On Dublin Street (9781101623497) Page 12

  Jesus C, he had such an ego on him!

  Never mind that he was right.

  I guffawed. “What? Because of him?”

  She shrugged again. “Was he right?”

  More avoiding her eyes. “Nope.”

  “Well, just so you know, I get the impression he’s planning something.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

  She sighed leaning back in her chair. “With Braden you never know. I’ve just learned to recognize the signs. I know my brother better than he thinks I know him. You’re under his skin, Joss. I’m actually impressed he’s been so patient. Although, that probably means he’s planning on doing whatever it takes to get you.”

  I was surprised, and couldn’t pretend I wasn’t. I sat back, momentarily abandoning my food. “Under his skin? Whatever it takes?”

  “As much as my brother’s sex life makes me squeamish, I sometimes can’t avoid hearing about it, and what I hear is that Braden always gets what he wants.”

  I snorted. “Please, Ellie, you think I’m what he wants? I’m not exactly his type. Jocelyn Butler doesn’t come in Supermodel.”

  Ellie looked adorably confused. “You’re kidding right?”

  “Um . . . about what?”

  “You.” She pointed at me indignantly. “You’re seriously hot, Joss. Okay, you don’t look like the pretty coat hangers Braden usually goes for, but you have those amazing eyes, that throaty sex-phone voice, a cup-size I’d die for, and this broody, standoffishness that’s completely at odds with the seriously cool and funny person you are. Believe me, I’ve heard the guys talking. You’re different, and guys being guys, they can’t help seeing that as a challenge. You’re hot.”

  I was stunned that’s what I was.

  Was that really how these people saw me? Embarrassed, I picked up my fork, mumbling, ‘whatever’.

  I could feel my roommate’s smile without even looking up. “You need a mirror.”

  I shrugged.

  Then Ellie grew quiet and I found myself raising my gaze to make sure she was alright. She wasn’t smiling now. “No matter how much he denies it, Braden’s interested in you, Joss. He asks me about you a lot, which he’s never done before with anyone else and, believe me I’ve lost at least three friends he serial-dated out of my life. I don’t tell him much-

  You told him about my family.

  -because you don’t say much, so of course he’s even more intrigued. And like I said, Braden usually gets what he wants.”

  “Please,” I huffed, “Give me a little more credit. I don’t just fall into a hot guy’s bed because he’s used to getting what he wants. Guess what? I’m used to getting what I want too. And what I want is not to fall into his bed.”

  But it was like Ellie hadn’t even heard me. “If you don’t manage to resist, just be careful with him, okay. He’s been treated badly before, and I don’t want to see that happen again.”

  Wide-eyed, I heard my fork clatter to my plate after my fingers dropped it of their own accord. They were in shock, as was the rest of me. “Wait. Are you worried about me hurting him?”

  She smiled apologetically. “You’re a good person, which makes the fact that you don’t trust anyone, really hard for the people who care about you. And Braden, when he cares about someone, has to know everything so he can cover all the bases and protect them. He has to be a guy people can trust. It’s just who he is. If he started something with you, he’d only be hurt when you refuse to let him in.”

  I only sort of took that in. Mostly, I just kept hearing ‘you’re a good person, which makes the fact that you don’t trust anyone, really hard for the people who care about you.’

  “Am I hurting you, Ellie?” I didn’t want to admit how scared I was for her answer.

  She exhaled heavily, seeming to weigh her words. “At first I was. But knowing that you don’t mean to hurt me helps. Do I wish you’d trust me more? Yes. Am I going to push it? No.” She stood up. “Just know that if you ever do decide to trust me, I’m here. And you can tell me anything.”

  I felt my throat close up and I could only nod. In an effort to expel the moment, Ellie grinned down at me. “I’m going out tonight with Braden and Adam. I was kind of cool with Adam today. It pissed him off.”

  Hmm, what are you up to, young lady? “Are you playing games with him?”

  She scowled. “Yesterday I discovered he’d warned off Nicholas when he wanted to ask me out. So yes. I am.”

  “Whoa, hold up.” I pushed my entire plate back now, totally confused. I’d met Nicholas. He was one of Ellie’s friends who hung out at the apartment sometimes. He was also a tutor in her department. “Adam did what?”

  “I made some crack yesterday about not having had a date in months and Nicholas said maybe I would have had a date if Adam would stop threatening prospective guys. I was completely confused so Nicholas explained. Nick was planning on asking me out months ago, and he went to Adam for advice on where to take me out.” Her jaw locked as she thought about it. “Instead of answering, he warned Nicholas off with bodily harm. Told him to stay away from me. No explanation. Just ‘stay away’.”

  I laughed in disbelief. “And of course Adam’s built and Nicholas looks like the promotion guy for Twiglets so Nick backed down.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What the hell is Adam playing at?”

  “That’s what I want to know. He’s messed with me, so I’m going to enjoy messing with him.”

  I had to admit, I liked this side of Ellie. People thought they could walk all over her, but they were wrong. I grinned up at her. “So the cold shoulder, huh?”

  She grinned cheekily back at me, looking very much like a devilish angel. “Full force tonight. I may even flirt with some random to see if that ruffles his feathers. Then I can ask him what the hell he’s playing at. He was the one who didn’t want to be anything more than friends.”

  “Well, usually I don’t condone game-playing, but in this case he deserves it. I can’t believe he’s been warning off guys behind your back. I look forward to the next report, Miss Carmichael.”

  Ellie laughed and hurried off to get ready for the evening, leaving me to finish dinner so I could jump in the shower before work.

  * * *

  Craig was on shift with me tonight along with Alistair, another bartender I’d worked with a few times before. The guys were in a fun mood and the bar was busy—with the two of them trying their hardest to make me laugh, minutes were passing quickly and I was having a great time. Our good mood fed into the atmosphere of the club, and people had begun crowding around the bar to sip their drinks and enjoy each other’s banter as well as mine and the guys’.

  “I catch this cocktail,” Craig shouted down the bar to me, “And you finally give in and shag me tonight, Joss.”

  The customers tittered and laughed while I grinned back at him, pouring two Jack Daniels and Coke for the girls in front of me. “No way, Tom Cruise.”

  Craig had great reflexes. I would definitely lose that one.

  “You’re breaking my heart, darlin.”

  I waved him off, handing my customers their drinks and taking the money off of them.

  “What about me, Joss?” Alistair shot me a come-hither smile, but I knew he was only kidding. Alistair was happily engaged to an Irish girl who studied at Napier University. Still he may be loyal, but he was as big a flirt as Craig.

  “Hmm, I’ll think about it,” I teased back, loud enough for Craig to hear.

  Craig groaned in pretend agony and pouted at the attractive girl he was serving. “She’s killing me.”

  The girl giggled, her eyes bright on him. I rolled my eyes as Craig grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. “Feel that. That’s my heart breaking.”

  “Oh man!” I rolled my eye
s, cringing. “Could you be any cheesier?”

  “Of course I could.”

  Alistair snorted. “Believe it or not, that’s one of his better lines.”

  Craig whipped him across the head with a dish rag.

  Sniggering, I passed Craig to get some rum, and stood up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek. That gained him a few cheers and one boo from Alistair.

  Acting like idiots, the next hour flew by, and the tips jar filled up fast. The place got even busier, so my focus was completely on work and on my colleagues. The fact that I felt his eyes on me then, said a lot . . .

  . . . Feeling my skin prickle, I jerked my head up and gazed out over the crowd towards the entrance and my eyes skimmed over Adam and Ellie as they followed Braden into the bar; Braden, who was walking beside a tall brunette who had her hand clamped on his arm.

  Our eyes caught and he didn’t even acknowledge me. Instead he dipped his head and whispered something in the brunette’s ear that made her giggle.

  Something unpleasant flipped my stomach over and I glanced quickly at Ellie. She was frowning at Braden and then scowling at Adam, brushing off his hand and striding off after Braden who had managed to convince some people sitting around a table to squeeze further along the leather couch so he, his mystery girl, Ellie and Adam could sit down.

  Everyone slid onto the couch except Ellie who was now glaring daggers at them all. Adam said something to her. Ellie shook her head, looking extremely pissed off now, and Adam’s face darkened. Like a whip, his hand came out and wrapped around her arm, yanking her down beside him. She struggled to get away from him, but his arm slid around her waist, his hand on her hip—a seemingly casual gesture but his hold was clearly strong and whatever he whispered in her ear made her stop struggling.

  It didn’t remove the stony look on her face.

  Worried, my eyes drifted to Braden, but he hadn’t seen any of this. He was too busy chatting with the brunette.

  Quickly, I turned away, completely unprepared for the rush of blood in my ears and the tightness in my chest.

  I honestly didn’t know where I stood with this guy. One minute he was giving me ‘sex eyes’ and the next he wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence. Well, I wasn’t going to let him get to me. I served my customer and looked over at Alistair. “I’ve seen some friends. Can you guys handle the bar while I get them drinks?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Ignoring the butterflies in my belly, I headed out onto the floor, stupidly thanking my boss for the sexy tank top he made me wear. If I had to be a little bit sweaty and held up for comparison to the brunette in the shimmery shift dress, then at least I was going to do it knowing I made that tank look good.

  As I approached, Ellie’s glacier expression melted and she smiled up at me, relieved to see me.

  “Hey guys,” I announced myself loudly to be heard over the music. “Can I get you drinks?”

  “Oh no need,” Adam told me with a smile, “Darren is getting us some.” He pointed behind me and I turned around to see a tall, clean-cut red-head waiting to push his way through the crowds to the bar.

  I frowned in question. “Darren?”

  “My husband.”

  The answer came from the brunette and I looked over at her in surprise, my eyes washing over her sitting next to Braden, my brain trying to make the picture in front of me and what she had just said make sense. I caught Braden’s gaze and he gave me a cool smirk, like he knew I had assumed she was one of his Barbies. “This is Donna. She’s Darren’s wife. Darren is the manager of Fire.”

  Oh.

  Well I felt sheepish.

  And then I caught Braden’s eye again and his smile deepened.

  Ellie’s suspicions from earlier played around in my brain. Well, just so you know, I get the impression he’s planning something.

  God damn him! He wanted me to think Donna was his date. He wanted to see relief spark in my eyes when I realized she wasn’t. And God damn me, because I’d given him it.

  “Nice to meet you.” I nodded at her. “I’ll send your husband back over because he’ll be standing there forever. I’ll get your drinks order from him and bring it over.”

  “Thanks, Joss.” Ellie smiled wanly up at me.

  I frowned, hating to see her so uncomfortable. I reached out and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, noting Adam’s hand still clamped firmly on her hip. I shot him a look of warning over the top of Ellie’s head that made his brow pucker in confusion. Ignoring Braden and whatever game he was up to now, I sashayed back over to Darren, introduced myself and sent him back to the others once I had the drinks memorized.

  “He’s back,” Craig said in my ear, leaning around me as he shook a cocktail mix.

  “Who?”

  “That guy that Jo was going on about for ages after he was in here.”

  “Braden.” I nodded, looking up at him. I hadn’t realized how close he was standing, our faces inches apart. “Jo wanted to make him her next sugar daddy.”

  “From the feel of the daggers embedded in my back, I’d say he was interested in being someone else’s sugar daddy.”

  I pulled back, rolling my eyes. “I don’t need a sugar daddy, Craig.”

  Craig shot a look back over at Braden. “He bothers me. Last time he was in here he stared at you like he owned you, and tonight is no different. Something going on with you two?”

  “Not a thing. I told you—I don’t need a sugar daddy.”

  Craig’s eyes narrowed and he turned back to me, his face splitting into a mischievous smile. “Maybe I need a sugar momma.” And then he was kissing me, one hand wrapping around the back of my neck to keep me there while his tongue slipped into my mouth and his body pressed close. Shock kept me in my place and then the surprisingly nice feel of his lips on mine. Craig knew how to kiss, that was for sure. The catcalls and cheers broke through the moment and I pulled back, pressing a hand against his chest.

  “Uh . . .” I blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. “What just happened?”

  Craig winked at me. “Just pissing off Mr. Money over there and having a hot time doing it.”

  I shook my head in disbelief and shoved him away, catching Alistair’s grin as Craig swaggered by him, obviously pleased with himself. As I returned to preparing my friends’ drinks I forced myself not to look up. I didn’t want to know if Craig was right about Braden. I didn’t want to acknowledge whatever feelings he might have for me and vice versa. But damn, it pleased me to know someone else had noticed his interest in me other than a hopeful, die-hard romantic like Ellie. At least I knew I wasn’t seeing things.

  And wasn’t I just a confused bundle of hormones?

  Putting the drinks on a tray, I stepped out of the bar and ignored a ‘hey, sweetheart’ from a customer who’d obviously caught the Craig Show, and dodged around people so I could get the drinks to Ellie & Co without spilling a drop.

  “Here you go.” I put the tray on the table and started passing the drinks out.

  “Uh, what was that?” Ellie asked me wide-eyed as she took her drink from me.

  I don’t know what possessed me to think that playing dumb was the way to go. “What was what?”

  Adam grunted. “The guy with his tongue down your throat?”

  I couldn’t even look at Braden because I could feel his burning gaze . . . well . . . burning into me. I shrugged. “It’s just Craig.”

  And then I fled before they could ask me anything more.

  But Craig wasn’t happy with just sticking his tongue in my mouth. For the next forty minutes, he upped the flirting, kissing my neck, patting my ass, teasing me mercilessly with sex talk.

  I guess not being more upset about him kissing me let him think he could. And the truth is, I didn’t do anything to make him think otherwise. I’d d
ecided I wanted to send Braden a message.

  We were not friends.

  And we were never going to be anything more than not friends.

  So we were . . . nothing.

  “Break time, Joss!” Alistair swatted me on the behind with a dishrag as he came in off of his break.

  I sighed. “I’m going to take that damn thing off you if you don’t stop using it as a weapon. Seriously, was that necessary?”

  He grinned at me. “What? Would you have preferred my tongue in your mouth?”

  “Funny.” I swung around on my toes and strolled out of the back of the bar and into the staff area. There was a small locker room with a couch, a candy machine and some magazines. A door to the right led into the manager’s office, but Su was only ever in every second weekend because she worked full-time during the week. When you closed Su’s door, the noise from the bar disappeared. Head buzzing, adrenaline pumping because of Braden and Craig, I slipped inside with a can of Coke and slumped against her desk.

  Encouraging Craig was a bad idea. We’d always joked around but tonight he’d crossed the line and I’d let him, and it was all because Braden was messing with my head. I hated the punch to my gut when I thought Donna was his date. I hated that he knew I’d felt something. I hated that I suspected he’d orchestrated the whole thing.

  I had to find a way to let him know once and for all that nothing was ever going to happen between us.

  My eyes snapped up from their hook on the carpet when Su’s door opened, and I straightened, the butterflies in my stomach raging to life as Braden stepped inside and closed the door.

  His eyes were calculating as they trained on my face, his features hard, clouded.

  Braden looked pissed.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He didn’t answer and my eyes did that thing again . . . losing control, running down his body, taking in the stylish black crew-neck sweater and tailored black pants. The only accessory he wore was an expensive platinum sports watch. His understated style and the fact that he hadn’t shaved in a few days added up to a very hot package.