Blown Away (Next Generation 8)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “You know I’m not letting you off the hook without telling me the whole story.”

  Sighing, Ava decided to accept her fate with grace. “Fine. We kind of went out once, right before I moved to Germany.”

  “He didn’t have anything to do with you leaving, did he?”

  “No.” That wasn’t entirely true. She’d been accepted to several schools in Europe, but she hadn’t intended to attend any of them until she slept with Brent. She didn’t relish the idea of living in the same city as him, especially when she found out the lengths he’d gone to just to find her. A private investigator. Thinking about how intent he’d been on locating her still gave her chills.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Things got a little complicated.”

  “How so?”

  Ava wasn’t an inexperienced teenager anymore. She shouldn’t feel so awkward talking to Lena about her sex life. “We slept together.” At Lena’s stunned expression, Ava offered, “He was my first.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s intense.”

  “Yeah, it was. He was intense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Afterward, he called me repeatedly, emailed me, and tried to get mutual friends to reach out to me for him.” Ava wasn’t sure if she should reveal the last part. “When that didn’t work, he hired a private investigator to track me down.”

  “He didn’t!”

  Ava nodded. “He did.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Tara and I got scared when we saw this guy following us, so we pointed out the guy to a cop. He started questioning him and found out Brent had hired the guy to find out where I was.”

  “But you never heard from Brent again after that?”

  “We hopped on the next plane. No way was I going to stick around with that guy watching our every move.”

  “I can’t believe this,” Lena said quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know. By the time I came home, it didn’t seem important anymore. I knew he’d forgotten all about me. He hadn’t tried to contact me since the police apprehended his friend.”

  Lena looked at Ava out of the corner of her eye. “From everything I’ve heard, he’s ruthless if you try to cross him, but I’ve never heard anything about him being unbalanced.”

  “No, I’m not afraid of him or anything. I’d just rather not cross paths with him if I can help it.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve been able to avoid it. You and he are both on the A-list for parties and fundraisers in the city.”

  “Let’s just say I’ve been selective about which parties I attend. If he’s rumored to be on the guest list, I send my regrets.”

  “So I take it he won’t be at tonight’s bash for the children’s hospital?”

  “No, a friend is planning it and she emailed me the guest list. He’s definitely not going to be there.”

  Chapter Two

  Brent walked into the ballroom that evening in a foul mood. Ava hadn’t responded to his email, and he wanted to know why. Why was she still trying to avoid him?

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Leslie said, tugging on his arm. She looked stunning in a couture gown. She was a socialite whose mission in life was to land a rich husband. She’d set her sights on Brent and decided he was the one, despite the fact he told her repeatedly he wasn’t interested in a serious relationship.

  “I just have a lot on my mind.” He didn’t have a lot on his mind. He had one thing on his mind: Ava Cooper. Everything else, including the hostile takeover he’d been plotting for years, had been relegated to the back of his mind. He finally had the opportunity to get the answers she’d denied him ten years ago. Brent hated losing, and he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d lost Ava before she’d given him the chance to prove they have something special.

  Leslie accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Nice party, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose.” Brent attended a hundred of those events every year, and each one was no better or worse than the next. If he had his way, he would have written a check and called it a night. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pass up the face time with Nashville’s elite, and his conscience told him he couldn’t stand Leslie up, no matter how much he wanted to.

  “Don’t be so grumpy,” she said, pressing her fake breasts into his forearm. “We’re going to have fun. I promise.”

  He wasn’t interested. Short of spelling it out, he didn’t know how to convince her they would never consummate their pseudo-relationship. He’d figure out how to let her down gently on the way home, so she could move on to her next conquest.

  “I don’t believe it,” he whispered, his eyes fixed on the entrance.

  “That’s Ava Cooper,” Leslie said. “Do you know her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm.” Leslie pursed her Botox-injected lips. “She dated my ex-boyfriend. Rumor was he was crazy about her. I don’t know why she’s holding out. She couldn’t have done any better. Parker’s a real catch.”

  Brent knew Parker well. He couldn’t earn the right to woman like Ava on his best day. “How long ago were they together?”

  “I don’t know.” Leslie looked bored. If she wasn’t the subject of conversation, she wasn’t interested. “Sometime last year. After I dumped him.”

  “If he was such a great catch, why’d you dump him?”

  Brent watched Ava work the crowd like a born socialite. She was obviously comfortable fraternizing with the blue bloods who’d made him feel like an outcast until he made his first hundred million. After that, they were only too happy to call him a friend. He resented the lot of them, but the right connections were the lifeblood of his business, so he drank scotch and smoked cigars with them, smiled when they told a joke, and paid his dues at the country club.

  “Parker was too self-centered,” Leslie said, her eyes narrowing as Brent tracked Ava’s movements.

  If Leslie wasn’t careful, her glass house would shatter around her. He’d never met a more self-centered woman. “Nobody’s perfect,” he muttered.

  “Ava doesn’t go for guys like you,” Leslie blurted.

  “Excuse me?” Brent asked, tearing his attention from Ava long enough to glance at his date.

  “She likes nice guys, like Parker.”

  Parker Klein was his rich father’s doormat. Brent had no respect for him or his old man. Brent couldn’t keep himself from looking back at Ava. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. She wore a stunning black and white evening gown and her long blond hair was upswept in an elegant twist. Her makeup highlighted the cobalt eyes that still made his heart falter, even from across the room.

  The Ava he’d known was a young and innocent college girl just finding her place in the world, testing her boundaries, and developing her self-esteem. But the woman before him was confident and sexier than any mirage of the girl she used to be. She held her own with business moguls and social climbers with practised ease, but she did it without looking fake or pretentious. She was genuine, and that was a rare quality in those circles. He watched her talk and laugh with dozens of people, treating each one as though they were the most important person in the room. He wanted her attention fixed on him.

  “That guy she’s with,” Brent said, raising his crystal highball to his lips. “You know him?”

  “No, and I don’t care to.” Leslie didn’t like sharing Brent’s time or attention. She’d made that abundantly clear whenever someone approached to talk business. “Can we sit down now? My feet are killing me.”

  “I’m not surprised.” Her shoes were at least five inches high. Between the tight dress and the shoes, she walked like a penguin. Unlike Ava, who pulled off her glamour effortlessly. “If you’ll excuse me, my brother just walked in. I need to have a word with him. Why don’t you find our table? I’ll be right there.”

  She wasn’t happy, but she toddled off with a pout on her face. Brent could care less about making small talk with his brother. Ava was his target.
He walked up to her group and caught her off guard when he settled a hand on the small of her bare back.

  She sucked in an audible breath when she saw him. “Brent.”

  “Hello, Ava.” He nodded to the other members of the group.

  “Brent, good to see you,” the vice president of his bank said, offering his hand. “Nice to see you out supporting this cause tonight.”

  Ava shot him a quick glance before looking away. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

  He suddenly realized she’d been purposefully avoiding him all these years. But why? “I’m Leslie’s plus one tonight,” he said, smiling. “I sent my regrets when they sent my invitation because I was supposed to be out of town. Turns out my plans fell through and I was able to make it after all.”

  “Lucky us,” Ava said, low enough so only Brent could hear.

  Brent bit his lower lip, trying to suppress his smile. He was glad the refinement hadn’t stripped her of the feistiness he’d loved so much. “If you’ll excuse us, Ava and I haven’t seen each other since college. I’d like to steal her away for a few minutes so we can catch up before the evening gets underway.” He didn’t give her a chance to object. He tightened his grip on her waist and turned her away from the group.

  “Where are we going?” she asked through clenched teeth when he steered her outside.

  “I need a breath of fresh air,” he said, inclining his head toward a group of men.

  “Are you asking me if I’d like to go with you or telling me?” she asked, smiling sweetly at a little old lady who sat on the board of the charity they were honoring.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think you have a hell of a lot of nerve cornering me. I didn’t respond to your email because I’m not interested in talking to you. Can’t you take a hint?”

  Brent wasn’t used to fighting for a woman’s attention. He was surprised it turned him on in a big way. “Would I be where I am if I took no for an answer, sweetheart?”

  “Am I supposed to be impressed because you’re a big shot now?” She smiled at the valet tipping his hat. “Because I’m not.”

  He led her to a secluded bench amidst a floral profusion and waterfall where he’d attended a wedding or two over the years. “I’m not asking you to be impressed, but I think I deserve some answers.”

  “I’m here with a date tonight.” She scowled when he pointed to the bench. “Did it ever occur to you how he might feel seeing his date take off to spend time with you?”

  “Why should it?” He folded his arms, pinning her with the stare that made powerful business men squirm in their seats. It didn’t work with her. She simply lifted her chin and gave it right back. Damn her. She was throwing him off his game. “If he knows you at all, he’d know that taking off on unsuspecting men is your specialty.”

  “It was a meaningless one-night stand. I didn’t owe you anything!”

  He grabbed her upper arms and hauled her body against his. Her mask of indifference slipped, and he saw something familiar flare to life in her eyes: arousal. “It meant something to me.” He fixated on her lips, intent on making her guess what he might do next. “You meant something to me.”

  She seemed to be having trouble drawing breath when she said, “I never promised you anything.”

  “Yes, you did.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. His lower lip grazed her earlobe, and she sucked in a breath. “Don’t you remember? When you were coming apart in my arms, begging me to make you come over and over again?” His plan to remind her was backfiring and making him recall every detail of a night he couldn’t forget.

  She pressed her hands into his chest. “Brent, I don’t want to talk about this. That was a long time ago. I was just a kid.”

  “But you’re all grown up now, aren’t you?” He skimmed her bare back with his fingertips. He wasn’t worried about her running, not when he was holding her prisoner with her own desires. She wanted to be there. Her head may be telling her to run, but her body was pleading with her to stay. “You’re a gorgeous, sexy, classy woman.” His lips grazed her cheek. “And I want you. Tonight. So tell me, what’s it gonna take for me to get you back in my bed?”

  She reared back and raised her hand. He caught her wrist just before her palm connected with his cheek. “That is never going to happen, you arrogant son of a bitch!” She practically vibrated with outrage when she said, “Read my lips. Never.”

  ***

  Ava was still furious, but she had to smile and make polite small talk while trying to ignore the daggers piercing her back. Brent had barely taken his eyes off her all evening, and her date had clearly noticed.

  “Jesus,” Bryan said, grinning, “who is that guy?”

  “Just someone I used to know in college.” She reached for her third glass of wine. It was a good thing she’d accepted Bryan’s offer to drive. If ever she’d needed an extra drink to take the edge off, that was the night.

  “It looks like you knew him pretty well.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You guys ever get busy, or what?”

  Ava couldn’t suppress the laughter, though she tried. Only her best friend’s older brother could get away with asking her a question like that. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “Aww, come on,” he whined. “You make me wear this damned monkey suit and you won’t even throw me a bone?”

  Ava’s eyes were drawn back to Brent. On other men a tuxedo may look like a monkey suit, but Brent Armstrong wore his as though he was born to it. He was a self-made man, so he must have some redeeming qualities. He was obviously driven, intelligent, tenacious… She only hoped he wouldn’t apply those skills to pursuing her. She didn’t need a man trying to dominate her. She wanted a partner who would love and respect her as his equal. The way he’d treated his date all night, as though she was a piece of arm candy, proved that he treated women as second-class citizens. No way would he ever get the opportunity to treat her that way.

  “Let’s dance,” Ava said, hoping the change of topic would throw Bryan off. She didn’t want to think or talk about her former lover anymore.

  “Sure, I’m game.” Bryan tossed his napkin on his plate. That’s what Ava loved about Bryan: He was easy-going and fun to be with. Too bad they had no chemistry. Being with him was like being with Evan or Ryan Spencer. She’d grown up with them and adored them, but she’d always been put off when her girlfriends gushed about how hot they were.

  Ava slipped into Bryan’s arms. They’d danced together dozens of times. “So tell me what’s been happening with you,” she said.

  “Everything’s good. Busy with work, trying to avoid my mama.” He grinned. “You know how it is.”

  Ava laughed. Bryan was a firefighter who could have easily made the cover of one of their charity calendars. His mother couldn’t understand why he hadn’t found a nice girl to settle down with. Tara and Ava knew Bryan was a devoted player who claimed he’d never settle down.

  “Mind if I cut in?”

  Ava’s grip on Bryan’s hand tightened, and she hoped he would take the hint that she didn’t want to dance with Brent. The twinkle in his eye told her he got the message, but he was punishing her for not telling him the whole story about her history with Brent.

  “Sure,” Bryan said, grinning at Brent, “have at it, buddy.”

  Brent raised an eyebrow. Obviously he’d been expecting Bryan to object. “Thanks.”

  “Traitor,” Ava muttered before she stepped from Bryan’s arms into Brent’s. Bryan laughed and winked at her before walking away.

  “What’s his deal?’ Brent asked, watching Ava’s date return to their table.

  Ava fought the urges assailing her. No matter how much she tried to rein it in, she’d never been so physically attracted to a man. Her whole body went on high alert whenever Brent was within a few feet, but having him hold her like that, reminding her of the intimacy they’d shared, made her want to invite him back to her place so they could pick up where they’d left off.

  “Anyt
hing wrong?” His gaze turned from curious to heated in the span of a heartbeat. His hand drifted to her lower back, and he applied just enough gentle pressure to let her know the feeling was entirely mutual. “I was asking you about your friend.”

  “He’s… uh--” her brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders “--Tara’s brother.”

  “So you’re just friends?”

  “Yes.”

  He lowered his head a fraction of an inch. “Good.”

  His breath smelled like expensive scotch. Mixed with the faint scent of his spicy cologne that conjured up memories, it was a heady aphrodisiac. Everything about him screamed power… danger… and God help her… sex.

  “Are you still mad at me for coming on so strong outside?”

  “Yes.” Would wrapping her legs around his waist and begging him to carry her outside seem forward?

  “How can I make it up to you?” He flicked his tongue across his lower lip before sinking his straight, white teeth into the soft flesh.

  Ava practically whimpered. That was the reason she hadn’t returned his emails or allowed him to close in on her in Europe. Because the need building inside of her terrified her. He wanted to own her, and a tiny part of her wanted to let him. “You can’t.”

  “Ava…” He ran his fingertips up and down her back, barely touching her skin. “Anything you want, anything you need, I can give it to you.”

  “No.” She knew it was true. He had more money and power than any other man in the state, and the power he had over her rendered her senseless. She could see how he’d broken down walls and crushed obstacles to make it to the top. He’d nearly broken her down in a few hours.

  Before he could respond, Bryan approached them again. “You’re not gonna believe this,” he said, a look of regret on his handsome face. “I just got a call from the station. One of the guys called in sick. I have to go in to work.”