Chasing Happy (Texas Desires #1)

by Rylie Roberts

  “Did you see who brought these up?”

  “Yeah, Dr. Daisy’s deliver guy,” he whispered, covering the receiver of the phone he held to his ear. He lifted a finger, asking her for a minute and she waved him off.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.” He gave her a quick thumbs-up and went back to actively listening to the conversation. She returned to her office and picked up the landline to call Kade. He answered in a tired, sleepy voice on the third ring. Second shift had him going to bed about the time she was getting up for work.

  “Hey, you, how’s it going? Make it there okay?” Kade asked on a yawn. He had the ability to be dead asleep one second and teasing her the next. He felt like home.

  “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “No problem. How’s today, princess” he said, his voice a little more clear. She could hear his mattress squeak. He either rolled over or was getting up.

  “I have so much to tell you.” She took her seat, but her eyes were locked on the enormous bouquet on her desk.

  “Can you go to lunch?” he asked. She could hear him turning on the faucet in the background.

  “No. They told me this morning, I have lunch plans with the CEO of the company,” she said.

  “That’s impressive.”

  “Yeah, you have no idea. Listen, I have a question. Did you send me flowers?” she asked, toying with the stem she’d taken out earlier.

  “No. Who’d you get flowers from?” This time she heard the distinct sounds of the toilet flushing. She rolled her eyes at that and let it go. He was such a guy sometimes.

  “I don’t really know,” she confessed.

  “Your dad?” Exactly the same conclusion she had come to.

  “No way he could afford these.” Now stumped, she wondered who would send her flowers like this.

  “What about that guy yesterday?” Kade asked after a second’s pause.

  “Reed? I think he would sign the card with his name,” she said. He’d been that nice of a guy, but an unsigned card implied something intimate and they certainly weren’t that.

  “Call his secretary and see what she says,” Kade suggested.

  “What do I ask?” That actually wasn’t a bad idea, and she brought the stem back to her nose. She loved the scent of roses.

  “Why are you asking me? You’re the trained talker.” A rap of knuckles on her door took her from her thoughts. She looked up to see a pair of vibrant blue eyes staring back at her. Reed stood in her doorway and she hadn’t even heard his approach.

  “You still there?” Kade asked, drawing her back to the phone conversation.

  “Yeah. Go back to sleep. I’ll see what I can figure out.” She didn’t wait to say goodbye or for even his response before the phone was back in the cradle. “Hello.”

  “You got the flowers,” he said, coming inside the office.

  “I did. Thank you very much. They’re beautiful,” she said, hoping she covered her surprise. So he had been the one to send the flowers. Wow. Her heart warmed, and she couldn’t help the beaming of her expression. He’d been so incredibly kind to her already.

  She stood and rounded the side of her desk to better face him. She wasn’t exactly sure why she rose, but he was too gorgeous of a man to allow much coherent thought. Besides, if she’d stayed behind the desk, she’d fidget and she didn’t want to do that.

  She anchored a hip on the side of her desk and clasped her hands together in front of her, casting her gaze toward the bouquet. After a moment of mutual silence, she looked back at him. He was staring at what she thought might be her stomach. His face looked almost flushed and he hadn’t said a word. She couldn’t help but look down, using her hands to dust off her dress.

  “Did I spill? They have these pastries and I ate too many this morning,” she confessed, but wasn’t able to find anything askew with her clothing.

  “No, not at all. You look beautiful today. I wasn’t sure anything could top how gorgeous you were yesterday, but then I see you today. The dress looks made for your body.” That sent a rush of warmth to her cheeks and she laughed. Words like beautiful and Lara were never said hand in hand. Reed was clearly a charmer.

  “If that means made-for-a-stick, then yes, it was made for me,” she laughed solidly now. That seemed to help whatever was going on with Reed’s face. He never looked over, but outstretched an arm toward the open door, giving it a firm shove closed.

  “I haven’t seen too many sticks that look like you. You wore your hair down again.” He tucked his hands inside his slacks pockets and moved to stand closer while grinning down at her. Lara stayed quiet at those words, mainly because they were spoken like a soft caress, sending goose bumps springing up on her arms.

  “The blush is adorable,” he added. She stayed silent at that comment too, until he chuckled. The sound was infectious and she began to fan her hands in front of her hot cheeks.

  “Not such a good thing for the PR rep to blush,” she said, laughing with him. He had a way of making her comfortable even though he aroused all this emotion inside her. What did that say for her? Actually something she already knew. She should have been born a gay man.

  “Are you ready for lunch?” He couldn’t have said anything better to help change the course of her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we scheduled anything. They have me having lunch with the CEO of the company today.” She gave a little cringe and a playful shutter.

  “They do? Well, I guess I’ll have to be a sloppy second,” he said, teasing her. “I’m here in his place.”

  “Oh. The plans changed?” she asked, trying to understand. She stood, smoothing out her dress before going for her purse.

  “Seems that way.”

  “Do you work for Press International?” She kicked the drawer close, her gaze back on him, still trying to piece this Reed puzzle together. He wasn’t being overly forthcoming with the information.

  “No. I work for the parent company.” Ah, that explained a lot. So he was the dreadful one that everyone kept whispering about. She had so much to learn about this company.

  “Great.” She draped her purse strap over her shoulder as he went for the door.

  ~~~

  The second he’d rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of her sitting at her desk on the phone, her wistful glance on the flowers he’d sent, he knew she’d been worth every bit of trouble and preparation he’d gone through. Words like enchanting kept coming to mind every single time he’d laid eyes on her. Another interesting fact, the tightness in his shoulders and neck ebbed. He relaxed almost instantly as he watched her from the open doorway. He could tell by the gist of the conversation that she wasn’t exactly sure who sent the flowers and that seemed to tickle him. Any bits of lingering stress fled as he just enjoyed her presence, and dammit, that blush turned him the fuck on.

  More so, this particular dress appealed to him. The modest cut square top accented the mounds of her perfectly shaped breasts. When she anchored a hip on her desk and drew her arms together, something in the way she positioned herself shoved her cleavage together, and for a complete minute, he’d lost all reason. Lara wasn’t an exhibitionist kind of gal, but the top dipped, the swells rose, and his mouth watered.

  “We aren’t going downstairs?” she asked, stepping off the escalator. She went to the right, giving him the opportunity to place a hand on her elbow and guide her in the other direction. He liked touching her.

  “Not this time,” he said, moving them in the other direction. The concierge’s desk sat just to the right of the back, private exit. He chuckled a little under his breath at the buzzing of the door and the bright smile the concierge gave Lara as they neared. Property management might have gone a little overboard with his request last night to pay close attention to her arrival this morning. Everyone seemed to be focusing on Lara and she tried hard to respond to them in kind.

  “Hidden back door escape routes, receiving a huge bouquet of flowers for the first tim
e in my life, and lunch out two days in a row… I might get used to all this special treatment. Being friends with you definitely has its advantages. Except this all seems very one-sided.” He held open one of the doors for her.

  “Never gotten flowers before?” he asked. This time he draped an arm behind her back, holding on to her waist as he walked them to the side loading zone. He could see his car and driver close, but held up in traffic just outside the parking garage.

  “No, sir, today was the first time,” she said, following along beside him.

  “You should have flowers every day,” he said, meaning those words. He kept an eye on the car as it inched toward them. They were in a good spot. The sun filtered in between the concrete pillars of the garage, hitting Lara’s hair just perfectly. He could see all the natural highlights coming out that he’d missed under the florescent lighting. Lara placed her sunglasses on and Reed took the opportunity to stand behind her, running a hand along her long silky hair, letting the strands trickle through his fingers. He rested his palms on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze as he leaned in closer to her ear. “I’m Reed. Not sir or Mr. Prescott. I’d like you to use my name. No more formal between us.”

  She shivered as he spoke and he smiled. She broke the contact, taking a couple of steps away from him before turning fully around. Her sunglasses fit her face remarkably well. “You’re dangerous,” she said and started fanning herself again. “You seriously need to meet Kade under better circumstances. He needs this.” She rolled her eyes. Laughter completed her thought. “Is it hot out here?”

  He wasn’t exactly sure how Kade factored in this between them. She’d made those same kinds of remarks yesterday. Was Kade bisexual? Could the coffee shop guy be wrong about the whole deal? He didn’t think she fit the MO of a sexually adventurous woman. She seemed incredibly naive, which was in direct contrast to her sexy, rocking body and generous, encouraging smile. Those things drew him in, but maybe this was all a game to her as well.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, effectively changing the subject when he didn’t respond.

  “Around the Corner. I like it there. It’s casual, but great food. The tables aren’t all packed together. It’s a little more private.”

  “I’ve never been there,” she said. He seemed to hold all of her attention; she didn’t notice the car pulling up behind her. He moved forward, his action cutting off anything else she planned to say. She did this little dance thing, not sure which way to step to get out of his way. He could have pointed to the car behind her, used his words to let her know his intentions, but where was the fun in that? Instead, he snaked an arm out, wrapping a hand around her thin waist and leaned farther toward her, reaching for the car door handle directly behind her.

  He opened the backseat door as he drew her close—closer than necessary. In her high heels, she came to his shoulders. She splayed her hands across his chest. Her adorable wide-eyed, nervous expression stayed in place. Her heart pounded against his chest, her breath trembled in short shallow bursts. She fit against him perfectly. His body came alive under her assault.

  Involuntarily, both his arms wrapped around her. Flashes of her long legs wrapped around his waist came to mind, stopping him in his tracks. With her slender frame, he could easily manipulate her body, dominate her with every twist of his hips. If it weren’t broad daylight, he could back her against the car, fuck her relentlessly, and she’d have no choice but to lift her hands around his neck and hold on for the ride. She bit her lip as if she read his thoughts. He hardened to painful degrees thinking about Lara submitting to him. Determination set in.

  “I’m sorry,” she breathed, looking up at him.

  “You smell incredible,” he whispered, leaning in to breathe her scent. He liked holding her. This felt more right than anything he’d ever done before. He dropped his head farther down. What could kissing her right now hurt? Actually it might hurt more not to kiss her. He claimed her lips. The silence between them held before a small giggle burst free. Not the normal response for such a seductive move. His brow furrowed. What had he missed?

  “That’s Kade’s doing. He picks my perfumes.” Lara lowered her face. She didn’t quite move away from his arms but that was only because he held on. She wouldn’t look up at him. “I want you to meet him again. I’m convinced you guys would get along well together.”

  His brow furrowed further as he tried to put that combination of thoughts together based on the moment they’d just shared. For him, he was closing in on his goal. She gave him all the right signs—without question she was physically interested. But her words contradicted her body’s reaction. She seemed focused on adding him to her friendship circle. Things were off between them and he regretfully dropped his hands to her waist.

  “Why do you keep referencing Kade to me?” he asked directly, lifting her head with a knuckle at her chin. She gave him a patient smile.

  “He’s my oldest and dearest friend. He needs a good guy in his life. He had some…” Reed watched emotion play across her face as she chose her words. “Issues when we were younger and he just picks terrible men. You two would be great together, I think.” She bit at her lip again. So that was a nervous habit not a seduction tactic. Interesting.

  She searched his face for a response to what she’d just confessed. The reality of her deeming him gay set in. Damn, twice in the last twelve or so hours someone thought he was gay. Braden would get a kick out of that and Reed barked out a laugh.

  “What?” she said defensively. Her whole demeanor changed. She backed up, facing off with him as he reached for the partially opened car door. He saw his driver standing there, waiting for them. He wasn’t sure if he should set her straight now or wait. After a second’s debate, he decided to put that bit of information off. Things like his sexual orientation and who he was in this company would be little bombs he could drop to throw this little beauty off balance. He’d reel her in a little farther before giving her the clue as to which of the best friends he was after.

  “The car’s here.” He was still laughing and extended a hand toward the open door. She stayed rooted in her spot, but her head turned, registering the man and the car.

  “A driver? You have a driver? What happened to the sports car?” she asked incredulously.

  “When I drive, little cherubs slide out in front of me. What did you think we were waiting for?” he asked. When she still didn’t move, he gave her a little push from behind. “Lunch is only an hour.”

  “A cab. I thought we’d take a cab. I’ve never been driven like this before,” she said, reluctantly sliding onto the backseat completely unaided. His usual women didn’t do things like that either—they always needed an arm to help them inside. Reed caught Wills, his driver, smiling at her comment. Reed did as well. She had such a way of just being honest.

  Under normal circumstance, he’d have gone around to the other side, but not today. He liked her right there beside him. Since she thought he was gay, he could keep her close without making her uncomfortable. When she started to move to the far side, he placed a hand out, stopping her.

  “Not too far over. You smell too good.” He anchored a hand across her knees, holding her thigh before she could scoot across the seat. She did that quick intake of breath again and fanned herself with an open hand. He barked out another laugh. When was the last time he’d laughed this much?

  “Ignore me. I’ll get control over this, I promise.” She aggressively fanned her face with both hands now. As he laughed out loud again, he caught the surprise from his driver as he looked back in the rearview mirror.

  “Then we’ll need to spend a lot of time together to make sure that happens,” he answered.

  “I’d like that,” she cooed a little. He’d enjoy spending time with her, and when the time came, he’d also enjoy setting her straight. The smile he wore faded. This woman had him tied up in knots. He didn’t know whether he was coming or going. Every time he was around her, she showed a little bigg
er piece of herself and she always kept him unsteady. She eased his heart, released the tension he held, and loosened him up like nothing else on the planet ever could before.

  They were comfortable together and how rare was that? From the moment he’d laid eyes on her in his office, once he’d really stopped and looked at her, he’d thought she was his very own angel sent from the heavens solely for him. Honestly, he hadn’t really been able to release that thought, even when he knew he’d have her and want to move on, like he did with every other female in his life. It was just who he was as a man.

  Focus on the goal, Prescott.

  It didn’t matter if he enjoyed her company. He was completely comfortable sitting in the backseat with her, totally quiet and merely sitting side by side. That only meant they might be able to keep their thing going for a few weeks instead of a night or two. He needed the chase. Maybe made better now because she thought he was gay. Lord, that was a complete first, and he laughed out loud again.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing. You’re good company,” he said and patted her bare knee. He noted how smooth her skin was, how his grip encased her entire thigh.

  “I can’t see how,” she said, looking out the other window.

  “And terrible at taking compliments. Come on.” They’d arrived, and he opened the door before the driver could even put the car in park.

  The restaurant was more a dinner club that happened to serve lunch. It was an exclusive, member’s only deal. He took her hand, and they walked inside the building, passing the valet stand. Reed got the doors for her before anyone else could. He liked doing these things for her. He also noticed the stares she got as she passed by different men. Lara was a show-stopper and completely oblivious to the looks cast in her direction.

  They were greeted and seated right away. Reed took the position of the host as he pulled out her chair. By her hesitation, he supposed there weren’t too many chairs pulled out for her throughout her life. She sat, and they were awkward together, scooting her into the table. He smiled thinking how few times he’d performed that move himself.