Breaking Braydon (12 page)

“Don’t apologize, you look great just the way you are.”  She didn’t look like all the other women, and that was a good thing.

“Thanks.”

We stood in the middle of the crowd smiling at each other. Whenever I was around Jain, it was as if she were the only person in the room.

“Hey, guys.” Colin snapped his fingers between us.

“Oh, sorry. How are you doing?” I shook Colin’s hand then Martin’s.

“Please, make yourselves at home. As you can see, the food has already been laid out. In a few minutes, the music will be starting.”

“This room is…wow… spectacular. Thanks for inviting us. I can’t believe our event will be here. Martin, isn’t this exciting? With an event like this, we’re sure to get our funding.” The excitement was flowing off her in waves.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Angela standing with her parents. There was a tightness in her eyes, but she disguised it behind a plastic smile. The Barthomews. They were important in the charity circuit. I knew I’d have to watch what I said.

Angela stepped forward. “Braydon, I’d like you to meet my parents – Richard and Elizabeth Barthomew. They’re interested in a few of your projects.” She managed to get her parents involved, she was more aggressive than ever.

I shook their hands politely. “I’m pleased to meet you. I’ve heard about your work with many of the charities I’m associated with. I know they all appreciate your generosity.”  I wanted to leave, but I didn’t want to be rude.

Angela put her hand on my arm. “I told Braydon we should all get together and talk. I’m sure we have a lot in common.”

I kept a smile plastered on my face and addressed her parents.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jain take Colin’s arm and make a quiet departure. Damn. I wondered what she was thinking.

“If you’d like to make an appointment, I’d love to sit down and talk to you about my projects. It was very nice to meet you.” I gave them a little bow and made my exit. I felt three sets of eyes boring into my back. For the first time I could remember, I didn’t care about the business connection. I wanted nothing to do with Angela or her parents.

The music started to play. I needed to find Jain.

I found her standing next to the appetizer table ten minutes later. As usual, Colin was at her side. She held a glass of champagne to her lips and was drinking it. No, she was gulping it. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Enjoying yourself?” I asked.

She nodded slowly; her eyes were a little glassy. She turned away from me to pick up another glass of champagne.

Colin leaned over and whispered, “She’s had three glasses in the last ten minutes. Would you dance with her or something?”

“It would be my pleasure.” It occurred to me – all the time I’d spent with Jain, I’d never touched her, except for the brief handshake after our Starbucks meeting. This wouldn’t be a handshake. The thought of it sent my heart racing and my blood pounding.

I tapped her on the shoulder, and she jumped, spilling some of her champagne.

“Don’t do that. You scared me.” She did need some intervention. If she kept drinking like this on an empty stomach, she’d be sick in no time.

The crowd tonight was on the older side, mostly men and women in their fifties and sixties, so the music was tame. The DJ had done an excellent job with the playlist.“Dance with me?” I asked.

She studied me first, then Colin.

He said, “Go ahead” and grabbed the glass out of her hand. He gave her a little push in my direction. 

I took her elbow and led her out onto the dance floor. She wobbled a little. I wasn’t sure if it was too many drinks or the high heels she undoubtedly never wore.

As soon as we stopped in the middle of the dance floor, the music ended. There was a slight pause, then an old song, one I loved, came on – “She’s Got A Way” by Billy Joel.

I took her into my arms, and the world dimmed around me. Every sensation came alive with want for her. A rush of adrenaline almost knocked me off my feet. I gripped her tightly, my hands traveling down her back. Finally, I could feel her. I could feel every inch as she seemed to melt into me. I closed my eyes and breathed her in.

“Perfect” I whispered into her ear.

TWENTY-TWO

Jain

“Perfect.” he said.

Good Lord, what was happening to me? I had no control. None. I should be pushing him away. We were at a public event. His hands, oh, those hands were stroking my back, electrifying me. I was on fire. Heat, lust, and desire, all warring for first place. He held me tight while he swayed slowly to the music. His head nestled into my shoulder, his lips almost touching. Everything felt so incredible, I almost couldn’t bear it. My body throbbed to the music as he continued to run his hands over my back and hips. I couldn’t get close enough to him. Touching, feeling. I decided to do some exploring of my own, smoothing my hands over his back and shoulders, for which I received an appreciative groan in response. We were spiraling fast. One of us needed to stop before we made a spectacle of ourselves.

“Jain,” he breathed and softly kissed my neck.

Oh no, it wasn’t going to be him. I pulled back a little so I could examine his face. His eyes were filled with a desire that matched mine.

“God, Jain.” He slowly moved his head toward me. His breath whispered across my lips, warm and soft. “Your lips…” He placed his mouth on mine tenderly, and the world exploded around me. I grabbed his lapels and hung on for dear life. The kiss started slowly and began to build within seconds. There was a hunger there, for both of us. I parted my lips, inviting him in, and he took full advantage. The combination of hands, lips, and tongues sent me crashing over the edge. All I could do was feel.  His body pressed closer; his kiss was hard, demanding. Wild, out of control sensations kept pounding through me, unrelenting.

And then everything stopped, both the kiss and the music.
No!

I dared my eyes to survey the room. Looking back at me were hundreds of eyes. Most of them were smiling, some smirking, and oh, that girl who had her hands all over Braydon earlier – she looked ready to kill. Oops. I smiled to myself.

Todd whispered something in Braydon’s ear. He nodded in agreement. The music started up again. Todd turned and waved goodbye.

Braydon took my hand and led me out into the hallway. He turned and stared at me a good, long minute, then asked, “Come home with me?”

It didn’t take but a second. “Okay.”

Did I just say that? Whenever I was around Braydon, it seemed as if my brain cells scattered like dust in a windstorm.

“Okay? Really?” Both eyebrows arched in surprise.

“Yes, these shoes are killing me,” I joked.

“That’s good enough reason for me. I’ll call my driver. Do you need to tell Martin and Colin you’re leaving?”

“Oh, yeah.” I giggled. “Colin would kill me if I left without telling him. He’s like an overprotective brother.”

“I gathered. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes?” He gave me a long, searching look. “You aren’t going to change your mind, are you?”

“Not a chance.” I turned to make my way back into the ballroom. I knew it might be a little uncomfortable with the performance we just put on, but I didn’t care.

I immediately located Colin just where I’d left him earlier. He hadn’t moved, but he was talking to an outrageously handsome man. I approached cautiously, not wanting to interrupt an important conversation, when he spotted me.

“Jain! The star of the hour. When you decide to let loose, you really let go.” His smile was huge, his arms open. I went to hug him.

“Oh, Colin, I’m mortified. Who saw us?” I cringed waiting for his answer.

“Everyone.”

Good grief.

“Hey, let me introduce you to Charlie. His family is from Palm Springs.”

Charlie turned to greet me. Over his shoulder, Colin’s eyes grew large, and he gave me a thumbs up. Well, well, well. It appeared good things were in store for both of us.

I shook Charlie’s hand and said a polite, “Pleased to meet you.”

He replied, “Likewise,” and smiled, revealing two adorable dimples which made his face even more handsome.

This man was ideal for Colin. I sent up a silent prayer, hoping it would work out.

“Colin,” I began. How would I word this? “I’m leaving with Braydon.” I decided I’d blurt it right out.

“Jain, we need to talk for a few minutes. Can you excuse us?” He directed his question to Charlie.

“No, Colin. I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He turned to Charlie. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He firmly grasped me by the arm and led me to a back alcove, out of hearing distance from the party.

“Please tell me you know what you’re doing.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Don’t be a smartass. Have you talked with Braydon? Is this going to be one of his six-hour…Jain, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but you aren’t, I repeat, aren’t a six-hour type of girl.”

“I’ll be okay, Colin. I promise. No matter what, I’m prepared for it. You told me to explore this.” I was interrupted by his groan.

“I didn’t mean for you to become one of his…” He looked down.

“I know, I promise I won’t let that happen. Something different is going on between us.” I gathered myself. “You were right.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Wait. Did someone announce the end of the world?”

“Ha ha.”

This was going to be hard to admit. “I’ve been fighting this, whatever it is, since day one. You know me. I’m not one to jump into things. I’ve thought about this – a lot. I have real feelings for him.” I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, “I need to see where this goes.”

His eyes pleaded with me. “This is difficult for me to say, Jain, but I’m sure some of the other girls thought they were different, too.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him first. If it looks like it’s going in that direction, I’ll bail. I want to at least find out what he wants out of this. I don’t want to go around wondering what could have happened.”

He looped his arm around my back and laid his head on mine. “Please be careful.”

“I will,” I assured him. “Now go back to Charlie. By the way, he’s dreamy.”

Colin gave me an affectionate push, and I pushed back.

“Now, now, children. There’ll be no fighting.” It was
her
. The girl who had tried to wrap herself around Braydon. Why wouldn’t she just go away?

“Jain, this is Angela. We went to high school together.” His smile slipped.

“Oh,” was all I could muster. Angela was the horrible bitch Colin had told me about. The woman who’d had her sights set on Braydon for months. It wasn’t just tonight; she’d been planning for ages. No wonder she was so angry.

“You’ll never keep a man like Braydon. I saw you making a fool out of yourself on the dance floor. He needs to be with someone like me, someone beautiful.” Her eyes scanned me from head to foot. “Not some scientist dressed in a glorified lab coat.” She smirked. “No, you’ll just be one of his six-hour girls then tossed aside.”

Colin had had enough. “Angela, you were a bitch in high school, and you’re still a bitch. You’re just jealous because Braydon rejected you in front of hundreds of people. Everyone will know he preferred a ‘scientist’ over you. They’ll be laughing at you. You’re a fool, not Jain.”

I don’t think I’d ever seen a person as angry as Angela was at that moment. Her face reddened, her hands clenched, and her body trembled.

“You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.” She stormed off, heading right for Mommy and Daddy.

“That was great! Thank you so much. I want to give you a high-five right now, but it might be a little obvious.” I snickered.

“Yeah, I don’t want to stir the pot more than I already have.” He shook his head. “She’s a dangerous one. Watch your back. Okay?”

“Got it.” I gave a mock salute. “Now, go back to Charlie. I have to meet Braydon in…” I looked at the wall clock. “As of three minutes ago.” I turned to leave then spun back around. “Almost forgot, would you feed Nancy?” Before he could respond, I gave him a quick hug and hurried toward the lobby.

I found Braydon sitting on the bench, leaning over with his hands on his head. He was a sight to behold. Tie loosened, a few buttons undone, his hair a wavy mess around the most handsome face I’d ever seen. I would have stared a bit longer, but I noticed there was a slight crease between his brows.

“Hey. You bored waiting for me?”

Pure relief flooded his face. “I thought you changed your mind.” He stood up and pulled me to him. “We’re going too fast. I can slow this down.”

“I was only three minutes late.” I wondered why he was so freaked out.

“Those were the longest three minutes of my life.”

I chuckled but noticed he wasn’t laughing with me. He was serious.

“I want to do things differently with you. I want things to be different.”

My stomach took a plunge. I wondered what he meant by that, but I was too afraid to ask.

“Okay.” I was experiencing Braydon Brain Freeze. I couldn’t think when I gazed into those unusual silver eyes of his.

“Let’s go.” He took my hand and led me out to a waiting car and driver. Fancy.

An elderly man jumped out from the driver seat and greeted us.

“Mr. Decker. Miss.”

“Jain, this is Henry. Henry, Jain.” Braydon did the quick introductions. It was freezing outside. I knew he wanted to get into the warm car as fast as possible.

Henry made an exaggerated bow. He reached over and took my hand. “I’m honored to meet you, Miss Jain.”

A giggle escaped before I could stifle it. I wasn’t accustomed to the formality.

“Mr. Decker, I have the car warmed up for you and your friend. Snow is in the forecast, so we best be getting along.”

“Snow?” I asked. I’d lived in the Seattle area all my life, and snow was always a big event.

“Yeah. I heard the forecast earlier. They said we were in for a few inches, but you know the way things go around here. They say it’ll snow, but it never does,” Braydon informed me.

“You’re right.” I remembered many days growing up, hoping for snow that never appeared. I had a love/hate relationship with the meteorologists in the area. I loved all things weather related, but I was always disappointed when the forecast for snow was wrong.