Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,45

pulling out all the stops. She didn’t know what to say. It was making her feel even worse about the evening. There was no possible way this was going anywhere, and she was wasting his time. It was wrong on many levels. Her parents had definitely taught her better than this.

“Your carriage awaits, my lady,” he said with a flourish. The driver opened the back door, and she climbed inside, delighted to find champagne and strawberries. He poured her a glass, and they had a pleasant ride with meaningless small talk.

They drove into Seattle, where he took her to the theater. She was far too underdressed, making her slightly self-conscious, but she pushed that aside. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

They continued their small talk on the way to their seats, and then she was grateful the show started. All of her thoughts were turned toward Brandon, no matter how much she wanted to focus on the man next to her. She tried feeling something for Jordan, but she just wasn’t able to muster even an ounce of attraction.

It was too bad, because he was a handsome man with charm to spare. She was truly cheating him of a night out with a woman who’d see how amazing he was. She was feeling more and more guilty by the second.

But in her defense, how was she supposed to feel anything toward anyone else when she was thrown together with Brandon Anderson on an almost-daily basis? She was only human, after all.

They finished their show and managed polite conversation on the way to a beautiful candlelit dinner. Jordan reached for her hand often during the dinner, and she smiled and laughed and found herself having a good time. But even as they drove home, there wasn’t a spark of romantic connection between them.

He reached her home and walked her to the door, stopping as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the handle. She turned toward him, unsure of what to do next.

“I’ve had the best night I’ve had in a very long time,” Jordan told her.

“It really has been a great night,” she said, meaning it. If Brandon hadn’t been on her mind the entire time, it would’ve been perfect.

“I’d love to do it again,” he said. She wondered if he wasn’t seeing the distance she was trying to insert between them. It was obvious he wanted to kiss her good night, maybe even have more, but she was keeping her bag between them. She shifted, and he saw an opening.

Before she was able to utter another word, he clasped her in his arms and brought his lips to hers. She decided she needed to see if she could feel something other than friendship for this man, so she wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him back.

Nothing.

She stopped trying and stood there stiffly as he tried getting a response from her. Finally, he pulled away. He took a step back and looked at her with disappointment. They remained there in an awkward silence for a few moments before she finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, Jordan. I had a really amazing evening with you, but I’m just so tired,” she said, not sure if she wanted to end things completely. “Christmas week is always a lot for me. It should slow down soon.” She hoped it was enough to soothe his bruised ego.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then gave her his usual bright smile. “I understand fully. I’ll leave you to rest.” He then pulled out a couple of tickets from his pocket. “I was hoping to get you out one more time this week, though. There’s an outdoor Christmas concert tomorrow. Will you come with me?” There was almost childlike hope in his eyes. She should tell him no, that it wasn’t going to work, but he’d been so good to her that night, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. Maybe she just needed one more outing to really feel something. Brandon couldn’t have this big of a spell over her. It was absurd.

“That sounds like fun,” she replied. “I’d love to come.” She really didn’t want to go, but she loved Christmas, and dating anyone besides Brandon might break the spell he had over her. That was the ideal ending to all of this. Besides, she might grow to like Jordan as more than just a friend. And if not, maybe their friendship would remain intact.

“You’ve made my night. I hope you have sweet dreams,” he said.