As he pulled out of the parking lot to drive the short distance to the hotel, she turned to him.
“This was really fun, thank you for agreeing to come out to dinner with me.”
He glanced over at her with a smile. “Thank you for inviting me.” He pulled into a park outside the Braemark Hotel.
Holly cleared her throat nervously, clenching her hands together in her lap. “Would you like to go out another time, perhaps?”
Yes!
Except he couldn’t. His satisfaction faded. As much as he wanted to spend time with her, he couldn’t lead her on.
Twisting around, he tipped up her chin. “I'm attracted to you, Holly. You’re beautiful, smart and funny. But I can’t be more than friends with you.”
He tried to keep his voice gentle, hating the flash of hurt that crossed her face.
“I see,” she said quietly.
“We’re just too different, honey. We want different things.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I enjoy dominating in the bedroom, but my need to be in control goes beyond even that. Any relationship I have, I will be in charge. This is just who I am. I like to take care of my woman in every aspect. You—”
“Might enjoy that.”
He shook his head. “Honey, you have no idea what you're saying.”
“Is it because I’m not a submissive?”
“What?” he asked, shocked.
“Is it because I’m not into BDSM? You know—bondage, dominance, um, I forget the rest.”
“Bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism,” he replied distractedly. “How do you know about that?”
“I read. Plus, Derrick has been in the lifestyle for years. Not that he realized I knew that until recently. Roarke knows you so I just guessed you might be into the lifestyle.”
“You know Roarke?”
She nodded. “He and Derrick are good friends. We stay with him when we visit Austin.”
“Oh, right.”
“You’ve gone all pale.”
“You kind of caught me by surprise.” Sucker-punched him, more like.
“I’m sorry. Should I not have brought it up?”
He shook his head. “Umm, it’s fine.”
“Would it help if I started going to clubs with Derrick? Maybe I could pay someone to show me the ropes.”
He gripped her chin, turning it towards him. “You will not. Don't even think it.”
“How are you going to stop me?” she challenged.
“I have my ways. Don’t doubt it.”
She stuck out her lower lip. “Spoilsport.”
“Honey, you can't just decide to try BDSM because you think it would please someone else. It has to be something you want.”
She turned her head away from him, her shoulders slumping. The sour feeling in his stomach increased.
“Holly, look at me.”
When she glanced up at him, her eyes unsure, he couldn’t resist any longer. Leaning in, he took her mouth in a light, sweet kiss that soon morphed to something deeper, stronger.
Finally, he forced himself to move back.
That had been a bad idea. But it had felt so right.
She stared up at him, her eyes glazed with heat. Brax fought the urge to take her into his arms, storm his way into her hotel room and take her.
“Shit. If things were different…” He sighed. “I’m not ready for a relationship, Holly. I need to concentrate on my business at the moment. My last relationship ended because I was so busy with work that I neglected to spend enough time with my girlfriend. That’s not the type of relationship I want. I want to give my all and that’s what you deserve. I’m just not there yet. I’m sorry, honey. I hope we can be friends still.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I wasn’t asking for an engagement ring. I just thought we could go out on a few dates.”
She turned away to open the door, but not before he saw the pain in her eyes.
Brax groaned and grabbed hold on her arm, turning her back. “Holly, please don’t be upset. I just wanted to be honest with you. I really care about you.”
“But not enough to invest any time in me.”
“God, I’ve handled this badly.” He felt sick.
Holly sighed. “It’s okay. I do understand. Sort of. But you’re talking like I wanted to move in tomorrow and have your babies.”
He ran his thumb over his cheek. “I’m sorry I overreacted and I’d love it if you’d still go out for dinner with me sometime. Please say we’re still friends. I couldn’t stand it if you went away angry at me.”
Her shoulders dropped and she gave him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not angry. You were just being honest.”
Relief surged through him. “Come on, I'll walk you inside.”
As they got to her door, she stilled and turned to him. “Are you still going to see Mason tonight?” She kept her gaze lowered and he wanted to demand she look at him. He couldn’t tell how she was feeling; she had shut down on him and he didn’t like it. A big part of him longed to erase the last five minutes and start over. But she deserved to know how he felt.
“Yeah, although he’ll probably be comatose by now.”
“Be careful.”
“Always. Sleep well. Lock the door behind you.”
He waited until she was inside and heard the click of the lock before turning away.
Chapter Four
Holly drove out to the building site around eleven the next morning, wishing she had taken the time for a second cup of coffee. Instead of going to bed as soon as she had entered her room last night, as any sane person would have, she had chased after Brax, following him to Mason Philips house. She would’ve completely lost him if it hadn’t been for her rental cars GPS.
When she arrived at Mason’s house, Brax had already been there, knocking on his door. There had been no answer. She’d waited until Brax had driven away before returning back to her hotel room.
Pulling up to the construction site, Holly took a deep breath. She felt her exhaustion drift away, only to be replaced with nerves. She felt a bit awkward—she’d put herself out there last night only to be rejected. And it had hurt. But as she’d thought it over last night, she’d realized that Brax was actually attracted to her—that hadn’t been a lie. There was no way he could have faked the heat of his kiss.
She’d lied a little last night. She didn’t want just a few friendly dates. Her body went on fire every time he was around. But it was more than that. She enjoyed his company. He was funny, smart and caring. A bit overprotective, but she kind of liked that. Matt had never cared what she was doing or who she was with—except when she was with Derrick.
One night, when Matt been home, she’d decided to stay out until the small hours of the morning without telling him. A foolish bid to gain his attention. All he’d done was complain about how she’d woken him up.
So, maybe there was a part of her that hoped to convince Brax to change his mind. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
There was no sign of Brax anywhere so she checked in with Joshua. Nothing had happened overnight, thank goodness. The sheriff thought that the vandalism was probably teenagers, although Holly knew Brax disagreed.
Saying goodbye to Joshua, she moved towards the trailer Brax used.
Holly had spent the morning walking around the shops of Lilyvale, introducing herself and trying to gauge local reaction to the resort. Many people seemed really enthusiastic, realizing the potential stream of income it could bring.
Others, like the man who ran the local bookstore and a couple of the women shopping in the grocery store seemed less than enthusiastic.
And that was an understatement.
Still, none of them seemed the type to resort to vandalism, which lent more to Brax’s theory that this was a personal vendetta. She sat on Brax’s desk and pondered over things.
Her cell phone rang. Wonder of wonder, she actually had reception.
Usually it was pretty patchy out here.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Hello, love,” Derrick replied.
“Hey Derrick,” she greeted him, looking at her watch. It was about midday, meaning it was early evening in London. “How are things going?”
“Pretty good here. How are things there today?”
“All good. No further problems to report. Joshua is doing a good job and the building work is progressing.”
“Good.”
“You know, you might think about promoting Joshua. He’s calm, steady and well-organized.”
“Hmm, we’ll see. Maybe.” She liked that he listened to her. He’d make his own judgment, but he always listened first.
“I want you to keep me informed. Let me know straight away if anything else happens, understand?” he said sternly.
“Sir, yes, Sir!”
“Cheeky brat. Once I get back I’ll come down and check on Joshua’s work myself. That work for you?”
“Thanks, Derrick.”
Just as she hung up she heard someone call her name. Loudly. With some temper behind it.
She stood and opened the trailer door. “Brax?” she asked.
He strode towards her, dark eyes lit with ire. What was his problem? Holly took a step back in surprise before bracing herself. He entered the trailer, shutting the door behind him.
“Just what did you think you were doing?”
Holly forced herself to keep her ground. She folded her arms across her chest and raised a brow.
“Well, I was talking on the phone to Derrick.”
Brax looked at her in confusion. “What? No, not right now. What did you think you were doing this morning, going around and introducing yourself as a representative of Ashdown Industries and asking people how they felt about the resort?”
“Well, I am a representative of Ashdown industries and I wanted to know how people felt. No crime in that.”
She would like to know how he had found out, though.
“I got three phone calls in the space of twenty minutes about the lady from Ashdown Industries, including a very disgruntled one from Mr Duggan.”
She bet he was the bookstore man.
“Well, I’m sorry that they bothered you,” she began, failing to see the problem. Was he really this angry that his work had been interrupted?
“They didn’t bother me. What were you thinking? You basically painted a big red arrow on your back for anyone upset about the resort!”
She thrust back her shoulders, determined not to back down. These last few years had taught her that backing down was not an option. She wasn’t about to let anyone push her around.
Not even Brax.
Just because she liked a man who took charge, didn’t mean she was a pushover.
“No, what I did was introduce myself and listen to any concerns. Most people were in favor of the resort. Anyway I thought you believed Mason Philips was behind the vandalism.”
Ah-ha, got him there.
“Even if he is, there are still people who don’t like what is going on here. People you don’t know, and you’ve gone and told them who you are and where you’re staying.”
“I didn’t tell them where I was staying,” she said indignantly. She wasn’t a moron.
“You might as well have. It won’t take them long to find out.”
“Well then, they probably already knew who I was.”
“Not the point. That was a foolish thing to do.” But his anger was deflating, his shoulders losing their tension.
“Brax, you’re overreacting. No one threatened me, no one hurt me.” She studied him closely. “Are you okay?”
“What?”
“You seem on edge.” Not to mention he had just totally overreacted.
He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his head. “Sorry. An order got mixed up. Two of my guys are down with food poisoning— they both ate some bad fish, apparently. I just… Sorry. I was worried.”
He looked at her a little sheepishly.
She smiled gently. “Is there anything I could do to help? Would you like me to sort out the order?”
“It’s my problem,” he started to say, but she saw the longing in his gaze.
“Leave it with me. I’m very good at fixing things.”
“Thanks, it’s over here—”
They both froze as they heard a scream. Other cries followed. Brax recovered almost instantly, rushing out of the trailer. Holly followed more slowly, hampered by her leg. She paused outside, her hand rising to cover her mouth in horror.
Oh God. Oh God.
A man hung from the framework of the high building, his legs flailing in the air while around him people scrambled, trying to get to him.
Thank God he had a safety harness on.
As she moved closer, though, she realized something was wrong. There was too much panic, too much yelling and fear. Then she saw it. There was a problem with the safety harness. The man was clinging to it, rather than being supported by it.
Feeling helpless, she watched as men raced around trying to get to him.
“Rick, we’re sending you down another rope!” A voice boomed.
She glanced up, a knot forming in her stomach as she realized Brax was on top of the scaffolding. If that harness was faulty what was to say they all weren’t? If he fell...
Holly could only watch, her mouth dry, as they lowered a rope down to Rick. He pulled himself through the looped end so it supported him under the arms then they slowly lowered him. As soon as Rick was safely on the ground, Brax and some others climbed down.
It wasn’t until they were all safe that Holly realized her legs were shaking and if she didn’t sit soon she was going to fall.
She flopped into one of the chairs the men used during their breaks, placing her head in her hands for a moment as she regained her breath. When she raised her head, all the men were gathering and Brax was walking towards her, his face grim.
“What is it?” she asked, alarmed.
“The harness was tampered with. This was deliberate.”
*****
Even though he should have been heading home and to some sleep, he knew he wouldn’t rest until he’d seen her. He’d had inspectors, the sheriff and Derrick breathing down his neck today. Well, maybe not Derrick—that was a bit hard to do from London. Brax had no doubt that if the other man had been in the country, though, he’d have been on his back as well.
Someone had tampered with their safety equipment. This was serious. It wasn’t just a few threats and some graffiti. This had been dangerous.
Holly had been right by his side for most of the day. Finally, he had told her to go home. She was exhausted, stressed and limping.
She’d refused, of course, until he told her that she wasn’t helping anyone and Joshua could spy on him as well as she could. He’d been angry, his temper on edge and now he felt guilty as hell for lashing out at her like that.
He had no right to take his worry out on her. No right at all.
He knocked on her door.
There was silence for a long moment.
“Who is it?” she finally asked, her voice husky. He winced—great, he had woken her up.
Way to go.
“It’s Brax, honey. Sorry to wake you. Can I come in?”
Another long, silent moment and he figured his chances of seeing her tonight were about nil.
Then the door opened and she stood there in a hotel robe, her dark hair flying out at odd angles, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“May I come in? I won’t stay long.”
She shrugged but stepped aside and moved over to her bed to sit down.
“How is your leg?” he asked, walking over to a chair. He picked up the item sitting on it, turning it over in his hand.
“It’s fine,” she answered. “You can put that on the floor.”
“It’s a brace for your leg?” She sent him a ‘duh’ look and his gaze narrowed. “Are you supposed to wear
this all the time?”
He knew she hadn’t been wearing it that night at O’Reilly’s—no way could she get those tight jeans on over it, nor had she been wearing it that night she’d collapsed on the pavement.
“Not when I’m sleeping,” she replied with an edge to her voice.
Yeah, she wasn’t happy with him. He didn’t know if it was due to their conversation last night or because he had snapped at her earlier. Maybe a combination of both.
Brax put the brace down, deciding to broach that conversation another time.
“What do you want, Brax?” she asked. “I’m really tired and I just want to sleep.”
“I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that earlier. You were just trying to help and I was stressed and took it out on you. Holly, please forgive me.”
She stared at him. “It was just the truth. I was in the way. Did you get to the bottom of what happened?”
Brax ran his hand over his eyes. It was only right that she didn’t make this easy on him.
“Do you want a whiskey?”
He looked up, startled to find her staring at him. Her gaze wasn’t without sympathy.
“I’d love one.”
She rose and poured some into a glass for each of them, handing him one. He took her hand instead of the glass.
“I really am sorry, Holly.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s my fault too. I could see how stressed you were, but I felt helpless and kept pushing. Plus, I’m a bit sensitive about people telling me I’m not needed.”
Damn. That stab of guilt dug deeper. “No, honey; that’s just the thing. You weren’t in the way, and you had every right to be there. But I was on a fine edge. Someone tampering with my safety gear has taken this to a whole new level. I just… I know I have no right to feel this way, but I wanted you far away from that place.”
She seemed to puzzle that over. “I was hardly in danger.”
“No, but I wasn’t in a rational state of mind. I’ve shut down work tomorrow while our safety gear is inspected.”
This was going to cost them. Anger simmered in his gut and he tried to squelch it. He had been fighting his temper all day and it was about to give him an ulcer.
His Old-Fashioned Love (Old-Fashioned Series) Page 6
