Reckless (5 page)

              When she appeared in the living room, Lucian looked her up and down but said nothing. She noticed his dark suit, red tie, and expensive shoes. He was planning to take her somewhere expensive. For a moment, she had second thoughts about her attire. Then he shot her a glare that made her hold her head up high and head for the door.

              Twenty minutes later, they were halfway to the restaurant and she felt the need to apologize for being such a brat. The man did buy her an expensive gift when he really didn’t have to. Even though it was trashy and not her style, she should have thanked him and politely declined. Instead, they were probably on their way to a fancy five star restaurant, and she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a Michael Jackson t-shirt, and Converse sneakers with her hair pulled up into a messy knot of curls and her glasses hanging off her nose.

              She groaned and turned to him. “I’m sorry.” She said. When he startled and stared at her, she grinned. “I was being a brat.”

              “You’re always a brat.” He said, kissing her forehead.

              “You like it.” She teased.

              “Sometimes.” He admitted.

              The building they pulled up to didn’t look like a restaurant. It looked like an empty warehouse. As they approached the front, a man in black opened the door for them and another man in black silently ushered them to the back of the warehouse and to a set of stairs. She was definitely glad that she’d chosen her converse versus the stilettos he’d bought to go with that dress. This was especially true as they made their way up the tall metal staircase.

              The man in black opened a heavy metal door and she had to suppress a gasp. The place was a gorgeous restaurant. It was covered in lit candles, giving it a romantic feel. She immediately felt really bad about her choice of attire, especially when she caught sight of their table with a single red rose placed on two of the four place settings.

              She let out a small sigh and turned to face Lucian. He looked slightly amused as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He was trying to be sweet to her despite her little bitch fit earlier. She sighed again and took off her glasses. She reached up to let her hair down but his hand stopped her.

              “I like your neck bared to me.” He whispered just as the door behind them opened and shut again.

              They turned around and Lucian grinned at the couple standing behind them. “Louis, Karen.” He greeted them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek for the lady. “I’m glad you could make it.”

              “After your heavy handedness, I’m happy that Louie decided to
finally
ask me out.” Karen grinned.

              “I’d like you both to meet my beautiful date, Brianna Michaels. Brianna, this is Louis Hamilton and Karen….” He dragged out her name and looked at her for help.

              “Prescott.” She supplied.

              “Karen Prescott.” He repeated.

              Bree reached out and shook their hands. Then she noticed that everyone was staring at her. She swallowed the knot in her throat and smiled at them.

              “Bree decided that her cocktail dress wasn’t right for the occasion and couldn’t find anything else to wear.” Lucian shrugged.

              “It wasn’t something that was in my realm of comfort.” She said, glaring daggers at him.

              Louis threw back his head and laughed. “He picked out the trashiest dress he could find and you threw it back in his face, didn’t you?” he laughed. She grinned at him. “Well, good for you. My dude isn’t used to women throwing things in his face unless he tells them to.”

              Both she and Karen blushed at the innuendo behind his words. Lucian didn’t look too happy about it either which made her automatically like Louis. He didn’t care what Lucian thought and it made her happy to see that someone else in the world could see the man’s flaws as well.

              “Excuse me, where’s the restroom?” Karen asked.

              “Back there, to the right.” Lucian directed.

              “I’ll go with you.” Brianna told her.

She suddenly wanted to get a little distance and figure out her next move. She was getting too attached to Lucian in their few days together, and meeting and liking his friends was something that was supposed to be a girlfriend kind of next step.

She definitely wasn’t ready for that.

Her phone went off in her purse just as she stepped into the overly luxurious bathroom. She pulled her phone from her pocket with every intention of just turning it off for the evening, but froze.

“Shit!” she spat at the screen.

“Is everything okay?” Karen asked, heading to the sink to wash her hands.

“Fine.” She lied.

Twelve

He watched her walk away, loving the way her ass moved in those jeans. Yeah, her choice of attire was inappropriate, and she acted like a total brat. But she was so damn sexy that he could get past almost anything with her.  At the moment, though, he wished like hell that they were there alone so that he could pick up where they’d left off in the shower.

“She’s gorgeous, man.” Louis said, breaking him away from his thoughts.

“Yeah, and stubborn.” He snorted.

“Aren’t they all?” his friend agreed.

He threw up his hand and motioned for a round of drinks. He’d already preordered the meal for the group and he and Lou were having a scotch before dinner and the ladies would have wine. He found himself anxious for Brianna to return from the restroom. He felt twitchy without her. He needed to touch her. Their connection was instantaneous and strong, and he had no idea why. The feelings he had for her weren’t loving, but he liked her a lot, and he lusted after her even more. There was a spark between them and he was trying not to set it ablaze.

Brianna and Karen arrived at the table and Bree immediately reached for his scotch. He watched her down it in one sip, along with her wine before raising her hand and ordering more.

“What’s wrong?” he leaned in and asked her quietly.

“Nothing.” She lied.

She was shutting down on him again and he was getting seriously pissed off. How could he help her out of her mess so that she could put her concentration solely on him if she wouldn’t tell him what was going on with her?

After another round of drinks were placed in front of them, he snatched up his drink just as she reached for it and downed it himself. She glared at him and his heart dropped when he saw her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

“Excuse us.” He told his friend as he pulled Brianna up by her arm.

He dragged her to the back of his restaurant to the manager’s office and shut them inside. He rummaged through Marie’s desk until he found a small pack of Kleenex and handed it to Brianna. Then he settled himself into the chair, bringing her with him, cuddling her to his body. He took in her coconut and lemon scent, willing down the sexually aggressive beast that was threatening to emerge.

“You’re going to talk to me about what the hell is wrong with you tonight, Brianna.” He commanded. When she said nothing, he let out a breath into her hair. “Is it your ex?”

When she nodded her head against his shoulder, he cursed. He reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. This wasn’t something he’d normally do, but he was a selfish bastard and he wanted the fucker out of his way. He justified his actions by putting it on his sister. He was just protecting his sister from a potential danger. The smart thing to do would be to get rid of the main source, but he was currently lusting after it, so that wasn’t going to happen.

He checked her caller ID for incoming texts and calls and saw that she’d received one just ten minutes ago. He memorized the words in the text and the number it came from before he wrapped his arms tighter around her, squeezing her to his body. This motherfucker had some real nerve, and rage coursed through him as the words played over and over again in his mind.

            
 
Hide behind your rich boyfriend and his bodyguards all you want, but eventually I’m going to catch you alone and we’re going to talk.

              Like hell.

Thirteen

              Brianna started her morning doing a happy dance in Lucian’s living room. She couldn’t believe they’d gotten back to her so fast. It’s only been a few days since she’d put in her application for the summer job in New York, but there was a reply in her email that had her grinning from ear to ear and moonwalking across the living room floor.

              In less than six weeks, she was going to be headed to New York City, all expenses paid for a summer job working for KSL Global.

              “What’s got you so happy?” Jon asked, staring at her from the couch.

              She grinned and fell into his lap. “I applied for a summer job in New York and I got it! That means I’ll be there for the closing of your tour and hopefully we can head home together.”

              “Fuck yeah!” he smiled and kissed her forehead.

              She moved to sit beside him and picked up her cup of tea from the coffee table. She sipped it slowly as her eyes slowly roamed the apartment and her mind went to Lucian. What was going to happen with their relationship when she went to New York? Hell, what was going to happen with their relationship when she had to leave his apartment in two days? Her week with him was coming to an end very fast and she found herself already missing him.

              “So, what’s up with this guy, Bree?” Jon asked as though he was reading her mind.

              “What do you mean?” she asked.

              “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone, nor did I know that it was this serious that you’re living with the fucker.” He snorted.

              “We don’t live together, Jonny. We’re not even technically dating. We’re just…..” she had no idea how to word it, but Jon seemed to know exactly what was going on.

              “You’re fucking.” He said simply. She shrugged and nodded. She couldn’t even meet his eyes. “Bree, is this a good idea? I mean, you heard that James is out, right?”

              “Yeah.” She sighed.

              “Your boyfriend is rich, but his bodyguard can’t protect him from James. That fucker is out for revenge and he has no qualm with murder and returning to prison.” Jon’s brow creased as he stared at her. He took her hand in his and kissed it. “He would never hurt you on purpose, baby, but in his mind, you’re still his and you know what that means.”

              She did know what that meant. And in a way she still felt like she belonged to James. In the beginning, it was her, James, and Jon. She belonged to both of them and James didn’t mind Jon because he knew that Jon thought of her like a sister. James never did. James claimed her as his girl, and his girl she was.

              “In two days I’m leaving here and heading back to my own place. I’ve asked Lucian to keep Kelsey here for a while so that I can deal with James.” She said. “I hope this works, because I don’t need him following me to New York.”

              Jon nodded his agreement. “If he doesn’t back off, Bree, I’ll talk to him. The only reason I haven’t already is because I know that he needs to hear it from you first. He loves you. Always have.”

              She knew that. She also knew that he’d caused most of the problems in her life and she was so thankful that she had Jonathan to be her anchor. He was always there to hold it down and lift her up. She loved him more than anything in the world and she hated that he was leaving her in a few hours. He only had time to have breakfast with her, then he was heading off on the stupid tour bus.

              “Let me know if I have to fly back out here for a night or two.” He said, kissing the top of her head.

              She nodded quietly and forked up some eggs and shoveled them into her mouth. They tasted like rubber now that her mood had effectively been soured. Everything was falling apart around her and she was hiding behind a cocoon of luxury, bodyguards, and Lucian.

              And speaking of Lucian, he’d sent over a new dress for her to wear to some business function he had to attend. It was a charity dinner for one of the causes his company donates to. He didn’t say which one, but she was curious about it. She didn’t picture Lucian Spencer-Davenport as being very generous outside of the bedroom.

              After breakfast was over, Jon stayed with her for another half hour, talking about nothing, trying to take her mind off of her problems. She was so grateful for him, and was sad to let him go. They stood together at the front door, holding each other like they’d never see each other again. She was afraid to let him go, and he was just as scared of letting her go. They’d never been more than ten miles apart from one another. She was just as much his crutch as he was hers and letting go was hard as hell.

              She was in tears by the time he pulled himself away from her and kissed the top of her head. She watched as he walked to the elevator and disappeared behind the doors.