Silk

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Smirking, he narrowed his eyes. “I could say the same for you. You were the one who left me, remember? Imagine my surprise when I woke up and your side of the bed was cold. You didn’t even say good-bye … Melissa. I must say it was a first for me.”

  My breath hitched at the sound of him saying my name, all heat-filled and raspy, but I couldn’t let it sway me. “There’s always a first time for everything, right? As far as my name, you probably heard Jason say it or something. Anyway, it was a one night stand, Brett. One of us was going to have to do the leaving and I made sure it was me. Surely, you can understand that.”

  Brett guffawed, the rich sound echoing throughout the room. It caught the attention of many and they all stared at us for a second before resuming their conversations.

  “You are a piece of work, Melissa. Well, I must say that it was a very memorable one night stand; one that I’ve thought of often. How about we pick up where we left off? We can go to your place if you’d like, or we can go back to mine.”

  My mouth dropped open, lost for words. I’d spent the last couple of months wanting to experience another night like I did with him again, but I hadn’t met anyone that could live up to those standards. The man was dangerous, not only to my body, but I feared for my heart as well.

  Moving closer so that his breath tickled my ear, he whispered, “So how about it, Melissa? Your place tonight … or mine?”

  I was about to open my mouth to speak when Korinne called out my name and hurried up to me. She was beautiful with her long, golden colored hair with the height of a runway model. Her red dress hugged her slim figure, and even after having a baby not too long ago she looked amazing. Giving me a hug, she squeezed hard and cried excitedly, “Oh, Melissa, I’m so glad you made it. Jason found me and told me you were here. I was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

  “I was a little late,” I confessed sheepishly.

  With a twinkle in her eye, her smile grew larger when she noticed Brett move closer to my side. “Yeah, I see that. Am I interrupting something here? You two seem like you’ve already met before.”

  Quickly, I exclaimed, “No.”

  However, Brett countered it and said, “Yes.”

  Korinne’s eyebrows raised and she grinned mischievously. “Well, in that case I’ll go ahead and tell you that this is the guy I’ve wanted you to meet for the past couple of months. Luckily, since you two already know each other, it shouldn’t be awkward.”

  My face blushed bright crimson and I could see out of the corner of my eye that Brett was trying to hide his smirk. Korinne, looking straight at me and oblivious to my heated stare, continued, “Okay, well you two have fun, and when you get the chance I want to introduce you to some other people as well.” She kissed my cheek and gazed down at my dress. “You look amazing by the way. That color suits you … it matches your eyes.” She winked and glanced quickly at Brett, then back to me, before turning on her heel and ambling over to her husband.

  Brett placed his hand on the small of my back and lowered his head toward my ear. “She’s right. You do look amazing. You didn’t tell me that she wanted to introduce you to someone here.”

  I sighed, relishing in the feel of his hand on my body. “How was I supposed to know it was you she wanted me to meet? She’s trying to play matchmaker. It’s what she’s been trying to do with me for the past couple of months.”

  Incredulously, Brett gazed down at me in disbelief. “I find it hard to believe that you’d have problems finding a date.”

  Amused, I remarked, “No, I don’t have problems with finding dates.” He lifted his brow at that, so I rolled my eyes and continued, “Anyway, Kori and I grew up together and were best friends in school. She’s always been the matchmaker, it’s what she does. I’ve always trusted her judgment. I just wish she was around when I got married.”

  Brett’s eyes went wide and he lowered his hand from my back so he could cross his arms over his chest. “You’re married? How long have you been married?”

  Exasperated, I laughed and said, “I’m not married anymore. Do you think I would’ve had a one night stand with you if I was married? I’ve been divorced for a year now.”

  Visibly relaxing, he put his arm around my waist like it belonged there and closed the space between us. “Well, in that case that’s even better. You’re kind of young to have already been married and divorced. What happened?”

  I couldn’t stop from snorting in disgust. “What didn’t happen is the thing. He was a typical, male and once someone new wanted to open her legs for him he pounced.”

  “So he cheated on you?” Brett responded, gritting his teeth.

  I nodded. “Yes, he did. Which is why I need to stay away from men like you.” I didn’t mean to say that so rudely, but I couldn’t help it. There was no way I could trust the man in front of me … no way.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, agitation clear in his tone. Glaring down at me, he responded, “Not all men cheat, Melissa. You can’t always think every man is going to be a douche bag like your ex. That would be like me thinking that every female that looks as pretty as you are whores. It just doesn’t work that way. When I met you and took you to my condo, I knew there was something about you that was different … something real. I had never been able to talk to someone the way I did with you. We might not have made the most rational choices that night, but it was something I don’t regret at all.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. He had a point and I wasn’t about to tell him he was right, so I kept quiet. He lowered his head again and brushed his lips against my ear. “You don’t have to trust me, and I understand you have issues with it considering what happened to you. But know this … ever since that night three months ago I’ve wanted to find you. Now that you’re here, I’m taking it as a sign. You can’t tell me you don’t feel that pull when I’m around.”

  I did feel the pull; it was strong, and it was tugging on my insides at that very moment. Breathless, I muttered honestly, “I do, but it doesn’t mean anything. We don’t even know each other. How can you say these things to me?”

  He nipped my ear with his teeth. “I say them because I can. I remember everything you told me that night about you, even when you assumed I wasn’t listening. So you see, I know more about you than you think. I listened to … every … single … word.” He paused and wrapped one of my curls around his finger. “Go find Korinne and let her introduce you to her people. I’m sure she’s waiting on you. I will find you before this party is over.” With those last words, he growled low in my ear as he smelled me, taking in a deep breath. As soon as he walked away, I shivered and wrapped my arms around my waist.

  What the hell am I getting myself into?

  Chapter Three

  When I started to explain to Korinne how I met Brett, she gasped and interrupted me, “You met him how?”

  Sheepishly, I shrugged my shoulders and looked away. “At a bar,” I answered quietly.

  She laughed and put her arms around my shoulders. “And then you went to his place and had sex. Geez, Melissa, that’s crazy. No wonder he was looking at you like that. It must’ve been a good night. How long ago was this?”

  “It was about three months ago now,” I confessed. “And it was only the one night. I haven’t seen him since until today.”

  “Seen who?” Galen asked. Korinne’s husband came up behind her and engulfed her in his arms, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Brett,” she answered, smiling mischievously at me. “It appears my match making skills weren’t needed this time. Melissa already met the man I wanted her to meet.”

  Galen’s eyes lit up and he beamed. I could tell he and Korinne were happy, and for once I found myself envious of her. They had the type of relationship I wanted: one of love, respect, and honesty. Galen was handsome with his ash blond hair and eyes almost the same gray as Brett’s, but his smile was nowhere near as enchanting. Why do these men have to have such amazi
ng eyes?

  “Brett’s a good man,” Galen acknowledged. “I hired him to take over the West Coast accounts. I think he’d be a good one for you. You should give him a chance.”

  Half-heartedly, I huffed and tried to appear unfazed, but my insides were blazing warm with just the mention of his name. Yep, I was in trouble. “I’ll think about it,” I ended up saying.

  “Okay, ladies,” he said. “I need to make more rounds around the room, so have fun. Don’t get too wild and crazy.” Chuckling, he kissed Korinne’s cheek and winked at me before leaving us to ourselves. Korinne’s gaze followed him as he made his way around the room.

  “You’re a lucky woman, Kori,” I said softly, meaning every single word.

  Beaming, she turned to me and nodded. “Yes I am. Your time will come, though. Everyone deserves a second chance at love, and I know it will find its way to you.”

  I hope so.

  I still needed to think about what I was going to do when Brett found me at the end of the night. He said he would, and I had no doubt about that. As if my thoughts summoned him, and even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel his penetrating gaze on me. He was watching me and I knew it.

  Korinne must’ve sensed my unease because she gave my hand a squeeze. Her beautiful green eyes gazed at me with nothing except love and concern. Softly, she murmured in my ear, “Mel, I know you’re scared of getting hurt, but you have to let it go. Your ex was a complete ass and not all men are like that. Trust me on this, you need to let it go and move on.”

  I sighed and squeezed her hand back. “It’s not that I’m scared per se, Korinne. I can’t deny the chemistry that Brett and I had that one night, and much to my dismay we still have it. Believe me, I want to give it a go, but it’s the trust I have an issue with. I married Daniel on a whim. It was wild, fun, and wonderful until his head got in the way. When he cheated on me I was hurt, and I refuse to let it happen again.”

  Korinne shrugged. “It’s a chance you have to take, Melissa. I, for one, know what it’s like to run away from someone you care about. I regret every moment I spent running away from Galen when all he wanted to do was be there for me.”

  Korinne had been married before, right out of college, and her husband at the time had died tragically in a car accident. I didn’t know all of what had happened because Korinne and I hadn’t talked in years at that point, but she was afraid of pursuing a relationship with Galen after that. Now look at them … they were happily married with a baby girl.

  When my eyes wavered from Korinne’s, I spotted Brett across the room, staring at me as he was talking to a group of men. Taking her by the shoulder, I turned her around so she could look at him with me. I didn’t care if he knew I was talking about him.

  “All right, Kori. I know you have to see what I see when you look at him. He’s gorgeous, and you can feel the arrogance flowing off of him in waves. He’s confident and he knows it. Do you honestly think a man like that could stay faithful when he could have any woman he wants?”

  Shaking her head, Korinne scoffed and turned her attention back to me, “Yes, I do think he could stay faithful. All you have to do is get to know him and judge for yourself. There’s no harm in that. If in your gut you don’t feel like he’s an honorable man then don’t date him.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and stepped in my line of vision so my gaze would be on hers instead of Brett’s. “And yes, I’m sure he could have any woman he wants, and right now he wants you. I can feel it from across the room, and I’m sure he wants me to move so he can look at you from afar.”

  Indeed, I could certainly feel it. Against my better judgment, I glanced over Korinne’s shoulder at Brett. He tilted his lips ever so slightly at me before directing his attention back to the men he was talking to. Groaning, I flung my arms dismissively in the air, giving up. “Okay, I’ll give him a chance. But I’m not going to have another one night stand with him tonight.”

  Korinne snickered and rolled her eyes. “Maybe you two could just talk and get to know each other? That’s typically how this works.” Taking my hand, she pulled me over to the bar and grabbed two glasses of wine, handing me one. “Okay, bottoms up, darling. I think we’ve talked about men enough already, now it’s time to have some fun.”

  Smiling, I agreed and tapped my glass to hers, the high-pitched clinking noise being music to my ears. “I do believe you’re right. Bottoms up, baby.”

  Chapter Four

  As the night drew on, I said my good-byes to Korinne and her husband before making my way to the elevators. I didn’t know if I could deal with Brett yet, so I did what I thought was best and snuck away as fast as I could. When I got in the elevator, I breathed a sigh of relief when the doors started to close. I thought I was in the clear, but then a hand broke through the middle, stopping them from making the final seal.

  When the doors pulled back, Brett lifted an eyebrow and a slow smile spread across his face as the elevator closed behind him, capturing us together. “I meant it when I said I was going to find you before the evening was up. You weren’t trying to sneak off were you?”

  I honestly did lose track of him in the crowd and I wasn’t going to look desperate searching for him. However, sneaking off was my prime agenda so I lied, “I didn’t know where you were and I saw that it was getting late.”

  He pressed the button for the ‘ground’ level, and I realized that we had sixty floors to descend, all alone in the confines of an elevator. The tension in the air was electric, sizzling across my skin, and I was fully aware of the heat his body gave off as he moved closer to me. I told Korinne I would give him a chance, but I couldn’t help how nervous I was. I was never nervous around men. His scent intoxicated me as it filled up the small space, and it only grew worse the closer he got.

  No! He was getting too close.

  I held up my hand and backed up a step. “Look, I’m not doing a repeat of our night three months ago, Brett. It was stupid of me to let it go that far. If that’s all you want from me you can forget it.”

  Facing me, Brett growled low and grabbed my hips, lightly pushing me against the elevator walls. Tilting my chin back with his finger, his stormy gray gaze penetrated through to my soul. I swallowed hard to fight back the temptation of just giving in.

  “That’s not all I want from you, Melissa,” he breathed against my lips. “I haven’t been able to look or talk to another woman without comparing her to you since then. I’ve tried, believe me I’ve tried, but I can’t seem to get you out of my mind.”

  His lips were so close … so inviting. I haven’t slept with a man since him, and my body craved a man’s touch more than anything. Nevertheless, I knew it would be a mistake to start things off with him by having sex, even if the tension between us was thicker than a brick wall.

  Placing my hands on his chest, I could feel his heart thundering. It was almost as fast as my own racing heart. “Brett,” I whispered. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I honestly don’t do just casual sex. I really don’t know what came over me that night, but I don’t want it to happen like that again. If you honestly can’t stop thinking about me then you need to prove it to me in other ways.”

  “Gladly,” he muttered, deep and gravelly.

  Inching closer, his smile grew wider before he crushed his lips to mine, tasting me. He parted my lips with his tongue and entangled it with mine greedily. The grip he had around my waist was protective and tight as he held me against his body, his hands flexing against my lower back. His erection was hard against my stomach and I couldn’t stop the moan from rising up through my parted lips. Did I honestly just say I don’t do casual sex? I felt like a hypocrite in that moment because all I wanted to do was strip him down and ride him in the elevator.

  When the dinging noise sounded that we’d reached our floor, Brett slowly pulled back and gave me an inch of space. He looked cool and calm with a smile on his face while I was the one panting and breathless. I wanted to hate him for having that effect on me
. I narrowed my eyes and snarled at him so he’d know what I was thinking. However, my body definitely didn’t respond to him like that. Before strolling out of the elevator, I straightened my dress and took a deep breath. Brett put his arm around my waist and led me to the valet counter where they all tried to hide their smirks. Great.

  The young guy that had taken my car smiled and nodded at me, and sauntered off in the direction of the lot to fetch my car. “I see you must’ve made an impression on the valet guy,” Brett teased. “He didn’t even need your ticket.”

  Nonchalantly, I shrugged. “Yeah, he liked my car when I pulled up.”

  Brett smiled and grabbed hold of my hands as I faced him. “I can assure you that wasn’t all he liked when you pulled up.” He glanced down at our locked fingers before slowly lifting his gaze to mine. “Look, Melissa, I happily accept the challenge of proving anything you want me to prove to you, but I need you in this as well. It’s not just me you need to learn to trust, you also need to learn to trust yourself.” He paused and took a stray curl, wrapping it around his finger before unraveling it. “Do you mind if I come pick you up tomorrow? I thought about going out on the lake and I’d really like for you to come.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not trying to come home with me now,” I retorted teasingly.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No, baby, I’m not. If I came with you right now I don’t think I’d be able to control myself being alone with you. If you want me to be the gentleman I am then you need to go home alone.”

  A ping of disappointment flared in my gut, but it was probably for the better. The last thing I needed was to fumble into what we had going on with sex as our beginning point. “I understand,” I agreed. “Tomorrow sounds great. I love going out on the lake.”