Chapter 13

Cassie followed Brian's directions and waited for him in the lobby. Because of his tender caresses and tender kisses from the previous evening, she had barely slept at all. She was certain he would ask her to spend the night with him when they had entered the elevator after supper, and she would have agreed.

Rather, they had a disagreement and he had declined her request for a nightcap, allowing her to go. She had gone to bed feeling bewildered, upset, and in urgent need of anything to ease her inside pain. She had been thinking about anything other than Nathan for a change. Brian was there.

Trying to make Nathan jealous, she was going to enter a brunch with Nathan and his fiancé on the stepbrother's arm. The tricky part, though, was that she wasn't sure whether it was still what she wanted. She had changed completely after spending time with Brian, and Nathan no longer seemed like the bright spark she had always thought he was.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Brian entered the foyer with the appearance of someone fresh from a GQ magazine photo shoot. He wore a pale blue button-up shirt with the sleeves pushed up to reveal his tattoos, a charcoal grey waistcoat, and dark denim pants that looked expensive but were stylishly worn in all the right places. His shirt's top buttons were undone, revealing a triangle of tanned flesh and a sprinkling of black hair. He was not wearing a tie. What was under the shirt was known to her. Her hands had glided over the ridges and valleys of his muscles in an intimate manner. She desired to repeat it.

He anticipated giving her and Cassie one of his belly-melting smiles when he saw them, but it never materialized. Rather, he nodded stiffly and strode in her direction.

"It's in the subterranean garage," he continued, guiding her towards the elevators once more.

He didn't make contact with her; there was no greeting kiss or helping hand on the small of her back. Since Brian had always been affectionate toward her, it seemed strange to be close to him while he maintained a polite space away. And it infuriated her.

"Is everything all right?" As the elevator dropped to the subterranean garage, she inquired.

He looked away from her and said, "Fine," in a chilly manner.

While observing him, she questioned, "Did something happen last night?"

He turned to face her, raising an eyebrow that was almost...condescending rather than amusing.

He inquired, his voice still cold and uninviting to her. "What do you mean?"

"You said you had work to do when you left me," the woman said to herself. Has anything occurred about your work?"

He turned his back on her and questioned, "Why do you care?"

His attitude irritated her, so she said, "I am your PR manager." "I should probably know what's happened if it affects the airline so I can start damage control."

He gave a sharp sigh, his jaw tightening and his nostrils widening.

"Nothing happened," he said as he marched into the dark garage once the doors swung open.

She had to bite back a sigh as he halted in front of a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 after taking his keys out of his pocket. A 1967 Shelby would be the ideal vehicle for her if you could fall in love with a vehicle. The sight of the black GT stripes and the slick gun-metal grey paint job may or may not have made her panties wet.

Breathlessly, she ran her palm over the silky duco and said, "This is your car?"

"One of them," he murmured as he used the remote to unlock the automobile.

As she got into the passenger seat, the scent of leather assaulted her from the moment he opened the door for her. The woodgrain steering wheel, the vintage speedometer, and the Shelby emblem on the gear shift and console were all in excellent shape.

She waited for him to turn the key and tuck his bulky form into the sports vehicle. The sound of the engine reverberated through the subterranean garage, causing her to let out a deep-throated gasp.

She closed her eyes and focused on the sound and vibrations of the automobile, saying, "I can't believe you own Eleanor."

"Do you know Eleanor?" he said, his tone slightly less icy.

She glanced across at him as her eyes opened. With her gaze roaming over his physique, she said, "Eleanor is my wet dream car."

He cleared the parking space, moved into first gear, and made a grunt in the back of his throat while clenching his jaw.

They spent some time traveling in quiet, and although he had started to warm up to her, she wasn't sure whether it would be enough to persuade others that they were indeed a pair. She was a little uneasy by the sudden shift in his attitude toward her and didn't know what had transpired to make him shut her off. She needed to get them back on track, but she was at a loss as to what went wrong and how to solve it.

"So, what's the plan of action?" he inquired, interrupting her.

"Strategy," she inquired.

His nod was incisive. "For Sunday brunch. Nathan must not be aware that I am your date.

"Oh, no," she replied, "but he is aware that I own one."

So what now? We simply enter and ask, "Surprise?"

She questioned, "Do you have a better idea?"

He chewed out, "No," and groaned. "Anyway, surprise is probably preferable because you can witness his first response without giving him a chance to adjust to the concept."

She pivoted to gaze outside the window. The encounter with Nathan was not something she was looking forward to, especially not in front of so many strangers. Although he had never been overly attached to her, he had also never had to face the fact that they were dating. And the man he was constantly competing with was his stepbrother. The fact that Brian was wealthier, more accomplished, and, some would argue, more attractive did not help. Nathan felt even more inadequate in light of everything. What would happen to him if he saw her with Brian?

At the restaurant, Brian got out of the car and inhaled deeply. Breathing in Blue's lovely aroma while confined to a small place had been a wonderful kind of torment. The recollections of her skin's softness and her flavor had overwhelmed him. When she had gushed over his automobile and then again when she had groaned as the engine went over, his resolve to avoid her had been severely tried. Seeing a lady become all fangirlish over his automobile was unbelievably hot, and all he could think about was stretching her out over the hood and pressing his nose into her warm, moist center.

not supporting.

Reaching around the car, he unlocked the door and offered her a helping hand. The sensation of her palm on his was so intense that he had to take a few deep breaths to stop his heart from pounding.

Her body was covered in a cream dress that nipped in at the waist and terminated at her knees. She wore the same nude-colored heels from last night, and a thick beige belt tightened her waist. Her fingers ached to feel the silky strands coursing through her exquisite rose-gold hair, which flowed in gentle waves.

He could no longer resist caressing her as she stood next to him, adjusting her clothing and retouching her lipstick. He leaned down to her ear, resting his hand on the small of her back.

"Are you prepared?" He mumbled something, then enjoyed the chill that ran down her spine.

She gave him a small tilt of her head, making eye contact. "Are you?" she questioned in a hushed tone.

Squeezing his teeth and closing his eyes, he tried to cling to what little control remained.

"Let's finish this off," he urged, pushing her forward with a hand on her back.

They were meeting at a restaurant that had amazing views of the water and was situated on the riverbank. He and Cassie arrived last since the entire outside sitting area had been taken over by the Heart-Rusch party. How to come in style.

As soon as they went onto the deck, everyone turned to look at them, and the discussion stopped. The other guests regarded them with curiosity since they were also foreigners. Nathan sprang to his feet, focusing his attention on where Brian had placed his hand on Cassie's hip.

He forced a grin on his lips and added, "Brian, Cassie, you made it." "Where are your dates, er,?"

Cassie and Brian grinned at each other.

"Interesting thing," Brian said to the stunned crowd. "Cassie and I go on dates together." Glad to see that she was looking at him rather than Nathan, he grinned down at her.

How come? Nathan trailed off. "I don't get it."

LOL, said Cassie. Surprised, she exclaimed. Even though Brian and I had been dating for a few months, we didn't realize we were going to the same wedding until recently. Very strange, huh?"

A petite brunette approached him and said, "Nathany, are you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, yeah, right," he said, and Brian grinned at his unease.

"Ainsley, this is my stepbrother Brian and my old buddy Cassie. Hello, this is Ainsley, my fiancé, to Cassie and Brian.

Ainsley shook their hands as she went around the table. "I'm so happy to have finally met you," she said, giving them a quick glance. "And Cassie, you have my sincere gratitude for unexpectedly agreeing to be my bridesmaid." Brian felt his hackles raise as she gave Cassie a scrutinizing glance. She chuckled and remarked, "Thank God you're not fatty; that would have been awkward." However, it's unfortunate about the hair. She gave a deliberate touch on her lip with her fingers. "Don't think about dying it for the weekend, do you?"

Before he could stop them, he watched Cassie's lips open and the words started to flow.

He hissed, "You're not touching Blue's hair."