On Dublin Street (On Dublin Street #1)(30)
Author: Samantha Young

My stomach flipped again and I smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“But you need to put your hair up.”

“What?” I touched my head, scowling up at him. “Why?”

To my utter bewilderment, Braden’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Just do it.”

I made a ‘pfft’ noise and pushed against his chest, stepping out of his hold. “Not unless you tell me why?” My hair looked good. He would not make me think otherwise.

“Because,” his voice was low, a deep purr he reserved for the bedroom, hence why I felt it all the way down into my panties, “I like being the only man who knows how beautiful your hair is. How gorgeous you look with it down.”

Something nudged inside my chest. An almost ache spread. Outwardly, I smirked. “How very Victorian of you.”

Braden’s narrowed eyes turned into a glower. “Jocelyn,” he warned.

I threw my hands up. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“Braden-”

“Jocelyn.”

I stopped, my hands on my h*ps as I searched his face. It was implacable. My God, he was serious. With a huff of disbelief, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t take well to orders, Braden.”

“I’m not ordering you. I’m asking.”

“No, you’re demanding.”

“I just don’t want you to wear your hair down.”

“Fine.” I cocked my head to the side as my own eyes deliberately perused the length of him. “I don’t take orders, but I do make deals. The hair goes up, but you owe me a favor in return.”

He flashed me a wicked smile. “Sounds good, babe.”

“Oh I didn’t say the debt would be sexual in nature.”

His grin only widened. “So what are we talking about here?”

“Well that’s the thing.” I sidled over to him, pressing up against him with a smile. “You won’t know, until you know.”

Braden’s head dipped towards mine, his lips almost brushing mine. “Deal.”

“Brave man.” I laughed and stepped back. “You also look really good tonight by the way.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, his eyes still eating me up.

“Well, you better tell the cab driver we’ll be out in ten minutes. I need to fix my hair.”

***

I managed to style my hair up into an elegantly messy bun, bid a goodnight to Ellie whose eyes were all teary at the sight of us together—I don’t think she’d quite grasped the concept of f**k buddies yet—and slid into the cab before Braden. When he got in, he gave the cab driver our destination. It was Braden’s French restaurant, La Cour, the one he’d inherited as part of his father’s businesses, and it was situated on Royal Terrace near the Regent Gardens. I hadn’t been there before, but I’d heard great things about it. As Braden settled back, he settled in close to me and reached for my hand.

For the entire cab ride I stared at his large, masculine hand in mine, fighting the urge to pull out of his touch. It wasn’t because the handholding wasn’t nice. It was nice. Too nice.

Too ‘more’.

This was supposed to be just sex. But there he was… holding my hand.

I barely even noticed we’d pulled up to the restaurant, before Braden was paying the cab driver and helping me down out of it.

“You’re quiet,” he murmured, as he laced his fingers through mine again to lead me inside.

I didn’t answer that. “Who are we meeting?”

But before he could respond, the maître d’ appeared with a huge grin on his face. “Monsieur Carmichael, we have your table waiting, sir.”

“Thank you, David.” Braden pronounced his name with the French pronunciation and I wondered if the guy was really French, or if it was all part of the restaurant’s image. The restaurant itself was opulent elegance. It was modern French rococo with black and silver patterned, gilt-framed chairs, deep-red tablecloths, black glass candelabras and clear crystal chandeliers. The restaurant was packed.

David led us through the tables to a cozy one in the east corner, far away from the bar and kitchen access. Like a gentleman, Braden held my seat out for me, and I couldn’t remember if anyone had done that before. I was so focused on the gesture and the sensual brush of his fingers against my neck as I sat, that it took me until Braden was also seated and ordering wine, to notice that we were seated at a table for two.

“Where are the others?”

Braden flicked me a casual glance as he took a sip from the cold glass of water the waiter had just poured. “What others?”

What others? I gritted my teeth. “You said this was a business meeting.”

“Yes, but I didn’t say what business.”

Oh my God. This was a date! No way. First the bossiness, then the handholding… no. No, no, no. I pushed my chair out, about two seconds from shooting up to my feet when Braden’s next words froze me in place.

“You try to leave, I’ll tackle you.” Even though he wasn’t looking at me when he said it, I could tell he was deadly serious.

I couldn’t believe he’d tricked me into this. With a sullen expression, I pushed my chair back under the table. “Asshole.”

“Just for that, I expect you to wrap that dirty mouth of yours around my c*ck tonight.” He narrowed his eyes on me.

I felt the impact of those words as they pebbled my n**ples and soaked my panties. Despite my body being completely turned on, I was floored. I couldn’t believe he’d just said that to me in a fancy restaurant where anyone might overhear. “Are you kidding?”

“Babe,” he gave me a look that suggested I was missing the obvious, “I never kid about blowjobs.”

The sound of someone choking brought my head up. Our waiter had descended on us just in time to hear those romantic words and his rosy cheeks betrayed his embarrassment. “Ready to order?” he croaked out.

“Yes,” Braden answered, obviously uncaring he’d been overhead. “I’ll have the steak, medium-rare.” He smiled softly at me. “What are you having?” He took a swig of water.

He thought he was so cool and funny. “Apparently sausage.”

Braden choked on the water, coughing into his fists, his eyes bright with mirth as he put his glass back on the table.

“Are you okay, sir?” The waiter asked anxiously.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Braden waved the waiter off, his voice a little hoarse as his eyes pinned me to my seat. He shook his head, his grin getting wider by the second.

“What?” I shrugged innocently.

“You’re sexy as fuck.”

The waiter was now staring at us openly, his head bobbing between us, waiting on what scandalous thing would be said next. I smiled up at him and closed my menu. “I’ll have the steak too. Also medium-rare.”

He took the menus from us and hurried off, probably to tell all the other waiters what he’d heard the restaurant owner say to his date. Grimacing, I kept that look on my face when I slid my gaze back to Braden. “You know, the whole point of this arrangement was that you didn’t have to buy me a fancy dinner to get laid.”

The sommelier approached with the red wine Braden had ordered and we were both silent as he poured a little out for Braden to taste. Satisfied with it, Braden gestured for the sommelier to proceed. As soon as he was gone, I lifted my glass and took a fortifying sip.

I could feel Braden’s eyes burning into me.

“Perhaps this is the ‘friends’ part,” he replied softly. “I want to spent time with my friend, Jocelyn.”

While that was nice… “That’s how things get complicated.”

“Not if we don’t let them.”

He must have seen the doubt on my face because next thing his fingers were on my chin, gently lifting my face to his. “Just try it tonight.”

I could feel his touch like a shiver of ripples across my skin. I’d had him inside of me. He’d given me quite a number of orgasms. I knew the smell, taste and touch of him. I thought that would be enough. That it would be over. But looking at him, I realized it wasn’t anywhere near over. This attraction, this need, whatever the hell it was, it had only just caught fire, and neither of us was ready to call out the fire department just yet. “Okay.”

In response, he brushed his thumb over my mouth and smiled at me with his eyes before letting go.

And then, we were two friends spending time together. We talked about all the usual stuff. Music. Movies. Books. Hobbies. Friends. We made each other laugh. We had fun. But it was all little things. Braden was careful to make sure that he never asked anything he knew I wouldn’t answer. And when I stumbled over a question because it related to the past, he cracked a joke and changed the subject. This was a smart man.

We were just finishing up dessert when a sultry voice with an accent as melodic as Ellie’s, drifted across our table. “Braden, honey, I thought that was you.”

My eyes lifted to the woman who was standing by our table, and was now dipping down to kiss Braden’s cheek, giving him an eyeful of her small but perfectly formed br**sts. Her dress was red, daring and as sultry as her voice. She gave me a bright smile as she drank me in.

“Aileen. How are you?”

She grinned and stroked his cheek affectionately. “Better for seeing you.”

Oh hell. I tried not to shift uncomfortably as an inexplicable tightness lodged in my throat. This was an ex-girlfriend. Awkward.

“How’s Alan?”

Who the hell was Alan? Please be her husband.

“Oh.” She waved the question off with a grimace. “We’re separated. I’m here with a very charming date.”

Well, go back to him, lady, so we can get on with our date.

Shit! Not a date! Not a date!

Braden smiled and turned around to nod at me. “Aileen, this is Jocelyn.”

“Hi.” I smiled politely, not really sure how to converse with an obvious ex. As I looked over the tall, blonde glamazon, I was convinced more than ever that I was the opposite of Braden’s usual type.

Her eyes were assessing as they washed over me. After a second her smile widened as she looked back at Braden. “Finally, a girl who doesn’t look like Analise.” She touched his shoulder affectionately again. “I’m glad for you.”

“Aileen…” Braden pulled back, his jaw clenching.

Analise? My eyebrows were raised in question. Who was Analise?

“Still sore I see,” Aileen tutted and took a step back. “I guess we all are about spouses. Takes time.” She waited for someone to say something and then, as if suddenly realizing she was intruding on our dinner, she laughed a little embarrassed. “Anyway, I better get back to Roberto. Take care, Braden. It was good to see you. And nice to meet you, Jocelyn.”

“You too,” I murmured, trying to hide the fact that it felt as though someone had rammed the table into my gut. Spouses? I sucked in a breath, a shot of adrenaline kicking my heart into a riot as Aileen sashayed away, having no idea she’d caused tension between me and Braden.