by Deanna Chase
“Apparently not,” he shot back. “Otherwise you’d be in a sexy black dress, ready to paint this town red.”
“Can you believe this?” Shannon asked as Silas ushered her into the house. “He’s here for an hour, and suddenly he’s running my life.”
Brian grinned at Shannon and only shrugged. “It seems to be working in my favor, so I’m not complaining.”
“Of course you aren’t.” She rolled her eyes and pressed one palm on the doorframe, planting her feet to keep herself in place. “Listen, I was in the middle of making dinner for Silas. It should be just about done. Think you can dish some up for both Silas and Levi while I get presentable?”
“Sure.” He glanced at Silas, who was standing just inside the house, and gave the kid an appreciative nod.
“Let’s go, Shan. Time to lose the boring shop-clerk outfit and get you into something date worthy.” Silas winked at Brian and hauled her inside and up the stairs.
Brian turned to Levi. “Ready for some dinner?”
“I wasn’t expecting Shannon to feed me,” he said, eyeing the yard. “But I can’t exactly say no since she cooked us something, now can I?”
“I couldn’t,” Brian confirmed.
“All right. Give me ten minutes to finish up and put my mower away.”
Brian nodded and then strode into Shannon’s house as if he owned the place. He could hear Prince’s song “1999” playing from somewhere upstairs and wondered if that was from Shannon’s or Silas’s playlist. He assumed Shannon’s since the song was older than both of them, but either way, he approved. Prince was one of the great musicians of their time.
Brian followed the rich cheese scent wafting through the house. It didn’t take him long to find the kitchen, where utensils were flying around and chopping up vegetables for a salad, and a pitcher was hovering over a set of three glasses of ice, filling them each with water.
Three glasses.
That was surefire proof that Shannon had fully intended to blow him off, and he felt a wave of disappointment settle over him. He knew he’d messed up that night when he’d let things go too far, and Shannon had ended up in bed, beckoning to him, only for him to reject her. Was whatever was happening now supposed to be her revenge for being rejected?
He shook his head. Shannon was a lot more straightforward than that. No. She’d said her brother had surprised her, and he had no reason to not believe her. He glanced at the dining room table and thought, What the hell?
Twenty minutes later, when Shannon and Silas reappeared from upstairs, the table was set for four. He’d transferred the mac and cheese casserole to the center of the table and portioned the salad into matching bowls. A bottle of ginger beer had been placed in front of each plate along with the glasses of ice water.
“What’s this?” Shannon asked, her eyes lighting up as she took in the spread. “Four? Are we staying in?” She glanced down at her shimmering silver dress that she’d paired with black leggings and chuckled. “I might be a little overdressed.”
Brian stared at her, his mouth watering. The dress fit her in all the right places, showing just enough of her figure to make him want more, but not enough to be scandalous. She’d done something to her hair, making it smoother with big perfect curls that cascaded down her back, and she’d put on makeup that highlighted her perfect lips. All he wanted to do was stride over to her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss the hell out of her.
“Brian?” she asked with a laugh. “Are you okay?”
“Nope. He isn’t,” Silas said. “You’re so hot right now you killed him dead. Poor guy can’t even form words.”
Levi snickered.
Silas winked at him, making the other boy blush furiously.
Brian cleared his throat and walked forward, offering her his hand. “You look stunning, Shannon.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “I told Silas this dress was too much. Maybe I should change if we’re staying in.”
“Not on your life,” Brian said, shaking his head. “Besides. We’re not staying in. We’re eating here and then I’m taking you both for a night out on the town.”
“What?” Silas asked. “Who’s both? You don’t mean me, do you?”
“Sure.” Brian glanced at her brother. “It’s your first night here, right? I understand your sister wanting to spend time with you.” He turned to Levi. “You’re welcome to join us, too, of course.”
Levi glanced down at his T-shirt and jeans and said, “Um, I’m not exactly cleaned up for a night out.”
Silas eyed Levi and then Brian as he asked, “What exactly will we be doing? It’s not like Keating Hollow is a mecca of nightlife.”
“We’ll be heading to the coast.” Brian moved over to the table and pulled a chair out for Shannon. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
Her face lit up like Christmas, and Brian knew he’d just scored major points. Maybe she’d forgive him for their first date after all.
Shannon took her seat and eyed her brother. “Come on, Si. When’s the last time you were out for a low-key evening without photographers everywhere?”
He shot Levi a worried look and then scowled at her. “Thanks for that. I was under the radar for what, like twenty minutes?”
Levi laughed. “Dude. I knew who you were the moment I saw you. It wasn’t much of a stretch since you share a last name with Shannon.”
“You did?” He frowned. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Levi shrugged. “I figured you must get a lot of people acting weird just because you’re an actor. I never really did understand the whole celebrity-worship thing. You’re still a person just like everyone else, right?”
A slow, easy smile slid over Silas’s face as he nodded his appreciation. Then he turned his attention back to Shannon. “All right. I’ll go if Levi does.”
“Levi?” Shannon asked. “Care for a little adventure?”
“Sure, but do I have time to go home and clean up?”
“Brian?” Shannon asked. “Is whatever we’re doing time sensitive?”
“Nope.” He reached for the serving spoon of the mac and cheese and placed a mound of the pasta on her plate. “Not really.”
“Don’t worry about it. You can clean up here,” Silas told him, eyeing the other teenager. “We look about the same size. I’ll loan you something clean to wear.”
“If you’re sure,” Levi said.
“I’m sure.” He waited for Brian to release the serving spoon and then dished up mac and cheese for both himself and Levi.
“Thanks,” Levi said, suddenly sounding shy.
“You’re welcome, cutie.” Silas turned his full attention to the other boy, pulling out all the charm that had made him famous.
Shannon snorted. “Subtle, Si.”
He ignored her and continued to ask Levi about his life in Keating Hollow.
Brian wondered what Shannon would do if he started hitting on her as blatantly as Silas was hitting on Levi. She’d probably send him packing, he decided. He hadn’t missed the fact that she seemed to be fed up with games and BS. If he wanted to win her over, he was going to have to work for it. But that was fine. He was more than up for the challenge.
Chapter Six
Shannon sat in the passenger seat of Brian’s SUV, watching him steer the vehicle along the winding highway that led to the northern California coast. He wore a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She had a hard time tearing her gaze away from his forearms. His tanned skin and well-defined muscles were irresistible.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about over there?” he asked in his slightly roughened voice.
“Huh?” She jerked her gaze from his arms to meet his eyes. Dammit. He was smiling at her knowingly as if he was well aware she’d been staring at him for the last five minutes.
“Care to share what’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked with a teasing smile.
No. Never. He did not need to know she’d been wondering what it would b
e like to trail her fingers over his warm skin. Neither did the two teenagers in the back. Not that they were paying any attention to either Brian or Shannon. Levi was busy asking Silas about his life in Hollywood while Silas was more than happy to bask in the attention. Gods. If she didn’t reign him in, his ego was going to be his downfall. Not that he was striking out with Levi. Quite the opposite actually. The two were getting along great. “Just wondering where you’re taking us.”
He chuckled. “Let’s let that be a surprise.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. As much as she wanted to tell him he was bombing this date and to get his G-string ready for when he was cleaning her pool, she really couldn’t. The man had shown up for their date right on time. She was certain that he’d caught on to the fact that she was the one’d who’d forgotten that he was coming. And even then, he’d just rolled with it, stepping in to finish up dinner and even including her brother in whatever plan he’d concocted. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that Levi wasn’t the only one who was being charmed. Brian was scoring points all over the place. “Okay. But this better be good. I’d hate for you to have to stock up on sunscreen.”
His eyes sparkled as he let out a laugh. “Don’t get too attached to that fantasy. I have no intention of losing this bet. But if I do, don’t worry about me. I’ve got the lotion covered.”
Shannon’s mouth went dry as she imagined running her hands all over him as she helped him protect his skin from the sun.
“Shan?” Silas asked.
“Yeah?” She turned around to look at her brother. “What’s up?”
He glanced over at Brian and then back to her, his eyes slightly narrowed. “Care to share what this bet it?”
“Nope. It’s not important,” she said, pushing a red curl out of her eyes.
“Maybe not important, but it sounds really interesting. Exactly where will Brian be using this sunscreen if he loses whatever bet you two have?” Silas asked.
“Never mind, little brother,” Shannon said.
Brian snickered.
“And you,” she said to her date. “Behave, or I’m going to ask you to take me home before this night even gets started.”
“Oh, no you aren’t. Levi and I did not spend all this time in the car just to head back to Keating Hollow. Did you forget that I just spent two days driving? We’re going to have fun one way or another,” Silas ordered.
Shannon suppressed a sigh. He was right. What she should’ve done was insist they stay in so that Silas could relax. Instead, she’d been excited that Brian had come up with alternate plans, because whether she wanted to admit it or not, she’d been looking forward to this date… even if she had forgotten all about it. Guh. She was the worst. Could she be any more hot-and-cold about this issue?
“Don’t worry. I’ll behave,” Brian said, taking on a look that said he was all innocence.
She rolled her eyes again, but as she looked out the window at the blue water of the Pacific Ocean, she was smiling. The man just did something to her.
It wasn’t long before Brian pulled into a parking lot full of cars. He killed the engine and hopped out, hurrying to open the door for Shannon. The two teenagers in the back were out of the car before she could even get her seatbelt unfastened.
Brian held his hand out to her, and warmth blossomed in her heart as he helped her out of his vehicle. It turned out chivalry wasn’t dead after all.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Silas said with a laugh. “Roller Palace? You brought us to a roller skating rink?”
Shannon turned and eyed the marquee over the front door of the big boxy looking building. When she turned back to Brian, she raised her eyebrows. “Eureka has a roller rink?”
“Yep. Isn’t it great?” He slipped his arm around her waist and started to guide her toward the entrance.
“Um, I’m not sure.” She giggled as she caught the look on Silas’s face. He wore an expression somewhere between surprise and horror. “Relax, little bro. This is going to be fun.”
“Please tell me they have a skateboarding park out back,” he said, shoving his hands into his front pockets.
“I doubt it,” Brian said. “Besides, that would ruin the fun.”
“How?” Silas asked.
“Because half the fun is the ridiculousness of the whole thing,” Levi said, his eyes glinting with amusement. It was obvious he couldn’t wait to see the famous television star rolling around a rink.
Silas turned his attention to Levi. Shannon wondered briefly if the Hollywood diva was going to rear his ugly head. It happened sometimes, and while it annoyed the crap out of her, she usually just called him out and then let it go. She understood that because their parents put him on a pedestal in order to get what they wanted out of him, he sometimes struggled to remain humble. But she needn’t have worried. Silas gave Levi a genuine smile and said, “Yeah? You’re down for some old-school skating?”
“I am if you are,” he said.
Shannon shook her head as she watched them stride toward the entrance then she glanced up at Brian. “This wasn’t the original plan, was it?”
He shook his head. “Nope. But it’s inspired, don’t you think?”
Chuckling, she leaned into him, nudging him playfully with her shoulder. “I think it was risky. Looks like it’s paying off though. How did you even know this place was here?”
“I overheard Candy talking about wanting to give it a try a few weeks back. I honestly didn’t even think these places existed anymore. Last time I saw the inside of a roller rink, I think Hanson was still all the rage.”
Shannon snorted, loving the image of him nodding his head along to “MMMBop.” “Hanson? Really?”
Brian slipped his hand around hers and grinned. “Let’s go find out what songs they play for the couples-only slow skate. What do you say?”
“I can hardly wait.”
“Good.” His dark eyes raked over her. “Just in case you were wondering, your skate card is full.”
Tingles skittered over her skin. Gods, she loved it when he said things like that. She knew she should try to shake off the feeling. Falling for him wasn’t an option, but dammit, he pushed all her buttons. Why couldn’t she want someone less… dangerous to her heart?
Brian held the door open for her, and as they walked in, he pressed his hand to her lower back, keeping the connection that she knew she’d crave for days to come.
Levi and Silas had already paid for their admission, and once she and Brian were admitted into the facility, Shannon spotted her brother and Levi sitting on a bench, stuffing their feet into their rented skates.
“This should be interesting,” Shannon said, feeling lighter than she had in weeks.
“Interesting? I’m shooting for fun.” He sat down beside her and kicked off his shoes, showing her a more youthful side of him than she’d ever seen before.
“You’re on.”
The four of them spent the next two hours skating to the latest pop hits. When the couples skate came on, Brian led Shannon around the rink while Silas and Levi exited the floor to get some drinks. Shannon briefly wondered why Silas hadn’t asked Levi to skate with him. The two seemed like they obviously liked each other, but perhaps her brother was just being his normal flirty self and didn’t want to cause any expectations. Either way, she was glad they both appeared to be having fun.
As Shannon held hands with Brian and rolled around the rink, she smiled over at him. “Thank you for this.”
“No need to thank me. I’m having a great time. Who knew listening to Taylor Swift while on a double date with your brother would be so fun?”
Shannon laughed. “I wouldn’t call it a double date exactly. They just met.”
Brian glanced over to where the two were sitting side by side at a table with their heads bent together as they talked. “If you say so, Shannon. But if that were my brother, I’d be having the talk with him later.”
“The talk?” Her chest rumbled as she held
back her laugh. “He’s seventeen. Do you really think he hasn’t had the talk before?”
“No idea.” His expression turned sheepish. “But when I was seventeen, I could’ve used a weekly reminder.”
She squeezed his hand, completely amused. “I bet. And your point is noted. I’ll find out if the parentals did their birds-and-bees duty. And if not, I’ll make sure he’s covered.”
Brian squinted as he studied the two boys. “Or a birds-and-birds conversation.”
She was torn between rolling her eyes and chuckling again. Instead, she shook her head, playfully admonishing him. “You did not just say that.”
He smirked and turned around so that he was roller skating backward. But as he reached out to place his hands on her hips, one of his skates slipped out from underneath him and Brian went down in a tangle of limbs, taking Shannon with him.
“Oomph!” Shannon cried as she cracked her elbow on the hard surface. “Oh, ouch. Son of a… Damn, that hurts.” She cradled her arm against her chest and felt the sting of tears burn her eyes.
“Oh, hell. Shannon, are you okay?” Brian scrambled onto his knees, reached for her upper arms, and carefully tugged her up with him. “Do we need to get you to a healer?”
“I, um… I’m not sure.” Pain radiated from Shannon’s elbow straight up to her shoulder, but she had no idea what kind of damage had been done. She wasn’t ready to test it yet.
“Shannon?” Levi suddenly appeared over both of them, worry in his dark gaze. “That was a heck of a fall. Can you move your arm?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m not sure I’m ready to try.”
He nodded and held out a hand to Brian to help him up. Once her date was upright, he skated around behind her and then gently lifted her back onto her skates, careful to keep from getting anywhere near her elbow. “Let’s get you off the rink.”
Shannon nodded, feeling a little silly that Brian and Levi were hovering. She’d only smacked her elbow. It couldn’t be anything serious, could it?
Once they were off the rink and seated at one of the many break tables, Brian went to work on getting her skates off while Levi stood next to her, gently rubbing his palms together. “Do you mind if I take a look at your arm?”