The Reluctant Beauty (Once Upon A Romance Series)

by Laurie LeClair

  “And just perfect for me,” Austin pointed out.

  With a snort of disgust, the guy turned and stormed out of the restaurant.

  “Phew!” Peg pulled away. “Thanks, pal, you’re a lifesaver. That guy was giving me the creeps.”

  Reluctantly, Austin let her go. “Have a drink with me.” His offer surprised them both.

  Facing him again, he could see her gulp hard. She stared at him. Something kicked him in the gut when her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes gazed into his. He caught his breath.

  She shook her head. “Nah, I couldn’t.”

  “You owe me that much. At least sit with me and keep me company.”

  Looking him over, she said, “You? You need company? For cripes’ sake, you’re a hottie.”

  He laughed at that. The first real laugh he’d had in a very long time.

  ***

  Peg swallowed again as he escorted her to a table in the bar. Did she have to say what she thought all the time? Geez, I called him a hottie. To his face. Well, he was, but still, she could have kept that to herself.

  Sliding onto the half-round booth seat, she stopped at the middle. He drew in beside her, his knee skimmed hers. She quivered.

  He placed a drink in front of her.

  “What’s this?”

  “Apple martini.”

  “What happened? Did your date stand you up, too?” She practically snorted at the thought.

  “In a sense.”

  She turned to him, meeting his pale blue eyes. The lump was back in her throat. His smile inched up the corner of his mouth. A very sexy mouth and even sexier smile. She breathed in, catching a whiff of his clean, fresh scent.

  Turning back to the beverage and away from his intensely wicked stare, she focused on the drink. “I’ve never had this kind before.” She sipped it. The green apple flavor tickled her tongue. “Delish! Wanna try some?” She lifted her glass to him.

  He waved it off. “Gave it up. Drinking, that is.” He held up his glass. “Non-alcoholic is all I’m having these days.”

  “Drinking problem?”

  “Not anymore.” He smiled widely and leaned back with one arm across the back of the booth and so very close to her. “No more overindulging for me. Drinks or otherwise.”

  The way his shirt parted at the top, she could see a little of his chest. She took another sip and allowed her gaze to linger there and then dip her stare to his rock hard abs. Hot. Hot. Hot.

  “What’s your name anyway?” she asked, feeling a slow warmth spread in her body. From him or the drink—she couldn’t decide which one was causing the sensation. Either way, she liked it.

  “Austin,” he said easily enough, but there was something in the way he said it that made her think caution lurked around the corner. As an executive assistant, she’d dealt with people at King’s Department Store long enough to read them.

  Peg stuck out her hand. “Well, Austin, I’m Peg Newbury. And hell’s bells, I gotta say you saved my behind back there. Thanks, buddy.”

  When he shook her hand, she nearly yanked it back. Warm, strong, slightly callused, it engulfed hers. But the tingling from his touch whooshed right through her and to her toes in her size ten flats.

  He sucked in a sharp breath. “Peg,” he said in a low voice that turned her to mush. “What’s a hottie like you doing picking up guys at a bar?”

  Tugging her hand out of his, she dragged it through her hair, thinking it must be standing up on end right about now. “Funny, real funny, buster. No one’s ever mistaken me for a hot chick before and never will.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  Was he serious?

  “You’ve got such great lines. You don’t need them, you know. Believe you me, you can cut the baloney with me.”

  He chuckled. “No—what did you say?—baloney, Peg. Not my style. Just the truth.”

  She snorted, and then went back to her drink. She smacked her lips when she was done. “Yummy. I’ve got to tell Rico about this.”

  “Who’s Rico?”

  “My former best friend.” She huffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back. “He pushed me to do this thing. Online catching, fishing, whatever you want to call it. Dating, ha!”

  “Blind dates?”

  Holding up her index finger, she poked him in his rock solid chest. “One date. That’s all. One measly date to show off in front of my family next week.” She threw up her hands. “He brings me here and tosses me to the wolves.”

  “Show off?” he asked. She swore he cringed.

  “Not like that. Not some spectacle or anything. Just to quiet down the restless natives, or relatives, is more like it. You know—take the scent off of my track so they stop harping about me not being married yet, ever, whatever.”

  “Don’t you want to get married? Someday? Someway?”

  “Me? Are you kidding? I’m the beanstalk all the kids made fun of. Why, I haven’t had a serious date in,” she counted on her fingers, “three years. Nah, I got my work. Love it. Not giving it up, either. And babies, no way—my friends have more than enough for me to spoil. Sister-in-law’s gonna have a little bambino in a couple of months. Nah, I’m good. Plus I wouldn’t want to inflict this on any offspring.” She waved a hand over her body.

  Silence stretched. She grew uncomfortable. Why had she said so much? And to a stranger? Could she crawl under the table and right out the door now?

  “You’re serious?” Skepticism clouded his words.

  “Honest-to-goodness, cross my heart, serious as a heart attack,” she said.

  “You’re wrong.” There was a stubborn edge to his tone that had her jerking to stare into his eyes.

  Gulping hard, she shook her head.

  He nodded. “Oh, yes you are. Believe you me, you are.” He’d used her saying back at her.

  She brushed it off. “Thanks, pal, but I know the—”

  “The hell you do,” he muttered, and then downed his drink. “Another round.” He plucked up her empty glass and his, and then made his way to the bar.

  Peg stared at his wide shoulders and stiff back. Now, what had she said to get him ticked off like that?

  Fiddling with her pencil, she tapped it on her clipboard. But she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. His hair, what was left of it, was a sandy brown, she guessed. She didn’t usually like the look, but on him, it was hot. And the scruff on his jaw made him look even hotter, if that were possible.

  Standing at the bar waiting on the drinks, he turned, catching her.

  “Caught, red-handed,” she said between her teeth as she pasted on a smile. She shrugged and wiggled her fingers in a wave to him.

  He laughed and then winked at her.

  Her insides tumbled.

  What in the world was going on? She never acted like this. Not this schoolgirl crush stuff. No, not her, Peg, ever efficient, loved her job and never wanted to do anything else, Newbury. Beezus and sassafras, she needed to get out of here and away from him. Pronto!

  ***

  As Austin held the drinks and walked back to the table, he couldn’t help but smile at her. What a breath of fresh air. He liked her funny sayings. He liked her unvarnished truth. He liked the way her wide, brown eyes revealed all her emotions.

  What he didn’t like was his attraction to her.

  That he could have done without.

  He’d spent two long years touring the world with his band. Females of every color, shape, and size flashed him, threw themselves at him, tossed their thongs on stage at his feet, and was willing to sleep with him for a few hours. He hadn’t accepted. They didn’t understand the word no.

  Even before he broke up with his last girlfriend months ago, very publicly in the press on her part, the women came in droves. Why couldn’t they accept he was a one-woman man? Why him?

  He’d stayed clear, before and even after the break-up. Most of the guys in the band were on hand to soothe the groupies. Everyone knew what they bought into. No one got hurt.
/>   And he’d shake his head and watch from the sidelines.

  It was getting old. Fast.

  Now, after all this time, he felt the tug of heat with his sister’s friend, of all people.

  Peg hustled out of the booth and, clutching her clipboard, met him halfway. She held out her hand, and then realized his were holding the glasses, so she dropped hers. “Well, Austin, it’s been swell, pal. But I’ve got to skedaddle.” She tapped the board. “You know, a date to find.”

  “Hold up, Peg. Is it just Peg or Margaret?” He wondered why he even bothered to ask. His interest in her disturbed him. Austin tried to convince himself it was because he promised Ev he’d do her a favor by looking out for Peg. Yeah, right!

  “Peg. That’s it. Folks realized I was a square peg right from the get-go. I’m a giraffe compared to the rest of them. If I hadn’t have popped out of my mother, I swear I was adopted or bred by aliens.”

  With laughter bubbling up, he realized he didn’t want the night to end just yet. “You can’t leave me holding these…”

  Shrugging, she snatched the apple martini out of his hand and knocked it back in one swig. She smacked her lips. “Yummy! I’m off. Gotta meet up with Rico in,” she squinted, “four hours. Strategize.”

  She shoved the glass back at him, and then breezed by him.

  Austin stood dumbfounded, watching her walk away.

  What the hell just happened?

  ***

  “Peg, wait up,” he called, chasing after her. Her long strides nearly outmatched his. But he caught up to her. “You owe me, remember?”

  She pulled up short. Gently punching him in the belly, she said, “I’m not your next roll in the hay, bub, got it?”

  He sucked in a breath. “Nice right hook. But, that’s not what I meant. I saved you. Now, you save me.” Where did that come from?

  Her frown said it all. “How?”

  Lord, if he knew! “Um…I need a place to stay. Short term. No strings attached.” He could easily get a hotel room, so why was he even going there?

  “You broke?”

  “Nothing like that…” He couldn’t out-and-out lie to her. “Okay. Just for tonight.”

  Turning on her heel, she walked out.

  Austin shoved the glasses at the scowling maître de, who glanced at Peg and muttered, “Finally, she’s leaving!”

  “Hey, buddy,” Austin said. “Can you get my bag? It’s in the coat check room.” He tossed him the ticket and didn’t wait for a reply, but stormed outside after Peg.

  The cold wind whipped through him. Icy drizzle pelted him. She was there huddled on the sidewalk, obviously waiting for a cab.

  “Come on, Peg,” he said, touching her elbow. She was shivering. The maître de from the restaurant came carrying his denim coat and black duffle bag.

  “Mr. Rhoades,” he said, scrunching up his shoulders against the brutal weather.

  He tipped the guy, thanked him for his help, and then grabbed his things. With a murmured thanks, the guy rushed back inside, throwing a dark glare over his shoulder at Peg.

  “Here,” he said, wrapping his coat around Peg’s shaking shoulders and bundling her up. When she looked at him like that, he melted. “I’ll sleep on the floor. I’ll make you breakfast.” Then he’d go meet his sister afterward.

  “I’m sleeping over at Rico’s.” Her teeth chattered.

  “I’ll join you two.”

  She smiled then—a wobbly one, but it was a smile. “You have no idea what you just got yourself into, buddy.”

  Chapter 3

  A sleepover? Rico would love this. Peg used her key and unlocked the door to Rico’s apartment. She reached over and flicked on the light.

  “Pink and white?” Austin asked, eyeing the freshly painted loft Rico had taken over from the King sisters.

  “That’s our Rico,” she said with a smile in her voice. She kinda liked what he’d done with the tiny space. White paint, white furniture, and with pink accents, it made the space look bigger and brighter.

  She watched him slowly enter and check out the place. “Rico, boy or girl?”

  “Boy.”

  “Your best friend, right? Couldn’t pass him off as your date?”

  Peg nodded to the interior decorating. “Whatcha think?” She pointed out. “Not too subtle, you know. My folks would never buy that one.”

  “Gay?”

  “He’s happy as a lark,” she said, smiling widely.

  Austin chuckled, and then dropped his duffle bag near the door. “Doesn’t he have friends he could hook you up with?”

  Kicking off her shoes, resting her clipboard and pencil on a nearby end table, and shucking off his coat, she snorted. “He’s got mostly girl friends. Hey, now that’s an idea, I could bring a girl and freak my folks out even more. Yeah, Ma and Pop, this is my honey; she’s willing to get impregnated so we can have that little bambino in one point eight years just like you want.”

  They both began to laugh.

  “Or I could bring you,” she said offhandedly.

  The laughter died in both their throats. Silence ticked. Her heart thumped. She stared at him, wide-eyed and blinking like the owl guy at the restaurant. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea.”

  He held up his hands, backing up. “Don’t look at me. No can do.”

  “Ah, come on, I’ll make it worth your while…”

  Austin took a few more steps backwards. She followed, sizing him up as her gaze traveled the length of him, and back up.

  Her body hummed. He gulped.

  “You owe me, remember? Not the other way around,” he pointed out.

  Still, she advanced, backing him against the wall. Crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot, she said, “They’ll be shocked when I introduce you. But, they might buy it, for a while. Then, when you dump me in a week or two, they’ll cluck with sympathy and understand why you wouldn’t want to be with me.” A slow smile edged up her lips. “This just might work. They’ll back off for a while, thinking how heartbroken I must be and won’t pressure me.”

  “No,” he said with a firmness in his voice. It didn’t stop her.

  “Fat chance, bub,” she said. “I’m too busy to keep looking. They’re coming next week. And I’ll pay you. Cold, hard cash. Oh, and I’ll give you a place to stay for the next week and the few days they’re here in town. You can’t refuse me.” He was the answer to her prayers.

  “Wanna bet?”

  “I’ll cry.” She sniffed, but there were no tears. She dropped her hands and inched closer.

  His back hit the wall, hard.

  Peg leaned close, settling her hands on the wall around him, snaring him in a trap. “Now, Austin, you wouldn’t want me to disappoint my family, would you? Geez ’em Pete, I’m their only daughter. I’m an anomaly in the family. All these generations of perfectly proportioned, perfectly height appropriate beauties—even the guys are beautiful—and boom, I come out looking like a squalling twig without a tuft of hair on my beanie old head and they cry for weeks and months, praying I’ll grow out of it.” She smirked. “I’m already a disappointment to them.”

  ***

  Austin frowned. Her eyes gave away the hurt she felt. His gut twisted.

  She was so close, watching him. Dropping his stare to her lips, he tried to stop himself. But he couldn’t. He kissed her.

  Slow. Long. Deep.

  He felt the shock ripple through her. Still, he persisted. The soft little catch in the back of her throat shot straight to him. He groaned.

  Grabbing his head in her hands, she kissed him back.

  Bold. Hot. Wet.

  He couldn’t catch his breath when she broke contact. His heart thumped widely in his chest, just like he got right after he left the stage at the end of one of his concerts. The rush. The walking on air feeling. The natural high. What did she do to him?

  Her glassy, questioning stare must have matched his.

  “You’re good,” she said. “You do this a lot?”<
br />
  “As a matter of fact, no.” He wished she’d take a step back, give him some room.

  “Hmm…I guess we’d have to forgo the kisses—well, those kind.” She shrugged. “But little friendly ones in front of my family would be okay.”

  “Peg, I’m not going to be your date.”

  “It’s not real, you know. Just pretend. No harm no foul. Name your price?” She stepped back with her hands on her hips.

  Now, that was enticing. He scanned her long body, imagining what she’d look like without the business attire. Desire hit hot and hard.

  He shook his head. “Nope.” Can’t risk it. “I’m just in town for a day or two. Then I’m gone.”

  “Well, holy hotness, why didn’t you say something before now?” She might have sounded like she was okay with it, but he saw the emotions chase across her face.

  No, he was not going to get involved with her. His plans of a low-key hiatus stood paramount in his mind. Meeting her family did not fit into the scheme of things. Spending even more time with this funny, lively long-legged minx definitely would upset his much-needed downtime.

  If he ended it now, it would be as clean a break as any, he guessed. “Look, this isn’t a good idea, even me staying overnight.” He grabbed his duffel bag and snagged up his coat. “Peg, nice to meet you. I hope you find that date you’re looking for. But, it’s not me. Good luck with it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don’t have to make up anything else, okay, bub.” She opened the door for him and waved a hand. “Thanks for the rescue at the bar, oh, and the apple martinis. My new favorite. Bye.” She practically shoved him out the door, and then closed it in his face.

  He blinked a few times. Then he shook his head. Fast. To the point. Over. He’d never thought a woman could be so efficient and end things like that.

  Going down the three flights of steps, Austin couldn’t put enough distance between them. But his heart tugged. She was a breath of fresh air and had made him forget all about who he was and how he’d just wanted to disappear for the next few months.