An Unexpected Attraction (Love Unexpected Book 3) (5 page)

Alarm bells went off in her head. This was Jay, not a random man with rugged good looks and a cleft in his chin so deep she could probably sink her finger in up to the knuckle. Jay, her friend. Jay, who remained untouchable.

“Welcome,” he said. “From what I heard, you’ve already met everyone.” An eyebrow arched in inquiry.

“You could say that.”

Helen retrieved a platter from the cupboard and proceeded to place the cupcakes on it. She moved around the space like someone very familiar with her surroundings. She must be Jay’s latest girlfriend.

“Where’s Sophie?” Jay asked. He worked on opening another bottle of red wine.

“She had to cancel.” Brenda shrugged.

“Keith?”

“Of course.”

He shook his head and poured some wine. Deep red climbed the inside of the glass. He passed it to her. “Drink up. There’s plenty more where this came from.”

The rest of the night was spent in entertaining conversations, from the best place to buy the freshest fruits and vegetables, to spirited debates about politics and the latest hot topics in the news. When the other guests learned Brenda was an entertainment editor, she became the center of attention. They grilled her about her experiences with the stars, but she gave diplomatic answers in reply to questions about celebrities behaving badly.

“Come on,” Tomas said.

He was a big, brawny Cuban whose eyes smiled when he spoke. He had a relaxed, rough exterior and reclined with an arm along the back of the sectional sofa. His petite wife, Talia, sat close to him and was the complete opposite. Chic in an ankle length maxi dress and minimal jewelry, she wore her thick hair piled on top of her head in twists, giving her a refined, almost regal appearance.

Talia headed up the creative services department at Omega Advertising and was Brenda’s initial contact on how to incorporate the feature stories about DJ Terror. It was nice to finally put a face to the name.

“You must have some dirt,” Tomas continued.

Talia elbowed her husband, and he laughed as if she’d only tapped his stomach with her little finger. “Don’t listen to him.”

“My lips are sealed.” Brenda turned her fingers like a key in front of her mouth, locking her lips. “All the celebrities I work with are great. I love my job. Thank you very much.”

A series of disappointed moans went up from the group.

“Brenda knows how to keep a secret,” Jay announced from his position in the doorway. “You’re wasting your time.”

Was that a jab at her?

The black man who had acknowledged her when she arrived, sauntered into the room from the kitchen. He was the media director at Jay’s firm. He had pleasant features and a crooked grin. More often than not, she caught his eyes on her.

“Well if you won’t give us any dirt on the celebrities,” he said, diving into the conversation as if he’d been in the room all along, “give us some dirt on the boss man, here. He can’t be as straight-laced as he appears to be.”

“Don’t get fired in this economy, Terrence,” a woman seated to Brenda’s left warned.

Terrence laughed. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m indispensable, right Jay?”

Jay sipped his wine before answering and frowned in mock deep thought. “We have a saying in Italian.
Se sono rose, fioriranno.
”

“What does that mean?” Terrence asked.

“Time will tell.”

Howling and oh’s filled the room, but Terrence laughed it off, unperturbed. He and Jay clearly had a good relationship.

Terrence’s eyes met Brenda’s. “So does that mean there’s no dirt? Nothing at all I can use to blackmail him for a raise?”

“You’ll have to earn that raise on your own merits. He and I have been friends for a very long time, and he’s a fine, upstanding citizen.” She didn’t look at Jay but felt his eyes on her, and heat warmed her cheeks.

“Aw shucks. Back to the drawing board.”

The group laughed and then broke into subgroups of conversation. The games started up again and Brenda became caught up in a vicious game of Uno that involved much trash talking and slamming of cards.

Throughout the night, she observed the interaction between Jay and Helen. Helen appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be co-hosting the party with Jay. She made sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink, pointed individuals in the direction of the bathroom when asked, and greeted late-arriving newcomers.

Despite her helpful behavior, Brenda had the impression Jay didn’t see her as a co-host. He was perfectly polite to Helen in every interaction, but Brenda knew him well enough to know he didn’t return Helen’s feelings. Every time she cornered him, he found a way to ease away and go back to mingling with his guests, never ignoring a single person.

Every now and again he checked on Brenda. She would look up and he’d smile or sidle his way over and ask if she was okay since she was the only one at the party who didn’t know anyone else. Or, he’d squeeze her arm as he walked by, a particularly troublesome act that sent heat shooting to her gut. She’d see the question
Are you okay?
in his eyes, and she smiled to reassure him. She was having a good time with his friends, and being plied with wine and delicious food helped.

She’d already eaten three sliders from the create-your-own slider bar, which had such delicious options as sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and spicy ketchup, along with other fixings. Then there were the prosciutto wrapped melons and tomato and basil crostini. She hadn’t even tried the focaccia bread yet but planned to work her way to it before the night was over.

The time passed quickly, and it was well after midnight when the party started winding down and the sound of thunder threatened that a storm was brewing. Little by little, guests left, and by the time the heavy raindrops hit the roof, the only people remaining were Brenda, Helen, Terrence, Tomas, and Talia.

“Here’s a picture of our son,” Talia said. She leaned from under her husband’s arm to share the photo on her phone. A chubby-faced little boy with light
café
au lait skin and his father’s eyes laughed into the camera.

“He’s gorgeous,” Brenda gushed.

“She didn’t want to leave him,” Tomas said. An affectionate smile crossed his lips when he looked at his wife. “But I told her there was nothing wrong with going out for a few hours.”

Brenda returned the phone to Talia. “I don’t blame you for wanting to spend as much time with your son as possible.”

“He’s in good hands with my best friend,” Talia admitted. She turned to her husband. “We should probably go, though, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes,” he agreed.

They stood and Jay and Helen walked them to the door. Terrence leaned toward Brenda. “I guess I should be leaving, too. Give me a call some time.” He extended a business card, but the flirtatious smile he sent her way made it clear he wasn’t interested in business only. “Hopefully I’ll see you around more often.”

“Maybe,” she said carefully. She took the card and stood. “I should probably leave, too.”

“Brenda, do you have a minute?” Jay asked. “I need some help in the kitchen.”

What could she possibly help him with when he had Helen at his disposal? “Excuse me.” Brenda eased by Terrence.

In the kitchen, Jay waved her over to where he stood in front of the huge range.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Don’t leave,” he said in a conspiratorial voice. “At least not yet. I need you to stay so I can get rid of Helen.”

Now this was interesting. “You mean Dr. Stafford?”

“Don’t make jokes. She’s a brilliant scientist with a Ph.D. in molecular biology.”

“Then why are you asking me to cock block?” Brenda whispered.

“Is it still called cock blocking when you’re trying to block a woman?” he asked in a low tone.

She thought about it. “You know, I’m not sure.”

“Anyway, never mind. Will you help me?”

She pursed her lips. “Hmm…what’s in it for me?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’ll feel good about yourself because you did a nice thing for a friend.”

“Nope, that’s not enough of an incentive.”

“You’re evil.”

“Still need my help, Mr. Stallion?” Her position of power was immensely satisfying.

Jay groaned. “Fine. You’ll leave here with a bottle of wine and several pieces of my secret stash of a
delicious
dessert that I didn’t share tonight.”

Her ears perked up, like he knew they would. As a fellow gourmand, he knew she couldn’t resist the temptation of anything that was even remotely
delicious
. “Did you say dessert?”

His mouth lifted into a smug half-smile. “I did.”

“What is it?”

He looked around the room, pretending to make sure no one overheard, and leaned in. She stopped breathing at that very moment.

Standing close like that, she could clearly see his eyes. There were fine lines at the corners, caused by his teasing smile, and the light grey was filled with amusement. She took in the contours of his face, the sloping angle of his narrow nose and the provocative curve of his lips. He truly was a beautiful man—though the adjective was a tad unsuitable for someone so masculine.

“I have three words for you. Espresso chocolate chip brownies.”

With difficulty, she found her voice. “That’s four words.”

“I have four words for you. Espresso chocolate chip brownies.”

“Sold!” When he shook his head in mock disgust, she giggled and playfully shoved his arm. Her hand connected with solid muscle, reminding her of the strength concealed under the shirt he filled out so well.

She followed him out to the main room. “I’ll see you on Monday, Jay,” Terrence said.

“Hold on a minute. Why don’t you walk out with Terrence?” he said to Helen.

“Oh, I thought…”

“Brenda’s going to stay and help me clean up.”

Helen’s gaze swung from him to Brenda and back to him.

“That way we can catch up, too, right Jay?” Brenda said.

“That’s right. We have a lot to catch up on. So, thanks a lot for all your help tonight.” He gave Helen a quick hug and then gently pushed her toward the door.

“Bye, Brenda, it was nice to meet you.” Frowning, Helen craned her neck to get a last look at Brenda, confusion evident on her face.

“Likewise.” Brenda waved.

Jay shut the door. Leaning his back against it, he breathed a loud sigh of relief. Then he smiled apologetically at her. “Sorry about that.”

“Are you really?”

“Not really.”

With everyone gone, the house was ominously quiet. She and Jay, alone. That hadn’t happened in a very, very long time.

She placed both hands on her hips. “Do I really have to help you clean up?”

“I could use a hand,” he said.

“Lucky for you, I have two.” She held them up.

Brenda and Jay worked together mostly in quiet, with Jay giving directions every now and again. They cleaned the living room, tossing disposable cups and plates in the trash. He folded the card table and chairs and stored them in a closet down the hall. When he went into the kitchen to put away leftovers, she vacuumed. He came back into the room and they rearranged the furniture, and then she joined him in the kitchen and helped there. She washed dishes while he dried and put them away. Pretty soon, the kitchen was clean and clear of debris, as if he hadn’t had about twenty people in his house tonight.

Hands on hips, Brenda surveyed their work. “We did good.”

Jay nodded. “Not bad.”

Rain continued to fall in a steady torrent, and Brenda eyed the water running down the windows. “I hate driving in the rain this time of night.”

“Then don’t.” Jay shrugged. “Hang out here until it dies down.”

Silence fell between them as she twisted his suggestion around in her head. Sticking around a little longer couldn’t hurt.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to go to sleep or anything?”

“Not at all. I’m wide awake.” He faced her from across the kitchen, gripping the countertop behind him. He spoke in a laid back tone, but his eyes rested on her with an unusual watchfulness that made her feel like a fly caught in a spider web.

She twisted her hands together. “If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure, Brenda.” Slight irritation colored his voice. “It’s late, and I’d rather you wait out the rain at this time of night.”

She felt silly. There was absolutely no reason why she and Jay couldn’t be alone, and she’d really rather wait until the rain at least subsided. “Okay.” She lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug and took a deep, silent breath. “I’ll…I’ll stay, then.”

Chapter Five

The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted out from the kitchen. Normally the aroma enticed her, but Brenda fidgeted in the living room, unable to find a comfortable position on the perfectly comfortable sofa. She should have left with Terrence and Helen and would have, if she hadn’t been so greedy. A plastic sack with the bottle of wine and two brownies mocked her from the table.

But not only greed had kept her there. Something else had, too—something she didn’t want to acknowledge. She and Jay hadn’t been alone together, with not another soul around them, in a long, long time. Not since…

Brenda sprang from the sofa, gnawing her bottom lip.

Staying was a bad idea. Even if Jay didn’t think it was a bad idea, she certainly did. She would make an excuse for why she should leave right this minute. She could always pull over on the side of the road and wait out the storm if necessary.

Jay came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee and two small white plates, each with a square of rich-looking brownie on it.

“There you go.” He placed the tray on the table. “A brownie and coffee, black the way you like it.” They both drank their coffee the same way—no sugar, no cream.

Her resolve wavered. He was being so gracious, and what would it hurt to stay a few more minutes? And it was still raining pretty hard. Better safe than sorry.

“I’m not going to take your wine,” she informed him, lowering onto the sofa.

“Take it. I promised you wine, and you more than held up your end of the bargain.”

He sprawled in the seat across from her, a cushy armchair with narrow blue and white stripes. His long legs stretched out in front of him. He seemed relaxed and very much at ease. His defined muscles under the shirt caught her gaze, but she steered her eyes away and to the food on the table.