Her heart began to race as his head bent to hers. She could let him kiss her—and, oh God she wanted him to—or, she could make them both wait until they knew each other better. The latter was probably the smarter choice, but as his lips got closer, smart choices started flying out of her brain.
“Wait,” she breathed, pressing her fingertips to his lips. “I want to kiss you…”
He pressed his forehead to hers, his breathing as accelerated as hers. “But?”
“But I want this to be different. It feels different,” she confessed.
He caressed her cheek, almost making it impossible to resist him. “It feels different to me, too, Blaise. We’ll wait.” He stepped back, but only far enough to take her hand and continue their walk.
“That easy?”
He glanced down at her with a smile. “Were you expecting me to argue with you? That would be your forte.”
Blaise bumped his hip with hers. “Careful, Mr. Steele. You wouldn’t want to lose all of the headway you’ve just gained.”
“No I certainly don’t want that,” he chuckled. “Perhaps I should stop while I’m ahead. I had planned on taking you to a nice club around here. However, I think this would be the perfect ending to our first date. Don’t you?”
Blaise pressed herself closer to his side. He definitely surpassed her expectations on this date. In fact, she had expected somewhat a disaster. But what she got was the total opposite. If Blaise thought she was in trouble before, she definitely knew she was now. “I do.”
ONCE AGAIN THEY stood outside Blaise’s apartment, and she wondered if he was feeling as edgy as she was. She unlocked the door, and turned to him.
“Thank you. I really did have a wonderful time.”
“As did I.” He took a strand of her hair and wrapped it around his finger. “I hope that means you will join me for a second date?”
“As long as dessert is involved,” she joked. “I’d love to.”
“Believe me, I’m a quick learner.” He stroked a thumb down her cheek, and across her lips, but he never made another move to kiss her. “May I call you?”
“I assume you got my number from Cade, as well?” Although she hated the thought of him obtaining her info without her knowledge, she wouldn’t begrudge the fact that he did it. If she looked at it from his point of view, it was a bit romantic.
“I did,” he confessed. “But I never looked at anything else, Blaise. I swear. If I want to learn about you, I’ll ask you, or wait for you to tell me.”
She nodded. “You may call me.”
“Tomorrow?” he grinned, making her laugh.
“Whenever you like.” She took his jacket from her shoulders and handed it to him. After he slipped it on, she grabbed his lapels, lifting herself to her toes, and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight… Greyson.”
GODDAMN. GREYSON HAD dreamt of hearing Blaise say his name multiple times. But dreams were nothing compared to the reality. No matter how long he lived, he would never tire of hearing the sound of his name coming from Blaise’s lips. He left Blaise’s building feeling pretty damned good.
He brought his phone out when it began to ring, hoping it would be Blaise telling him to come back up. Then he remembered she didn’t have his number.
“Yeah?”
“Could you at least be a little more discreet with your tarts, Greyson?”
His good mood was instantly extinguished by his mother’s voice on the other end. “Mother? What are you talking about?”
“I understand a man has… needs, but you don’t need to flaunt it by taking your playthings to expensive restaurants and using your family’s name to obtain the reservations.”
The clear disdain in her voice grated on his nerves. “Blaise is neither a tart, nor is she my plaything, Mother. You will refrain from calling her that again.”
“Greyson, you are with Pricilla…”
“I am not. And, I told her that. The charity gala was the last time being stuck as her escort. I am pursuing Blaise.”
“Blaise.” She said the name as if she had just eaten something particularly distasteful. “What kind of name is that? And, who is her family?”
“It’s a beautiful name. And, her family is of no consequence to you. I am not dating her to enhance my social status.”
“How do you know she isn’t dating you to enhance hers?” Nora asked scathingly. “What do you know about this woman? She could be a gold-digger for all you know. At least you know Pricilla does not need the money.”
“Blaise is not dating me for my money, Mother.” He unlocked his car, and slipped inside. With one last glance up towards Blaise’s apartment, he started the car and pulled away.
“And, you know this because you’ve done an extensive background check on her?” Nora tsked in his ear. “Pricilla told me about the woman at the gala. How she blatantly fawned all over you even after finding out you were engaged.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Mother. First and foremost, I am not engaged. Second, Pricilla is full of shit. And, finally, though it’s no business of yours, Blaise never came on to me. I sought after her.”
“You’re naïve, Greyson. You know women have many ways of getting to a man. Playing hard to get is just one of them. This woman has you eating out of her hands. Pretty soon she’ll have you spending your money on her.”
“Think what you will, Mother. You don’t know her.” Of course, Greyson was still learning about Blaise, but he knew deep down that she was not the piranha his mother made her out to be. “How did you know when to call me?”
“Please, Greyson. You are my son, and an important asset to Steele Industries.”
“And, you always make sure your investments are protected, right?” he finished for her bitterly. “You should be careful, Nora. The tighter you hold on to something, the easier it is to lose your grip.”
He ended the call abruptly, tossing his phone on the passenger seat. Fuck. He contemplated calling Cade and telling him to open up a spot at Drake & Associates for him. Then he contemplated calling Blaise, just to hear her voice and calm him down. Instead, he turned up the radio letting the beat of a nameless song occupy his mind for the time being.
“MR. STEELE? CADE Drake is on line two for you.”
Greyson scrubbed his face, trying to wake himself up, and cursing Preston for calling him in on a Saturday morning. It had been a restless night, with Blaise’s face, scent and voice filling his head and dreams. He had taken a cold shower that night, as well as one this morning. And, he had jacked off each time, the cold water doing nothing to douse his desire for Blaise.
“Thank you, Adrienne.” He picked up the receiver, and hit line two. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, brother. How’d it go? And, why the fuck are you at the office on a Saturday.”
“You seriously calling me to chat about my date?” Greyson chuckled, ignoring the question of why he was at the office. He got enough shit for working there as it was. “Was your night that boring?”
“Come on, brother. I just want to know if a date with Ellie came up. I don’t want to know what else came up, if you get my drift.” Cade paused. “Unless you want to tell me how she was.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. And, we had more important things to talk about besides you.”
“Bullshit. The only reason you were on that date is because of me, brother. Show some respect.”
Greyson could hear the amusement in Cade’s voice, and it helped with his bad mood. “We actually did talk about it. But, not at length. Lucky for you, she agreed to another date.”
Cade whooped with laughter. “Good for you! I’m glad it went well. I’m actually calling for a reason.”
“I thought it was to gossip about my date.”
“Funny,” Cade grunted. “I have a job.”
“Cade,” Greyson warned.
“I know, I know. But I could really use you on this, Greyson.”
Greyson knew that when Cade used his name,
he was serious. “What do you have?”
“Mock security breach. I need your B&E expertise.”
“High profile?”
“Yeah. And, could stand to be one of the firm’s biggest accounts if we can pull this off.”
“Who is it?”
“EK Enterprises.”
“Cade, man, that’s a conflict of interest for me.” Greyson sat back, stretching his legs out in front of him. “We’re in a long standing battle with EK. They’ve been trying to buy off our shareholders for more than a year now.”
“Well, shit, brother.” Greyson could almost hear Cade’s mind churning with ideas. “So, take the job, and you’ll get the inside scoop. Win, win.”
“They know who I am, Cade.”
“You won’t be the front man, brother. No one will even know you’re there. You’re not associated with Drake & Associates, and I certainly won’t give out your name. You’ll be the ‘hired gun’.”
“And, they’re not going to want to meet this ‘hired gun’?” Greyson asked skeptically.
“The company doesn’t need to know my sources, brother.”
Greyson mulled over the options, and the consequences. He knew he was taking a chance going into the competition as a ‘ghost’, but the lure of the mission was too much to turn down.
“I’m in.”
“Fuck yeah. I’ll send you the info. Don’t come to the office, we’ll work via text. That way no one knows you’re involved.”
“Sounds good, man. Last thing I need is Preston finding out. For all I know, he’ll tell Nora I’m working with EK to bring him down.”
“Maybe that ain’t so bad, brother. It’ll get you out of that ‘obligation’.”
Greyson grunted. “Speaking of obligations, I have to get going.”
“Yeah. Just remember, your next conversation with Blaise should consist of getting me a date with Ellie.”
“You’re bordering on obsessed, man,” Greyson laughed. “But I’ll do what I can.”
BLAISE FUMBLED AROUND the nightstand as Alicia Keys’ ‘Girl on Fire’ rudely interrupted her sleep. “There better be a good reason for calling me this early,” she answered hoarsely, and was immediately awake at the low rumble of Greyson’s laugh.
“It’s nine-thirty.”
“It’s Saturday.” Blaise sat up, bringing the comforter with her. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, doll. I actually thought you’d be at the shop by now.”
Blaise grinned at the term of endearment. “I don’t go in until noon on Saturdays unless I have major orders to fill,” she explained. “And, today I’m actually working on a special order here at home.” She wasn’t sure why she was clarifying why she was still asleep to a man she only had one date with. But somehow, it seemed natural to her.
“I didn’t realize you took your work home.”
“Only special orders. What are you up to this morning?”
“Working, actually.” It was subtle, but Blaise heard the small sigh, and again wondered why he was doing something he didn’t want to be doing. “Preston had a bug up his ass about one of the companies we’re looking at, so here I am.”
“Does he not understand that Saturdays are sacred?”
Greyson laughed again. “Preston doesn’t understand much that doesn’t have to do with money or prestige.”
She thought about asking him why he called his father Preston, but he spoke again before she could.
“I’m calling about that second date.”
Blaise laughed softly. “You’re taking a chance calling me this early on a Saturday. But since you thought I was at work, I’ll let that pass.”
“Thank you, doll.” She could hear the smile in his voice, and found it endearing. “So, how about it? There’s a concert in the park tonight. Do you like hearing up and coming bands?”
“I love all kinds of live music. Sounds nice.”
“Great,” he paused. “Um, I hate to ask you this, but do you think Ellie would come if Cade did?”
Blaise snorted. “Did you just ask Ellie out on Cade’s behalf?”
“Seems I did,” he sighed. “Sorry. He keeps bugging me about it, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. At least I can tell him I tried.”
“Why doesn’t Cade just ask Ellie himself?”
“He tried. She shot him down,” Greyson laughed.
“Hmm. Yes, I don’t doubt that. Ellie doesn’t date.”
“Doesn’t date?” he repeated unnecessarily. But had he told her that Cade never dated, she probably would have been just as confused. Women who look like Ellie should either be taken, or have men lined up around the block trying to win her heart.
“Not since I’ve known her. She has someone living with her, but she says he’s just a friend that needed a place to stay for a while.” Blaise rubbed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have told you that, so don’t repeat that to Cade.”
“My lips are sealed, doll. So you don’t think she would like to join us?”
“Like you said, doesn’t hurt to ask,” Blaise said. “I would actually like to see her get out more. Cade does know she has a daughter, right?”
“Yes. And, surprisingly, he’s still interested. Ellie must have really left a good impression on him.”
“Yeah. She’s good at that.”
“WELL, YOU DIDN’T show up at my doorstep an hour after the date started, begging me for cake.” Ellie glanced up from slicing Granny Smith apples for her amazing apple pie when Blaise walked in. “Either the date went well, or you sat at home and polished off the one I gave you plus a pint of ice cream.”
Blaise laughed. “The date went well. Greyson is actually very charismatic.”
“Well, I could have told you that.”
“Hmm, well it’s more than just his looks. He’s funny, attentive…”
“Arrogant?”
“Eh, a little cocky at times. But nothing I can’t handle. Actually, on him, it’s kind of sexy.” Blaise stole one of the apple slices, popping it into her mouth. “He’s very chivalrous, too,” she said with a mouth full.
“I say, if you didn’t scare him away with your eating habits, he’s a keeper.” Ellie winked, and then sent Blaise a warning look. “You throw that apple at me and you will not like the consequences.”
Blaise ate the apple instead. “I agreed to another date.”
“Shut up! A second date with Blaise Knight. Will wonders never cease?”
“You’re asking for an apple slice between the eyes.”
“Hey, it’s been a while since you’ve found someone interesting enough for a second date, sweetie. I’m just happy for you.”
Blaise watched as Ellie placed the apples and special spices on top of pie crust. She had no clue how to bake, or what Ellie did that made everything she made taste so incredible. It looked simple enough, but when Ellie had tried showing her how to bake once, it certainly didn’t turn out… well, edible.
“Well, let’s not start the wedding preparations just yet. It’s just a second date.” Now how to bring this up, she wondered silently. “He actually called this morning.”
“Ooo, early on a Saturday. And, you still agreed to another date? He must have made an impression.”
“Funny you should say that,” Blaise started carefully, and watched Ellie stop what she was doing.
“Funny why?”
“Just… can I have a burger?” Might as well eat before I never get anything from Ellie again.
“Maybe. After you tell me why it’s funny.”
“Come on, El. I’m starving.”
“Then you should start talking.” Ellie took her pies to the oven, sliding them in and carefully closing the door. She then turned back to Blaise with her hands on her hips.
“Okay, look. It’s nothing bad. Greyson asked me to a concert in the park tonight.” Blaise paused long enough to have Ellie tapping her toe. “How did it go with Jessie last night?”
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not going to get out of
this by asking me about Jessie. Spill it. Because I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re going to say.”
“Greyson wanted to know if you wanted to go with us to the concert. And, Cade is going to be there, too.” The last part of the explanation was said so fast that it came out as one long word.
“Blaise!”
“Hmm?” She gave Ellie her best innocent look.
“Did you tell Greyson I would go on a date with Cade?”
“Nooo. I said I would ask you if you wanted to go to a concert at the park. Where Cade would just happen to be. At the same time. With us,” Blaise finished guiltily.
“Blaise Knight!”
“It’s not a date, El.”
“Really? So, Cade just wants a buddy there to keep him company while you and Greyson play kissy face?” she asked irritably.
“We do not play kissy face! In fact, we haven’t even kissed yet…”
“Blaise! Focus!”
“Okay,” she sighed. “Yes, Cade likes you. Yes, he wants to date you. No, I didn’t say you would go out with him. I only said I would ask.” Blaise got up from her seat and walked to Ellie. “El, it’s just a concert with friends. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that. I know you don’t like to date. I don’t know why, but I’m not trying to force this on you. If you want to say no, say no. Hey,” she took Ellie by the shoulders. “I’ll be there.”
Ellie let out a frustrated noise. “You so owe me for this. And,” she continued as Blaise hugged her, “you are lucky that Jessie has plans. This is not a date, Blaise. I’m going to listen to music with friends. That’s all.”
Blaise nodded enthusiastically. “Perfect.”
Ellie shook her head. “Don’t ever do this again.”
“I swear.” Blaise made an X over her heart.
“Fine. Now you can have a hamburger.”
“Oh thank God!” She looped her arm with Ellie’s. “I thought you were going to be too mad at me to feed me.”
“I almost am,” Ellie told her with a small smile. “You should be glad that I like live music so much.”
Coming Home: An LA Lovers Book Page 12
