by Linda Kage
Christ, he’d been working at Farris too long because this crowd acted way too young for him.
There were guys out there slipping their hands up girls’ shirts, and the women were rubbing their bodies all over...well, everything. All the females were practically in their underwear too, not that Braxton minded that aspect. But, damn, weren’t they cold?
It was January. Hello.
His gaze fell on one stunning body. Caught, he stared, spellbound. There. As least she’d dressed for the weather and still looked amazing.
She’d covered just enough to tease. In black pants, wide around the ankles but snug and low over ripe hips, she revealed an occasional peek of flat stomach.
Her long-sleeved turtleneck was tight enough to show the goods, yet loose enough to make him curious for more. The blouse had this iridescent gleam to it, which was how it caught his attention in the first place.
She wore her white blond hair down. It curled at the ends, brushing against the tops of her shoulders. Hoping she didn’t have a butterface, Braxton lifted his attention to her eyes and was surprised to discover she was scoping him out in return. And, oh God, he knew her.
Braxton straightened from his bored and slouched sprawl and nearly spilled his beer in his lap. Fumbling, he caught the bottle and set it on the table, only to search for Lenna Davenport again. She smiled and waved when she noticed she’d caught his attention. His body automatically lifted his hand and forced him to wave back.
His throat went dry, and his pulse leapt when he realized she was making her way toward him.
He quickly took a drink and hopped out of his chair. His heart thudded painfully against his chest with every step she grew closer.
Going to her now would only lead to more forbidden thoughts. But she was already approaching and, well, he couldn’t stay away.
“Hi,” he shouted so she could hear him above the roar.
He absorbed her full smile and breathed in the enticing smell wafting off her, the same vanilla fragrance she’d worn to the Christmas party.
“Hi,” she yelled back. “What’re you doing here?”
Braxton rolled his eyes and pointed toward Erica as she flung her hands in the air while wiggling her booty. “Blind date.”
Lenna winced when she heard his answer.
She leaned closer and Braxton about drowned on his own drool. “Doesn’t look like you’re having such a great time.”
He knew she’d only moved in so she wouldn’t have to talk so loud, but Braxton took advantage of her proximity, filling his nostrils with her scent. He inhaled as much as possible, as if he could save it somehow and take the extra stored aroma home with him.
“I’ll pay you a hundred bucks to break me out of here,” he called into her ear.
Lenna laughed that sweet laugh of hers. “Oh, no you don’t.” She patted his arm. “We all must make our sacrifices to the blind date god. I’m not getting you out of this one, bud.”
The music changed to something soft and slow. Braxton could see his and Greg’s dates starting back toward their table. He groaned deep in his throat, knowing he should return to Hell. But just as Erica pulled out her chair to sit, some other guy approached, touching her elbow and causing her to turn back. She obviously—hopefully—knew him because she greeted him with an ear-to-ear smile and a full-body hug. Then she hooked her arm through his and dragged him onto the dance floor.
Too relieved to think through his next action, Braxton whirled to Lenna. “So, save me for five minutes,” he urged. “Dance with me.”
Lenna’s eyes widened. “I…I didn’t think you danced.” Nibbling on her bottom lip, she eyed the floor and then him. “You didn’t at the Christmas party.”
So, she’d noticed that, had she?
Braxton grinned. “That’s because I didn’t feel right about asking you then.”
Appearing even more stunned by his confession, her eyes zipped to his. He held a hand out to her, silently encouraging her to take his fingers.
Touching her might lead to a slow and painful death at her father’s hand, but Braxton decided right then and there, it would be worth it.
Lenna looked as indecisive as she did tempted. Even as she warily eyed him, her hand slowly came out and took his.
He gave her a warm smile and led her onto the floor. Holding her close, he stared down into her eyes as they swayed together in rhythm with one another. He wanted to tell her how good she looked, how glad he was to finally dance with her, how bad he wanted to get inside her. But he opted for light conversation.
“Come here often?”
She smiled. “My friends and I were in a dancing mood.”
“Then I’m glad to oblige the mood for you,” he answered and twirled her.
“Well, thank you, kind sir,” Lenna responded when she spun back against his chest, her eyes glittering with amusement. “I shall be forever grateful for your bold and courageous act.”
She was only teasing. She lifted her chin and sent him a lofty mistress-of-the-manner look before she broke into a grin. But her words took on a whole new meaning.
It had been a nervy move for him to ask her to dance. It was probably foolish too, tempting them both this way, giving each other a taste so they’d only crave more.
Lenna seemed to understand the circumstances as clearly as he did. Her eyes lost their blissful gleam.
Braxton tightened his grip as if he was desperately trying to latch onto the perfect moment they’d been having before it slipped away.
“How was your holiday?” he asked, attempting to start fresh.
A wave of déjà vu gripped him. Hadn’t they tried this before? He and Lenna would start talking. They’d gradually drift onto a personal topic, but as soon as they took a step over the line, they’d both back off until one of them started a new conversation with a new safe subject.
They kept tiptoeing around this attraction, and it frustrated the hell out of him. But he couldn’t make himself pull away and leave well enough alone. He just couldn’t ignore her draw.
Lenna latched onto his polite, yet superficial, question and regaled him with her holiday experience. She’d spent both Christmas and New Year’s with her family. As she mentioned her father with increasing regularity, he wondered if that was her way of warning him off. But he soon decided Lenna was just that close to him.
It made him want to howl in misery. Why, oh, why did she have to be Tom’s kid?
Their song ended. As a new one started, Braxton met Lenna’s eyes. “Want to stick it out another round?” he asked, since another love ballad filled the speakers.
“You don’t think your date will mind?” she asked, her eyes shifting toward Erica, where yet another guy stepped in and asked her to dance.
No, his date certainly didn’t appear to miss his company.
“What? You don’t think I care, do you?” Braxton shot back, looking surprised.
Lenna gave him an appalled look before she realized he wasn’t serious. Then she threw her head back and laughed. “God, you’re awful. What a terrible thing to say.”
Braxton grinned. “Just being honest.” Just for the heck of it, he dipped her and then swirled her in a circle, making her hair fly before settling back against her shoulders.
Lenna continued to laugh, holding onto him more tightly. She never did manage to shift away once she settled against him. Their bodies brushed, and Braxton floated in the heady sensation. He lowered his face to hover it over her shoulder, their cheeks accidentally grazing. Praying for the dance to last forever, he held her against him.
But the next song started only moments later. It had a fast beat, yet Braxton continued to move slowly with Lenna until she tapped him on the shoulder. “Umm, the song’s over.”
He lifted his head. “In other words, you’re sending me back to my date from hell now.” He winced and pressed a hand to his heart. “You really don’t like me at all, do you?”
Lenna gave him a pitying look. “Don’t be that way. S
he can’t be as bad as that.”
Braxton arched his brows. “Want to bet?”
He took her hand, their fingers automatically lacing together in such a natural way Lenna gawked at them. He gave a brief squeeze.
“I really hate to torture you this way,” he said, already ushering them toward his table, where Erica had reached his empty seat and flopped down, waving at her sweaty face with her hand. “But you leave me no choice.”
Lenna stumbled after him. “Wait. What’re we doing?”
He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m introducing you to her.”
“Whoa. Braxton. I don’t need to...”
But he wasn’t about to let her go. He didn’t stop until right before they reached his table. Then he tilted his head down toward hers as he spoke in her ear. “I really should warn you, but there’s just no preparation for this.”
Lenna wrinkled her brow, sending him a half smile and half-confused frown. Man, she thought he was joking.
If only.
Then he turned toward his group. “Hey, guys,” he called, tugging her closer. “I’d like you to meet my friend Lenna.”
He went around, pointing first at Greg, who nodded in greeting and leaned over the table to shake her hand. Then he motioned toward Greg’s date, Nadine. Nadine gave her a friendly wave but stayed next to Greg. And finally, Braxton turned to his blind date.
“And this is Erica.”
Lenna jumped when Erica flew from her chair and came straight at them.
Erica hurried forward, and it didn’t look like she was going to stop. No doubt fearing she’d be trampled by the woman with the huge smile, Lenna took a quick step back, running smack into Braxton’s chest where he’d been standing partially behind her. In reaction, he caught her waist to steady her. But he didn’t give her any more leeway, no doubt making her feel as trapped as he had the first moment he met his date.
Erica came so close her breath tickled his face—and he was still on the other side of Lenna. Her eyes seemed enormous as she snagged Lenna’s hand.
“Hey, Lindsey,” she greeted perkily. “How do you know Braxton?”
“It’s Lenna,” Lenna tried to tell her.
“What?” Erica said, and—oh, dear God—she moved even closer, putting her ear against Lenna’s mouth and making Lenna lean against him even more.
Braxton’s chest shook with laughter.
“My name is Lenna,” Lenna tried again.
“Lenny?” Erica asked, lifting her face to frown.
“Len-nah!”
“Oh. Linda!” Erica cheered, laughing a nasally cackle that caused Lenna to jerk in surprise.
Braxton, who was keeping her captive by sandwiching her between him and Erica, felt the jolt and held his face tight as he tried to stop sniggering.
Erica repeated her question about knowing Braxton.
“He’s my dad’s boss,” Lenna explained. She tried to smile politely but she looked more like a cornered rabbit wanting to escape.
Erica grinned with teeth too large for her mouth. She looked at Braxton over Lenna’s shoulder. “Your dad’s Braxton’s boss, huh? That’s nice.”
Lenna tried to cut in. “No, he’s my dad’s—”
But Braxton’s hand tightened on her waist. He leaned forward and spoke into her ear. “Don’t even bother. Trust me, it’s not worth the effort. She won’t get it.”
Erica continued to chat about Braxton running into his boss’s daughter. “How wonderful,” she cackled. “Isn’t it lucky you guys ran into each other. I bet you have plenty to tell your boss come Monday, don’t you, Braxton?” She exhausted the subject to no end, snorting at her own jokes and drifting even closer to them.
Finally, Lenna leaned back against Braxton and muttered, “Help,” from the side of her mouth.
He chuckled and stepped back to give her space, which she gobbled up at once.
“Hey, I’m going to escort Lenna back to her friends,” he said to Erica, interrupting her in midsentence, the only way he’d discovered he could get a word in edgewise.
“Oh. Okay, then,” Erica said, smiling that huge-toothed smile. “It’s was nice to meet you, Jenna.”
“It’s Len—”
Braxton tugged her away.
“That was cruel and unusual punishment,” Lenna grumbled and testily jerked her elbow from his hold.
Stunned by the force in which she rebuffed him, Braxton pulled to a surprised halt. He looked down at her with instant worry but was relieved to see amusement lurking in her expression. Without thinking about it, he brushed her hair off her forehead and out of her eyes to see her face more clearly.
She looked so transfixed by the move, she didn’t attempt to stop him.
“I’m sorry, but I was desperate. I needed you to see what I’ve been suffering through all night so you’d have pity and rescue me.”
Lenna’s lips parted. Her green gaze couldn’t seem to leave his. “It worked.”
She took his hand, their fingers lacing once again, and she led him across the room to her group.
Lenna introduced him to three attractive girls. Trista, Robin and Audrey. They were about to take a round of Jäger Bombs. Before he could refuse, Braxton found a shot glass and another cup being shoved into his hands.
“Oh,” he said, surprised. “Umm…Thanks.” He glanced toward his group. Greg, Nadine, and Erica were still sitting at the table, chatting away without him. He turned back to Lenna. She had her own set of glasses and grinned as she lifted them in a toast.
“To blind dates,” she called, and dropped the shot of Jägermeister into the cup of Red Bull. “May we never have to go on another one again.” Then she downed the contents in one slug.
Shrugging, Braxton did the same. Her friends gathered curiously around him to ask him about himself. But before he could open his mouth, Lenna jumped in, telling them he still worked at ProTech. Since she obviously didn’t want them to know he was her father’s boss, he kept his mouth shut and let her tell her version.
She was in the middle of her tall tale when Erica appeared at his side and leaned up to talk in his ear.
“Nadine just got sick,” she announced. “So, Greg and I are going to take her home.”
Braxton glanced toward their table, but it was empty. Without warning, Erica kissed his cheek and added, “It was nice meeting you, Braxton. Have a good life.” Then she grinned at Lenna and waved goodbye to her as well.
As she started away, he watched her hurry to meet Greg and Nadine at the exit.
“There goes your blind date,” Lenna said needlessly.
Braxton nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think she ever wants to see me again.” Remembering Erica’s parting words, he grinned and repeated, “Hey, she never wants to see me again.”
Lenna rolled her eyes. “That’s too bad,” she announced cheerfully and then grabbed the front of his shirt. “Now take another Jäger Bomb with me.”
Unable to deny her, Braxton drank another.
Then he drank a couple more. By the time the bar closed and started kicking people out, both he and Lenna were well on their way to plastered. She leaned heavily against him and lifted her face to meet his gaze.
“I don’t...” She paused to hiccup. “I don’t think I should drive.”
“Who cares?” her friend, Trista, called. “You rode with me. Now, come on, Len. Let’s get out of here. I want to go home.”
But Lenna ignored her friend, or maybe she didn’t even hear her. She continued to stare up into Braxton’s eyes.
“I’ll see her home,” he heard himself say as he gazed right back.
For the life of him, he couldn’t think of one reason why that might be a bad idea.
* * * *
Lenna felt good.
She walked with Braxton to his car, and he escorted her to the passenger side where he manually tried to unlock the door.
“Jesus.” He winced and tried to focus on the car handle. “I can’t even get the key in the lock.”<
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Lenna laughed. She propped herself against his passenger side back door, because it was the closest support around, and held her stomach as mirth consumed her. “Too bad you don’t have remote locks,” she said between her giggling hiccups.
Braxton paused. After a moment of intense thought, he met Lenna’s eyes and grinned. “Oh, right.” He lifted his key ring to show her the remote dangling from his palm.
Lenna started all over again with her hiccupping giggles. To muffle the sound, she slapped her hand over her mouth, only to frown and pat around her face. “Hey, I can’t feel my nose.”
Paying her no attention, Braxton scowled at his set of keys. “So, what button do I push?” He tried one and the alarm went off with flashing lights and a honking horn. Yelping out a curse, he slapped his thumb over another button, and another, until the car calmed. Lenna dropped her arms to her sides and couldn’t stop the next round of hiccup-giggles bursting from her as if her life depended on it.
When Braxton finally discovered how to unlock the automobile, he opened the passenger door for Lenna, who was now sitting on the ground, wiping tears off her cheeks.
She looked up, still shaking with silent mirth, and met his gaze. “Are you sure you can drive?”
He nodded his head yes, but said, “Absolutely not.”
Lenna laughed again.
He shut the car door and tugged her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s find a cab.”
CHAPTER 5
By the time the taxi pulled to a stop in front of Lenna’s apartment building, she swore every nerve in her body had to be high on steroids. The Red Bull from their Jäger Bombs had definitely kicked in. But she didn’t feel like laughing anymore. No, her adrenal boost had moved on to other parts of her anatomy.
As she paid her half of the fare and slid from the back seat, Braxton followed her. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
She wasn’t about to say no.
As soon as they exited the car, the cabbie put the engine into gear and drove off. Braxton whirled back and frowned after the departing automobile. “Where the hell is he going?”
Lenna covered her mouth with her hand to hide one of the giggles she thought she’d drained from her system at the club, but it blurted out between her fingers.