L.A. Confidential by Julie Kenner Read Free Book Online Page B

caught her eye. She blinked, trying to figure out what she’d seen.
    And then there it was again—a starched white shirt, khakis, broad shoulders, a head of thick brown hair. He moved with the casualness of the completely self-confident.
    Her pulse quickened. Even from behind, she knew that body, knew the way those broad shoulders moved as he walked, knew the way those strong thighs felt beneath her fingers.
    The elevator stopped and most of the conventioneers stepped off. She knew she should move away from theglass, quit watching before he turned around. But she couldn’t tear herself away. He was following a hostess to a table near a potted palm, and when they arrived, he pulled out his chair and turned around to sit, facing her.
    From her angle above him she couldn’t see his entire face, but what she could see made her stomach twist with memories, both delightful and disturbing. Slowly, almost as if he felt her watching, he lifted his head and seemed to look right at her.
    She gasped and took an involuntary step back, banging into the bellhop’s cart and almost tripping.
    â€œAre you okay, miss?”
    â€œWhat?” She was still staring at the glass, trying to work up the courage to step closer to see if he was still looking up at her. “Oh. Yes. I’m fine. Just tired. Long plane ride.”
    â€œWell, you’ll have a room and a comfortable bed soon.”
    She nodded vaguely as she gripped the handrail, her fingers tight against the brass bar. Trying for casual, she stepped toward the glass and peered through it to the lounge below. Their eyes met, and her body tingled from a rush of warmth that spread through her, languid and inviting. She held his gaze until, finally, the elevator rose high enough that she could no longer see him.
    She exhaled, her breath shaky. She had no idea if he’d really seen her, or if he’d just been looking in her direction. Even if he had seen the woman in the elevator, would he recognize her after five years? She didn’t know.
    She gnawed her lower lip, knowing one thing for certain—at least on her part, whatever chemistry, whatevermagic, had been between them five years ago, was just as overwhelming today.
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    I T COULDN’T HAVE BEEN HER . Absolutely not. No way.
    He’d been repeating the mantra for more than ten hours, ever since he’d noticed the woman rising in the elevator. The woman with the slim figure and the chin-length blond hair. The woman he imagined was Lisa.
    Not possible. And not worth obsessing about.
    He needed to quit obsessing and to focus on his work. He’d left the hotel right after breakfast to run the gaunt-let between his clubs and restaurants in Orange County, Ventura and Palm Springs. He’d crawled back to Oxygen at midnight and the restaurant was now hopping with late-night energy. Though the dinner crowd had left, the place was by no means empty. A few late diners dotted the tables, along with folks who’d come in for dessert and coffee. In the lounge area, a small crowd had already gathered on the dance floor as the jazz band cranked out favorites from the thirties and forties.
    Ken eased his way from the main dining area to the lounge, trying to focus his thoughts. They focused all right—directly on the woman in the elevator. There’d been something about the way she’d looked at him, something about the way she’d held herself. And he’d been unable to rip his eyes away.
    Frustrated, he took a seat at the bar, then tugged at his tie, loosening the blasted thing.
    â€œSomething on your mind, boss?” Chris put down a napkin, then topped it with a tall glass of sparkling water.
    â€œJust thinking about old times.”
    â€œNot surprised. Coming up on five years. That’s a hell of an accomplishment.”
    True enough, but what Ken was thinking about wasn’t his restaurant; it was his ex-girlfriend. Still, he didn’t intend to clue his