from their dad. That was putting it politely. He was a negligent bastard and although he and Braden finally become friends of a sort before he died, Braden had never forgiven him for his treatment of Ellie. The guilt their father should have felt transferred to Braden, and he’d done everything he could to make Ellie’s life easier. Giving her the flat meant she could concentrate on her doctorate and not worry about paying rent. He liked having her so close to the estate agency on Dundas Street. Anytime he was in the area, which was more often than not, he could drop by Ellie’s to check in on her.
Braden decided he’d have the taxi driver to stop at the top of Dublin Street, burl around and come back toward Dundas Street. It would be easier to drop Braden off first but it was ingrained in him to never let a woman pay for anything. So he’d drop the stranger off first so he could pay the fare.
“Thanks, I guess,” the woman answered from his left, the words sardonic. It wasn’t the tone that drew Braden’s attention. It was the husky, sexy voice and the American accent.
He glanced with interest at her and almost did a double take. She was attractive. Extremely. Thrown by this, he asked somewhat stupidly, “You’re an American?”
She turned to him and as soon as their eyes met Braden felt his dick stir with the impact. Jesus fucking Christ. Intelligent, stunning tip-tilted gray eyes appraised him as she tucked a loose strand of dark-blonde hair behind her ear. She had it pulled back in a ponytail, giving him an unhindered view of a graceful neck and an arresting face. She wasn’t classically beautiful but she was something better. More. Striking. Compelling. And Braden suspected from the darkening of her irises and the way her mouth trembled slightly that she felt the instant attraction between them.
It was rare for Braden to feel such an immediate, visceral desire for someone. He could appreciate a beautiful woman but it usually took at least a few minutes in her presence before something about her made his dick stand up and take notice.
Only seconds with her.
He watched her study him. Braden was used to women looking at him but he wasn’t used to a woman appearing so consternated because she liked what she saw. He raised an eyebrow, begrudgingly intrigued by this contradiction.
“Yeah, I’m American.”
That voice. He shifted in his seat. She really did have the most throaty, sexual voice he’d ever heard. When she spoke, it was the equivalent of her running her fingertips up his thigh. He wanted to hear her speak again. “Just visiting?” Braden murmured.
“Nope.”
Christ, she was taciturn. “Then you’re a student?”
Whatever she heard in Braden’s tone, it made her tense. The change in her demeanor drew his attention to her body. She wasn’t his usual type. But maybe that was his problem. He kept choosing the same kind of woman over and over, including his current girlfriend Holly. And Braden was bored by them all.
He wasn’t bored now. He was the opposite of bored. The woman had large breasts for such a delicately built female and although she was short, her legs were long and shapely. He could see almost every inch of her smooth olive-toned legs because she only wore a tiny pair of shorts. Great fucking legs. Braden grew hard looking at them.
Christ, control yourself, man.
When he finally dragged his eyes up to her expressive face, he noted the raised eyebrow. She’d caught him eating her up and did not look impressed. Amused by her obvious irritation, Braden grinned at her. Usually this would incur a responding grin. Instead, the brat rolled her eyes at him.
It was strangely charming.
“I was a student,” she answered, and his ears warmed to the purr of her dulcet yet snippy tones. “I live here. Dual citizenship.”
“You’re part Scottish?”
She gave him a barely-there nod and seemed intent to avoid his gaze. Braden smiled inwardly, feeling a stirring of heat in his lower belly. He hadn’t experienced a challenge from the member of the opposite sex in God knew how long. His relationships with women were simple and straightforward. Braden was a serial monogamist. He’d never cheat but he also wasn’t looking for anything more than a casual relationship. The women he dated knew the score, and they were usually easy-going and sweet.
It wasn’t until Braden was faced with this little walking inducer of the hard-on that he realized he