Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance (5 page)

“Coffee. I’m having coffee with Hugh after work.”

“You are?” Kat lifted her thin brows. “That’s great. Where are you going?”

Hugh shrugged. “Wherever Bree wants.”

“What about Layla?” Kat asked.

Worry sailed through her eyes. “She’s with my mom for the night.”

“Perfect,” Kat said; then she looked at Hugh.

With your mom? She’s got a kid. Shit. She has a kid.
Hugh loved children, but he hadn’t ever considered dating a woman with a child. He must have looked as concerned as he felt because Kat elbowed Brianna and nodded in his direction.

Brianna crossed her arms again. She looked at Hugh with those beautiful eyes that seemed to be filled with serious thoughts every second of the evening. “I have a daughter. Layla Michelle. She’s going to be six in a week. If you’d rather skip having coffee, that’s fine. I’d understand.”

One look in her eyes and he knew he wanted to get to know her better, but he also knew he’d have to be careful. Dating a single mother introduced all sorts of tangled webs into the equation.

“Brianna, I’d love to have coffee with you whether or not you have a daughter.”

“Really?” She arched a thin brow.

“Really.” Risking his emotions was new, considering the women he’d dated in the past never struck anything other than lust in him, but risking a single mother’s emotions—or her daughter’s—was dangerous. He thought of his own father and how he had never been with another woman after his wife died, and he wondered how he would have felt, as a child, if his father had.

His father’s voice sailed through his mind—though it was Hugh’s own thoughts that he heard.
Tread lightly, son
. Hugh didn’t know the meaning of treading lightly. He was an all-or-nothing guy who moved fast and trusted his gut. The thought of treading lightly scared the shit out of him, but not enough to forgo coffee with lovely Brianna.

“I HAVEN’T BEEN on a date in almost seven years, much less had coffee with a handsome guy. I can’t even believe I’m doing this.” Brianna and Kat stood before the mirror in the cramped ladies’ room. She brushed her hair, and Kat handed her a tube of lipstick. “No, thanks.”

“Come on. You’ll look great with a little color,” Kat urged.

“He’s seen me working for the last seven hours. He knows what I look like.” She pulled away from the mirror. “Jesus, Kat. He sat there all night.
All night
. Who does that?”

“The hottie who’s out there waiting for you now,” Kat pointed out.

“No, really. I mean, it’s one thing to hang around for an hour or even two, but all night? And did you see him? He didn’t watch the game.”

“Calm down. You’re having coffee, not going home with him. Although…”

Brianna narrowed her eyes. “No. No, no, no. Don’t even go there. Coffee. That’s it. And I’ll call you if he turns out to be a freak, so leave your cell phone on.”

THEY WALKED DOWN the quiet city street to the only place open so late, Dunkin’ Donuts. Brianna shivered in her sweater. Hugh shrugged out of his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

“I’m okay,” she lied.

“I’m sure you are, but I was hot and you looked like a great coatrack.” He smiled as he opened the door to Dunkin’ Donuts. “After you, madam.”

A gentleman and funny? No way
. “Thank you.” Brianna thought she’d be struck mute from nerves, but being alone with Hugh was easy. He didn’t make innuendos like the guys at the bar did and he didn’t look at her like she was a piece of meat, which she was thankful for. She still didn’t know what had possessed her to accept his offer for coffee, but now, sitting across from him in the corner booth, she was glad she had.

“So, let’s get past the awkward first-date stuff.” Hugh’s dimples deepened when his smile reached his eyes.

Did the walls just start closing in?
She’d been so relaxed. She hated that the minute she realized there would be questions about her personal life her chest constricted.

“I was kidding, Bree,” he said. “You look like I asked you for your deepest secrets.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been on a date in a very long time. It’s all a little scary to me.” She wrapped her hands around the warm cup. “I’m afraid I’m not very good at small talk, either.”

He put his arm across the back of the booth. “Then I’ll make it easy for you. I’m the youngest of six. I’ve always had to be a little loud just to be heard. Tell me what you’d like to know and I’ll answer as best I can.”

“Gosh, I don’t know. You have five siblings? That must be fun. I’m an only child.”

“It is fun. I’ve got four brothers and a sister, and I love ’em all.” He took a sip of his coffee. “How long have you worked at the Old Town Tavern?”

She looked down, biting back the nagging embarrassment about what her life had become. Then she thought of Layla and her confidence returned. She looked him in the eye so she could read his response before she heard it.

“I’ve worked there since I graduated from college. I got pregnant the week I graduated. It wasn’t planned, and the guy was just a guy I hung out with for the weekend. I know that sounds awful…”
I sound like a slut. I might as well leave now
.

“Why? Anyone can get pregnant by accident. It’s a miracle there aren’t more graduation-weekend babies around.”

He smiled again, and she had an urge to thank him for not judging her. “I’ve never looked at it that way, but you’re right. I mean, tons of college kids have sex, but condoms don’t always break.” She covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’m sorry.” She looked up at him and cringed. “I told you I’m not good at this.”

“Honesty is a good thing. Tell me about your daughter.”

She sat up a little taller.
This
, she could handle. “Layla is going to be six next week. She’s smart and funny, and she’s the most thoughtful child. She loves art and going to plays. I imagine she’ll want to be in the drama club when she gets old enough, and she is totally hung up on all things princess at the moment.”

“She sounds wonderful. Does she see her father?”

Brianna shook her head. “No. I never heard from him again after graduation. We’d met at a party, hung out for the weekend, and then he was gone. When I found out I was pregnant, I tracked him down, but…he was less than welcoming about the idea. He made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me or with Layla.” She couldn’t believe she was telling him her darkest secret, but the confession came easily. “Sometimes I feel guilty that Layla doesn’t have her father in her life, but I can’t imagine forcing him to see her out of obligation.”

He nodded. “Brave.”

“What?”

“You must be very brave to take on raising a child alone right out of college. Weren’t you scared?”

His thoughtful gaze held her still. No one had ever called her brave before. “Um. I never really took the time to think about if I was scared or not. I loved her from the moment I found out I was pregnant, so I just…” She shrugged. “You know, you make a decision and then you do the best you can.”

“Trust me. Brave is a good word for you,” he said. “She’s with your mother tonight, so your mom lives nearby? Was she there to help when she was born?”

His voice was sincere, as were his eyes. Brianna was struck by his interest. “She doesn’t live far. She was pretty upset at first. I mean my dad left when I was eight, so she raised me and saved her money to send me to college, and then I come home pregnant and unable to find a job in my field. It was really hard for her, but she eventually came around, and she adores Layla. My mom’s taking her to a play tomorrow and now I’m working in the morning, so it worked out perfectly.”

Hugh leaned forward. “Tell me about you.”

Her stomach lurched
. I’m exhausted and I spend every minute trying to make ends meet and make sure Layla’s okay.
“There’s not much to tell.”

“Come on. I watched you in the bar. You’re really good at your job, but I can see the gears of your mind clicking away. What do you think about? What do you like to do?”

“I’m afraid I’m pretty boring. I work two jobs and take care of Layla. Until tonight, I haven’t been on a single date since I got pregnant, and I’m not sure why I agreed tonight, to be honest.”
What happened to me? I can’t stop talking
.

“It’s because you felt sorry for me for rescuing yourself from the dirtbag who grabbed you instead of letting me be your knight in shining armor.”

“Oh, is that it?” She laughed. “I wondered why I’d cave from my twelve-year-plan for some guy who sits in a bar all night but never drinks.”

“Wait. I’ll answer you, but what’s your twelve-year-plan?”

Shit. How could I let that slip?
She wrinkled her nose. “Did I really say that aloud?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. Now you have to explain. I mean, twelve years is a lifetime. How do you plan twelve years ahead of time?”

She drank her coffee, debating her answer. She’d come this far and he hadn’t run away. She might as well expose it all. “Twelve years is how long it is until Layla turns eighteen.” She shrugged. “If I don’t date for twelve years, her life is easier.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “So you weren’t planning on dating until she was eighteen? That’s admirable.”

“I’ve made it six years already, so I’m a third of the way there.”
God, has it really been that long?
“I figure the less confusion the better. Besides, when it’s just me and her, I know where our emotions are.”

“So you haven’t dated since you got pregnant, and you’re doing this to avoid emotional contact?” Hugh’s serious tone caught her off guard.

“No, not to avoid emotional contact, just to protect Layla. You know how relationships are. They’re like roller coasters. They’re good; they’re bad; there’s jealousy and feelings taken for granted. And then when you finally relax, the other person takes off. So it’s just easier to avoid all of that when she’s growing up. I’ll have plenty of time after she’s eighteen. I’ll only be…thirty-nine.”
Thirty-nine. Holy shit.
That was the first time she’d calculated out her age in accordance with her plan.

He leaned forward again, and Brianna’s heartbeat sped up.

“Do you have any idea how commendable that is?” Then he took her hand and whispered, “Or how sexy?”

His touch sent a zing of excitement through her. His big, warm hand felt like heaven.
It’s been way too long. I’m losing my mind
. “Kat just calls me crazy.”

“My mother died when I was a baby, and my father has never been with another woman. He still talks to her.” He leaned back in the booth. “You know, I don’t think I’ve shared that with anyone. Anyway, you’re doing what you think is best for your daughter, and there’s nothing sexier than that.”

She covered her face. “You’re making me blush again.”

He reached over and pulled her hand away from her face. “Your face is too pretty to cover up.”

“You’re either a really smooth player or just about the nicest guy I’ve ever met. God, what have you done to me? I don’t ever talk about me and Layla, well, except to Kat or Mack.” She looked into her empty coffee cup. “Did you put truth serum in here?”

ON THE WAY back to her car, Brianna wore Hugh’s leather jacket, and she looked so damn cute that he couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from his lips. It was refreshing being out with a woman who wasn’t clamoring to be taken to fancy restaurants or to be photographed with the paparazzi. Hugh wondered if he could hide his identity a little longer.

“I had fun tonight. Thank you for inviting me for coffee.”

One look in her trusting eyes and he knew he wouldn’t lie to her. “Bree…” He didn’t know what he wanted to say, but when she stopped walking and looked at him, he had the desire to kiss her. He closed the gap between them, wrestling with the urge. He didn’t want to hurt her or her daughter. She was trying so hard to do the right thing, and Hugh knew that if he pushed, she’d give in, and then what?

“Yeah?” she said just above a whisper. She licked her lower lip.

Don’t kiss her. Don’t kiss her
. “I’m glad you agreed to have coffee with me,” he answered.

Her lips curled into a half smile, and disappointment shadowed her eyes.
Did you want to kiss me?
He was so confused. They walked back to her car behind the bar, and a fist tightened in Hugh’s gut. He thought he understood women pretty well, but Brianna had knocked him off kilter.

“Well, thank you for a really fun night.” She took her keys from her purse.

Brianna looked beautiful under the stars. Knowing she had such a big heart that she’d put her life on hold for her daughter, Hugh found her all the more alluring. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and feel her lips against his, to taste the sweetness of the honest, selfless woman before him. He put his hand on the small of her back and felt her body stiffen beneath his touch. He put his cheek against hers and whispered, “I’m honored to be your first date in almost seven years.” He kissed her cheek, inhaling the scent of her perfume. “You smell sun-kissed, like a warm summer breeze.” He stepped back before he ended up kissing her in a way that he knew he’d never be able to stop.

BRIANNA TOUCHED HER cheek where his whiskers had just grazed and his breath had warmed her skin. She could barely breathe.
Sun-kissed, like a warm summer breeze.
He was handsome and romantic? How does a girl respond to being told she smells sun-kissed?
Thank you? You should see how good I taste? Oh my God, what is happening to me?

Hugh opened her car door.

“Thank you,” she managed as she climbed in. She was so conflicted. She didn’t want the night to end, but she knew if she kissed him it would be hard to stop, and she didn’t need that kind of complication. She’d come too far to lose herself in one night of passion.
Been there, done that
. But as she slid the key into the ignition, she felt a loss, knowing their evening was ending and he hadn’t asked for her phone number. Oh God, maybe she’d blown the whole night and hadn’t realized. It had been a very long time since she’d had to worry about dating etiquette.

He stood beside her open door, his hip close enough for her to touch. She twisted to put on her seat belt and realized she still had his jacket on. She climbed from the car, brushing against his firm, muscular thigh.

“I forgot about your jacket.” She pulled one arm out.

He gently touched her arm. “Keep it. It’s chilly.”

“But it’s leather.” She tried to pull it off.

Hugh moved in front of her. “Keep it,” he whispered. “I’ll get it another time.”

Another time? Another time!

Without any thought, she put her palm on his chest. Even with her heels, the height difference was too great for an easy kiss. She felt his heart beating beneath her palm.

“Are you sure?” she whispered.
Kiss me. Just kiss me already.

He nodded, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. He took a step back again. Could he send her any more confusing signals? She wanted to really kiss him—full-on, tongues tangled, chests mashed against each other, their heartbeats connecting, sharing a rhythm, and exchanging oxygen—so badly she could practically taste the coffee on his tongue.

She climbed back into the car and pulled his jacket tighter across her chest. Hugh shut the door, and she rolled down the window as she cranked the engine. It sputtered and died.

Hugh leaned in the window. “Trouble?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Shit. Come on
. She turned the key again, and this time it didn’t even sputter. It made a clicking noise.

“I don’t think you’re going anywhere in this car tonight, Bree.”

She banged her forehead on the steering wheel. “This can’t be happening.”

Hugh reached through the window and lifted her chin so she was looking at him. “I can fix it tomorrow. I’ll give you a ride.”

“You can fix it? Are you a mechanic?”

“I know a lot about cars, but I actually meant that I have a friend who can fix it in the morning.”

“I have to work tomorrow.”
Kill me now
. She ran through her contingency plan. She couldn’t take her mother’s car without ruining the day for her and Layla, but she might be able to borrow Kat’s car. “I’ll call Kat. Maybe I can borrow her car.”

“Brianna, I can lend you a car,” he said.

“What? You need your car.” She dug in her purse for her phone.

“Bree, sweetie, take a deep breath.”

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

“Feel better? Let’s lock up your car, and I’ll take you home. We can figure it out along the way. Let me make a call about fixing your car.”

Her shoulders dropped and she nodded. “Thanks, Hugh. You didn’t sign up for this mess when you asked me for coffee.” She climbed from the car and watched him step away and talk on the phone. He seemed unflappable, not the least bit flustered by having to take her home.

When he was finished with his call, he returned to her side.

Brianna sighed. “Now your night is ruined and you have to take extra time to drive me home. I’m so sorry.” She looked up at him and he was smiling again.

“Let’s leave your key in the tailpipe.” He tucked the key into the hiding place, then said, “Do I look like I mind?”

“No, and it’s kind of ridiculous. You have to have better things to do than drive me all over creation.”
I am such a loser. This is why I shouldn’t date.

“Are we going all over creation? An adventure. Now I’m excited.” Hugh slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled his jacket tight across her chest. “Come on. Our adventure begins. So tell me, where is this place…Creation?”

They walked around the corner, and as much as Brianna tried to deny the feelings that were building inside her, she loved being pressed against Hugh’s sturdy body. He made her feel feminine and safe, and his arm felt deliciously sexy around her shoulders.

The parking garage was quiet and practically empty. Every
click
and
clack
of her boot heels echoed as they crossed the garage to the elevators. When they stepped out of the elevators on the top level, Brianna scanned the parking deck. There were only about a dozen cars, and Hugh took her hand and led her toward the car in the farthest corner, stopping in the center of the lot, where not a single car was parked.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Nope. I just realized how beautiful the stars were and I thought, as long as we’re not in a rush, why not take a minute and enjoy them?”

“You’re not some psycho killer, are you?” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering about the gears that made him tick. He was nullifying every assumption she’d ever had about tall, dark, and handsome men being high-maintenance, self-centered, arrogant assholes, much like men say about beautiful women.

“Not that I’m aware of. Why? Do psychos look at stars?”

“You’re just so different from any guy I’ve ever met. I keep waiting for the skeleton to come racing out of the closet and bite me in the ass.” In the dark, she couldn’t see his eyes very clearly, but his hand didn’t sweat, it didn’t flinch, and he made no move to turn away. Instead, he took a step closer. And then another. His body was an inch from hers as he gazed into her eyes. It took all of her effort not to put her free hand on his waist, to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him.
Kiss me. Please kiss me. No. Don’t kiss me
.

“Bree.”

Oh, that voice. Yes, kiss me. Yes
. “Mm-hmm?”

He lowered his face closer to hers and whispered, “Look up.”

They both looked up, and Brianna gasped at the beauty of the tiny illuminations that peppered the dark sky. Her hand came up to his waist without any cognitive thought.

“It’s so beautiful. I wish Layla could see this.” She froze.
Damn it. Nothing like smothering a guy with reminders that another guy had been there before him
.

“Let’s take her out one night and show her,” he said, still staring up at the stars.

She held her breath. Was he serious? Should she? She couldn’t introduce him to her daughter. She barely knew him.

Hugh looked down at her. “Why are you squeezing my hand so tight?”

“Am I? Sorry.”
Did you mean what you said?
Thinking about Layla brought her real life tumbling back to her. “Oh no. I forgot that I have to get Layla’s birthday present. I have to get my car fixed. I need to get her present tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll have time during the week.”

Hugh settled his index finger over her lips. “Take another deep breath.”

She did—again.

“I told you that I can lend you a car. You’ll be fine. If you don’t want to borrow a car, I’m happy to take you after my appointment tomorrow. We can get her present while my friend fixes your car.”

“Do you really have an extra car?”
Who has extra cars?

“Yeah, and I really have a friend who will fix your car. He’s picking it up as we speak, and he’ll try to get whatever parts are needed and have it fixed by whatever time you need it. I told him by two since you said you had to work in the morning anyway.”

She was thankful that he was willing to help her, but she really needed to use her own mechanic so she could make payments if it was too expensive.

“What’s the worry I see in those beautiful eyes?” he asked.

She looked down, and he lifted her chin again, using the hand he had interlaced with hers.

“This is so embarrassing.” She looked down again, but their hands were right there again, bringing her eyes back to his.

“Unless you stole that car, there’s not much that can be embarrassing.”

“Oh, yes, there is.”

He took a step backward, but she clung to his shirt at the waist where her hand had been resting. He looked down at the tether that kept him close.

“Brianna, if you’re married, I’m not that kind of guy. I like you, but I won’t be with another man’s wife. I can just give you a ride home and—”

“Married? I’m definitely not married.”

He brought their clasped hands up and ran his knuckle softly along her jaw. “Then what is it? What’s embarrassing?”

She held his gaze. He was so nice. How could she do anything but tell him the truth?
Great. Now you’ll know I’m a broke loser.
“Hugh, you’re so helpful and very generous, but I kind of need to use the mechanic that I know in case it’s expensive. He lets me work out payments.”

“I understand. Let’s not worry about that just yet. This might just turn out to be nothing at all. If it’s a big dollar amount and he can’t work out payments, then we’ll bring it to your guy. Does that work?”

He was so considerate. Even though he was right there in front of her, looking at her with those generous, thoughtful, dark eyes, she needed to feel that he was real. She pressed her fingers to his abs, just above his belt.
Real. One-hundred-percent, rock-hard real
.