That piece of information confirmed what he already suspected. He had the right girl. Now he just had to get through the next hour so that he could get down to his real business. He was finishing up applying some cream and a bandage when Jace poked his head through the door.
“Ah, there you are.” He eyed Rihanna with what initially looked like surprise; it then moved quickly to outward curiosity, particularly with her foot quite clearly in his lap. Jace cleared his throat and asked, “You ready to get out there again?” Jace’s raised eyebrows were not lost on her.
“Yeah, just give me a minute.”
At that, Jace turned and left.
Bray’s ministrations to her foot had changed to a firm but gentle stroking over her ankle and up the front of her shin. He seemed to be totally unaware he was doing it. The feel of his hand on her skin was sending shivers all through her blood. She knew she should protest but somehow being close to him and him touching her allowed her to feel more relaxed.
“I have to go. You’ll be safe here; rest up and we’ll sort all this out when I finish.” He placed her ankle gently back down on the floor, rose from the lounge and headed for the door. He was so at ease with himself; he moved so smoothly. As he turned and went through the door that no doubt led out onto the side of the stage, he turned and added, “Help yourself to anything in the fridge.” With that, he gave her a quick wink and the same half grin he had on stage. The door closed and he was gone.
Rihanna let out a huge sigh. Only then did she realise she’d been partly holding her breath. She let her head fall back against the soft, plush backrest of the lounge, suddenly feeling very tired. Her thoughts were still very jumbled and didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. The events of the night flashed in her head like a badly-edited home movie.
It wasn’t every day a girl flirted with an incredibly hunky man, who just happened to be a member of the hottest band in Australia; was kidnapped by two disgusting thugs with severe personal hygiene issues; was subsequently rescued by incredibly hunky man; and was then asked to wait by incredibly hunky man in his dressing room while he finished his New Year’s Eve set. Whhhhattt ammm I doooingg!!!! Arrrrrrhhhhhh, she thought. These sorts of things happened to other people—not her.
Rihanna realised she had been sitting there a minute or so when the clear, crisp rock music of Steel filled the dressing room. She’d been having trouble sifting through the thoughts in her head prior to the band starting up again. After the band started, it was near impossible to make sense of anything in her head. The intensity of the music seemed to create a fuzz that would not let the events of this evening settle into any logical pattern that allowed her to process and consider what had happened.
About then her cell phone beeped, indicating that she had a message. She pressed a few buttons and scrolled through the message from her friend Jazz—Andy and I heading back to his place. Crash there later if u want. Hope u have a better offer!
Andy lived a little way down to the south, at Broadbeach. It was an option to crash at his place but she didn’t think that Jazz really expected her to take up the offer. She really just needed to get her head together and figure out how to get home. Andy and Jazz were just getting their relationship sorted out again. The last thing they needed was a “third wheel.” It would be a nightmare trying to get a taxi for the next few hours. New Year’s Eve was notorious for the taxi queues taking up to three or four hours. Not to mention the fights that invariably broke out when people had too much to drink, were standing around in the heat, and having to wait for what seemed like forever.
All of this was just a little too hard to deal with at the moment. Rihanna decided to grab a drink from the fridge and just sit back and chill out for a bit. She selected a bottle of mineral water and settled back down on the lounge. The cool water felt soothing, sliding down her raw throat. She really needed a shower. Her skin felt clammy from the heat and kind of dirty from the touch of her two abductors. Strangely though, she could still smell the unique scent of Brayden on her skin and in her hair.
That was a scent that she didn’t want to wash off anytime soon. That scent was about the only thing keeping her sane at the moment. It represented strength, security, and something else—incredibly sexy and desirable male. She was tingling just thinking about him. Woo, girl…steady.
Rihanna closed her eyes and let the music carry her away to wherever the band chose to take her on the waves of their music. It seemed very strange but she was suddenly very sleepy. Maybe it was the adrenaline leaving her system.
Maybe it was just plain late and she was tired?
Chapter Two
Maybe it was the sudden quietness or maybe it was the door opening to the room that startled her awake. Whatever it was, Rihanna’s heart was galloping in her chest, her mouth dry; she didn’t have a clue where she was. Her eyes began to focus on her surroundings and the events of the night started to rush back into her sleep-fuzzy brain. With a rush, she realised that she was curled up on the lounge in the dressing room of Steel.
What’s more, they were all now filing through the door and she was probably looking like an absolute wreck. As she started to move, she noticed her body was starting to feel a bit stiff and sore from the manhandling she had taken earlier. Rihanna rushed her legs to the floor and dragged herself into a sitting position.
“Don’t get up on our account, babe.” It was the slow drawl of the drummer. She didn’t know his name but it was hard to miss the meaning.
“Knock it off, Matt.” The warning came from Brayden; it was casual but the underlying intention was unmistakable. Matt sobered immediately.
“How about a toast to the New Year?” Jace announced as he quickly passed out long-necked beers from the fridge to the four other guys. Jace also offered her one. She shook her head and mouthed, “No thanks.”
“Happy New Year,” they said in unison, with a lot of loud clinking of bottles.
Brayden wandered over to the lounge and sat beside her. He casually placed his arm around her shoulders. Then he moved in close and breathed into her ear, “Follow my lead here.” She nodded to him, not sure why. Maybe it was another shot of his killer scent or his warm breath still tingling in her ear but she trusted him.
“Guys, this is Rihanna.” She was greeted with a chorus of hi’s. “She’s an old friend of mine.”
“Rihanna, this is Jace, Matt, Dean, and Cody.” He motioned to each one as he said their names. She nodded in turn. She realised what all the fuss about Steel was. These guys were seriously hot. All of them were above average in the looks department and together, they sure did rock.
Her thoughts were brought to the present by a cell phone going off. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of the Steel signature songs. Jace retrieved the cell phone from his pocket and answered the call. “Hey, Happy New Year, mate.” He motioned to the phone and mouthed “Reece.” They all nodded and took a little more interest in the call. “It’s a boy? That’s great, Reece. What did you guys call him?” There was a lot more “ahhs“ and “oh greats.” Jace ended the call.
“Reece and Ally had a baby boy—all good. They called him Theodore Nathaniel.” That got a few raised eyebrows. “Yeah, they’re going to call him Teddy for short. “
The guys raised and touched their bottles together again. “To Teddy.”
“Let’s head back to the hotel and catch up with the girls,” Jace suggested. “You want to come back, too, or are you gonna head home, Bray?”
“Rihanna’s just got into town this afternoon. I think we’ll head home. We have a lot of catching up to do. ” He felt her stiffen beside him. He wanted the guys to think that there was something going on. It would be much easier to explain and they wouldn’t bug him to head off with them if they thought he was about to score. He soothingly stroked her shoulder. “You guys go on ahead.” With that, they said their good nights and headed out.
Alone at last. Rihanna stiffened immediately under the weight of the arm casually around her sho
ulders. The stiffening was her body’s prior reaction to her brain kicking in and asking her the obvious question of what the hell was she doing in the dressing room of the strange guy she had just met, all by herself, on New Year’s Eve? He noticed her immediate tensing and figured that her good sense was beginning to return. “Hey, it’s okay; you have nothing to worry about with me.”
Her heart that had quickened its tempo seemed to relax and steady out. She was deeply attracted to him but that did not mean that her good sense counted for nothing.
“What was all that about?” she asked.
He turned his head and looked directly down into the depths of her warm hazel eyes. They reminded him of hot gooey caramel and nut candies.
“What do you mean?”
“The bit with the guys—follow my lead.”
“Oh, that.”
He paused as if gathering his thoughts and deciding the best way to tell her something. Sticking to his mantra of never straying too far from the truth, he replied, “Well, to be honest, I figured you had had a pretty rough night and could use a little space.”
The fear and the trauma of the near abduction flashed across her face. His anger began to rise at the thought of those two guys having frightened her or putting their hands on her. She had an innocence—or was it a wholesomeness—that just didn’t sit right with the treatment she had been dished out at the hands of those guys.
He continued on, changing the subject before she had too long to linger in her thoughts about the attack. “Also, I have to admit that I noticed you out there, thought you were hot, and that I would like to know you better.” Well, that was the truth. He’d just omitted a key part. He couldn’t help the fact that she was his latest assignment.
The memory of the terror of the attack faded from her face. He had given her something else to think about. Her expression had changed to cautious and maybe even somewhat doubting as she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. The thick dark lashes blinked slowly as she looked up at him. “You think I’m hot?”
It was a question. She knew she was okay to look at. People didn’t run screaming from her approach but “hot” just wasn’t in her vocabulary. She was a practical person and didn’t dwell on looks or too much primping. She understood the need to be properly presented but she was not obsessed about how she looked.
“Honey, any guy with a pulse would think you’re hot.” There, he had said it. She immediately started subtly chewing her top lip, considering his words. He was enjoying this slow discovery of conversation. He was giving her plenty of time to think over her answers. He was also getting some really good intel on how she reacted to things and the subtle frequency and scent cues she was letting off as her moods and thoughts changed.
After some deliberation, she responded a little flirtatiously. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Why, thank you, ma’am,” he immediately answered, changing the tempo of the conversation once again.
He added a big open smile that just about had her heart jumping out of her chest. Wow! This guy was more potent than global warming!
“Want to get out of here?”
“What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.
“What I mean is you and I get up, walk out of here, and head somewhere else. The option of that somewhere else is up to you. We can either head home to your place or we can head back to mine.”
At the suggestion, Rihanna’s heart began to race again. Her thoughts turned to hot steamy bedroom scenes at his open suggestion of heading out.
God, she was sooo tempted.
She could barely remember the last time she had been remotely interested in anyone. It had been so long since she had been intimate with anyone, for that matter, let alone a guy that was this hot and clearly interested in her. That’s when it dawned on her. He was obviously a highly popular and famous musician. Girls would throw themself at him all the time. He was just expecting her to be his next easy conquest. She started to pull away out of his relaxed hold. He immediately stiffened but let her move away.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” When he said nothing, she raced on, “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I don’t do one-night stands.” Instead of the irritation she expected, he laughed at her. His laugh was as easy to listen to as his voice but still, she didn’t appreciate being laughed at. She raised her chin a little haughtily and glared at him.
Unperturbed by her sharp glare, Bray smoothly sailed on. “That’s great because neither do I. One-night stands are an occupational hazard and one that the whole band has a no-go policy on.” As he expected, that sparked her curiosity; he swore he could see the cogs turning in her head, dissecting his latest disclosure.
“What do you mean by an occupational hazard?” she asked.
“Well, the opportunity for bad media is just too great if we go jumping into bed with women we don’t know. The guys have worked too hard for success and just don’t need that kind of media storm hassle in their lives.” That made sense. She also respected his honesty and the fact that the band clearly had well-thought through policies and obviously respected one another. This was good. It appealed to her logical side. It made good business sense and demonstrated a clear sense of loyalty. All traits she admired in others and expected in herself.
“So I’m offering to see you home safely and I’d also like to get to know you better,” he continued.
That did sound good. He had said that sex was off the table for tonight, so she didn’t have to worry about that. He also said that he would see her home safely; that also sounded like a great idea considering her earlier experience.
Her spirits had lifted. She looked directly into the diamond-like facets of his crystal blue eyes and said, “That sounds great. I would be forever in your debt.” She mentally kicked herself—what a corny, lame thing to say!
Bray smiled at her words. He held her gaze and steadily drew down towards the sweet invitation of her mouth. His lips gently touched hers, feathered across and withdrew. Before she even had time to think about what had just happened, he pulled her close into the warm embrace of his shoulders, chest, and arms.
“Happy New Year, Rihanna,” he whispered into her right ear. His warm breath sent even more sparks shooting up and down her spine. He was turning her to mush with consummate ease.
Right about now, Rihanna couldn’t ever remember being as intoxicated on one very innocent brush of a man’s lips. It could hardly be considered a kiss. It was too fleeting but left sensations that threatened to linger for a whole lot longer. It had also been a kiss that somehow conveyed that she could trust him. He would keep her safe.
Wow, wow, wow. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, her knees were shaky, and her blood was zinging around her body. Did this guy ever get her hormones racing!
Before she could say anything else, he gently raised her with him in one motion as he stood from his position on the couch. “Okay, let’s go.” He took her hand gently and began moving towards the door.
They moved through the door he opened and down the stairs. Rihanna stumbled as she placed weight on her injured foot and let out a gasp of pain. She pitched forward and would have taken a nasty tumble if Bray hadn’t quickly slid a strong arm under her shoulders to steady her.
“That foot still seems to be giving you some trouble.” He helped her down the rest of the stairs and moved his body closer to hers. That’s when he mentally cursed himself. She didn’t have any shoes; they had been long ago lost to the events of the evening.
Before she had a chance to say anything, he had easily swung her up into his arms and walked off towards the esplanade.
“I can walk,” she half-heartedly protested.
“And I can just as easily carry you. You’re not walking anywhere around here barefoot. There could be God knows what on the ground.”
He was probably right but that did not stop her embarrassment at being carried like a sleepy child. She had to be heavy. You couldn’t be five foot
nine and weigh nothing. Just didn’t happen.
“Would you quit worrying about being heavy and just enjoy the ride? I am.” Bray inwardly chuckled to himself. Typical female—always worrying that they weighed too much or that their bodies were not right. Well, from what he had seen and could feel, she was just about perfect. At least, the way he liked his women. Tall, long limbed but soft and curvy in all the right places.
Besides, with his animal strength he barely noticed her weight at all. What he did notice was the increasing pressure in his jeans. That was a far bigger problem than her weight in his arms. Her soft body and cinnamon scent was really starting to play havoc with his hormones. His comment had given her something to think about.
Rihanna was a little shocked. If she wasn’t mistaken, Brayden had just admitted to being affected by having her in his arms. The brief kiss they’d shared had not seemed to outwardly affect him at all. She was wondering whether it was only her having these intense feelings…maybe not.
“So did you drive in?” Bray asked as he reached the street and hesitated, waiting for her response.
“No, I got a ride in. I didn’t want to risk driving if I had a little too much to drink. I was actually expecting to head off with my friend Jazz.”
“That would be the redhead?” he inquired as he turned right and headed down Marine Parade. “Isn’t she a little worried about what happened to you?”
“I got a text from her a while ago. She decided to head home with her boyfriend and kind of indicated that she was hoping I wouldn’t need to stay with them. Although she didn’t actually say that.” Bray got the picture. Two’s company, three is a crowd—particularly for most New Year’s Eve after-parties.
“I sent her a message saying I’d catch up with her later in the day.”
Good, thought Bray. That solved the immediate problem of the friend she had been with earlier. He didn’t really need too many complications until he had an opportunity to get things sorted out.
The crowd was beginning to thin but was no less boisterous than they had been a couple of hours ago. Bray continued on, purposeful in his quest to make it to his car without causing too much attention. He didn’t want to have to handle fans or to go another round with the guys from before. He was finding it harder and harder to keep his senses tuned for danger and threat with Minky snugly in his arms. He wondered whether she realised that she had smooched her cheek in a little closer to the hard plane of his shoulder or that her fingers were lazily tracing little circles at the base of his neck. He didn’t think so. From what he’d learnt, he would have guessed that her actions would embarrass her if he brought them to her attention. So he moved on in silence, his jeans becoming increasingly uncomfortable with every passing second.
Finding Trust (Centre Games) Page 3
