Into The Dragon's World - Brittany White Page 0,40

he then straightened his tie and adjusted his suit jacket. White shirt, black tie, black suit. Not exactly cutting-edge fashion, but it did the job.

He wasn’t sure why the idea of taking Casey on an actual date was so important to him. Their relationship had skipped right over dating and into living together. He wanted her to feel like everything was progressing normally and not on fast-forward. He didn’t want her to feel as if she’d jumped in too quickly and regret anything in the future.

Because he regretted nothing. Not a single moment.

He was surprised that she’d asked about Savannah, even more surprised when he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. Yes, he had loved Savannah, but she was gone. He was finally able to accept that now. His feelings for Casey had become overwhelming, far greater than what he’d shared with Savannah. Casey had helped him see that.

Telling Casey about his feelings was a whole different story. He didn’t know why he couldn’t just say the words. He knew he felt them. He knew she wanted to hear them. But every time he thought he would finally say it, he was slammed by the memory of Savannah dying in his arms. Talking to Casey about it had helped lessen its power, but he was still frozen by the fear that if the time came when he needed to protect her, he’d fail.

Maybe he’d be able to say it once the whole nightmare with Evan Wallace was really and truly over. Until then, all he could do was love her quietly, with his whole being. Maybe she would just know.

“Okay,” Jasmine said as she came out of the bedroom. “Are you ready?”

“As always,” Brady said with a grin.

“Casey! Come on out!”

Jasmine stepped aside and the bedroom door opened. Brady suddenly felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Casey stood awkwardly in four-inch heels, clutching a small purse in front of her stomach. She wore a black, off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her figure without looking too tight. Her caramel-colored hair was pulled back at the sides with silver combs, with the rest flowing down her back in soft waves. She wore more makeup than Brady had ever seen her wear and he assumed he had Jasmine to thank for that.

She smiled and Brady immediately wanted to send Jasmine home and cancel their dinner plans.

“Wow…” he said as he slowly walked over to her, looking her up and down. “You look...wow…”

“You’re a man of many words, aren’t you?” Casey took his outstretched hands and gave him the same frank appraisal. “Good thing you’re cute.”

“I prefer ‘classically handsome’, but cute’s fine, too.” He urged her closer to him, still smiling as he gazed into her eyes. “You look beautiful,” he said softly.

“So do you.”

“Can I kiss you, or would that ruin your makeup?” Brady leaned closer until his lips were a breath away from hers.

“I’ll take that chance.” Casey’s eyes flashed teasingly, and she softly brushed her lips against his.

“Hey! Uh-uh! None of that!” Jasmine put her hands on their shoulders and separated them. “I did too good a job on her makeup for you to go messing it up before you even get out in public.”

Brady chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thanks, Jazzy,” Casey said and smiled.

“Anytime.” Jasmine gathered her makeup and garment bags. “Just remember, if you get anything on my dress, I’m sending you the cleaning bill.” She pointed at Brady with mock seriousness. “Take care of her, Boss.”

Brady looked over at Casey, still smiling. “I’m planning to.”

Brady looked at the meager bits of food on his plate and grimaced. He looked up at Casey and saw that she had the exact same expression on her face. She picked at her plate with a fork, frowning in confusion.

“Um…” She glanced up at Brady and smiled. “Not that I don’t appreciate dinner, but…”

“But what the hell are we eating?”

She tapped the tip of her nose. “Bingo.”

Brady sized up the restaurant. The customers were expensively dressed in tailored suits and designer dresses. Most of them were either on their phones ignoring each other or arguing while knocking back thousand-dollar bottles of wine. Why had he thought Casey would like it here?

“This place is a little snooty, huh?” Brady picked up a tiny carrot from his plate, wrinkling his nose at it.

“Just a little.” Casey leaned across the table. “I think that lady over there is wearing the Hope Diamond.”

“How common of her,” Brady said as he tilted up