“This is it,” she told him as they slowed to a stop in front of an old brownstone covered in graffiti.
Arching forward, Ransom stared through the windshield at the monstrosity with the same kind of judgment in his eyes that she’d had the first time coming there.
“I know, it looks like it belongs in an eighteenth century meat packing district, but it’s actually pretty awesome once you get inside.”
“You live here?”
“No, this is my friend’s sister’s place. She’s the starving artist type, except she only lives like she’s starving. She’s actually banking some pretty nice profits from her paintings.”
And she was rambling.
“Well, my friend is probably wondering what’s taking me so long. Thank you for the ride.”
Turning those incredible ebony eyes her way, a small smile twitched at his lips. “My pleasure.”
Dani stared at those lips, wondering what they might have felt like if she’d gotten the opportunity to kiss him back at his apartment. He had an amazing mouth. Thick and sculpted, evenly balanced with round, smooth lines. Just looking at them heated her up inside, which got her thinking. And once she started thinking, she couldn’t stop.
Which was why the next thing that popped out of her mouth wasn’t a good-bye, but a “We should do it again sometime.” Then she suffered a flashback, knew by his expression that he was thinking the same thing, and hastily amended the offer. “Not the vomiting part. Just the kissing part. Not that we actually kissed, but we could. I mean, if you wanted to. I wouldn’t want to force you to kiss me.” She cringed, realizing she was rambling again. “I’m just going to go now.”
She reached for the door, readying to make her escape, when she felt his hand on her knee. The light touch was electrifying.
“How about tomorrow evening?”
Pinning her bottom lip between her teeth, she turned back in her seat to face him. “I’d like that.”
They exchanged numbers and before Dani knew it, she had a date planned. Who would have thunk it? Less than seventy-two hours after having her heart ripped out and stomped on, she was going out with a man easily twice his caliber.
Talk about an up-spin!
Her moment of elation popped like a balloon meeting the wrong side of a needle when she walked into the fifth floor studio apartment and found Ashlyn lying in wait, her judgy stare shining on her like a thousand suns.
“Took you long enough, and you came empty-handed.”
Dani held her narrow-eyed stare as she approached and copped a squat on the barstool beside her. “I believe I’m a tad early, and, in case you failed to notice, I’m not exactly decent for public viewing.”
Her quick perusal left no doubt in Dani’s mind that she had, in fact, noticed. “You went bar hopping with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb last night. I just assumed the floosy getup was part of the dress code.”
Dani was not amused. “It wasn’t, and must I remind you yet again that they’re nice. What did they ever do to you?”
“Um, let’s see,” Ashlyn said, craning her head back as she gathered what was sure to be a lengthy list. “They’re ditzes. They behave like ditzes. They give women everywhere a bad name. They major in fashion. They’re man-hungry. They skate by on their daddy’s bank accounts. They don’t know the first thing about loyalty. Their noses are so far in the clouds their snot is probably ninety-nine percent rain. Need I go on?”
“First, majoring in fashion isn’t a crime. It’s actually pretty challenging, which lays waste to your claim that they lack intelligence. Second, you’re man-hungry. And third, they’re nice. You really ought to give them a chance.”
“I don’t rub elbows with that spectrum of society,” Ashlyn sniffed. “And for your information, I did give them a chance once, back when we were freshman, and it was the single most regrettable time of my life. I’m still saying Hail Marys at church every Sunday to make amends. Besides, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one here. Why can’t you see them for what they really are?”
Just because she’d graduated high school a couple years early and fast-tracked it through college, Dani was always fielding questions like hers. She couldn’t do or say anything even remotely questionable without someone questioning her intelligence. Frankly, it wore thin a long time ago. She wasn’t about to justify herself or her life’s choices again, and certainly not today. Ruining the emotional high she was riding would be a travesty.
Dani rolled her eyes and let the topic drop. There was no sense in arguing with her when she clearly had her mind set. “So are you going to ask me where I was last night and whose clothes I’m wearing?”
“Where were you last night and whose clothes are you wearing?” Ashlyn asked with false enthusiasm.
“Well, with that kind of attitude, just forget it.” Dani moved to leave her stool, smiling when Ashlyn reached out to stay her.
“Don’t you dare! You promised to dish the dirt, and since you didn’t bring me my coffee and donut, I demand dirt. Heaping piles of it.”
Settling back on her seat, Dani grinned so wide her cheeks ached. “I met a guy last night.”
Ashlyn’s eyes shot open wide. “Screw the coffee! Tell me everything!”
FOUR
RANSOM HURRIED THROUGH HIS lecture and dismissed his class ten minutes early, his excitement for the evening ahead barely contained. When he asked Dani out, he hadn’t expected the intensity of his own reaction.
The last time he’d felt so hopeful and alive was…well, when he’d been with Josephine. It was such a refreshing state of mind that he didn’t dare look too deeply into it for fear he might find something wrong that would ruin it.
Ransom just wanted to kick back and enjoy the ride. Whatever came of this date, he knew one thing: he was going to have fun.
Getting home during rush hour was a feat. Shelving his nerves was impossible. For some reason he couldn’t put a finger on, he was nearly crawling out of his skin in anticipation. His heartbeat was too fast, his palms sweaty, and his stomach was playing roller coaster, swooping and diving all over the place.
He was a mess.
So when he pulled up in front of the same building he’d dropped her off at, Ransom was convinced that he was suffering a heart attack.
Or at the very least, indigestion.
Climbing the steps instead of taking the rickety-looking elevator provided him with a few extra moments to pull himself together, and by the time he reached the heavy slab door that reminded him a lot of his brother, Rebel’s, old bachelor pad, he had his nerves back under control.
Mostly.
Covered in colorful and purposeful graffiti, Ransom rapped his knuckles against the door, right over the gaping maw of a bearded, fire-breathing dragon.
If it was an example of the artwork that Dani had claimed her friend’s sister created, then he could see why she was successful. It was very realistic, in a 3D kind of way.
The door swung open, revealing an eclectic woman that reached no higher than his nipple. Her wild candy apple red hair was pulled back off her broad forehead and secured in a ratty bun with a paint splattered paintbrush. Inquisitive brown eyes peered up at him through lensless purple cat-eye glasses. Propping a muticolored paint speckled hand on her Grecian toga covered hip, she asked, “You must be the date.”
Glancing at the number on the door to be sure he had the right place, Ransom said, “I must be.” Crazy, that is. He must be crazy to be standing there, in front of a sprite of a woman who could, no doubt, lay him out flat if she so chose.
Gaze narrowing a fraction, she tossed the door all the way open and spun away, leaving him to decide whether that was an invitation to go in, or a gesture to screw-off.
Cautiously, he stepped inside, choosing to stick close to the door. The place was as interesting as the woman who lived in it. There were canvases everywhere—hanging off walls, propped on tables and easels. There were giant tarps spread out across most of the floor space, stained
from what appeared to be years of paint buildup. Plastic cups stuffed with paintbrushes littered nearly every available flat surface, as if the woman’s thoughts were as scattered as her supplies. Somewhere among the chaos, he spotted a few pieces of furniture, but mostly, the space was dedicated to the craft.
“Hey, right on time.”
Ransom lifted his gaze to find Dani striding toward him looking like an expensive jewel in a gold sequined dress that hugged her frame and ended just above her knees, and a pair of gold heels that laced halfway up her toned calves. Her hair, a sexy chestnut brown, was twisted into tight curls that bounced around her slender shoulders, and her mouth…Her mouth was painted in a sheer gloss that allowed the natural ripe watermelon pigment to shine through.
“I hope I’m not overdressed,” she said as she picked up her purse from a nearby table. “I wasn’t sure where we were going tonight, so I just decided on something comfortable.”
Licking his lips, Ransom gave her another appreciative once-over. “If this is your idea of comfortable, I’d love to see how that translates into sleepwear.”
Her cheeks filled with color and she looked toward the floor. Needing to feel her, Ransom reached up and traced his finger across one high cheekbone to her temple, then circled a lock of silken hair around the delicate shell of her ear.
“You look lovely.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a breathless air that made him want to dip down and kiss her lips just to see if they tasted half as good as they looked.
A throat cleared, bringing their heads up to find two women staring after them—one, the woman who answered the door to him, and the other a younger, taller version of her. Sisters, he thought he recalled Dani telling him.
“So where are you taking my friend tonight?” the younger, taller woman asked with plenty of suspicious attitude.
“Ashlyn, please, don’t be rude,” Dani begged.
“I only asked a question. If he turns out to be a human trafficker, at least we’ll be able to give the police something to go on.”
Well, hell. He hadn’t even spoken two words to her yet and she’d already cast him as the villain. It made him wonder what had happened in her life to turn her into such a cynic. “It’s fine, Dani. And she’s right. It’s good to have people know where you’re going.” To Ashlyn, he said, “I haven’t quite decided yet, but I was thinking we’d start with a drive and maybe a walk down by the pier. But I’m sure Dani has her cell phone and if anything changes, she can call you.”
“I’d feel better if I had your number, too.” Crossing her arms, she plaintively ignored Dani’s grumbled protests.
“That’s fine with me.” He was directed to a table where a thin paintbrush next to a glob of black paint on a sheet of newspaper waited for him. With a considerable amount of care, he did his best to etch out his cell number, then, with a warning to keep his dick in his pants, they were sent on their way.
“I’m so sorry about that back there,” Dani apologized as he opened the car door and held her hand to help her inside. “My friends can be real ballbusters.”
Even though he wholeheartedly agreed, Ransom smiled in reassurance. “They’re just being good friends.”
Expression tight, Dani nodded and smiled demurely, drawing her foot inside so he could close the door. As he rounded the car, Ransom was just thankful that he’d escaped with all his testicles unharmed. Ballbusters wasn’t the word he’d use to describe her friends.
Those women were cold, hard feminists. The kind that bred fear in the hearts of men everywhere.
Feeling the heat of eyes on the back of his neck, he reached his door at the same time he brought his head up. Immediately, his gaze fell on the fifth floor to an open window where Dani’s friends stood staring openly down at him, their arms folded across their chests, the wind whipping their hair around their heads.
A shiver traced down his spine.
Lifting his hand, he gave them a friendly wave then slipped inside the car and didn’t waste any time getting them the hell out of there.
***
“NAME THE FIVE MOST important things to you in your life.”
Dani’s answering smile was radiant. “My mom, my home, my job, my friends…Oh! And my DVR.”
Ransom laughed. “Your DVR?”
“You laugh now, but miss a ball game and I’m sure you’ll be singing a different tune.”
Ransom nodded, relenting. He’d told her what a big fan of baseball he was and how he’d never missed a game if he could help it. Although he didn’t think it would ever amount to a life-and-death situation if he did as she made it out to be. Her obvious dedication was cute.
“Okay, my turn,” Dani said, wiggling in her seat to get comfortable. “Logic or emotion. Which one drives you most?”
Only an hour into their date that took them from a sandy lakefront to a quaint bistro and Dani was proving to be a heavy hitter. Ransom was finding it difficult to keep up, but he was enjoying himself all the same. “Well, I am human, so emotion is a big factor. But I like to think that I’m logical about how I approach things. So…both. And you?”
“Mmmm, same. Have you ever been in love?”
Ransom blinked at the question, his mood deflating in an instant. Scratching his thumbnail over one pitched eyebrow, he considered his answer. A pair of jewel green eyes came to mind. “Once.”
Dani tilted her head. “Sounds like there’s a story in there. What happened?”
A war waged inside of him, torn between shutting her down and shedding light on what he considered to be his biggest fail in life. How did one find and then lose the love of their life? Let alone to his own brother, a man who was his copy in every way?
He’d been avoiding answering that question for some time now, even to himself. But he was sick of running. Sick of hiding. Sick of denying. What Ransom wanted most was to be done with it. Maybe if he laid it all out on the table he could somehow put the past behind him and move on.
It was worth a shot. Lord knew he couldn’t continue drinking himself under the table night after night. One day, it would catch up with him and there would be nowhere to turn for help.
Dani’s earnest gaze picked at the wound that’d formed around his heart until Ransom could no longer ignore the ache that had, up until that moment, receded.
Curious as to why that would happen and eager to see if he could duplicate it, he decided to reveal the intimate parts of himself, knowing there was a possibility that she’d find him just as unworthy and leave him to finish dining alone.
Polishing off the glass of cabernet, he dug in without censure. “I fell for one of my students, a stunning woman who was as sweet as she was edgy. Daring. Those qualities are what drew me to her…and,” he said, his voice pitching lower to match his darkening mood, “my brother.”
“Your brother? I don’t understand.”
A cruel smile slid into place. “My brother and I are twins, you see. Identical. It just so happened, in fact, that she caught both our eye, but without prior knowledge. She had no idea that she was dating two men instead of one.”
Dani’s hand lifted to press against her balmy lips. “I can’t even imagine. I assume she chose him?” He nodded gravely. Stretching her hand across the table, her fingers covered his. “I’m so sorry. You must have been heartbroken.”
“It was a betrayal. One I’m not certain I’ll ever really get over, but I’m trying.” He bit out a humorless laugh and lifted his empty glass, hailing the maître d for a refill. “One glass at a time.”
“Oh, Ransom, I truly am sorry.” Sitting up straight, she shot him a hard look. “But as sad as your story is, I’m cutting you off.” The maître d reached to refill his glass but Dani held up her hand to stop him. “That won’t be necessary. In fact, can you take these glasses away and bring back some water please?”
“Bottled or tap?”
“Tap is fine.”
Ransom’s skin heated from his toes to the top of his head. “What th
e hell?”
It was clear by her apparent ease in the face of his anger that she knew exactly what the hell. “You clearly have a problem with alcohol, and if you don’t yet, by your own accounts, you’re well on your way. I won’t sit here and watch you self-destruct.”
“You don’t even know me. Why would you care one way or another?”
“I care because you’re a human being and a nice person. I care because you clearly don’t and someone needs to. Since I’m the only person here, it might as well be me.”
Chewing the inside of his cheek, Ransom considered a dozen things he could say to her, all of them something that would no doubt send her flying right out the door. But the longer he forced himself to hold back his words, the more he was able to see that she was right.
He was out of control. Spiraling in fact. And he didn’t care about himself. Not really. But he desperately wanted someone to. Needed to remember that feeling, if only so he didn’t feel so damn wretched at the end of each day.
Even if it was only for one night.
So he didn’t say all the mean, spiteful things he could have said just to hurt her feelings. It was just that alcohol had become a bit of a friend as of late, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do without it.
The deep, earthy flavor of the wine still lingered fresh on his tongue, appealing to his senses, but he wrestled it into submission.
When the water arrived, he sipped it, wishing it were sweeter, richer, but denying his baser urges to call upon another bottle.
If he truly intended to move on with his life, he needed to do it. Stop pussyfooting around. Dani was the perfect distraction. She’d already proven that just by being around him she could sooth his tender nerves.
Now she was forcing him down yet another path, one that, in comparison, had to be easier than the one he was currently traveling. So what if he couldn’t drink? He could do other things to dampen his cravings. Shift his desires to something else. Something sweeter perhaps?
Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel Page 3
