by Brower, Dawn
What was her name again? Why did she have such a hard time remembering it? Dani was almost positive it was the same woman who’d called her about Matt’s accident. She hadn’t been able to recall it that day either. She was around all the time and damn near blended into her surroundings. The woman was one of Matt’s nurses, so Dani should be able to recall her damn name.
“Hello, Lana,” Ren replied. “Are you having a good time?”
That’s it! Thank you, Ren. Dani filed away her name. She’d not forget it again.
The young nurse smiled. “I haven’t been to one of these functions in years. It’s for a good cause, and I had to come to support it.”
Ren nodded. “It is. I wasn’t aware you’d be here tonight.”
Lana grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter as he passed by. She took a drink before she spoke. “It’s hard to not know what this is all for. I know they say it’s to support the hospital and give the pediatric wing some much needed funding, but it’s more than that. The Brady family went through a lot when Ella went missing. No one understands that more than I do.”
Dani perked up at her pronouncement. Did she know what happened to the little girl? Maybe she could grill Lana for more information. Ren didn’t seem to know any more than he’d told her. The mystery was so intriguing. It might also give her more to go on concerning her annoying client, Mr. Nettles. She didn’t understand what he had against females.
“Do you know the family well?” Dani couldn’t hold the question in. She had to know more. “I’ve not met any of them.”
Lana turned to her, a puzzled expression on her face. “I’m sorry. I should know you. You seem familiar.”
“Dani’s Matthew Price’s friend,” Ren offered.
“No, that’s not it.” She scrunched her nose up. “But now that you mention it, I do recall seeing you in his room.”
Dani decided Lana was odd. She seemed nice enough, but easily distracted. She shrugged. “I am unremarkable.”
“If you say so,” Lana reluctantly agreed. “To answer your question, I grew up in their household. My mother is their housekeeper. Most of the family is nice enough. I lived in the main residence when Ella went missing. It’s not something I’m likely to forget.”
Dani restrained from shouting out. She wanted to do a jig. This is what she needed. A source to pump for more information, if she could hold back the need to press deeper for information she might get Lana to spill everything.
“It must have been devastating for the family. Do you know what happened?”
She’d wanted to forget about the little girl, but she couldn’t seem to let it go. It might be silly, but she was intrigued. Deep down Dani realized the little girl’s disappearance wouldn’t help her with Mr. Nettle’s case though.
She shook her head. “It’s not my place to say.”
Damn. Stonewalled again. How was she going to get any details on the family if no one would open up? Instead of pushing her, she nodded her agreement. “I understand. I can be morbidly curious.”
“If you don’t mind me asking—where do you come from?” Lana asked.
“Excellent question,” a deep baritone agreed. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you. Lana, please introduce us.”
Lana frowned. “Go away, Sullivan. We’re having a grown up conversation. You weren’t invited.”
He chuckled lightly. Dani glanced up at him. He was even more gorgeous in person. The pictures in the paper hadn’t done him justice. His hair was a rich ebony, slightly long, with curls hugging the edge of his ears. His deep green eyes were the exact same shade as hers. Claire hadn’t been wrong on that account. Sullivan Brady was breathtaking to behold, and Lana appeared to be more annoyed than entranced by him.
“I beg to differ,” his reply rolled of his tongue. “I’m the host. I don’t need an invitation. It’s implied.”
The prim and proper Lana did something Dani wouldn’t have expected. She glanced over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him. Dani’s mouth fell open with shock. They were almost—playful. Lana said she’d grown up in the Brady household. Did that mean they were childhood friends? Their actions certainly implied as much.
“Doesn’t give you leave to be rude.” She rolled her eyes. “I was having a nice conversation with Dr. Sousa and his date. You had no right to impose yourself on our conversation.”
He held his hand against his chest and turned to her and Ren. “I apologize. I didn’t realize my behavior was untoward. Please forgive me” He held his hand out to Ren. “Dr. Sousa, it’s good to see you again. Thank you for coming tonight.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Ren shook Sullivan’s hand. “It’s a good cause.”
Sullivan nodded. “My family certainly thinks so.” His gaze focused on Dani’s face. Sullivan’s scrutiny was akin to studying a bug under a microscope. She squirmed under his thorough examination. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sullivan Brady.”
“See, you’re capable of introducing yourself. I’m going in search of better company,” Lana paused. “I don’t mean you, Ren.” Then she spun on her heels and left.
“I’m going to check on her.” Ren leaned down and kissed Dani’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He followed after Lana. Dani pushed down the rush of jealousy. Lana was a friend and colleague. It was perfectly fine for Ren to make sure she was all right. It was in his nature to look after those he cared for.
Sullivan shook his head. “I apologize. We tend to needle each other whenever we cross paths. It’s the result of growing up together, I’m afraid. We know too many of each other’s secrets and faults.”
“That’s not always a bad thing.”
“No.” He smiled down at her. “It isn’t. So are you going to keep me in the dark forever?”
“What?” She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
“Your name,” he stated plainly. “I’ve never seen you before. The first time I met Ren he was married to a blonde harpy.”
Dani smiled at his description of Jessica. “An apt description if I’ve ever heard one.” She liked him. He was easy to be around, and there was something comforting in his demeanor. “I’m Daniella Brosen.”
He nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Brosen. Have you known the good doctor long?”
“Most of my life. We were best friends in high school.”
Why were details spilling out of her without much thought? She didn’t usually open up to people she barely knew. This was supposed to be her inquisition. If she wanted to gain control of their conversation, she’d have to turn things around, and fast.
“Hmm.” His gaze went unfocused. “So were you childhood sweethearts as well?”
She shook her head. “Why are you so curious?”
He was silent for a brief moment. A flicker of something flashed in his eyes before he pushed it back. Whatever it was, he’d suppressed it before it could surface. It made Dani a little uneasy. What was Sullivan Brady after?
“You remind me of someone.”
That seemed to be the standard answer lately. What was going on with him? He acted like he knew her at a glance. She didn’t like it one bit. The familiarity wasn’t settling well with her. She’d found him comforting at first—now she wanted to put some distance between them. He was freaking her out.
“If you say so.” Dani shrugged. As far as she knew, she didn’t resemble anyone. They did say everyone had a twin of some sort in the world. Maybe she did look like someone he’d met before. Claire said Dani’s coloring was similar to the Sullivans’. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility she could look like someone he was acquainted with. “I wouldn’t have a clue about anyone you know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you would.” His lips quirked upward. “I’d like to know you better.”
“I promise I’m not interesting enough to bother with.” She waved a hand. “I bet you live a fascinating life though. Tell me about yourself.”
Dani a
ttempted to change the subject. She didn’t like the path it had gone down. Whatever Sullivan wanted to know, she wasn’t so sure she wanted him to find out. He was charming and smooth. If she allowed it, he’d have intimate knowledge of every one of her secrets before she knew what she was saying.
“I’m not all that intriguing. I promise.” He shrugged. He flashed her one of his charming smiles that almost caught her off guard again. “So you grew up with Ren in Hope Beach on the other side of the state.”
Damn, he was good. She almost didn’t catch it. He was so subtle. Digging for answers when it was clear he wanted more information on her. Did he think he was protecting Ren from another harpy? Maybe if she gave him enough details, he’d leave them alone.
“Not entirely. I didn’t get transferred to a foster home there until I was at the end of eighth grade. Before that, I’d been in so many different places I don’t remember them all.”
He stilled. All emotion fell from his face. “You were in foster care?” His voice was pure steel. Why did it bother him so much?
She nodded carefully. “For as long as I remember. My parents abandoned me. I was found asleep on a church steps in a town near Hope Beach. I don’t know who my family is.”
He reached out for her. She jerked her hand out of his grasp before she realized what she was doing. Something in his face scared her. She stepped back, away from his grasp. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “No one should go through that. I wasn’t thinking—it’s…” He paused and scrubbed his face with his hands. “I hate to think of any child suffering. It’s part of the reason my family set up this foundation. We want to help all children. If you understood what happened to my sister…”
She nodded. He wasn’t reacting to her, but what happened to Ella Brady. She could forgive him his reaction. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop her from shaking. “I’m sorry your family went through such a terrible ordeal. You have my sympathies.” She brushed her hand nervously over her dress and downed the rest of her champagne. “If you’ll excuse me. I’m going to join Ren. Have a good night.”
She set her empty glass on a nearby table and escaped as quickly as her feet could move in three-inch heels. When she reached Ren’s side, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she attempted to reassure him. “I missed you.”
He stared off in the distance. “Was Sullivan bothering you?”
“Of course not.” She shook her head. “He’s harmless.”
Ren was silent. He stared across the room. She turned to see what held his attention. Sullivan Brady was leaving the ballroom, exiting by a side door. Their conversation must have bothered him more than she realized.
“Sullivan can be—intense, but he is a good guy,” Ren said. “This fundraiser means a lot to him and his family. It’s hard on them, but they want to make a difference where they can.”
She shrugged. “I don’t have any family, so I don’t have any experience to fall back on. I would hate to go through what they have.” She didn’t experience what the Brady’s had when Ella went missing. The whole thing would be more than she could handle. She would much rather think of pleasant things. “Let’s focus on what we came here for.” She leaned into him and let her hands skim across his chest. “Dance with me again.”
Ren let her pull him back on the dance floor. After a while, the weird actions of Sullivan Brady appeared to slide where it belonged—in the back of her mind. Later, when she had a clear head, she’d re-examine it all and figure out what was going on. For now, she’d enjoy her night with Ren fully.
Chapter Twelve
Sullivan hadn’t come back to the ballroom since he’d exited. Ren glanced at his watch. He’d been gone over twenty minutes. He’d hoped to have a conversation with him while Dani went to use the restroom. He’d have to catch him another time.
“Ren, it’s nice to see you.”
He looked up at Preston West and scowled. “What do you want?”
“I was hoping we could talk.”
It was the last thing Ren wanted to do. Preston had damaged their friendship when he’d taken his ex-wife to bed. They had a working relationship, nothing more. “I think we’ve covered every subject we would ever have to discuss outside of the hospital. There’s nothing you could possibly say that would make things any different between the two of us.”
Preston closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Please listen to me. Give me five minutes.”
Ren tightened his hand into a fist and held it close to his side. Dani would come back from her trip to the ladies’ room any moment. He wanted Preston gone before she did. “You have less than that. Say what you need to and leave me alone.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Jessica.”
“As far as I’m concerned, whatever is going on between you and my ex-wife can stay between the two of you. I don’t figure into that equation any longer.” He stared into Preston’s eyes and hammered home his point. “I divorced her for a reason. You were only one part of it. I’ve moved on and don’t give a damn what you two decide to do.”
Preston nodded. “I saw you with your date. You look happy.”
How long had Preston been watching them? He shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. Nothing Preston did concerned him. All he wanted was for the other doctor to leave him in peace. “Did you have a point?”
“I wanted you to know that I didn’t do what I did with Jessica to hurt you. I fell in love with her.” He paused and then said, “I wish I’d done things differently. I miss having you as a friend. Is there any way you can forgive me?”
Oh, hell. Ren didn’t want to deal with any of this nonsense. “I doubt it.” He loved Jessica, so that made it all right? What world did he live in? He was supposed to be his friend, but he didn’t really fault him for falling in love with Jessica. It was the betrayal that soured his stomach. “You made your choice. Go make nice with Jessica and make sure she leaves me alone too. I’m tired of dealing with the both of you. If it isn’t a professional issue, don’t bother talking to me.”
Ren spun on his heels and left his former friend behind. He’d go look for Dani himself. He was ready to leave the fundraiser. It had been one conundrum on top of another. It was time to move on to phase two of their evening. He leaned against the wall near the restroom and waited for her to exit. She did less than a minute later. Dani stopped short when she saw him waiting.
“I wasn’t in there that long was I?”
“Not at all.” He grinned. “I was getting anxious to see you again.”
She laughed. “It was five minutes, Ren.”
He pulled her into his arms and said, “Five minutes is forever to be separated from you. Let’s get out of here.”
She gazed up at him with a soft, dreamy smile. “I’m ready if you are.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out of the ballroom. When they got outside, he handed his receipt to the valet. While they waited for him to retrieve Ren’s car, he decided to further his agenda. He lifted his hand and ran his finger through her dark curls. They were silky soft. He trailed his fingers up her arm lightly. Her breath hitched with each movement he made. Dani’s mouth fell open and her eyes drifted closed. Ren took advantage and leaned down and placed his lips on hers. A light kiss at first, followed by a deeper, needier one as she leaned into him pulling him flush against her. Ren wanted to take her home and love her properly.
“Ahem, pardon me,” a man said from behind him. “Here’s your car.” He dangled his keys in front of Ren.
“Thanks.” He grabbed them and led Dani to his car. They both got inside and he started the drive to her home. “Did you have a good time?”
Will you let me inside when we get to your place? That was the question he really wanted to ask, but could wait a little longer to get the answer he desired. He’d waited this long, so he could wait fifteen more minutes. She was h
is. They both knew they belonged together. It had taken longer for them both to come around to the same conclusion, but they had and that was all that mattered to him.
“I did. It was a wonderful, albeit strange, evening. But I’m glad I went.”
Ren was pleased. The drive to her house flew by. Before he knew it, he was pulling into her driveway and shutting the engine off on his car. He hopped out and opened her door. She placed her hand in his. When she was out of the vehicle, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. She lifted her arms and wound them around his neck. He kissed her as he led her to her front door. Their lips barely leaving each other’s with each step they took. Ren would never get enough of her. She was perfect for him.
“I should go inside.” She was breathless, leaning against her front door. “But I’m enjoying this too much to let you go.”
“Then don’t.” He kissed her bare shoulder, trailing his lips lightly up her neck. He stopped to whisper in her ear, “We can go inside and do a whole lot more.”
He waited for her to say yes. It wasn’t a given, but he expected her to agree. They both wanted more. Ren wanted it all, and this was only the beginning.
“I don’t know.”
Not a yes, but definitely not a no. He could work with that. “Let everything else fade away. Open the door so we can get lost in each other.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
She searched through her purse for her keys. When she found them, they fumbled in her hands and fell to the ground. Ren picked them up and pushed the house key into the lock. He turned the key and pushed the door open. “After you.” He gestured for her to enter. He closed the door behind him.
Dani turned to him. Her gaze didn’t leave his as her purse hit the floor. He stalked forward, pulling her into his arms. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Love me, Ren.”
“Always,” he agreed. He leaned down and captured her lips in his. With careful precision, he lifted his hands and slowly slid the zipper of her dress down. It fell at her feet in a pool of satin. She took a step back and stood before him in her panties, bra, and killer shoes. For a brief moment, he forgot how to breathe. The silk and lace barely covered her, and all he wanted to do was tear it off her. The desire to taste every inch of her was too strong to ignore. She went to kick off her shoes and he held up a hand to stop her.
