Flirting Under a Full Moon - By Ashlyn Chase Page 0,21
even if they did, people believe what they want to believe.”
“That sucks.” Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “I’m sorry. I mean, that’s really awful.”
He chuckled. “I like how you try to avoid offensive language, but why around me? I’ve certainly heard worse.”
She blushed. “When I was in art school, my mouth was pretty filthy. I realized how bad I sounded after hearing myself on a friend’s answering machine. ‘Trailer trash’ was the term that sprang to mind. I attracted the wrong kind of guys back then. Eventually, I figured out why.”
He put his arm around her shoulder. “I know my reputation isn’t stellar, but I promise I’ll be good to you.”
He leaned in for a kiss, and she met his lips eagerly. Her lips parted and their tongues sought each other out, swirling together as if this dance was second nature. Fire sprung up between them and he clutched her close.
Desire hit him in the gut…and lower. This wasn’t the normal horniness of a man attracted to a hot woman. An overwhelming desire to take her and mark her, then and there, pounded through his veins.
If he didn’t stop soon, he might not be able to. He broke the kiss and found himself panting hard. “Brandee, I’d better go.”
“Is everything all right?”
He took a moment to compose himself. “Everything is too right. If I don’t leave now, I’m afraid I’ll pressure you to go too far too fast.”
She nodded as if she understood. “Yeah. And then I’ll never get any sleep.”
***
“Kidnapped! What do you mean I was kidnapped?” Brandee couldn’t believe what her aunt was telling her. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if she could see if it was lying.
“Katie said you were with her. And that you were tied up.”
Oh, my rubber ducky. “Why would she say that?”
“I-I don’t know why she’d make that up. I just called to thank you. She said you kept her calm and helped her escape. Well, you and Mr. Wolfensen.”
“Nick was there?”
“Yes, we hired him. But why were you with him? That’s what I can’t understand.”
Brandee was speechless. She had been out with Nick on a date last night. A terrific date from what she could recall—but that’s about all she remembered. Since when did kidnapping count as a great date?
“Aunt Dee, I’ll have to call you back.”
“Of course, dear. But, before you go, is there anything we can do?” The worry in her aunt’s voice came through.
“No, I’ll be okay. I just need to talk to someone.” Someone who apparently lied to me about what happened last night.
“Yes, I should say so.”
Brandee realized how that sounded. Great, now she thinks I’m nuts.
“Love you, bye.” She shouldn’t have hurried her aunt off the phone like that, but she really didn’t want to hear any more about her “lost night” until she spoke to Nick. He’d better not try to lie to me, either.
On the off chance he was downstairs in the bar already, she decided to go in a bit early. She could always say she was making up for being late more often than not. Claudia, the daytime manager might faint, but Wendy would appreciate a hand if it was busy. It was a beautiful September day, and tourists would be getting thirsty.
Thank goodness Angie had the day off and was gone before Brandee woke up. She didn’t need to answer any more of her roommate’s questions until she got more answers herself.
Chapter 7
Nick waited, shifting from foot to foot outside the bar. He didn’t need an audience when he saw Brandee. He knew there was a good chance she’d want to fill in more of the blanks from their so-called date.
The morning news had paused between their stories of assaults and accidents to report a short-lived tornado hitting the Boston Common. Because there had been no damage, the event was ignored by the newspapers. He had hoped for an article he could show Brandee, but alas, it wouldn’t be that easy.
Regardless, the idea that she had hit her head and had temporary amnesia served his purpose well. He’d said he took her to his place to let her lie down and rest. She wouldn’t remember where he lived or what the place looked like. He could joke with her and say thank goodness she didn’t remember it, because his apartment was a mess.
Suddenly the woman in question appeared before him.
“Just the man I wanted to see.” Her expression was unreadable.