Follow Me Darkly (Follow Me #1) - Helen Hardt Page 0,42
jaw drops. “In a day?”
“I’m a very good customer.” He smirks.
I hold back an eye roll and unmute the phone. “His tailor replicated it yesterday,” I tell Tessa.
“Well, tell him a thousand thank-yous. I just took a closer look, and the fabric is much better quality than the original.”
“You can tell him yourself.” I hand the phone to Braden.
“Ms. Logan,” he says.
Pause.
“You’re very welcome. Any time.”
Pause.
“Actually, there is something you can do for me.”
Pause.
“Let me take Skye to lunch today. You can have lunch with her tomorrow.”
Pause.
“I appreciate that. And you don’t have to keep thanking me. Have a good day.” He hands the phone back to me.
“Tess?” I say.
But she already hung up.
Braden stares at me, his eyes full of blue fire. “Seems you’re free for lunch after all, Skye.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Tessa said you sent the dress to her office,” I say to Braden after we order our meal at a cute little French bistro. “How did you know where she works?”
“That kind of information isn’t hard to find,” he replies.
“Not when you can pay for it,” I say. “Just out of curiosity, how much did that dress cost you on such short notice?”
His lips twitch. I think he might smile, but he doesn’t. “I never discuss personal purchases.”
“Oh?”
“No. It’s no one’s business how much I pay for anything.”
I can’t argue the point. He’s right. “Well, it was nice of you. Very nice.”
“I said I’d replace it.”
“I know, but I didn’t expect you to actually replicate it. Why would you do that?”
Braden takes a sip of water. “Because I can.”
I’m not sure what to say to that. I like that he doesn’t discuss his purchases. That’s cool, in my book. How much of Braden is nouveau riche, and how much is old-school blue-collar? I’d like to find out, but he’s such a puzzle.
A puzzle I’d really like to put together.
Yes. I like him. I like Braden Black. A lot. I thought Addie was right at first, that he was a jerk, but now? He appeals to me, which frightens me, because he already told me he couldn’t have a relationship with me. He didn’t tell me why, and it’s too soon to ask.
I want to date him. If I spent more time with him outside the bedroom, maybe I could figure him out. Maybe I could make him want a relationship.
“Skye,” he says.
“Yeah?”
“It might interest you to know that I had my tailor make two dresses.”
I swallow the sip of water I just took. “Oh?”
“I did. You’ll be wearing that dress again, but the next time you’ll be on my arm, and there won’t be any question as to who you’re with.”
I suppress a smile. “Will you destroy it again?”
He stares at me, those blue eyes a hypnotic sapphire flame. “Yes. Definitely.”
My cheeks warm, and I know I’m turning about twelve shades of vibrant red. “When exactly will I be on your arm?”
“You decide.”
I let out a short laugh. “It’s a cocktail dress, Braden. It might surprise you to know that I don’t frequent a lot of formal affairs.”
“You will now. I’m invited to a lot of them, and since you insist on dating, you’ll be accompanying me.”
“If I insist?”
His eyes darken. “I want you in my bed, Skye. If taking you out sometimes is the way to make that happen, I’ll do it.”
“What if I want more than that?”
“What more is there?”
“A…relationship.”
He taps his fingers on the table. “I’ve told you I can’t be in a relationship with you.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t told me why.”
He wrinkles his forehead. Is he thinking about how to answer my question? Or is he getting angry? I can’t tell. Braden always has a touch of anger about him. In truth, it’s part of what attracts me to him—his darkness, the mystery that hovers around him like a dense cloud.
“The only reason I can give you is that I don’t want a relationship.”
“Why?”
He rubs his temple. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. But there is no answer.”
“You mean there’s no answer that will satisfy me.”
“Semantics, as you like to say.”
“I like you, Braden.”
He doesn’t smile, but his demeanor seems to lighten a bit. “I like you, too. I don’t sleep with people I don’t like.”
“You didn’t let me finish. I like you, but why me? You can have any woman out there. You must know that.”
“I’ve told you.”
“Yeah. You like my lips and my breasts. So do plenty of other men, and sexy lips and big tits aren’t that hard to find.”