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“If you did, it’s obvious by your present reaction that you used condoms.”
His voice deepened with menace. “It wouldn’t bother you if I slept around?”
“Of course it would bother me. But you insisted you were no slut, and I believe you.”
“Why? You know how convincingly I lie.”
Yes he did, Darcy thought, but it had been about something he’d undoubtedly been forbidden to reveal. “Don’t think I’m not keeping score. I’ll let you know when you reach your limit.”
Griffin took her warning for the joke it was and turned to shove her under the running water. He laughed as she sputtered and squirmed, then reached around her to shut off the shower.
“You’re so cool, I’ll bet you’ve had sex in showers dozens of times,” he observed.
Darcy slipped her hands around his waist. “I’ve done it, but never with you, and that’s all that matters. Turn the water back on.”
Griffin tilted his head slightly. “Didn’t I just tell you I wasn’t going to get carried away ever again?”
“Yes, and I believe you too, but let’s face it, tonight the damage—and there’s none I can see—has already been done.”
“You’re wrong, but that’s definitely something I want to argue about later.” He turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature to again bathe them in steamy perfection. They were all slippery, and it added enormously to the fun, but he kept his wits about him to again please her rather than himself alone.
Hours later, Griffin awoke in his own bed in a befuddled daze, but he recognized Darcy, wrapped in a black towel, her hair in savage spikes. She was seated in the doorway of the bathroom reading the Seattle concert review. The necklace he’d given her sparkled in the light and reinforced his conviction that it had been meant for her. He sat up and leaned forward.
“I swear, that is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Darcy looked around, apparently expecting to find something she’d missed. Perplexed not to discover anything new, she sent him a questioning glance.
“I’m talking about you, love. With your hair sticking out like a hedgehog’s, you resemble some punk kid. But that you’d try to read the review without disturbing me, and wrapped in a towel, no less, is damn sexy.”
“Maybe I’m reading the comics,” Darcy responded coyly.
“No way, but the guy went overboard. The flattering comparison to the soaring melody of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ makes it sound as though I paid him.”
Darcy sang the words of the familiar hymn, “‘Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, God of love’. Is that the tune?”
“That’s it, and you have a lovely voice, by the way.”
Darcy had re-read the review to be certain her own hopes were not magnifying the reviewer’s praise. They weren’t. It was as effusive as Griffin claimed.
“I’ve only heard you play once, but I’ll never forget it. I didn’t realize you had the same effect on everyone.”
Griffin’s grin grew rakish. “Let’s hope, but haven’t you listened to the CD you bought?”
Darcy would never reveal how often. “All right, sure, I’ve heard your CD, and while it’s great, being in the same room with you is electrifying. Now it seems you show equal promise as a composer, which is saying a great deal. This is simply a fabulous review.”
Griffin shrugged. “I thought so too, but the murder took all the joy out of it. You must keep everything I told you about Interpol a secret. I don’t want the good citizens of Monarch Bay to fear an international crime syndicate is about to descend upon them.”
“I won’t say a word,” Darcy promised.
“Good. There’s a Wolfgang Puck pizza in the freezer that’s calling our names. Let’s go downstairs and eat.”
Darcy tucked in her towel more securely and stood. She tossed the review atop his carry-on bag where she’d found it and looked around for her clothes. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”
“No, that towel is most becoming. Aren’t the designers showing short, strapless gowns in their spring collections?”
“They may very well be, but I don’t follow haute couture. This is a comfortably large, exquisitely soft velour towel, however, so I don’t mind if that’s all you’re wearing too.”
“Toss me one,” Griffin called from the bed.
