She leaned back. “I can’t imagine you being short or a nerd.” He was now so full-bodied and totally hot.
He chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t have given me a second look. My teeth were crooked and my eyesight bad. Perhaps the worst part was I had zits, looked like I got my food from a dumpster, and stood only five feet three.”
She slapped his chest. “Stop it. Tell me the real story.”
He winked. “Okay. I never really had zits, but the rest is true.”
He didn’t wear glasses now and his teeth were perfect. Amazing what modern medicine could do. “Go on.”
“Daniel never studied. All he wanted to do was play basketball, a game he excelled at. His grades sucked, and he was about to be kicked off the team for not meeting the grade point average required by the state when his counselor asked me to help.”
In her high school, the jocks and nerds didn’t mix. “Did your family hang out with the Callen crowd?” She wasn’t certain how literal to take his dumpster eating.
He tilted his face slightly so that their lips almost touched. Her stomach tumbled, and she had to concentrate so she wouldn’t trip.
“No. My mom actually cleaned house for Dustin Callen’s mom, Veronica.”
If they came from such different socioeconomic backgrounds as well as having different friends, she bet they didn’t bond right away. “I imagine getting help from someone in a lower grade would have been humiliating. Did Daniel blow you off when you tried to tutor him?”
“Surprisingly no. I’d anticipated he’d be a stuck-up prick, but he wasn’t.” Blade stepped back and turned her to the side. They followed the crowd. After several beats, he drew her next to him. “At one time, Daniel even dated my sister, but that didn’t work out.”
“He have too many girls after him?”
“Yes and no. Courtney was a cheerleader, so he liked her, but I’m afraid my sister could be a little overpowering. She wanted him to spend all of his time with her.”
“High school jocks probably frowned on exclusivity.” Girls, however, wanted to spend every waking moment with the boy of their dreams. She could so relate.
He smiled. “You got that right, though I would have stayed with one girl if I could have succeeded in getting one to go out with me in the first place.”
She shook her head. “I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I wish.”
The song ended and a slow song came next. He didn’t even ask if she wanted to stay on the dance floor. Blade skillfully transitioned from the two-step into the slower rhythm.
Candy studied his eyes. “So tell me about Daniel.”
He leaned closer. “You interested?”
“I might be.”
“Good.”
His head rested against hers. He wasn’t going to get away not finishing his story. “When did you become friends?”
He leaned back. “A real digger, I see.”
“A digger?”
He fought a smile. “You keep at something until you get the answer.”
“Yes. A digger. Now finish the damned story.”
He laughed and gave her a twirl despite the song not calling for the fast movement. “All right. I tutored Daniel, and his grades improved. Over my freshman summer I grew four inches and that helped. While the kids didn’t pick on me as much, Daniel seemed determined to protect me.”
“So he was a nice guy?”
“Bottom line, yes. He liked that I didn’t want anything from him. Over the course of high school we became friends. We both went to the University of Wyoming and roomed together. End of story.”
“Cool.” She’d received more information than she’d hoped for. Blade seemed to smile easily, but inside she guessed he had some deep wounds.
The music ended and he kept her hand in his. “We should save Daniel.”
“From?”
“Donna. And save Donna from John.”
Her friends had issues in Denver, but Intrigue seemed rife with, yes, intrigue, too. When they arrived back at the table, Donna was leaning on her elbows, her gaze focused on Daniel. John’s gaze was on Donna.
No sooner had they sat than waiters rushed around delivering the wedding meal. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Mandy, Vince, and Cameron going table-to-table speaking with the guests. Most likely Mandy would miss eating at her own wedding.
The instant Donna stopped speaking, Daniel faced Candy. “Do you know where you’re going to live while you start up your business?”
She hadn’t had time to address that yet. “While the newlyweds are in Hawaii, they’ve offered their house. Apparently, they’re building an addition and want someone there for part of the time.”
Blade leaned back. “They need a master suite, and Callen Construction will be doing the renovation.”
Wasn’t that nice! “Will you be supervising?”
The bottom half of his jaw shifted as if he needed to think about the answer. “Possibly.”
Candy thought it wise not to be pushy and ask too many questions.
Daniel placed a hand over hers. “And after that?”
She shrugged. “I take one week at a time.”
He leaned around her and looked at Blade. “We have a unit that was recently vacated.”
“A unit?”
“We live in a renovated three-story factory in town. Callen Security takes up the bottom floor. We live on the second floor, and we rent out the third.”
She had to live somewhere. To be near these two hot men would be a dream come true. Asking the price at the table would be tacky. “We’ll talk.”
Daniel smiled.
Oh, my. Moving to Intrigue had been right on so many levels.
After dinner, the crowd milled about. She spoke with Mandy for only a few minutes and only caught glimpses of Beth and Lisa. Every time Candy spotted one of the girls, they were in the arms of one man or another.
Around nine, most of the attendees had left. Fortunately, John insisted Donna meet someone he knew, so Candy didn’t have to put up with her furtive glances anymore.
Lisa stopped by, with two men. Candy had met Trevor Callen but hadn’t met the other man.
“This is Dante Williams, Trevor’s roommate. They said they’d drive me home, if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure.” Lisa was a grown woman and could go home with anyone she chose.
She grinned, and the men escorted her out. Candy hadn’t seen her that happy in a long time. She expected Daniel and Blade to suggest they take her out to a bar or something, but apparently they’d been commandeered to help with rounding up the last of the guests.
Beth rushed over to her. “Do you mind if I go back to the hotel with Winston?”
“Why would I mind?”
“You’ll be in the hotel room by yourself.”
Her friend actually looked distraught. “I’m fine. Go.” Candy leaned closer. “If things escalate and you’re not coming home, text me.”
“Candace Jackson!”
“What?” She laughed. “Go.”
Both Daniel and Blade closed in on her. “We really need to stay behind and help,” Daniel said. “We want to see you again. Maybe dinner tomorrow night?”
Blade ran his hands down her arms, disrupting her thoughts. “Sure.” She’d thought about offering to stay and help, but from the way Daniel kept glancing over his shoulder at his brother, he’d rather focus on helping than have to worry about ignoring her.
Both men pulled out their wallets at the same time and handed her their business cards.
Then Daniel turned on his phone. “How can I reach you?”
She gave him her cell number.
He typed it in and pocketed his phone. “’Til tomorrow?”
“I’m looking forward to it.” She wanted to stand there in the hopes she’d get a kiss but quickly decided acting too eager was uncool.
She slipped on her coat and trotted off, flying high. She couldn’t have asked to be paired with two nice
r men.
Outside the cold air blasted her. “Holy smokes.” An additional two to three inches of snow had fallen, and it was still coming down rather hard. She pulled her coat tight and shielded her eyes. She stepped carefully so as not to slip. High heels and snow didn’t work well together. The last thing she needed was a twisted ankle.
Because few cars remained in the parking lot, finding hers was easy. “Brr.”
She unlocked her door and jumped in. The first thing she did after starting the car was jack up the heat. While she waited for the engine to warm, she mentally thought about her route back to town. To be sure she didn’t get lost, she punched in the hotel address into her phone GPS.
Two more cars pulled out, and another couple rushed to their vehicle. She put the car in gear and headed out. What an amazing wedding. The soft lights, good music, great food, and sexier than hell escorts made this a day to remember. Mandy and her men had love in their eyes, and Candy was so happy for her.
At the school entrance, she turned right toward town. Nothing but blackness met her on the two-lane road. Denver believed in streetlights. Intrigue apparently did not.
Halfway to town, bright lights zoomed up behind her. She sped up, but the vehicle kept coming until it was riding her ass. The person flashed his lights. No way she’d increase her speed to satisfy his desire to go faster. “Go around, you idiot.”
Ahead, the tire marks had turned the snow to slush, making the centerline slightly obscured. No oncoming traffic was visible, so why not pass her? The truck remained inches from her rear. What was up with that?
“Just go around.” She slowed and moved as close to the berm as she dared. A huge ditch sat off to her right bordered by miles of fence.
The vehicle didn’t relent. She slapped the wheel and then rolled down her window. Frozen air rushed in. She stuck out her arm and shivered. She motioned the person to pass then immediately rolled up the window and grabbed the wheel with both hands.
Finally, the driver must have realized she wasn’t going to go any faster. When the truck came alongside, she glanced at the vehicle but couldn’t see inside the cab. Had she not been in such a good mood, she’d have been royally pissed.
The truck sped by, but instead of waiting until he cleared her car, he slid to the right.
Their cars were about to hit. “Oh, shit.” Adrenaline laced her blood, and she automatically jerked the wheel to the right.
The tires slid sideways. Don’t break. Turn into the skid.
Her heart jumped into her throat and she straightened the wheel as she’d been taught. Though she never signaled her brain to step on the brake, she pumped the pedal. The wheels slid on the ice and the car careened into the ditch. Instead of stopping, the car ran right into the fence.
The airbag exploded, and pain slammed into her face.
Chapter Four
Candy stilled then batted the airbag away from her face. Her heart raced faster than that asshole’s truck, and her breaths whooshed out so quickly her chest heaved. When she leaned forward to allow more air into her lungs, her shoulder screamed. The seatbelt must have dug into her chest when she jettisoned forward, and she rubbed the ache.
“Jesus Christ.” She glanced to the ceiling. “Why now?”
She slammed the heel of her hand at the wheel and regretted the move. With the airbag deployed, her knuckle rapped on the hard plastic instead of her palm.
Smoke poured out of the engine, obscuring her vision of the road ahead. Not only did the car appear to be totaled, she was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the bottom of a snowy ditch. She’d read about too many stranded travelers and how some had frozen to death. Damn. If she didn’t get help soon, she’d be another statistic.
Both of her headlights had broken on impact, making detection by a passing vehicle near to impossible. As if to mock her, a car whizzed by and didn’t even slow. Screw me.
She rubbed her sore nose and massaged her cheeks to determine if anything was broken. She appeared to be okay. With shaky hands, she retrieved her phone from the dashboard holder. Should she call 911 or Daniel and Blade? If she’d kept up her AAA membership, she would have called them, but after the divorce, she’d had to cut some things out. Roadside assistance was one of them. Aargh.
Her purse had tumbled to the floor where she’d stashed their business cards. She leaned over and pain ripped up her spine. This couldn’t be happening. Just breathe.
She sniffed away the tears, undid her seatbelt and slid across the seat, not wanting to torque her body too much. Her phone had a flashlight app, and she used it to locate the correct business cards. Calling John, the beauty supply man, by mistake would have sucked. Daniel and Blade would know who to contact. Emergency services might take hours to send a tow truck, but surely someone in the Callen family owned a repair shop and could lend her a hand.
Embarrassed she hadn’t been better able to control her car, she pressed Daniel’s number and waited. Pain banged the back of head and she closed her eyes. Please answer.
* * * *
Daniel escorted his mom and dad to their car, making sure neither slipped on the snow covered asphalt.
His mom tugged on his arm. “Did you have a good time, Daniel?”
“Yes. You did a fabulous job decorating.” That was what she was really asking.
“Thank you. Be sure to bring around that pretty blonde next time you stop by.”
Yikes. He didn’t need his mother harping on him about finding a woman. Vince was bad enough. “Good night, Mother.” He hugged her.
Once he saw them exit safely, he headed inside, hopefully for the last time. The bride and grooms had left. Only the janitors remained to clean up.
Blade popped through the exit door and approached him just as Daniel’s cell rang. Surprised it was Candy, he stopped and answered. “You checking up on us?” He smiled, awaiting her answer.
“Daniel?” Her voice cracked and his heart split.
“What’s wrong?” Blade reached him. “I’m putting you on speaker.” He motioned they head to his SUV.
“I was in an accident.”
His heart hitched. “Are you hurt? Where are you?”
“My shoulder hurts, and my car is ruined.”
The sob was almost undetectable, but he’d heard it. He slid in his vehicle, stabbed the key in the ignition, and started the car. He handed the phone to Blade. If she was heading back to the hotel, she’d be on Miller’s Way. It was the only way into town. “Do you know where you are?” He raised his voice to make sure she heard him.
There weren’t mile markers, making it hard for anyone to pinpoint a location.
“In a ditch. The front of my car hit a fence.” Her voice sounded weak.
His pulse raced. She could have a neck injury. He peeled out of the schoolyard. His four-wheel drive could handle these conditions, but he couldn’t speed at will.
Holding the phone between them, Blade’s knuckles were almost white.
He leaned a little to get closer. “Should we call an ambulance?”
“I’m cold.”
Her confusion implied she might have a concussion. That scared the shit out of him. “How far from the school are you?”
“Maybe ten minutes? I have my GPS loaded. The blinking dot is in the middle of a long road.”
“Turn on your lights.”
“They got smashed.”
The visibility from the impeding storm was getting worse by the minute. “Keep the heat on.”
“The engine doesn’t work.”
She couldn’t catch a break. If he called for a tow, they’d have to wait for the driver to arrive. That would take too long. He needed to get her into his warm car. “How about your hazard lights? Do they work?”
“It’s cold.”
So she said. Her inability to follow instructions really frightened him. He scoured the roadway. “Are you on the right side of the road?”
“I think so.”
He wanted to keep her talking. If she l
ost consciousness, there could be more trouble.
“Rub your arms to keep warm.”
What seemed like forever later, Blade leaned forward and pointed to something glowing. “There.”
Maybe it was her cell phone lighting up the inside of the cab. “We’re almost there, sugar. Hang on.”
When she didn’t answer, his gut nearly exploded. His headlights spotted her Corolla in the ditch. Steam fizzled up from the roof, implying the accident hadn’t happened too long ago. He pulled off the side, punched his hazard light button, and jumped out. They rushed to her car.
He knocked on her window. “Candy!”
She looked at him but made no effort to get out. He jiggled the handle. “It’s locked.” Shit. “Candy, open the door.” One of his strengths had always been his ability to keep calm even under dire circumstances. Now that trait had disappeared just when he needed it most. She didn’t respond.
He tapped harder on the window. “Open up the door, sugar.” His command finally seemed to get through to her. She fumbled with the door and finally the locked popped. He yanked it open, glad the crash hadn’t damaged the hinges.
He knelt down to check her out.
She shivered. “It’s cold.”
“I know, sugar.” Maybe Blade could see to her wounds in the backseat of his truck. “Blade is going to move you to my warm car. Okay?”
She swung her legs out, but he placed a hand on her thigh to stop her. Moving might cause more injury.
He stood and switched places with Blade. While he picked her up, Daniel held her neck. He let go only long enough to open the back seat of his SUV. “I’ll get your purse, Candy. Don’t worry about anything.”
Even in the dark, her nose appeared red and her cheek bruised. After running his hands up her arms and legs, he didn’t find any blood, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any.
The car had run into the wooden fence and crunched the hood, but the steering wheel wasn’t bent, implying she might not be too seriously injured. He slipped into the front seat and gathered her purse and phone. After collecting the keys, he closed the door and rushed to his car.
Monroe, Melody Snow - Craving Candy [The Callens 10] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4
