“I know. It’s just for a short while until I’m sure of her.”
His brother shrugged. “All right. Suit yourself.”
Silence descended between them for some minutes.
“You should take her to that new exclusive restaurant in the next town. She’d love it.”
Seth’s brows rose. “And how did you happen to come by that knowledge?”
Malcolm grinned. “I know these things.”
Seth’s eyes darkened with curiosity. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Malcolm shrugged. “Nothing. Sometimes, I go out to chill. No harm in it.”
“Alone?”
“Yep. Alone.”
Seth eyed him with suspicion. Malcolm had given up on dating when his wife passed away some years ago. Seth had done everything possible to get his brother dating again but Malcolm refused, stating that he would do so when he was good and ready.
Seth hoped that his brother would find love again. Rachel had been a wonderful woman, but he didn’t want his brother to be alone for the rest of his life.
“Be careful, okay,” Malcolm solemnly said.
Seth nodded.
Chapter Six
"You look amazing," Jules said on her FaceTime, her eyes glowing with admiration as she stared at her friend.
Sandy studied her reflection in the mirror. The green shift dress which complemented the color of her eyes hugged her figure lovingly and stopped just a little above her knees.
Sandy had picked out the dress at a departmental store. The idea of wearing one of her old dresses had been thrown out the window by her friend. Jules would hear nothing of it. She was going on a dinner date with a hunk of a man, so had to look good. Or so Jules said. Sandy had put her foot down when her friend wanted to send her a dress.
Staring at herself in the mirror now, Sandy had to thank her friend for pushing her into getting the dress, even though it made her dip into her savings. It was worth it. She didn’t want to look like what the dog dragged in where Seth was concerned.
"Relax," Jules said. "You look great. One look at you and he will fall head over heels in love with you. In fact, all men who’d come along your path this evening would definitely fall in love with you."
Sandy giggled but inwardly shook. She didn’t want men drooling over her. She didn’t want any attention. It was her laid-down rule never to draw attention to herself.
She could just imagine men drooling over her all evening. It would be irritating, but funny as well. But there was one man she hoped would find her impressive.
Seth Banner.
There was no point denying it anymore. She didn't know yet what she felt for him, but she knew she just wanted to be with him. He was in her every waking moment and thoughts all day.
Yeah, she didn’t want to have anything to do with men, but that didn't stop her from thinking about him. She wished she could rise above her inhibitions. She wished she could actually let go of her past.
Gosh, reading too many romance novels was turning her maudlin and might get her hurt. There was no way her wishes would come to pass. She was in too deep concerning her past. She didn’t need a man to change the life she had carved for herself.
This was all shades of wrong. What did she expect to gain from the date? Nothing. Except to have one more man chasing her.
She sighed. "Jules, I'm not going."
Jules's eyes widened. "What do you mean you aren't going?"
Sandy sat on the bed, downcast. She wished she could tell her best friend her secret, but she only shook her head. It was best left unsaid. Instead, she tried to think of a plausible reason.
"Who am I kidding, Jules? He's drop-dead gorgeous, and I'm what? It's never going to work out."
Her best friend frowned. "Don't say that. You never know. You're beautiful, loving and caring and any man would be fortunate to have you. Besides, he asked you out on a date. If he wasn't interested, he wouldn’t have asked you out."
“It was in return for what he did for me,” Sandy hastily pointed out.
“Yeah, well, to me it was just an excuse to ask you out. Please go out on the date. If he’s not your type, there’s no harm in declining a second date. It’s as simple as that.”
Sandy pondered on her friend's words and nodded. Since when did she become such a negative person? She usually had a positive approach to life. It was always sunny-side up for her. Maybe it was because she had never felt so strongly toward a man. It scared her because she knew if things didn't go well between them, she would be devastated. It would break her heart, which she had been avoiding for years.
"Where's that girl who walked up to a stranger molesting a child and gave him a piece of her mind, to the admiration of all?"
Sandy turned a rosy hue as she remembered how she had stood up for a poor boy being molested by a man at the bus stop. She often found herself in a sudden burst of temper at what she felt was being unfair.
A smile curved the corner of her lips and she nodded at her friend. "Thanks Jules. You're a gem."
Jules flipped back her dark hair. "Don't I know it."
They laughed.
A brisk knock sounded on the door. Sandy's heart missed a beat.
"He's here." Excitement filled Jules.
Sandy stared at her figure one last time on the mirror. The low cut of the dress accentuated her breasts. Her hair fell in glorious waves down her shoulder, nearly reaching her waist. Her face was expertly made up with directions from Jules, even though she had always loved going natural. A touch of lipstick was enough to get her through the day. Fashion and beauty wasn't really her thing but right now, she looked and felt strikingly elegant.
She blew Jules a kiss and ended the call. When Seth came to diner for breakfast the previous day, Sandy had changed their arrangements. She didn’t want anyone knowing she was going out with him.
And so, she had asked him to pick her up at her place. Although it meant that he would get to know her house, it was better than the nosy faces she would see peeking from the diner’s glass window.
She had already endured enough teasing from her aunt and co-workers. She had completely forgotten they were at the restaurant when she fibbed with Seth.
Her aunt had told her that it wasn’t just a lie—she did feel something for Seth but Sandy had vehemently denied it. Though, after painting a dozen pictures of him, Sandy had to agree that she felt something for Seth. But that didn’t mean that she had to do something about it.
She walked carefully down the hall to the living room. She was more comfortable in pumps or sneakers than the high heels she had on. Her strawberry-tinted lips opened in a welcoming smile when she opened the door.
As usual, her pulse raced at the sight of him. When his scorching blue eyes met hers, time stood still for her. The air was stolen from her lungs as his eyes appraised her. She could see he was very pleased with what he saw. That gave her courage to broaden her smile and rake her eyes over him as well.
He looked good enough to eat in a sky-blue silk shirt that matched the color of his eyes. Black trousers emphasized the strength of his legs and black shoes covered his large feet. His hair, which always appeared tousled, was drawn back from his head.
God, he was handsome!
"You look stunning."
Butterflies fluttered with full force in her stomach. She felt hot all over. Avoiding making contact with those mesmerizing eyes of his, she slid out the door and closed it. She allowed him to lead her with his hand on the small of her back to his pickup.
“I hope you don’t mind.” He nodded at the car.
She remembered him claiming to be a neurosurgeon to Amy and her goons and giggled.
“I certainly don’t mind, neurosurgeon.”
Startled for a moment, he threw back his head and rich laughter poured from his throat. She was enamored by it for an instant before she slid into the cool interior of the vehicle. She caught a whiff of his musky tang. It made her heady.
Her nerves wer
e going haywire, so much so, she had to fight the urge to bite her nails as he slid into the driver’s seat. His musky scent filled the car.
He turned on the radio as he pulled away from her driveway. Country music filled the car. Sandy was grateful that they didn’t make small talk. She would have stammered all the way.
However, her eyebrows rose when he drove straight out of town. She turned to look at him.
“My brother claims there’s an exclusive restaurant in the next town a few miles away. I thought we should check it out. It’s new.”
“Your brother?”
He chuckled. “Yes, I have a brother. He owns a ranch on the outskirts of town ... uh, that is, I mean we run a cattle ranch together.”
Sandy had longed to know everything about him, but now that he was talking about his family and occupation, she felt a bit uncomfortable.
The silence in the car continued until he pulled up in front of an exclusive restaurant she had never heard of. The place had a large parking lot with a glittering signboard.
Seth stayed her hand when she made to open the door. He swiftly climbed down from the truck, hurried to the other side and helped her with the door.
“Thanks,” she replied, taking in the fresh spring air.
Letting out a deep breath she had not realized she was holding, she walked into the restaurant with Seth by her side. The doorman opened the door and greeted them.
The restaurant’s décor was quite impressive. It was done in shades of silver and gold. Paintings that drew her attention hung on the walls. The large place was adorned with circular tables and chairs that looked so antique, she feared they would fall apart any minute. But they appeared to be sturdy.
Seth led her to a secluded part of the restaurant and pulled out a chair for her. He took his own seat and smiled at her.
Oh, boy, would she survive this date? This early, she was already feeling lost in his charismatic presence. There was tightness in her tummy she didn't understand. Her complexion was all pink with self-consciousness.
A waiter appeared at her table and Seth ordered a bottle of champagne. Why he would do that was beyond her, but she didn’t say a word. Instead, she focused her attention on the other diners. The waiter returned with the bottle.
Feeling hot all over from Seth’s magnetic presence, she took a sip from the bubbling champagne the waiter poured in her glass. It tickled her nose and almost made her laugh. She wondered what Seth would think of her if she suddenly started laughing. Probably he would surmise that she wasn’t completely well in the head.
Calm down, Sandy. You got this!
"Would you like to order now or wait a little?" Seth asked quietly.
"I'd love to order now," she blurted, and hid her face in the menu to conceal her embarrassment at her less-than-polished response.
Eating would stop her from staring at him like a starved woman eyeing her first meal in days.
"Order it is," he said and she could have sworn she heard amusement in his voice. But when she peeked at him from the top of the menu, he was staring at his menu. He lifted his eyes just then and their eyes met and held.
Breathe. Breathe. She had to remind herself.
She grabbed her glass and swung the rest of the champagne down her parched throat in one gulp, not caring how it made her look.
"You should be careful with that, or you'll be under the table before the evening is over. That's not where I want you to be."
His deftly delivered words, filled with meaning, turned her face red. She lowered her head. The exceeding high charge hummed in the air.
Why did you order champagne in the first place? She longed to ask but thought against it.
She studied the menu as if she were studying for an exam, yet later on, she had no recollection of what she ordered. When it arrived, she dug into it with relish—just to have something to do—and drank more champagne.
As the evening wore on, the amount of champagne she had consumed helped drive away her nervousness, and when Seth invited her to talk about herself, she talked nonstop.
Sandy told him about growing up in the small town of Plyrock. She also told him of her father’s death in an auto crash when she was nine years old. And then, her mother’s cancerous death when she was seventeen and how she left her the diner. She talked about art college in Chicago, Jules and everything.
The alcohol had definitely loosened her tongue; however, she was holding something back.
He lifted his gaze from his plate of steamed sole in lemon juice accompanied by Caesar salad and fixed it on her.
"You’re amazing,” he said when she finished talking. He had listened to her, asked intelligent questions to show he was actually following her and had seemed genuinely concerned about her. She hoped she didn't bore him to tears.
Sandy blushed, turning and twisting her napkin underneath the table. He really ought to stop looking at her like she was the most desirable woman in the world.
He talked about himself—mostly the ranch—and she found herself being drawn into his world. She didn't know much about ranching but he made it look very exciting. He made her laugh with the amusing pictures he painted of some of the antics of the animals he bred. He intrigued her.
While they were having coffee after their meal, Sandy noted she'd been nervous for nothing. They didn't ostensibly have anything in common, but they had spent hours in each other's company and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Well, she had, and from the smile on his face, she could guess he had, too. It was a successful date, but she hoped he wouldn’t ask her out again.
He was too slick and handsome for her piece of mind.
She secretly watched him as silence descended between them. Why was he so enigmatic? Why couldn't she take her eyes off him? Of course he was devilishly handsome, but she had seen handsome men before, hadn't she?
Thump, thump, thump, her heart went as gray eyes locked into blue ones. Perspiration beaded her upper lip and her brain went thoughtless. Her lungs refused to exhale and she felt she was going to fall unconscious any moment now if he continued to stare at her with such flesh-stripping intensity.
Forcefully, she dragged her gaze from his and looked away. Waiters in white and black clothes moved about the place.
"Where are you originally from?" she inquired after a while.
"Arkansas," he replied shortly.
"Really?" she remarked with a cocked eyebrow. "How long have you been here? How long do you intend to stay?"
He paused in drinking his coffee. "I've been here for two months and intend on staying here for a while."
"Why did you choose Plyrock?" she blurted out and blushed. "If it isn't too forward a question."
He smiled and shook his head. Her heart missed a beat. "My brother and I got jobs training horses and we decided to set up our own ranch here."
"I'm scared of horses," she confessed.
"You don't have to be scared of them. Once they know you're not gonna harm them, they learn to trust you. You need to be gentle and patient with them," he carefully explained, but she looked doubtful.
"Don't worry, I’ll teach you how to ride," he informed her with a smile.
Sandy blushed. “Er... I don’t think that will be necessary... I mean..."
"It’s necessary if you’re to become a part of my life. We could go riding together in the mornings."
Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"Sandy,” he began. "I want to get to know you better. I'm a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. I want you, Sandy."
Sandy was robbed of words. It wasn't the most romantic of proposals, but it blew her away nevertheless. She hadn’t expected for him to be so blatant.
She didn’t know if it was the right moment to tell him that although she felt a connection with him, they could never be a couple.
"Umm... what precisely do you mean by 'want'?" She decided to stall.
He smiled. "My first choice of word was 'need,' but I didn't want to seem needy. The
truth is, I need you, Sandy."
Sandy blushed a crimson red. What could she say at such strong words? She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her mind was bursting with so much emotion but her tongue was tied. Before this got any further, he had to know that she couldn’t return his feelings.
He raised a hand to stop her from talking.
"I don't mean to rush you. Please take your time to think about it," he conceded when she tried talking again.
What was there to think about? Nothing was ever going to happen between them.
Sandy took in a deep breath and let it out.
“We’re practically still strangers and—”
He chuckled. "You'll get to know me, Sandy. All of me," he said tongue in cheek, and she blushed.
Sandy couldn’t say anything to that. What could she say? That he was wasting his time? He wouldn’t take it. So, she would just have to show him.
She didn’t say a word on their way home. He tried to draw her out, but she refused to say anything. Her heart was in torment that although she felt something for him, it could never be.
When he pulled up in front of her house and helped her down from the truck, he wanted to say something, but she quickly turned to thank him for a wonderful evening.
As she talked, she fished into her clutch for her keys.
“I enjoyed myself and I believe my debt is paid. So, I hope you won’t take it to heart if I speak to you cordially whenever you come to the diner. Its nothing personal. Just that we can’t be together. I—”
Without warning, Seth put his large hands around her. Shock reverberated through her when he placed his mouth on hers. His mouth moved sensuously over hers with such force that she was powerless to fight against it even if she wanted to.
As the intensity of the kiss increased, Sandy felt like a skydiver floating in the air after a jump. The heat she felt between her thighs felt like hot lava, and she was sure it could melt even the hardest metal. Sensation upon sensation flooded her body as he drew her closer. Her body fit into every inch of his, even though she had to stand on tiptoes to lean into him and deepen the smoking-hot kiss.
She kissed him back like a wanderer in the desert getting his first drink of water. Her body responded with a hunger she couldn't explain. A low moan escaped from her throat when his tongue intertwined with hers in the most erotic way, which made her feel like tearing his clothes off him.
Just Be My Love (Saving Sandy series, #1) Page 4
