shirt, put on a pair of Italian loafers, and grabbed a navy wool jacket from the hall closet. Just for today, she pledged, slipping into her jacket, I’ll put my mistrust, my politics, and my old hurts aside and enjoy this time with a very sexy man who makes it so easy to forget. She stepped out the door, determined and confident, strutted around to the passenger side of his car, and slid in.
“Twenty-five minutes,” Justin said, checking his watch before pulling the car onto the road. “You said twenty. I was beginning to get worried.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes, intent on pretending annoyance. “Just drive, before I change my mind.” But the confidence that she’d had only moments before seemed to dissolve by the second as the close proximity of Justin Montgomery took its full effect on her. What am I doing? she worried, the strong manly scent of him scrambling her thoughts.
For several minutes they drove in silence, the steady rhythm of the car stereo the only sound. Vaughn fiddled with the gold button on her jacket and had nearly pulled it off when Justin’s voice broke the silence.
“I’ve never known a woman named Vaughn. It’s quite unusual.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Is it a family name?”
She smiled briefly. How many times in school and in business had she been mistaken for a man when her name was read on the register or her résumé was reviewed by prospective employers? She secretly enjoyed the looks of surprise when she’d answered in attendance or appeared at an interview. She only wished that the reason for her unusual name was because someone cared that much about her to have her carry on the name.
“My father wanted a boy.” Justin caught the hint of wistfulness in her voice. He looked at her curiously, but her face remained impassive. “I guess it was his way of saying to hell with fate,” she concluded.
“He’s definitely tempted fate on a lot of levels.”
“He certainly has,” she answered shortly.
“Have I hit a sore spot?”
Vaughn snapped her head in his direction. “Why would you ask something like that?” she countered defensively.
“I watched you with your father last night and the way that you responded to him. Now when his name comes up you get all tense.”
Vaughn straightened up in her seat. “I didn’t think it was that obvious,” she replied quietly, disconcerted that the public mask she’d so expertly kept in place had slipped. Or was it simply that this man—this devastating man—had seemed to see through all the barricades she’d erected, apparently without effort? The thought stirred her uncomfortably.
“It is. But if you’d rather not talk about it, then we won’t.”
“Then I guess we won’t.”
“Fine. What would you like to talk about?”
She hesitated a beat. “I’d like to talk about why you’re so intent on squeezing your way into my life, for starters.”
“Good comeback,” he said jovially. “How about if I give you a full confession over brunch? We’re almost there.”
For the first time since she’d stepped into the car, she took note of her surroundings. The smell of the James River filled the interior. Vaughn turned her head toward Justin and stared at him through narrowed eyes.
“I thought a nice midday riverboat cruise on the Annabel Lee would be nice,” Justin offered, in response to Vaughn’s questioning look. “I hear the food is excellent. There’s a live band, and most important, you can’t get away from me unless you decide to jump overboard.” He squinted his beautiful brown eyes at her. “That was the deciding factor.”
“Very funny,” Vaughn said. “And very thoughtful,” she added, with a dimpled smile that set Justin’s pulse racing.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Unable to resist the temptation of tasting her again, he quickly leaned over and kissed her moist mouth. Relishing the sweetness anew, he sucked on her bottom lip and Vaughn felt the tremors of yearning explode within her. Reluctantly, Justin released her. “I’m just a thoughtful guy.” His voice lowered to a thrilling throb and his eyes held her in an invisible embrace. “If you give me half a chance, Vaughn Hamilton, I can show you just how thoughtful I can be.”
Her heart thumped, then settled down to its normal rhythm. “You’re off to a flying start,” she said softly.
Momentarily, with her looking at him with those glorious eyes and bewitching smile, he had the insane notion to pull off and take her as far away from civilization as possible, then ravish that luscious body until she begged him to stop. Fortunately, good judgment took over. He expelled a shaky breath. “Which is exactly what we’re gonna have to do if we don’t want to get left at the dock. That boat leaves in about five minutes.”
Laughing, hand in hand, they ran across the dock and darted up the gangplank. Vaughn thought for a few moments about how sudden and wild her actions were with Mr. Montgomery. What was it about him? Why did he strike such a chord within her? Why did she allow him to get so close? She shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about that now. Now, she was going to hold tightly to his hand and remember how good it feels to do something as simple as hold a man’s hand. She felt carefree and young again, and she never wanted the feeling to end.
Once on board, Vaughn was treated to an afternoon of pure magic. The exquisite seafood cuisine, the soothing sounds of the band, and most of all, the comfort of being in Justin’s company. He was every bit the gentleman. He saw to her every need. He made her laugh with his sharp wit and exceptional talent for mimicking the other passengers on board. Above all, he made her feel special, truly important.
By degrees her guard came down and she found herself talking about things, personal things, that she had kept buried for years.
“I really don’t know how I got involved in politics,” she confessed, as they strolled arm in arm across the deck and out onto the boardwalk. “My father seemed to have my whole life mapped out even before I was born. For as long as I can remember I was surrounded by politicians and attending political events. I imagine the Kennedys know what my life was like. My father’s idea of a family outing was to have my mother and me sit in the spectator box in court while he presided.” She laughed.
Justin heard the false note of gaiety in her voice and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Didn’t you have any say so? I mean, wasn’t your father interested in what you wanted to do?”
“You obviously don’t know him very well. There is no way but his way. There’s no argument, no debate.” She sighed. “To tell you the truth, I never knew any other kind of life. It’s kind of hard to debate when you have nothing to compare it with.”
“What about your friends? Didn’t they have interests?”
“Coincidentally,” she grinned, “all my friends were children of my father’s friends. Who, of course, were politicians.”
Justin shook his head sadly. “Doesn’t seem like you had much of a childhood.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she said unconvincingly. “After a point, I really got into it and found that I was good at what I did. I graduated at the top of my class and worked at one of the top law firms in D.C. When my father suggested that I run for the state assembly four years ago, I did, without question.”
“And now you’re ready to move