Blind with Love (2 page)

* * * *

They arrived right on time, but not before Chase and Ryan. Margo pointed them out across the crowded restaurant filled with Friday-night diners. “There they are…over there.”

Kristen turned her head in the direction Margo pointed. She was floored.
Holy shit
. Two of the hottest guys she’d ever been out with sat at the indicated table. Her curiosity was definitely piqued. “Wow, how did you spot them so fast? Which one is Chase?” They couldn’t even move forward through the throng of people waiting for a table. No wonder, either. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce wafting from the entrance to the kitchen made Kristen’s mouth water. She hadn’t realized she was so hungry. She’d been too busy to eat much today, wrapping up all the loose ends for her replacement.

Thank God her boss had been extremely understanding and had not uttered a word to the rest of the staff about her resignation. She couldn’t stand the thought of them all staring at her, asking a hundred questions before she left. She’d simply slipped her stuff into a box at the end of the day and snuck out when no one was looking.

A slight nudge to Kristen’s left brought her out of her wandering thoughts. She shook her arms at her sides in a quick motion to relax her tension and let go of thoughts of tomorrow.
Live for just tonight, Kristen. Have a great time.

“Chase always sits at that table. He’s the one on the left. The hot one on the right is Ryan.” She laughed.

“Really. I think you might be mistaken.” A smile spread across Kristen’s face and she yanked herself to the present. “You didn’t mention your brother was…well…so sexy.”
Thank you, God
. No matter what, this evening would surely not go as poorly as other blind dates. She could always sit and stare at him all night, even if he proved to be less than apt at communicating.
Please God, let him be a great conversationalist
.

“Ew. He’s my brother. Could you keep those sorts of opinions to yourself?” She scrunched up her face, but was clearly pleased to see Kristen was interested.

As they made their way through the horde of waiting diners, Kristen locked her gaze on the man who would be her date. He sat completely at ease with his friend, and she could see the two men were already having a glass of wine. They must have been there a while.
Interesting. Prompt. I don’t see that too often. Maybe it runs in the family
. Kristen prided herself on her rather organized lifestyle, a direct contradiction to Margo’s bubbly, but incredibly messy world. Kristen often thought Margo’s scattered apartment was probably a duplicate copy of whatever went on in her brain. Although Margo often referred to her as “anal” or “type A”, Kristen was nevertheless, usually five minutes late.

Patrons packed the entire establishment, not just the entrance. Despite this, Kristen noticed it was not a loud atmosphere. The tables were spaced far enough apart any patrons aspiring to enjoy an evening of conversation could do so with relative ease. The ambiance was perfect. Not too dark. Not too bright. Very welcoming. Soothing, even. Kristen relaxed her shoulders ever so slightly.

As they approached the table, Kristen quickly realized she wouldn’t have readily identified which of the men was Chase. She’d thought it would be obvious which man was unable to see, but until they actually arrived and began introductions, there was really no distinguishing quality about either man identifying him as “blind”. Just two gorgeous, sexy men out for the evening. Impressively gorgeous and sexy. A detail Margo seemed to have previously left out. Although it was true, most sisters wouldn’t rate their brothers on any sort of sexy scale.

They finally made their way to the table and Margo, ever the hostess, made introductions. “Chase, Ryan, this is my friend, Kristen.” Kristen noticed Chase was not looking directly at her.
Of course, dummy, he doesn’t know quite where you’re standing
.

“Oh…sorry. Hi, I’m Kristen. Kristen Nickels.”
Should I shake their hands? How does one greet a blind person when they meet?
Kristen was instantly very nervous and realized a little too late her hands were actually sweating. Hopefully no one would reach out to…

Both men stood, but it was the dusty blond one that extended his hand. So much for making a good first impression. She had no choice but to stick her damp palm into Ryan’s. “Ryan Adams.” Kristen hesitantly accepted the proffered hand and smiled.

Ryan’s perfectly manicured, white-collar hand was not sweaty and sticky. Wait, why did she care about impressing two guys she was only out with as a favor to a friend?
Because they’re hot, that’s why
.

“This is Chase.” He motioned toward the other man with his free hand.

Saving her from any further embarrassment, Ryan finished shaking Kristen’s hand and placed it directly into Chase’s. Obviously the two men were very close friends and had been for some time, since Ryan was well versed in the proper etiquette and handling of… Her thoughts were once again cut short when Chase took her hand and “looked” directly at her with the most wonderfully warm smile she’d ever seen. He pulled her slightly closer and leaned into her.

“Chanel,” Chase whispered.

“Excuse me?” Kristen stared as he inhaled deeply.

“You’re wearing Chanel perfume.”

How did he know that?

The cutest, most mischievous grin fell across his lips. “Hello, Kristen.” The deep, sexy way he said her name sent goose bumps across her arms. “Margo has told me so much about you over the years. I can’t believe we’ve never met before now.”

I can’t believe I’ve barely even heard of you
.

Everything about him screamed “sit, tell me about yourself”. Chase appeared to be extremely relaxed and sure of himself. Confident. Whatever misgivings Kristen had before arriving instantly disappeared as she took the seat next to Chase.
Is it hot in here?

Chase was impeccably dressed in a pale blue oxford, brown slacks, and loafers. He could have been at a photo shoot instead of a casual dinner party. Kristen was glad she’d decided to dress up more than she normally would have for a Friday night out with friends, thankful to have chosen the sexy skirt and somewhat revealing blouse she hoped was more sophisticated than sleazy. Margo had selected it on their last shopping spree. Kristen trusted her friend’s fashion sense. Now, she found herself wishing Chase could see her.

“Yes, well…she has said very nice things about you, too.”
Why
had Margo barely mentioned her brother before now? Was she embarrassed about him? She didn’t appear to be. In fact, Margo didn’t appear to even notice he was with them. She was too busy babbling her greeting to Ryan, whom she obviously was trying to impress.

“So, Kristen. What do you do?” Chase leaned so close to Kristen she could see every detail of his very finely chiseled face and smell the minty breath escaping from his deliciously perfect mouth. A mouth that begged her to kiss it, with full soft lips…
Pull it together, Kristen. You just met him.
This was not going as Kristen had expected. This was not the average blind date. Why was this guy even available? And how did such a sexy stud become blind? She was feeling way too eager.
This is Margo’s brother, for Christ’s sake. You can’t maul him here in the crowded restaurant. And you can’t have him in any case. You’re not available.

“Oh, sorry. I…um…work with Margo. I mean…not
with
…Margo…but in the same building…” Was he grinning?

“Do I make you nervous?”

Yes
.
Your perfect looks, soft brown hair that makes a woman want to run her hands through it…
Kristen gave her head a shake to bring herself back to the conversation. What had he just asked her?
Oh, yeah
. “Well, I don’t usually, I mean, I never, go on blind dates.”
Oh my God, did I just say that?
A pregnant pause ensued.

He chuckled. “Don’t sweat it.” The deep resonating sound drew Kristen in and made her want to hear more of his laughter.
A lot more.

“I’m going to shut up now.”
Before I insert my other foot into my mouth
. “What do
you
do? Tell me about yourself.”
Maybe if he’s talking, I won’t be able to say anything stupid
.

He looked right at her, as if he stared deep into her soul with the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen. No. That wasn’t true. Margo had the same eyes, but his were male and oh so sexy.

Kristen, pull yourself together. You are making a fool of yourself
.

He was, after all, just a guy. Not even just a guy, but more like a brother, Margo had said.

Screw that
.

This hunk of man was not brother material. Was that why Margo had never introduced them before? Was she protective of her brother? Had she realized Kristen would fall for him in a heartbeat?

“I work at the Braille Institute. Just a few blocks from here.” She fixated on his mouth, wondering what it would feel like to press her lips to his. “I’m a translator and editor,” he said.

“Really? Sounds similar to what I do. What do you translate?” Was this guy even real? Brains and looks. He just got better every moment. Perhaps he enjoyed reading as much as she did.

“Hey, do you two want to order something to drink?” Startled by the sound of another voice, Kristen jumped when she realized she was not alone on a deserted island with Chase, but rather sitting at a table with two more human beings.
What were their names?
Margo and Ryan. Right
. And what was the question? Everyone seemed to be looking at her for some reason.
A drink, right
.

Kristen turned to the waiter standing rather impatiently, waiting for her to gather her wits. “Oh, yes. I’ll have a glass of the house merlot. Thank you.” Perhaps a glass of wine would settle her nerves and ground her a little.

Chase smoothly inclined his face to the waiter. “I’ll have the same.”

Without missing a beat, he turned back to Kristen, and continued. “So, you were telling me you’re also involved in translations?”

How did he manage to appear to be looking at everyone so directly? It seemed to Kristen most people would never even notice Chase was blind.

Was it possible this amazing, sexy hunk could also carry on a conversation? Kristen couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone out with someone who’d actually cared about what she’d had to say, or had even seemed interested in really learning anything about her beyond “when would it be too soon to have sex?” Why now?

A silent giggle tickled her throat. How ironic. The table had turned; she was the one thinking of sex. And it was impossible not to. Every time he leaned into her space, his distinctly masculine scent wafted over to tease her nose. She wanted to close those last few inches and run her lips over his cheek, his neck… Kristen shook her head a fraction in an effort to return to reality.
You just met this guy
.

Feeling empowered and a bit more relaxed, Kristen responded in the calmest voice she could muster up. “Yes, I actually work for the law office down the hall from Margo. I spend most of my time translating their materials into Spanish, and editing the materials previously translated over the years. Sometimes I travel with my boss to translate directly for him. They have enough work to keep me busy for a thousand years it seems, especially since more and more of the clients coming into the office are from South America.” It wasn’t a lie exactly. That is what she had done, up until this evening.

“Fascinating. I wish I could speak a foreign language.” He leaned forward, clearly interested in what she was saying. Excitement like she’d never felt before skittered across her bare shoulders. Was this man real, she wondered as he continued, “Well, other than Braille, that is. Although some people don’t consider Braille to be a foreign language, none of
them
have ever tried to learn it. It can be rather taxing at times.”

She could only imagine how difficult it must be to read, much less translate the spoken word to Braille.

“What do you translate?” Kristen found herself increasingly curious about this “brother” of Margo’s. His entire demeanor entranced her. His aura drew her in.

“Everything. Anything. Whatever anyone wants to read. We work on supply and demand. If you think you have enough to translate for a thousand years into Spanish, you should see what I have. Imagine every book ever written. My office works furiously, based on what books most people want to read. There is no way to keep up with it all. But it’s rewarding, and I get to read everything under the sun in the meantime.”

Read? Something else they had in common. She wanted to hear more. “How do you do it? I mean…translate written work…”

“Audio,” he interjected. “Nearly everything ever written is on audio now.”

“Oh, right. Of course.”
Dummy
.

The waiter arrived with their drinks. She glanced up and took both her and Chase’s glasses from the waiter. Kristen was amazed at how comfortable she was with Chase. At least she didn’t dump the wine in anyone’s lap. Although the thought of leaning over and wiping spilled wine from Chase’s lap was not unappealing…

“Here.” Chase held out his hand and Kristen realized he intended for her to place his glass in it.

“Oh. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Relax,” the smooth, low, soothing voice addressed her again, “I don’t expect you to know everything there is about quote ‘dining’ with me on the first, um, is this a date?”

Kristen choked on the wine she’d just sipped. “Uh, sure, I mean, I guess… Well, is it?”

Again with the chuckle.
He is going to make me cream my panties if he doesn’t stop
. His voice could have wooed any woman in the restaurant. In fact, Kristen actually found herself looking around as if to make sure no one else was listening. They might decide
they
should be on a “date” with Mister Sexy Voice, instead of the rambling idiot he was currently with who couldn’t seem to articulate a complete sentence.