by M. S. Parker
My day progressed that way for several hours. I'd doze on and off, staring at the television in between naps, but not really seeing what was on. My head was full of questions and replays of all the shit that had happened over the past month. It wasn't until my stomach started to growl for more substance than crackers that I had a different thought.
I needed to prove that there were good guys in this world, and to do that, I had to find my hero. I went to the kitchen to see if I could find any soup, my brain starting to focus on my new task. If I could find him, I could ask him why he'd saved me. I could talk to him, thank him for what he'd done. If his intentions had been pure, it would be proof that there were still good men in this world, dashing heroes racing in to save a damsel in distress without any thought about what was in it for them.
It had nothing to do with the kiss, or how that one touch of the lips made my entire body hot. If a single kiss could do that, what would it be like to have more? To feel his body stretched out on top of mine, hands roaming over my clothes. Under my clothes. Against bare flesh.
I gritted my teeth and pushed the fantasies from my mind. I wanted to thank him for saving me, for restoring my faith in men. I didn't want a relationship, and I didn't do casual sex. What I did want was to believe in hope for the future, and finding my stranger would do that.
Now all I needed to do was figure out where to start.
Chapter 6
I was pretty sure Mindy thought I was mad at her for setting me up with Steven because I barely spoke to her all week. Adelle, fortunately, had been busy enough with some charity fundraiser that she accepted my 'details on Friday' text without pushing for more. I hadn't been upset with either one of them though. I'd just been extra busy.
Aside from my classes and grading papers, every waking moment had been spent trying to find the stranger. When I'd made that my goal, I'd known it wouldn't be easy, but I hadn't realized how difficult tracking down someone without a name, picture or personal information could be.
I'd called O'Mallys first thing to see if they remembered the fight. The bartender who'd worked Friday night hadn't been in, so I'd tried again the next day. He'd remembered the fight and me, but he swore he didn’t know the man who'd come to my rescue. After some coaxing, he admitted that Steven had told him to keep the drinks coming, but insisted he didn’t know I'd get so drunk so quickly.
After that dead end, I hadn't known where to go. I considered going back to the bar and waiting to see if the man showed up again, but since I'd talked to the bartender and he'd remembered me, I didn't want him realizing why I'd come back. I told him I wanted to thank my rescuer, but I was pretty sure he hadn't believed me. If I showed up there, it'd look desperate, which I didn't want.
Instead, I parked my car in the O'Mallys parking lot for two nights, grading my papers as I watched people coming and going. Both nights, I'd gone home empty-handed. I wasn't sure which was more depressing, how much my romantic life sucked or how the only guy I really wanted to talk to had vanished.
On Friday night, I was ready for some girl time and wine. I'd already decided that I'd tell everything, including my mystery man. I just hoped my friends could either talk some sense into me, help me, or give me a distraction. I couldn't keep running in circles like this.
“Wow, you look awful,” Adelle said as I took a seat to her right.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Bree. The bags under your eyes have bags. You look worse than you did right after...” She let her voice trail off but I knew what she meant. Her gaze moved around, almost nervously. Then, suddenly, her face brightened. “Mindy! Perfect timing.”
“Why? What's going on?” Mindy asked as she sat on the other side of Adelle.
“Adelle here was just telling me that I look worse now than I did after Ronald dumped me at the alter.” I couldn't help but smile at the expression on Adelle's face. My friend was usually impossible to embarrass or make uncomfortable. I had to take advantage of it whenever possible.
Mindy gave me a small smile, one that told me she was still worried about me being mad at her. “I think you look fine.”
Adelle's eyes narrowed and she looked from me to Mindy and back again. “All right, something's up. No way would Mindy say you looked fine the way you're dressed unless she knew there was some sort of extenuating circumstance. Spill it.”
I took a deep breath and told my story. Mindy winced when I got to the part where Steven had tried to drag me out of the bar and I could see the guilt on her face. I didn't stop to reassure her though. Instead, I continued on with the part she hadn't yet heard, including the kiss this time. When I finished, Adelle and Mindy were both staring.
“Wait, so the reason you've barely talked to me all week is because you've been looking for your mystery guy?” Mindy asked. “I thought you were mad at me.”
I shook my head and patted her on the hand. “It's not your fault Steven turned out to be an ass. You had no way of knowing. He came across all charming at first.”
“Should've gone with my guy in the first place,” Adelle said with a smug smile. “But now you have to.”
“Yay, another blind date,” I sneered, clapping in mock celebration. “That worked out so great last time.”
“What are you going to do, then?” Mindy asked, changing the subject. “Hire some private investigator to track down a guy you kissed when you were drunk?”
She had a point. It wasn't like I had many options when it came to finding my rescuer. And no matter how much I wanted to find him, there was no way I was telling some detective about what had happened. No kiss was that good.
My body disagreed with that statement, but I ignored it.
“I have to ask.” Adelle leaned forward. “What was it like? The kiss?” Her eyes were glowing with curiosity.
“It was a kiss,” I said shortly. “You know. Lips against lips.”
She grinned. “That good, huh?”
I glared at her.
“Come on, Bree, details.” Adelle glanced at Mindy. “Was there tongue?”
“You're an ass.” I threw a cherry tomato at her, laughing as it landed in her cleavage.
“Hey!”
I shrugged. “Shouldn't show it off.”
She plucked the tomato out from between her breasts and set it down on her empty plate. “Seriously, though, Bree. Let me fix you up on a date.” She threw a glance at Mindy. “I'll do better screening than she did.”
“Bitch.” Mindy stuck her tongue out at Adelle.
I laughed, my dark mood lightening as I let myself enjoy my friends.
“Please, Bree,” Adelle begged, her face all puppy dog cute.
“I think I'm swearing off dating for a while,” I said. I held up my hands. “No more men.”
“So women now?” Mindy grinned.
I searched for another tomato to throw as she laughed. “I just mean that I've had bad luck with men this past month and I'm not sure I want to try again.”
“It's not a commitment, Bree. I'm not asking you to marry the guy, just go on a date.” Adelle slid her card into the bill fold.
“You're not going to let this go, are you?” I asked.
“Nope.” She grinned. “You know me.”
Yeah, I did know her. That's what concerned me. I had visions of her showing up at my house at random hours with strangers she wanted me to meet.
“Besides, you need something to get your mind off of your mystery man,” she said. “You can't keep spending all your time looking for him.”
She had a point. “All right,” I agreed reluctantly. “One date.” Maybe that would be the distraction I'd need.
Chapter 7
Adelle must've called half a dozen times over the next week to ask if I'd picked out an outfit to wear on my date for Saturday. Friday night at dinner, she and Mindy had both offered to come over and help me dress. I'd been half-tempted to snap at them both that I'd managed to clothe myself just fine sinc
e I was six, but I only smiled and let them know that I didn't need any help.
Now, however, as I stood in front of the mirror, I wasn't so sure that I hadn't been too hasty. Then again, I wasn't about to tell either of them where I'd gotten my new dress. Even though Mindy made pretty much the same thing I did, her parents had paid for her college, which meant she wasn't paying back school loans, leaving her with some extra spending money. She and Adelle might not have shopped in the same stores, but Mindy could afford the lower-priced name brands. The dress I was wearing was a name brand, but I'd picked it up at a thrift store earlier this week.
It was a dark, charcoal gray that fit me beautifully. I was slender enough that I didn't have much in the way of curves, but this dress highlighted what I did have. The neckline was lower than what I normally wore, but not so much so that I felt entirely uncomfortable in it. The hemline was the same length as the skirt I'd worn the other night, so I was at least used to that. My make-up was minimal, and my new haircut didn't require much in the way of styling. I didn't need my friends for any of that. No, I needed them to distract me from the fact that I'd chosen this dress because the color was the same as my stranger's eyes. I could only imagine what Adelle would say if she knew I was going to meet this Cade Shepard she'd set me up with wearing a dress that made me think of another man.
“What am I doing?” I muttered to my reflection. “This is not going to end well, and you know it.”
I did know it, but that didn't mean I was going to flake out. I told Adelle I was going and I'd do just that. Since I'd been told to meet Cade at the Park Hyatt Hotel restaurant, at least I could get a free meal out of it. Maybe I'd get really lucky and the guy would at least be a good conversationalist. That was the most I was hoping for out of this evening, good food and a nice guy who didn't try to get me drunk or take advantage of me. I wasn't even considering the possibility that there could be anything else. No use going there and being disappointed.
With my expectations firmly in place, I grabbed my dress purse and headed for the door. I'd considered driving this time, as much to give me incentive not to drink so much, but I despised driving in heels so a cab it was. I winced as I thought of the fare, but my only other non-driving option was the train and there was no way I was doing that in a dress.
The cabbie was nice enough and didn't take any detours, which I appreciated. Sometimes, if they thought I was some naïve girl who didn't know my way around the city, they'd try to run up the meter. When we pulled up to the hotel, I couldn't help but stare. I'd seen it before, of course, but it was different getting out of the cab and knowing I was going inside. It was gorgeous.
I paid the cabbie, squared my shoulders and tried to look like I belonged at a five-star hotel. I walked slowly enough that I was able to find the restaurant without having to ask anyone and I headed inside. The hostess smiled at me as I came in.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“I'm meeting Cade Shepard,” I said.
“Wonderful.” Her smile widened. “Mr. Shepard is waiting for you. Right this way, please.”
I followed her as she made her way around the tables, most of which were full. It didn't take long for me to figure out that we were heading toward a more secluded section of the restaurant. The lights were dimmer, the tables a bit further apart for added privacy. Then the hostess stepped to one side and everything else faded away.
It was him. Right there. My mystery man was sitting at the table directly in front of me.
My jaw dropped and I darted a glance toward the hostess to see where she was going to point me. There was no way Adelle had found my savior and set us up on a blind date.
Then he was standing, his eyes brightening with recognition. He walked around to the other side of the table and pulled out the chair, the invitation clear.
“Your waiter will be here shortly with your wine selections.”
The hostess may have been smiling at us before she walked off, but I didn't notice. I couldn't stop staring. I did, however, managed to shut my mouth so I didn't look like a complete idiot.
“Well, isn't this a small world,” he said as he held out his hand.
I slid mine into his, still unable to believe this was real. He raised my hand to his lips just like he'd done last week. This time, I had no alcohol to blame for the way my stomach twisted and clenched as his mouth brushed against my knuckles. When he released my hand, my skin still tingled.
I sat down and let him help scoot in my chair before he walked back around to his seat. Before I could ask him how he knew Adelle, a waiter appeared with a wine menu.
He didn't even glance at it. “We'll have the Invictus Shiraz, two thousand four. And we'll need a few more minutes before we're ready to order.” He turned back to me as the waiter walked away. “Now, Miss Aubree Gamble. It's nice to have a name to put to your lovely face.”
“Likewise,” I said. “My friends call me Bree.”
“That’s a shame.” He smirked.
“Why do you say that?”
He ran his finger around the rim of his glass as he studied me. “Because Aubree is so much prettier. Suits you better.”
Heat bloomed in my cheeks and I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “You didn't know who I was.” I made it a statement rather than a question.
“When Adelle asked me to come here?” He shook his head. “No.” He smiled. “I don't need to ask if you knew who I was. The expression on your face said it all.”
I flushed and dropped my eyes.
“I admit it was a pleasant surprise,” Cade continued. “When Adelle mentioned that her friend was getting over a bad break-up and needed to be reintroduced to the world of dating, I expected someone... different.”
I raised my head. “Different how?” I tried to hide the hurt that went through me when I heard that Adelle had told him about what had happened.
He leaned back as the waiter returned with the wine. I resisted the urge to gulp half of mine just to calm my nerves. Once the waiter left, Cade turned his attention back to me.
“I assumed that Adelle's friend would be someone who was unable to find a date on her own, forced to rely on her friend's assistance. Shy, definitely. Most likely plain as well.”
I blinked at the blunt statements. “Excuse me?”
He continued on without an apology. Either he hadn't realized I hadn't appreciated what he'd said or he didn't care.
“Women who've been scorned by men react in one of two ways. They either completely swear off men until they find that they're tired of satisfying their own desires, or they jump right back in the dating pool and find a nice rebound man.” He gave me a once-over and I could see the admiration in his eyes. “Either way, the ones who rely on friends to find them men generally do so because they can't do it themselves.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that I could find a man if I wanted to, but the waiter returned and I looked down at my menu, wondering if it'd be too obvious to order the most expensive thing on the menu.
“We'll have the duck served with a lime glaze on a bed of watercress salad tossed in a light vinaigrette.”
“Very good, Sir.”
My head snapped up as I realized he'd ordered for us both.
He spoke as he turned back toward me. “Adelle mentioned that you liked duck but weren't able to have it often.”
I scowled. “Do you also know my bra size and bank account balance?”
His lips twitched like he wanted to laugh, but he didn't. “No.” He raised an eyebrow. “I seem to have hit a nerve. Tell me, are you annoyed at me, or at your friend for sharing personal details with me?”
I inhaled slowly. He was right. True, I was discovering that my white knight was the kind of confident that was two steps past arrogant, but knowing Adelle had told him personal things about me, that was upsetting.
“Shall we start over?” He extended a hand. “I'm Cade Shepard. I have some lovely red wine here and duck on the way if you'd care t
o join me.”
I shook his hand, trying to ignore the tingle that went up my hand and arm when we touched. This was a date to get Adelle off my back, nothing more. Okay, so I'd also met my rescuer, but I'd been telling myself for the past two weeks that I didn't want anything more than to thank him. I ignored the little voice in my head that reminded me how much I'd enjoyed that kiss.
“I'm Aubree Gamble. It's nice to meet you.” I gave him a partial smile.
“Now, Aubree, since I'm not the type of man to ask questions about his blind date so as to ensure a pleasant evening, I must ask if you like duck or if you'd prefer to order something else?”
My face burned at his words. I suddenly felt petty and stupid. Adelle hadn't spilled secrets about me. Cade had asked because he wanted to know more about the person she was setting him up with. I'd never even thought to ask about him. Ironically, it had been because I'd been too preoccupied with trying to learn his identity.
“Duck will be wonderful, thank you.” I put as much sincerity into my words as I could. I paused, and then apologized. “And I'm sorry for how I behaved. It's been a rough month.”
He nodded and topped off both of our wine glasses. “So Adelle mentioned, though not the details. I suppose I can let you off with a warning this time.” His eyes shone, but there was something in his voice that made me want to squirm. “After all, I witnessed firsthand part of the difficult month you've had.”
“Thank you.” The words burst out of me and more heat rushed to my face. If I kept this up, I was going to look like a tomato. “For helping me the other night. And making sure I got home safely.”
He raised his glass. “You're welcome.” He took a sip of the wine and then asked, “No thank you for the kiss?”
“Fuck.” I closed my eyes as I realized I'd said the word aloud. This night just kept getting better.
“I don't believe we got that far.” He sounded smug. “If we had, you'd be overwhelmed with gratitude.”
I opened my eyes and glared at him. I wasn't sure which was worse, that he was teasing me or that he was so full of himself.
