Breaking Braydon (6 page)

He was such a great friend, I didn’t know what I’d do without him.

I nodded and hugged him back. “Okay. But, later, after we get funding. We can’t let up on the momentum we’ve gained.”

“Deal. Now let’s get some food. I’m starving!”

He held my hand all the way from the car to the inside of my condo. Colin had the bigger and better condo, so we usually hung out there. But tonight, for some reason, I wanted to be in my home. I had a need for the comfort of the familiar, and I wanted to be around my mom, even if it was only pictures of her smiling face.

Nancy, my tabby cat, met us in the foyer.

“Holy crap! You still have that cat? I thought you got rid of her.” Colin backed up as if Satan himself had greeted him against his leg.

“Oh, look! I think she’s warming up to you.” I joked, because Nancy didn’t like anyone, even me.

He grabbed my arm and pulled up my lab coat, exposing angry red welts. “I knew it! She’s still scratching you.”

I pulled my coat sleeve back down, but it was too late. Darn, I wouldn’t hear the end of this.

“She’s getting better; she is.” I rescued her a few months ago from a shelter near our home. Nancy had a hard start in life, abused as a kitten and had yet to recover from the trauma. As a result, she had some trust issues. Whenever I attempted to pet her, I’d get a scratched arm in return.

Colin’s eyes narrowed as he examined my arms. “This is an improvement?”

“She’s not comfortable with affection yet. She’s coming around.”

He threw his hands up in exasperation. “I’m not even going to say it.”

“Good. Now, are you going to let me starve?”

ELEVEN

Braydon

I couldn’t get Jain out of my head. My bed was a mess with twisted sheets, and pillows that had been punched to the floor. I’d tossed and turned to the point of exhaustion, but I still couldn’t sleep. I needed to see her again – before the fundraiser.

Truth be told, I’d never been a fan of the big, fancy events we sponsored. It was a necessary part of the process, but I was bored with them.  It was the same thing done over and over, party after party. Wealthy people looking for an excuse for their existence, during which I had to endure the bragging and gossiping. Oh, and matchmaking. Which surprised me. Why would these wealthy matrons want me to date their daughters? Hadn’t they heard about my reputation? Did they care? Or was it all about winning? Who would be
The Woman
to capture the famous Bad Boy Braydon? That was the headline splashed around the tabloids just last week. It was stupid, just plain dumb.

I didn’t care about my reputation. Let them print whatever they wanted. As long as I did my job, and did it well, I didn’t care about people’s perception of me. Although, most of the time they were right. I knew I wasn’t ‘boyfriend’ material. I didn’t date.

I wasn’t opposed to spending a little time with them, the relentless women. The tabloids were right; it was always under six hours. After that, I’d be done. They usually wanted to stay longer. Why did they delude themselves?

Their reactions were sometimes entertaining though. I’d seen it all – swearing, storming out, throwing objects, threats, insults, manufactured tears, bribery. The list was endless.

One thing was for certain; I never brought any of the women to my home in Carnation. I didn’t have the patience for the conversation I’d have to endure for the forty-five minute drive. For privacy and convenience, I kept the same room on retainer at a posh hotel in downtown Seattle. The luxurious suite had windows that overlooked the beautiful Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains to the west. The women I invited had always loved it, until they were asked to leave. I picked this particular hotel for their excellent security detail. When a woman refused to take no for an answer, they would be efficiently escorted from the building. There was nothing worse than a woman scorned, but it was inevitable.

Jain’s different from those women
.

I punched my pillow again, groaning in frustration. These thoughts had been circulating around my brain all night. Why couldn’t I just forget about her? Her lips, that’s why. Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined kissing her. Slowly, thoroughly. I knew those lips would be soft and inviting. I could almost hear her moan with pleasure as we kissed and held each other close.
Stop it!
You’ll only hurt her.
The women I bedded couldn’t be hurt. Their pride maybe – but they were tough as nails. Jain? I wasn’t so sure. From the small amount of time I’d spent with her, I sensed she was unique. Refreshing. I needed to stay away from her. I would only bring her trouble, and she’d bring me heartbreak. Instinctively, I knew both to be true. But could I stay away?

TWELVE

Jain

It had been two long days since our meeting with BCD Funding – specifically Braydon. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. This was the first time since Jackson I’d felt anything other than complete disinterest in any man. Now, I felt like I was on fire. My body, as traitorous as it was, was in complete chaos. I tried to meditate my way out of it to no avail. My heart remained pounding while adrenaline sped currents of heat that spread throughout my system. I was anxious, nervous, and jumpy. A complete and total mess.

I remembered my attraction to Jackson, and these new feelings weren’t even close to what I’d felt back then. Since that time, I’d done an excellent job of convincing myself I didn’t need or want anyone. My job was my life, almost the entire reason for my existence. I couldn’t allow these emotions to take control. I didn’t know the person I was becoming.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, and I just about jumped out of my skin. I grabbed the offending phone while I lectured myself to calm down.

I clicked it on and, with a strained voice, said, “Yeah?” There was a pause, and I heard
his
voice. Braydon. Great, now I was hearing things.

“Is this Jain?” he said in his ultra-professional voice.

Oh no, how did he get my number?

“From Colin. I just talked to him.” 

Had I just said my thought out loud?
  “Wh-What do you want?” I stuttered.

He chuckled. His voice – that sexy, smooth voice would be the death of me.

“Nothing, Jain. I wanted to meet with you and Colin about some of the details regarding the event that’s coming up. Colin said he could meet at the Starbucks on Broadway tomorrow at ten am. Are you in? Can you make it?”

Hell no, I’m not going.

“Sure, that sounds good. I’d be happy to discuss the event tomorrow.”

What in the world was wrong with me?

“Um, Jain?” he asked.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Did I just say that out loud again?”

Another deep chuckle. “No, I didn’t hear anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Great. Now I have to add chivalrous and a gentleman to his list of attributes. This was not good.

“Okay, bye.” I clicked off as fast as I could.

This would mean another night of sleep deprivation.

***

I was right; I didn’t sleep more than two hours. I wasn’t sure if it was the thought of seeing Braydon again, or the fact I’d made a fool out of myself. I spent the night torn between excitement, nervousness, and complete humiliation. I’d been so frazzled by his phone call, I blurted out everything I was thinking. I never did that with anyone else. He short-circuited my brain. Now, I had to meet with him on a very limited amount of sleep. Good Lord, I wonder what would come out of my mouth next.

I could do this, I told myself. I just had a little crush. That’s all this was. After I met with him, maybe I could get accustomed to his gorgeous and unbelievable good looks. Then I’d be fine.

A knock at my door jarred me out of my pep talk. “Hey, let me in, sleepy head!” Colin’s voice came through loud and clear.

I opened the door, turned my back, and walked to the coffee machine.

“What happened to you? You look like hell,” Colin observed.

“Thanks, friend. Who said you could give my number to Braydon anyway?” I was cranky, and I didn’t try to hide it.

“Oh! That’s what this is all about. Did you go out with him last night? Is that why you look all rumpled and sleep deprived? Details. Give me details!” He clapped his hands in anticipation.

“Back off, Colin.” I massaged my temples to avoid the looming headache. “No, I didn’t go out with him. He only called to set up a meeting with us today.”

Colin’s shoulders sagged. “Oh.”

“Don’t look so disappointed. I know you don’t like to believe gossip, but in this case, you’ve got to know, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And this guy is smoking!”

Colin burst out laughing.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, he’s got to be guilty of something with the high volume of rumors floating around. Besides, you know we don’t have anything in common. His life is filled with social events, mine is immersed in a lab coat doing research.”

“Before I met him, I was in total agreement with you. But I can’t get over the way he looked at you, Jain. It was like magic. You know, you’ve seen it in the movies. But this was real. I felt the electricity in the room. If someone described it to me, I wouldn’t have believed it. I think you should explore this. I’m sure you have some things in common.” He nodded, like that would convince me to his way of thinking.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m not going to sit here all day and argue with you. You already know I’m Scottish, so I win by genetics.”

“Yes, I know you Scots are stubborn. I’m Irish, which means I’m charming. Charming trumps stubborn.” His grin was huge as he held up his arms in triumph.

“Ugh! If I say you win, will you make the coffee? My head feels like it’s going to pound right out of my head.” I rubbed my temples again with no relief.

“Sure. Sit down, and I’ll serve you as soon as I can get this baby to spit it out.” He fumbled with my new Keurig brewer.

“Do you even know how it works?” I asked.

He sorted through the coffee choices. “Yeah. You just put one of these coffee cup things in this contraption…” He tried pulling off the top of the machine.

“Okay, Mr. Scientist. Move over. I won’t have you breaking my new coffeemaker. This thing cost a fortune.” I put my hands on his shoulders and moved him over to the side. “Would you like French or Italian roast?”

He yawned. “I’ll take whatever is strongest.”

I noticed for the first time he had bags under his eyes. “Hey. You look about as tired as I feel.” Here I was, only thinking about myself. A wave of guilt spread through my fuzzy mind.

“It’s this whole funding process. As you know I’m in charge of fine tuning the business plan, but I’m worried I’ve missed something. If I don’t get it right, we’ll be in danger of losing our funding.” He rested his head on the island countertop.

“Here.” I pushed a hot cup of coffee in front of him.

“Bless you. You’re an angel.” He winked at me.

I realized I’d been duped. “You know how to work a Keurig, don’t you?”

“It worked didn’t it?”

“I would have done it. You didn’t have to resort to trickery.”

“It distracted you, didn’t it?” His mischievous grin confirmed his intentions.

“Yes, it did. Do I look that awful?” I already knew the answer.

“Yes, you still do. Quit thinking so much.” He sipped his coffee. “I know, I need to take my own advice, but it’s different. All the work we’ve done, all our research, depends on this business plan. All you have to worry about is one large, gorgeous man who has it bad for you. I wish I had that problem.”

“Ha ha.” I grabbed my coffee and sat next to him. “He scares me, Colin.”

“Ah, Jain. I’m sorry I’ve been teasing you about this. I know you must be scared. I’ll back off, but please, don’t let your experience at seventeen dictate your entire life.” His hand ran up and down my back, soothing me.

“It wasn’t only Jackson. You know other things drive me, make me determined not to lose my focus.”

I thought back to the last day my mother was alive. I wanted her to be able to die at home, but it wasn’t to be. She needed the doctors and nurses around twenty-four-seven in order to make her comfortable.

Her disease was horrible, heartbreaking in the way she died. Sometimes, the flashbacks were so real, it was though I was living through her last moments myself.

The white sterile walls of the hospital, the tubes, the respirator - it all made the experience difficult, more real. I hadn’t wanted to face it, her dying. I wanted to take her home and fix it. Fix
her
. I was only in my second year of college, but I was still frustrated that I couldn’t do anything for her.

I wanted to hold her hand at home again, the home in which we’d pieced together a life of happiness, in spite of her disease. She often laughed, and rarely cried. She was the bravest person I knew.

“I wish I could have met her. She must have been amazing.” As usual, Colin knew what I was referring to.

“She would have loved you. Oh, the shopping spree you two would have enjoyed.” Happy tears filled my eyes as I remembered her love of all things beautiful… and purple. “She loved purple.” Why that popped out of my mouth, I had no idea.

Instead of laughing at me, Colin reached over and held my hand.

THIRTEEN

Braydon

Ahh, coffee – I gulped it down, enjoying the bold flavor as it hit my taste buds and slid down my throat. After three nights of restless sleep, I felt the shot of caffeine start to work its magic through my weary body. Today, I was meeting Colin and Jain for an informal discussion about the charity event at the Paramount Hotel coming up later this month. I wanted to go over the schedule and what they should expect. It was obvious they hadn’t attended an event of this magnitude. I didn’t want them to feel overwhelmed. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.