up. Her focus went to scanning her emails until the calendar alert popped up informing her she had
five minutes until the meeting started.
A knock sounded on her door as she picked up her briefcase. When she opened the door,
the man she had hoped to avoid until the meeting started, stood there. She forced the muscles of her
mouth into a smile. “Good morning, Dane. Ready for the meeting?”
Bayleigh was proud when her voice didn’t quiver like her insides. He gave her a puzzled
look.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She winced at the high pitch in her voice.
Dane frowned. “Bayleigh—”
“I’m fine, Dane. Just ready to get this meeting over with.”
“Which one?”
He stalked off and her mouth gaped open. What did he mean by that? She didn’t have time
to worry about it. There was an important meeting to focus on. Fortunately, it was quick and
painless, unlike last night. Once everyone was dismissed, she made her way back to her office and
buried her face into her computer. The end of the workday came a lot sooner than she would like
for a change. Bayleigh was grateful Dane had stayed away from her the rest of the day. Her mind
was already preoccupied enough. After shutting down her computer, she picked up her briefcase,
and headed for the parking lot.
Bayleigh pulled into her assigned parking spot and rushed inside. Unfortunately she didn’t
have long to get ready before meeting Dane for dinner. She didn’t have any idea what to wear.
Bayleigh paused at the thought. Why was she worried about getting dressed up for dinner? It was
just Dane. However, it was dinner at Sotto Voce’s with Dane.
Sotto Voce’s didn’t have a strict dress code but it wasn’t a place where one could get away
with wearing casual pants and a shirt. Her normal outfit was khaki’s and a button down oxford. It
was why she hated meeting days. She had to dress up for them.
Bayleigh slipped off her shoes as soon as she entered her apartment. A sense of panic came
over her. Why did Dane want to talk? Why couldn’t he just ignore the entire situation the way she
was trying to? Because he was different and always had been. Dane was also kind to a fault. He
would try to make the situation right, no matter what it took.
Bayleigh groaned as she walked toward the bedroom, unbuttoning her suit jacket as she
went. This was way harder than it should be. It was unfamiliar territory and she was nervous.
Calm down Bayleigh. You are overreacting. The situation is only difficult if you make it so.
She smiled to herself as her mother’s advice resonated in her mind then opened her closet
door and stepped inside. Her gaze went to the back of the closet. The outfit she would need was
there. Bayleigh took the dress down and looked at it. The silk lilac dress with the draped scoop
neckline, fitted waist, and flare skirt would be perfect for the night. Her sister, Tasha, would be
happy to know she was wearing the dress after it had hung in her closet for six months.
When she walked into Sotto Voce’s a few minutes before seven, Dane’s expression told her
she picked out the right dress. He stood to greet her and the stunned look on his face made her
smile.
She’d taken extra care with her appearance tonight, leaving her hair down with the end
curled upward into a flyaway style. Her make-up was also more extensive than she tended to wear it.
The accessories she finished her look off with included the teardrop earrings and matching necklace
her mother had given her for her birthday last year. From the look on Dane’s face her extra effort
was worth it.
He held out her chair and she thanked him while she sat. When he returned to his chair their
server approached. She hardly paid attention to what was said. How had she missed how attractive
Dane was before now? When she first met him she thought he was cute, but now she realized he
was gorgeous.
Bayleigh liked his strong, somewhat sharp nose, sculpted mouth, and masculine jaw line. His
twinkling, dark green eyes that always held an air of amusement were another feature of his she
favored. His eyes always made her smile.
“Bayleigh?”
She blinked and realized her was staring at her. So was the waiter. He must be waiting on her
drink order.
“I’ll just have water,” she responded with smile.
The waiter nodded before walking off. Picking up the menu, she studied it before she
embarrassed herself any further. She decided to go with the Salmon Cannelloni with lemon cream
sauce. Her decision made, she looked over at Dane. He was watching her, intently. Bayleigh tried
not to squirm, but his gaze made her nervous.
The waiter returned with their drinks, offering her a brief reprieve. She gave her food order
hoping it would be rushed. No one could talk with a full mouth. The waiter walked away. Bayleigh
looked over at Dane with a nervous smile. It would be better to get this over with, the sooner the
better.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“I want to talk to you about last night and how this will affect our friendship going
forward.”
Bayleigh nodded, unable to speak, fearful of what he was going to say. She was prepared to
fight though. Their friendship was too valuable to her.
He leaned closer to her. “Our friendship as we know it is over.”
A sharp, stabbing pain went through her heart. This was exactly what she didn’t want.
“Tonight is about you and me, as a man and a woman.”
It took her moment to grasp his words but when she did, her eyes widened. “What do you
mean?”
He gave her a wicked smile. Was this a joke of some sort? She laughed, figuring Dane was
trying to put her at ease.
“What’s funny?”
Bayleigh stopped laughing at the serious tone in his voice. Her mouth dropped open when
she realized he was serious. This was insane. She shook her head.
“No, Dane. I’m not willing to sacrifice our friendship for a sexual relationship.”
A stunned look fell over his face. “You think I would give up our friendship for sex?”
She remained silent, not sure what to think, what to do. For the first time in her life she
didn’t know what to say. Nothing could have prepared her for this. Dane had never showed an
inkling of sexual attraction to her. Sure he complimented her when she wore her hair different or on
her cooking when she brought him food, but that was what friends did. Right?
“What are you saying Dane?”
For the first time since she met him the smile Dane gave her lacked its normal confidence.
“I’m saying that I’m attracted to you, Bayleigh. I have been for a while now, I just didn’t want to say
anything because I was afraid to mess up the chemistry we have as friends.” He sighed. “After what
we shared last night, I can no longer put my deeper feelings for you aside.”
Dane stopped speaking as the waiter delivered their food.
After the waiter left, Bayleigh was still speechless. What was she supposed to say? The last
thing she wanted to do was ruin her friendship with Dane. It was something she valued greatly. She
looked down at her food and ate a few bites. The food was good but she barely tasted it. What was
the point in
eating if she couldn’t enjoy it?
“What’s wrong?” Dane asked.
Bayleigh gave a slight shake of her head. He’d just dropped a bombshell and her first instinct
was to run from the table screaming. She couldn’t believe Dane had been attracted to her and she
hadn’t even noticed. What was wrong with her?
Any rational woman…any normal woman…would have known. Bayleigh wasn’t ready for
this. Wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Yes, Dane was attractive, but date him? That was a serious
step. She also knew it was one she wasn’t prepared for. Her past relationships had been disasters and
she wasn’t ready for another one.
“Bayleigh?” She jumped in surprise, pressing a hand to her chest. “Look at me, Bayleigh.”
It was difficult, but she managed to drag her eyes upward. His expression of concern
touched her. He was such a good friend and she didn’t want to lose that.
“I know this is a lot to think about. I also don’t expect an answer tonight, but I had to tell
you.”
She gave him a brief nod, not sure how she should respond. It was times like these she
wished she could switch places with Tasha. Her younger sister was the outgoing one, the one who
always knew what to in a social situation.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say Dane. I never thought about us as anything other
than friends.”
“Is it because I’m white?”
Bayleigh gasped. “No, Dane! You know me better than that.
Race doesn’t matter to me. It never has and you know it.”
Dane sat down his fork. “Then what is it?”
The corners of her mouth curled up into a small smile. “You’re my friend, Dane. I’ve never
thought about you in any other way.”
Bayleigh forced the small lie out, relieved when Dane gave her a look of understanding. He
reached across the table and took her hand in his. She felt a jolt that had never been there before. It
was the same sensation she felt last night when his lips touched hers for the first time.
“I understand Bayleigh. But I hope you’ll at least think about it.”
Bayleigh nodded. After everything that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours she’d be
lucky if she could think about anything else.
Chapter Two
“Okay, spill it.”
Dane looked up at Isaac, his best friend, and frowned. “Spill what?”
“Tell me what has you drinking the same beer for an hour and ignoring the last three women
who came on so strong, you could probably have one of them in bed by now.”
Dane shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not good company tonight. My mind is a little
preoccupied.”
Isaac laughed. “You don’t say? The question is, what has you so preoccupied?”
Dane closed his eyes. He didn’t want to get into this. Even with Isaac being his best friend
since elementary school, he didn’t think Isaac would get it.
Things were bad enough as it was. Since his dinner with Bayleigh four nights ago, she had
avoided him. Unless it dealt with work, she wouldn’t talk with him. Even then she was brief,
professional. The warmth she normally showed him was gone and he wasn’t sure he could ever get it
back.
Bayleigh meant a lot to him. It hadn’t been until two years ago that he realized he had fallen
for her. Yet when he thought about why he had, it would be easy for anyone to understand.
She was easy to talk to, sweet, caring, and easy to get along with, but reserved.
There was a lot he knew a lot about her, but he didn’t know everything. She kept parts of
herself hidden from others and he had no idea why. Anytime he tried to talk to her about her secrets
Bayleigh would shut down. She had been hurt in the past. He knew first hand by whom and the jerk
hadn’t been worth her time. Dane sighed. If she were willing to give him a chance he would show
her how she deserved to be treated.
Bayleigh was the woman he had been looking for. The woman he wanted a future and family
with. She intrigued him on every level a woman should intrigue a man. She had him in knots with
trying to figure her out, wondering what his next move should be. How could he convince her that
getting involved with him wouldn’t be a mistake, wouldn’t ruin their friendship, only add to it?
“Dane, are you listening to me?”
He looked up. Isaac’s amused expression stared back at him. “No, I wasn’t. What did you
say?”
Isaac shook his head. “You are in sad shape man. What’s going on?”
Dane exhaled. He wasn’t going to be able to get around this. “Bayleigh.”
“Is she okay?”
Dane shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Isaac leaned forward. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“We slept together.”
Isaac’s stunned expression was so comical that Dane smiled.
“Get the hell outta here. Are you serious?”
Dane gave a curt nod, taking a swig of beer. He grimaced as the warm drink went down.
“Then what are you doing here? Why aren’t you...wait…was she bad in bed?”
Dane glared at Isaac. “Watch your mouth.”
Isaac held his hands up. “Sorry man. I didn’t mean it like that. But what are you doing here?
It’s no secret you’re crazy about Bayleigh.”
Dane closed his eyes. Everyone except Bayleigh had known. Now his secret was out. He
would have thought it would get better not worse.
Dane looked over at Isaac. “To everyone except for Bayleigh. Now that she knows, she
freaked.”
Isaac frowned. “What do you mean she freaked?”
Dane released a pent up breath. “Bayleigh won’t talk to me. She avoids me at work. I can’t
even get her to look at me.”
Isaac gave him a sympathetic look. “Doesn’t sound good.”
“I know.” Dane closed his eyes. “What am I supposed to do? She isn’t like other women.”
Isaac chuckled. “You got that right.”
Dane opened his eyes, giving his friend a warning look. Isaac laughed. “Calm down. I meant
it in a good way. Bayleigh is perfect for you.”
Isaac was right. She was perfect for him. Bayleigh was smart, beautiful and funny. He never
felt pressured to be something he wasn’t when he was with her.
“The question now is what are you going to do to get her to talk to you?”
Dane groaned. “How did I get myself into this mess?”
Isaac smirked. “I assumed it started with a kiss or two, then you—”
“Isaac, you aren’t helping.”
Isaac stared at him for another moment. “What do you want me to do? In case you have
forgotten, I’m not the relationship sort.”
Dane laughed. Isaac did have a point. He didn’t stay with the same woman for more than a
month or two. Still he knew his friend was selective in who he shared himself with intimately.
However, it made him the least likely person to have sound relationship advice. Dane muffled a
groan. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess? He had to find a way to get her to talk to
him. It was the only way he could convince her that a relationship between the two of them could
work.
He’d had a thing for her from the first time they met. The moment he stepped into her
office, he had forgotten how to breathe. Her toffee-brown face—dominated by high cheekbones, a
pert nose, and full-lips that he wanted to kis
s—lips that he had kissed, now. She wore glasses on
occasion but they didn’t distract from her mesmerizing brown eyes.
It amazed him that a woman with her beauty wasn’t aware of it. He quickly found out
Bayleigh was shy. When they were at work she could become assertive. Not afraid to ask—demand
what she needed. She had also been the same way the night they slept together. All she needed was
someone to push her, to bring her out of her reclusive corner.
It all proved his theory of there being more to her than what was visible. When he first met
her, he had been unwilling to act upon his attraction. They were co-workers, she was new to the job
and her no nonsense persona gave him the impression she wouldn’t be open to it. Instead, he settled
for the role of friend. Bayleigh made it easy. After the night of intense pleasure they shared, it would
be impossible for him to deny his feelings for her. He had to come up with a plan to convince her to
One Reckless Night Page 3
