“There is no code with Cole. I just don’t like him. End of story.” I dropped my slice of pizza and wiped my hands on the napkin.
“So you have no code when it comes to dating friends of your brothers, but you do have a code when it comes to me?” My eyes fell to his lips and my traitor of an imagination pictured his mouth tracing down my collarbone. I shook my head to squash the vision. His eyes were full of amusement when I looked back up, and I swore he knew what I was thinking. The tension between us was almost unbearable, and I caught myself shredding my napkin under the table.
“That’s not what I meant. Of course, I wouldn’t date my brothers’ friends, but it also happens that I don’t like Cole. He’s lazy and he gives me the willies.”
“The willies?” Aaron’s laughter caught the attention of some of the techies in line, and I couldn’t help but smile. “So quite possibly, it sounds like I don’t give you the willies, which is in turn why you enacted your code with me. You needed some forsaken reason to keep me away.”
He was wearing me down. He knew it and I knew it. And I no longer cared as he watched me closely.
“There is no code. And I think we both know why I’m keeping you away.”
“I don’t think you should hide us from my sister,” Aaron continued.
“There is no us.” I fumbled with my napkin as my heart started pounding.
“Not yet. But there will be.”
His frankness was disarming and so was his intent. There was no escaping from him this time, and I’d be lying to myself if I tried to run anyway. It no longer seemed as if we were in the middle of a lively city. It felt like it was only the two of us on the patio as his eyes bored into me, stilling everything around me but my hammering heart.
“All I’m asking for is one date. A proper date,” he said, sliding his tray to the side. “And then make up your mind whether I’m worth investing any time into.” The coy smile reappeared on his lips as he awaited my answer as if he knew I’d be unable to turn him down.
“What about the others?”
“Others?” he repeated. His brow quirked up slightly, as he sat back in the chair.
I nodded, watching the intensity of his expression change behind his eyes.
“I’m asking for one date,” he muttered, glancing at the lunch crowd. He looked uneasy and I wasn’t sure if it was because I knew there were others or because I was pinning him down.
“And I’m asking whether that one date will just put me in the lineup?” I stared directly into his hardening gaze. “Because that’s not what I’m looking for.”
“What are you looking for?” his voice was low, and I watched the strain in his jaw as the muscles contracted.
“Something more if the fit is right, and I’m not sure you’re capable. From what I’ve heard—”
“Heard?” His eyes stayed on mine. “From who?”
“That doesn’t matter, but I’ve seen it for myself. The way you treated that poor woman.”
His laughter was cold and distant. “At the bar?”
I nodded suddenly not feeling so sure of myself.
“I had just met her. I had no interest in her. Should I have led her on and made her feel like—” He removed his jacket and my eyes couldn’t help but stumble over his chest. God, he looked sensational. “Like I make you feel?”
“Who said anything about me feeling any sort of way,” I protested, shaking my head. “You, my friend, are sorely mistaken.”
“Am I?”
I blushed immediately and clamped down on the garlic bread. This wasn’t going how I planned.
“Now tell me, who did you hear what from?” he asked.
“Cole,” I replied simply.
“You said yourself he wasn’t a reliable source.”
“And Google,” I confessed, flushing immediately.
Yes, it was true. I had become one of those I had sworn I wouldn’t and may have Googled him once or twice in the last few weeks. But I did find out some very interesting tidbits. For instance, it appeared he never made it to an event alone, including the one at the winery where I first met him, which added to my theory of only being added to a revolving lineup.
He was silent for a moment before his eyes flicked to mine.
“Have you seen any events where I was with someone since the night at the winery when I met you?”
Come to think of it, no.
I shook my head.
“Do you think that’s a coincidence?” He leaned toward me and the shift between us was energizing.
“You expect me to believe you haven’t been on a date with anyone since that night?” I arched a brow. The exhilaration that raced through my body at his proclamation almost tipped me over the edge. I wanted to believe it but found it almost impossible.
“It’s the truth. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” He glanced at his watch. I was sure my lunch hour was up, but I didn’t care. “And the brunette, Macy, who I’m sure you spied in the pictures with me that night, never happened. If that’s what you’re wondering.”
God, yes! That was what I had been wondering; although I’d never admit it to him. The absolute pleasure that was pulsing through my veins was almost indescribable.
“Now will you give me one chance to prove myself?” he repeated.
I was silent.
“How about you just try responding to my emails or a phone call? You might find you like it.”
I nodded slowly, smiling as I felt a rush of excitement. I knew I would like it and that was the problem.
“A friendship. That’s all I can offer.”
“That’s a start.” His eyes glimmered with victory. “I’ll be in touch.”
Wait. What?
“I’ve got a meeting I’m late for,” he said, sensing my unease with the sudden brushoff.
My stomach knotted slightly as I worried that I truly was only a conquest. But I hoped not. I really hoped not. I watched him take off toward our building and wondered if I was making the mistake of a lifetime and jeopardizing a friendship in the meantime. I tossed the garlic bread and last bites of the pizza into the trash and made my way back to the office, worrying my way along the sidewalk, barely noticing that I was almost to my building.
As I rounded the bend, I saw Aaron and his sister talking in front of the entrance. Not wanting to be seen, I did a quick pivot and snuck back to where I came from. There was a side entrance to the garage that would suit me perfectly well. I gave a quick wave to the guard and beeped into the building, waiting for the elevator to deliver me to our floor.
The elevator opened up on the lobby and both Gabby and Aaron stepped inside.
Just my luck!
Completely puzzled as to who knew what or how much of anything, I just smiled and stepped deeper into the carriage to let them both fit in. Aaron gave me a quick nod and wink, which totally made my insides collide, but reality soon came knocking.
“Hard to believe Aaron works in our building,” Gabby said, smiling, turning toward the closing doors.
Not hard to believe if you knew who he worked for I wanted to blurt.
Aaron took a step back and leaned against the rail.
“Sometimes things are meant to be,” Aaron said, his eyes staying focused solely on me, sending a shot of pure electricity through me.
“That is true,” Gabby said, completely oblivious.
The doors opened on our floor, and I quickly followed Gabby off the elevator. I felt his eyes still on me as I walked away, and he remained in the elevator. I needed a safe territory so I didn’t stick my foot in my mouth.
“Did he say what he was doing in the building?” I asked.
“Guess the company he works for has headquarters on the twenty-sixth floor.”
So he didn’t mention that the company was owned by her father. Good to know.
“Are you guys doing better?” I asked.
“I think we’ll get there. Part of me wants to gun him down with questions to find out
why he left or where he went, but the other part of me doesn’t really want the answers yet. I’ve made him such a monster for so many years, I’m hoping to make him human again before I find out anything that will disappoint me.”
I nodded as I turned into my cubicle and Gabby took a seat at the opening. “That makes sense.”
“Jason gave me a heads up about a dinner at my parents’ house, and Aaron will be there. I was hoping you’d come for moral support. I talked to him about it quickly downstairs. I think it will be good. I hope it will be good.”
Shit!
“Sure. You know I’ll be there for you any way you need. Do you think you’ll find out what’s been going on?” I wiggled my mouse to wake up my computer, and my email popped up with a message from Aaron. I minimized it quickly and turned around to see Gabby staring at the floor. My heartbeat was racing and a rush of adrenaline flooded my system. I liked what this was doing to me, what Aaron was doing to me, and I really enjoyed the secrecy of it, which was peculiar.
“I do. But something tells me there’s more to it than just my brother so I’m glad there will be other people there. Might diffuse my temper.”
“You…a temper? I can’t even imagine,” I teased.
She rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair.
“So who sent you flowers?” she asked, glancing at the arrangement. “It’s like I’m distracted for a couple weeks, and your whole dating life blows up.”
“I still have no dating life,” I laughed. “But I don’t know. They just showed up with no sender.”
“That’s weird.”
Tell me about it.
“I’m guessing Shane?”
“I don’t think he’s gotten over you, and you’re so nice to your exes that I don’t think they ever quite get the message,” she said, grinning.
“And the alternative is never speaking to them and changing my number?”
“Works for me,” she laughed. “So I think Decker might be into you.”
I spun around in my chair and laughed. “Really? What makes you think that?”
“I ran into him outside, and he seemed all flustered and completely unlike himself.” She grinned and pointed at the flowers. “Maybe they’re from him?”
He probably seemed flustered because your brother—his ex-boss—scared him to death.
“I doubt it. I think he just has a lot on his mind,” I said. “I went around the office to see if there were any projects that I could help with, and everyone seemed set, so would you mind if I snuck in—”
Gabby held up her hand. “I told you not to ask. You know I don’t care if you study when the workload falls.”
“I just feel weird.”
“You shouldn’t. Just because you get your job done quicker than any other admin I’ve seen, doesn’t mean you should get penalized and get more work dumped on you. Take advantage of it while you can. Now, I better get back to my office and see what fiery email my father sent about this week’s lackluster results in the cheese department.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. I knew Gabby was doing all of this because it was what was expected of her to make her father happy, but she never really did care about the corporate world. I hoped that she’d find what would make her happy because spending twenty or thirty years trapped in a life that wasn’t her own would wear anyone down. I knew I was lucky. My parents were supportive of anything any of us wanted to do. I just happened to be the oddball that enjoyed volunteering in my mom’s not-for-profit legal center. I hoped to follow in her footsteps and make both my parents proud. But I had no doubt that being an attorney was what I wanted to do. Gabby used to have that passion and certainty when she was taking the culinary classes, and I hoped she’d find that again.
I clicked on my email and Aaron’s message popped up. The thrill of hearing from him was now outweighing the doubt. I glanced at my flowers and then at the email.
To: Brandy Rhodes
From: Aaron Sullivan
Subject: Lunch
I hope it came to you who might have sent you the flowers. I only wish I beat whoever it was to the punch.
I’ll be in touch and I do hope to see you at my parents’ home tomorrow.
In Friendship,
Aaron Sullivan
My resolve was waning as the flurry of excitement took over. He was absolutely irresistible and he knew it. Now it was up to me to find out if there was anything more to him, to us, and I think I was finally up for the challenge.
At least as a friend…
To say I was confused was putting it mildly. I had finally wrapped my mind around going on a date with Aaron, and then the complexities of their family slammed into me like a semi-truck last night. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for Gabby with everything she was dealing with, and I was pretty sure I was about to do so. Prior to the family dinner, I had an entire speech built up to present to Gabby about seeing her brother, but now it just seemed selfish and unimportant. Now was definitely not the time to whine about my secret crush.
I had gone to the dinner party at Gabby’s parents last night, which was intense. Gabby found things out about her family that I knew she was still trying to absorb, and I felt absolutely helpless. But it also made me see Aaron in a different light. He was punished because of mistakes his mother had made, and rather than deal with everything, Gabby’s father pushed Aaron away, essentially banishing him from the family. Finding out Gabby’s dad wasn’t Aaron’s dad because their mother cheated on her husband was shocking and then to find out Aaron’s father turned out to be the family’s chauffeur was even more bizarre.
I could see why Aaron stayed away and made a life for himself elsewhere, and surprisingly Gabby understood that as well. I couldn’t imagine what he had gone through just as I couldn’t imagine what Gabby had gone through. It was times like these I was grateful for my overly nosey family.
Gabby was hurt by all of their actions, but I think what bothered her most were the secrets her entire family kept from her. After the family dinner, the anger and pain was evident when she spoke about her father. But that all changed this morning when she got a call that her dad was in the hospital.
It was early evening and I had just left the hospital a few hours ago. Gabby, Jason, and Aaron were all still with Gabby’s father. There was a brief moment when Aaron and I were alone, and that’s when it happened. I was completely caught off guard and agreed to meet him for dinner. Looking into his eyes, I knew I couldn’t say no. He needed someone to talk to and Jason was obviously preoccupied with Gabby. I also couldn’t tell Gabby. Now was definitely not the time. Besides, Aaron and I were clearly in the friend zone, and neither of us was in a state of mind for anything more.
And now here I was standing in front of my closet, throwing jeans, skirts, and dresses into a pile on the search for the perfect friend-zone outfit. The gnawing disappointment bubbled up again, and I hammered it back down as I reached for a cute floral sundress. One of the few non-clingy dresses I owned.
I changed out of my outfit and slipped the dress over my head, feeling the light fabric cascade over my skin. I stepped in front of the mirror to analyze my selection, holding my hair up and then letting it loose around my shoulders. The dress seemed harmless enough. It was cut above the knees, but it was loose and feminine.
Who was I kidding? I wanted to make him change his ways and follow me around like a puppy dog. Wishful thinking with his history, and I doubted his DNA was even built like that, but I could dream.
I noticed my boy shorts weren’t the best choice for the dress as the outline in the mirror glared back at me. Laughing to myself as I rummaged through my drawer for my favorite thong, I wondered why it would really matter if we were going to stay in the friend zone and give him a bit of the granny panty to dream about. I went through my drawer and came up empty-handed, which was odd. I had zero laundry to do and they should be in there. I started searching through the drawer more thoroughly and realized that wasn’t the only thi
ng missing. I shut the drawer and opened the one underneath and there was nothing but my pajamas inside. Leaning over, I looked under my bed and in the closet. I sat on my bed, thinking, and was able to come up with at least three missing items. I walked over to my dresser and began looking through my pieces of jewelry and sure enough there was a sterling silver bracelet, a matching necklace and earrings all gone.
This was crazy. Maybe Gabby borrowed them and just didn’t mention it. But she wouldn’t borrow the lingerie. What would account for that? I got a sinking feeling as I thought about who all had access to our apartment. We did have cleaners come in bi-weekly, but there was no way that any of the crew would do that. It was a mother and daughter team, and the daughter was pushing fifty. I was positive that snatching lingerie wasn’t either of their ideas of a good time but if not them than who? I laughed at the absurdity. I glanced at the clock and only had another ten minutes before Aaron was going to pick me up for our non-date. I could deal with this later. I was sure there would have to be some logical explanation, even if it was one I didn’t want to face. Maybe Gabby was just messing with me since I’ve had the weird texts and messages.
My phone buzzed and I glanced down at the message.
Downstairs
Shoot! Aaron was already here, and I didn’t have time to freshen up my makeup. I grabbed my purse and pulled out my mascara, dabbing it on quickly before I gave up and just headed out the front door, dismissing the case of the missing underwear.
As the elevator glided closer to the lobby, my pulse quickened. Exactly what a non-date shouldn’t do to a person. I reached in my bag and grabbed a clear lip gloss, which I filled in my lips with. I could do this. It didn’t have to be sexual with him. It didn’t have to be romantic.
The elevator doors opened up revealing Aaron dressed in a pair of low-slung jeans and a silver button-down that hugged his visibly defined chest. The sleeves were rolled up, and I imagined my hands running along his muscular forearms. He had changed from what he was wearing at the hospital, and his hair looked slightly damp from a recent shower. He looked phenomenal, and worse, he was holding a beautiful arrangement of white roses.
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 6
