Blown Away (6 page)

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.

“Anything
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.”

“Oh…” Ava
didn’t feel strong enough to fight off Brent’s advances without a
buffer, but she couldn’t ask Bryan to stay. “No problem. I can take
a taxi home.”

“Sorry about
this, hon,” Bryan said before kissing her cheek. “I’ll make it up
to you. Maybe we can catch a movie this weekend?”

“That sounds
like fun. See you later. Stay safe.”

Bryan flashed
the easy grin that routinely made women stop in their tracks.
“Always. You know that.”

“I guess his
loss is my gain.” Brent’s hand dipped low enough to give anyone
watching a hint they were intimately acquainted.

“I think your
date may have something to say about that,” Ava said, sincerely
hoping she could count on Leslie Bancroft to save her. If Brent’s
date didn’t act as a barrier between them, Ava feared she may not
have the willpower to resist him.

Ava wasn’t one
to indulge in one-night stands. She hadn’t been in college either,
yet there she was again, faced with the same man and the same
impulse to disregard her principles for one more night of
unforgettable passion with the master. No one had made her feel
that way since him, and she feared he may be the only one with the
knowledge necessary to take her places she desperately wanted to go
again.

But if she
agreed to one more night in his bed, would he let her go?

***

“Leslie decided
to hook up with her ex-boyfriend when I told her I wasn’t
interested in seeing her anymore.”

“Oh.” Ava’s
eyes darted to the head table and found Leslie’s seat was
empty.

“She’s over
there,” he said, inclining his head to a rear corner where Leslie
was with her ex and obviously trying to make him jealous. He’d seen
her use the tired ploy before, to no avail.

“She doesn’t
waste any time, does she?” Ava’s eyes widened when Leslie slipped
her hand inside the other man’s shirt while eyeing Brent to gauge
his reaction.

Brent laughed.
“No, she doesn’t.” He was already holding the woman he wanted, so
he could care less about what Leslie Bancroft did. “So how ‘bout I
write a big check and we get the hell out of here? Let’s go back to
my place and… talk.” He knew it sounded like a line, but he would
gladly stay up all night, just talking with her. He wanted to know
where she’d been and what she’d been doing, aside from building a
successful business. More importantly, the question his heart was
screaming, why had she left him when they were on the verge of
starting something that could have changed their lives?

“I don’t think
that’s a good idea.” She looked around. “What would people think if
they saw us leave together?”

“They’d think
I’m the luckiest guy in the room.” Ava gave him a small smile that
reminded him of why he’d been drawn to her all those years ago. She
was unlike any woman he’d known before or since. Fate had brought
her back into his life and the only thought on his mind was how to
convince her to stay.

Wooing a woman
was foreign territory for him. Women usually approached him. He
often went along for the ride, mainly because he enjoyed sex, but
Ava was the only woman who’d ever made him feel something. She was
the only memory he’d wanted to hold on to and never let go.

He’d lost count
of the number of random women he’d had sex with while imagining
Ava’s face or her sweet voice moaning his name in the throes of
climax. He wanted to experience that again, and he was sincere in
his promise to himself: He would do whatever it took to convince
her to stay.

He was tired of
playing the dating game. It was time to find a woman to settle down
with and Ava possessed everything he looked for in a partner. She
was sweet, beautiful, smart, successful, sexy, funny… The only
problem was that she was as independent as he was domineering.

“I can’t,
Brent.”

“But you want
to,” he whispered. He saw the wicked gleam in her eye. His little
temptress wanted to take a walk on the wild side with him… again.
“Admit it.”

She tipped her
head back and closed her eyes on a groan, exposing the smooth
column of her neck. “Don’t do this to me.”

“You left me
before I could do all the things I’d been fantasizing for months
about doing to you,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t you know what
you did to me back in college, Ava? The dreams I had about you…” He
brushed his cheek against hers, soaking in her delicate perfume.
“When you propositioned me at that party, you made all my dreams
come true.” He knew it seemed as though he was using their past to
lure her back into bed, but he was sincere. His instincts had told
him she was special.

“I imagined
what it would be like with you too.” Her voice was almost broken.
“You exceeded my expectations.”

Brent didn’t
want to waste another minute in that stuffy ballroom. He wanted to
get her alone. He’d already waited ten years; he didn’t want to
wait another minute. “Meet me outside. The silver Bentley parked at
the curb. Tell my driver I’ll be right out.”

“I don’t
think-”

He cut her off
with a kiss, a powerful kiss intended to silence her fears and give
her reason to believe in him. Brent was shocked when she responded
with an outburst of passion that told him he wasn’t the only one
walking a fine line. “Give me two minutes,” he murmured, resting
his forehead against hers.

She gripped the
lapels of his jacket. “Don’t give me time to change my mind.”

His biggest
fear was that the one thing he wanted and couldn’t buy would be
snatched away from him yet again. “Believe me, I won’t.”

The short drive back
to his palatial penthouse prompted Brent to give thanks for his
good fortune. For the first time in years, he indulged in quiet
contemplation. Ava was even more charming than he remembered. She
possessed the confidence of a woman who’d found her place in the
world.

“Tell me about
your business,” he said, kissing her hand.

She shifted in
her seat to face him. “I think it’s the best job in the world. I
get to bring people together, help them find their soul mate. What
could be better?”

Looking into
her breathtaking blue eyes, he couldn’t think of a single thing.
He’d never indulged in fantasies about life partners, but if one
person out there was made for him, he suspected it could be Ava.
He’d enjoyed the company of beautiful women on every continent for
more than half his life, and he had yet to meet someone else who
stirred that kind of emotion in him.

“Why are you
looking at me like that?” she asked, lowering her eyes.

“I’m just
thinking about what you do to me… the way you make me feel.” He let
his index finger drift down the bridge of her nose and over her
cheekbone. He would never tire of memorizing her beautiful
face.

“You were
always so intense. You seem even more so now. That’s kind of
intimidating.”

Brent wouldn’t
know how to rein that in even if he tried. It was a part of his
DNA. He attacked everything with the same commitment and attention.
In the past, business had been his sole focus. He’d develop a
methodical plan and execute it flawlessly. But Ava wasn’t a
business he wanted to acquire. She was a woman who’d already
rejected him once. He’d be damned if he let her do it again.

“I don’t want
to scare you.” He shifted closer, hoping to make her understand he
was as vulnerable as she was. He hated that. He was used to being
in control, and that’s the way he liked it, but if he made demands,
he would lose her. Just like last time. “I just want you to trust
me.”