Rowan

by MarieRochelle

  “Did you hear my question?” Lucas asked again as he came up behind her.

  Danya turned and barely stopped in time from running into Lucas’ towering frame. “Sorry,” she apologized, taking a step back from his body heat. “I didn’t realize you were so close to me. Yes, I heard your question. Dexter is her next appointment. I believe she went looking for him and she should be back at any time. You are more than welcome to wait for her.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “What do you mean that I’m wrong?”

  “Dexter isn’t Akayie’s next appointment.”

  “What? Who is her next then, if it isn’t Dexter?”

  “Me,” Lucas said, smiling down at her. “I was leaving the house when Dexter came up and told me he had a family emergency and wouldn’t be to do the session today. Since I was already here and my day was empty, I decided to take his place and get it over with.”

  “What?” Danya said, clearly taken back. “I thought you and your brothers weren’t free until next week. Does Akayie know about this change?”

  She couldn’t stay and watch Akayie take photos of Lucas. She wouldn’t be able to stand there and just not stare at his gorgeous body. Something about Lucas was drawing her towards him. She felt it the very first time she saw him on Skype talking with Akayie, and it had only gotten worse with him standing in front of her. However, Danya wasn’t going to act on the instant attraction. She felt it pulling her in Lucas’ direction like she usually did when she spotted a hot guy.

  No, this time she wasn’t going to let her instincts rule her head. Akayie was already mad at her for dating so many of their past clients.

  As hard as it was going to be for her, she would have to keep her distance from the very appealing Lucas Braden. Without a doubt, he would lead her down a road she shouldn’t travel.

  “One of my cases got moved until next week and when Dexter told me about canceling his spot for today, I texted Akayie and asked her did she want to go ahead and get one Braden brother down. She instantly agreed and here I am. Are you ready for me?” he asked in a low, sexy drawl. “I’m ready for you.”

  Her heart sped up at the way Lucas’ eyes lit up then wrinkled at the sides. Everything about him screamed bad boy. Of course, it would be her favorite kind of guy to date; however, she wasn’t going to take what Lucas was offering her.

  “Well, everything is set up for your pictures. So I guess Akayie will be ready for you when she gets here,” Danya said, walking around Lucas’ body, trying not to notice how good he smelled.

  It was a mixture of fresh air, woods, and All-American Male. The combination was a sexy temptation that was very hard to fight off, especially for someone like her who wasn’t used to it.

  “I know that Akayie is going to be here soon, but I want to know if you will be assisting her. I thought maybe after we were finished we could grab something to eat, like a late lunch,” Lucas said, stopping next to her at the table. “I know this great place. I…”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t go out on a date with you,” Danya interrupted, facing Lucas. She instantly got drawn into his steady gaze.

  “Can I ask why not?”

  “I don’t date our clients.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “It’s not every day a beautiful woman turns me down, but I understand you not wanting to date a client, especially with my career. I can’t say that I’m not disappointed because I am.”

  For a quick second, Danya thought about changing her mind but she stuck with her first decision. She’d something to prove to herself more than going out on a date with the hot guy standing in front of her. She needed to see if she could go without a man around her for longer than two weeks. She wasn’t counting her less than perfect dinner with Travis; besides, something about Lucas made her nervous.

  Not that he would hurt her, but if she got too close to him he could change her life. Danya decided this might be the perfect moment for her to take a break from her usual dating routine.

  “I’m sure that there are plenty of women around town that would drop everything to go out with an attractive man like yourself,” Danya replied.

  “I can’t disagree with you,” he agreed in a low voice. “However, I like to be the one who does the chasing. Call me old school, but I still think a man should be a man and make the first move.”

  There is no doubt Lucas Braden is all male, Danya thought, eyeing how his muscles strained against his plaid shirt and how his blue jeans molded his hard, muscular thighs.

  Why did she decide to do this now? Was she crazy? Maybe she should take a break from dating after going out with Lucas.

  Yes, go out with him. He’s beyond gorgeous, her mind pushed.

  No. Danya quickly got herself back under control. She had flown out here to help Akayie get her business back up to the level it used to be. She came all this way to do a job and picking up a man wasn’t on her schedule.

  “What about you, Ms. Holt? Lucas asked, taking a step closer, making her heart speed up.

  “What about me?” she questioned, moving back from Lucas’ warm body. “You’ve lost me.”

  “Do you like for a man to make the first move? Take charge. Show you that he’s interested in you?” The lure of Lucas’ voice made everything else around her fade away.

  Stay focused…Stay focused… Don’t let him get to me.

  “Hmmmm. I─”

  “Lucas, I’m so sorry that I’m running late,” Akayie’s voice cut in, making Danya swing her head around and look over her shoulder.

  God, she didn’t even hear the door open. Akayie came just in time because Lucas’ words were beginning to get to her, but she’d kept her wits about her. Stopping next to her, Akayie glanced back and forth between her and Lucas with a perplexed expression on her face. She could only imagine what her boss was thinking.

  “Am I interrupting something? Is there anything going on I should know about?” her boss questioned, looking directly at her.

  “Ummm…we were─”

  “Akayie, it’s my fault,” Lucas said, jumping in and surprising her. “I was trying to make Ms. Holt give me some hints about my photo session today, but she wouldn’t do it. I apologize for causing any problems. I just like to know what I’m up against. I guess it’s the lawyer in me.”

  Danya was stunned by Lucas’ confession. She wasn’t expecting him to speak up and take the focus off her. It moved him up a few points in her book. She shouldn’t have judged him so harshly.

  “Danya, I’m sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions. I just walked in and saw you standing so close to him and got the wrong idea. It’s been a long day and I shouldn’t have thought the worst.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Danya said. She could understand why Akayie would have misunderstood the situation. She’d done a lot in the past to make her best friend still doubt her word…like going out on the date with Travis. She was told not to date any of the models, so why wouldn’t Akayie think she hadn’t broken the rules again and went after one of their bosses?

  “I believe I’ve gotten everything set up for your appointment with Mr. Braden.” She could feel Lucas watching her from the corner of her eyes. But, she kept her eyes on Akayie since any time she looked at him she got this warm feeling that spread throughout her entire body. Usually she was very confident with her ability to deal with men. She knew how to flirt with the best of them; however, Lucas Braden was out of her league. She wasn’t up to going around with him, so she better get out of the way.

  “Do you need me to stay with you?”

  Akayie glanced at her then slowly back at Lucas, like she was trying to find out if there was more going on than Lucas let on. Seconds seemed to tick by, becoming minutes, and Danya was getting more and more nervous under the scrutiny of Akayie, along with the smug look Lucas was tossing in her direction. She had to get away from Lucas or she might not be responsible for her actions.

  “No, I don’t need you to assist me with Mr. Brad
en. You’ve already set everything up in the room for the first half of the photographs and I’ve already scheduled the second part to be done at his office,” Akayie answered. ‘If you want you can go back to the hotel and sort through the pictures of the other guys I’ve emailed to your laptop. I need the top five best shots and then we can shorten it down from there.”

  “Thank you, Akayie,” Danya said, turning away to get her things off the table. She couldn’t wait until she was out of here, but her excitement faded fast when she heard Lucas’ voice before she had taken two steps.

  “Are you sure Ms. Holt has to leave?”

  Turning her head, she glanced at him, surprised by his comment. What was he doing? Was he trying to get her fired? She opened her mouth to answer, but Akayie cut her off.

  “Mr. Braden, Danya would help me better back at the hotel. I apologize if she gave you the impression she would be here for your pictures.”

  “Well, I’m disappointed to hear that she won’t be assisting you. I felt very comfortable with her and I also enjoyed our conversation.”

  Danya knew she had to stop this conversation before it went any further. She should’ve been gone by now. “Mr. Braden, thank you for your compliment. I really appreciate it, but I better get out of here so my boss can get started,” she said, turning and walking towards the door. She glanced over her shoulder back at Akayie. “I will have everything done and organized and ready for you to look at when you get back to the hotel.”

  “I don’t have any doubt that you won’t,” Akayie said, smiling at her. “Have a safe drive back.”

  She hurried on out the door and closed it behind her. As she continued down the hallway of the Braden’s massive home, she wondered what would be going on right now between her and Lucas if she had stayed. He was absolutely too handsome for his own good, as well as her peace of mind. She had to stay away from Lucas or he would make her go back to her old bad girl ways.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Do you have a problem showing your chest?” Akayie asked, watching as Lucas’ eyes followed Danya until she closed the door behind her.

  “What?” he questioned, glancing back in her direction. “What did you ask me?”

  “I asked you, do you mind taking a few shirtless shots? I think your pictures will come out better against the background I picked out if you were shirtless.”

  Moving away from the table, Lucas stopped in front of her, crossing his arms over his wide chest. His body could fill out a plaid shirt quite nicely, but he didn’t get her blood pumping like his brother Rowan. Something about the more reserved Braden just did something to her body.

  “Have you asked Rowan to take off his clothes for you yet?”

  Akayie held Lucas’ gaze and saw the simmering laughter in his eyes. She was surprised by his sense of humor, especially since he was a lawyer. Weren’t lawyers supposed to be standoffish and cold? Lucas was totally different from her views of the stiff shirts she was used to dealing with.

  “No, I haven’t asked your brother to take anything off,” she answered, shocked. “We can barely be in the same room with each other. Why would I ask him to remove his clothing?”

  “Isn’t Rowan going to be a part of the calendar? So aren’t you going to do the same thing with my brother when you get him alone?”

  “No,” Akayie answered a little too quickly. Lucas being shirtless wouldn’t bother her at all, but just the thought of Rowan’s hard, muscular chest mere inches from her camera lens wasn’t going to happen. Her attraction to the aloof rancher still simmered too close to the surface.

  “If Rowan isn’t going to be shirtless, am I the only brother who will be?”

  Smiling, she patted Lucas on the arm. “I can’t tell you about your brother’s photos. I want all of you to be surprised when you see the first draft of the calendar.”

  Lucas stared down at her for a few seconds, then a grin pulled at the corner of his full lips. “You’re a very smart woman. I’m beginning to see why Morgan is so fond of you.”

  “I’m not following you.”

  “You’re a professional photographer, so you have an eye for a nice-looking body. Don’t let any of my other brothers go shirtless since they won’t be able to live up to me.”

  Usually a cocky man turned her off, but with Lucas it made her laugh. He had an amazing sense of humor and an air of confidence about him that would draw a woman to him. Maybe that was the real reason Danya ran out of here so quickly. Lucas Braden was a more experienced flirt than she was.

  “I’m not going to even touch that comment,” she said. “I’ll let you believe what you want.” Akayie reached for her camera that Danya left on the table for her. “How about we just take some test pictures first to get you comfortable in front of the camera, and then you can take your ─”

  The words lodged in her throat when Lucas suddenly stripped out of the plaid shirt he was wearing and tossed it to the side. Muscles bulged in his arms as she stared at a perfect six-pack. She was so amazed by the sight of him that she almost forgot that she was staring at Rowan’s brother.

  “Wow, you’re in amazing shape to work behind a desk for so many hours in the day.” Raising the camera, Akayie took a few up-close shots of his face, drawing attention to his wonderful, captivating eyes.

  “Do you think I would be out of shape because I don’t work on the ranch twenty-four hours a day like Rowan?” he questioned.

  Lowering the camera away from her face, Akayie noticed the slight frown on Lucas’ handsome face. All the signs of the flirtatious man from a few moments ago were gone, replaced by a man who was stone cold serious. She wouldn’t want to get questioned by this Lucas in a courtroom full of people.

  “I apologize for judging you. I shouldn’t have assumed you wouldn’t be in good physical condition because you don’t spend most of your time working at the ranch like Rowan.”

  Lucas studied her for a few more seconds before some of the tension left his face, making some of the lines around his mouth slowly fade away. Akayie made a mental not to remember not to bring out this side of Lucas again for the rest of her trip.

  “I don’t like when anyone make assumptions about me when they don’t know anything about me. Judging someone without all of the facts can lead to more problems than anyone can assume.”

  She noticed a hint of undying anger in Lucas’ deep, rich voice and knew it had nothing to do with her early comment. Reaching out, she laid her hand on his arm. “Mr. Braden, are you okay? Do you want to reschedule the shoot for another time?”

  Blinking, Lucas glanced down at her but before one word came out of his mouth, a voice yelled out from behind them.

  “What in the hell are you two doing? It sure doesn’t look like any pictures are being taken in here.”

  Dropping her hand off Lucas’ body as she had been burnt, Akayie spun away and found Rowan’s eyes narrowing at them as he sauntered towards her with that powerful walk she was becoming familiar with. Why did he always seem to catch her in the middle of doing something that seemed inappropriate with one of his brothers? God, what was it about him that made her feel like was a step from begging him to kiss her?

  Breaking eye contact, she glanced down at his crisp white shirt, noticing a few buttons were unbuttoned, showing off some dark hair. She was trying not to moan at how good he looked. Why was Rowan concerned about her touching Lucas? She wondered how the reserved and non-rule-breaking Rowan would handle if she just walked up to him and kissed him.

  The thought quickly brought a smile to her face, but it slipped when Rowan frowned at her. Damn it. Why couldn’t he just crack one honest smile in her direction? Lord, she had to find a way to loosen him up. After their last conversation, he had extended a makeshift olive branch and she was going to grab it with both hands. Before she left, Rowan Braden was going to learn how to not be a stuffed shirt about everything going on around him. Life was too short for rules and regulations all the time.

  “Mr. Braden, what does i
t look like I’m doing?” she asked, removing the camera from around her neck. “I was taking pictures of your brother.”

  Rowan stopped directly in front of her, towering over her smaller frame. “When I walked through the door you weren’t snapping any pictures. It looked like you were seconds away from kissing him,” he accused.

  “Did it make you jealous?” she asked.

  Lucas laughed.

  Rowan’s glare became even harder. “How dare you ask me something—”

  “God, Rowan calm down,” Lucas said, snatching his shirt off the table and putting it back on. “You are always so on edge about every little thing. Ms. Mathis was only joking with you. We both know that you aren’t interested in kissing her, no matter how beautiful she is. Also, what you walked in on was her asking my advice about how I wanted my other photos done. We were about to finish up this session until you barged in with your usual wrong conclusions. Haven’t you learned by now not to think you know everything from one glance? You could have asked what was going on instead of making your own assumptions.”

  Akayie watched how Rowan looked back and forth between her and Lucas. He was still angry. She could tell from the way he was standing there. Tension was still coursing through his tall, muscular frame.

  “First, I’m calm, so I don’t need to calm down. Secondly, did you have to discuss anything with her with your shirt off?”

  Lucas shook his head as he finished buttoning his shirt. “I can’t deal with you right now. I need to get back to the office.” Lucas turned and faced her. “Sorry about this, but I need to find another day to come back. Maybe we can get the rest done then.”

  “Not a problem,” Akayie answered. “I should be getting back to the hotel to see how Danya is coming along on the pictures. I’ve some good shots of you in here, so I will see if I need to come to your office. I will let you know.”

  “Thanks, that works out great,” Lucas replied, touching her on the arm and then moving away. He walked past Rowan without saying a word.