Model Attraction. Sharon C. Cooper

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Nice to meet you.”

      “So you are that model. You fooled me,” he slurred and chuckled. “Can’t say tha-that I ever met a model before. Can I get you another drink? Or maybe we can take a stroll around.”

      Janna startled when Timothy ran the back of his fingers along her bare arm. She jerked away from him, cringing at how creepy his touch felt.

      “Excuse me. I need to go find someone.” Anyone, she thought, and walked away as quickly as her five-inch sandals would carry her. The strappy red stilettos matched her dress but definitely weren’t made for fast walking.

      When it seemed she was far enough away from Timothy, she slowed and handed her empty glass to a passing waiter. Seeing Macy across the room, she headed in her direction but stopped abruptly.

      “Oh, my... Janna?” The older woman’s smile quickly appeared. “It is you!”

      Janna smiled and accepted a hug from the woman she hadn’t seen in years. “Mrs. Reynolds, it’s so nice to see you,” she said to Austin’s mother, feeling a little awkward but sincerely glad to see her. “It’s been a long time.”

      “Yes, it has, and please call me Sheila now that you’re all grown up. You’re even lovelier than I remember.” She stepped back but didn’t release Janna’s arms. “Patrick and I are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments.”

      Heat rose to Janna’s cheeks. She had always liked Austin’s mother. Not just because she’d often told her how cute or sweet she was, but because she was so warm and loving. Growing up in foster care, she went through a period when she felt unlovable, especially knowing that her parents hadn’t wanted her. But Mama Adel had always made her feel cherished.

      “Have you seen Austin yet?” Sheila asked, interrupting her thoughts.

      Panic rioted inside Janna. She hadn’t considered that Austin would be there. When they were younger, he’d hated attending anything formal, which was one reason she had been shocked to see him in a suit the other day.

      “I’m sure he would love to see you.”

      Janna shook her head. “I wish I could be that sure,” she said quietly. Their last face-to-face hadn’t gone well, and she didn’t think she could take another rejection from him. “Mrs. Rey—I mean, Sheila, Austin and I didn’t part on the best of terms. I want you to know that I didn’t mean to...”

      Sheila squeezed Janna’s hand; her gentle eyes and easy smile relieved her of some of her anxiousness.

      “That was a long time ago. Talk to him, sweetheart.” She pulled Janna close and gave her another hug. “My son can be extremely stubborn, but you two were once very close and I think he can use a friend. Promise me that you’ll at least say hello to him.”

      Janna nodded and they talked a few minutes longer before Sheila was summoned away.

      Instead of catching up with Macy, Janna headed to the bar. If there was a chance that she was going to run into Austin, a little liquid courage might not hurt.

      * * *

      Austin roamed around the perimeter of the room, sipping from his glass of scotch as he perused the items up for bid for the silent auction. He was more of a behind-the-scenes type of guy. Events like this made him uncomfortable. But for his mother, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do. Besides, it was for a good cause. From the literature given to him when he walked in, he’d learned that more than 350 million people suffered from depression and the annual financial cost of the disorder to the US was mind-blowing. Of course he wanted to do what he could to help the cause, especially since their family had first-hand experience of the effects of the disorder.

      He slowed as he approached the next table of donations. He had already bid on a 2009 cabernet and an abstract painting done by a local artist, but the item he was currently standing in front of totally caught him off guard. A Day in the Life of a Model. What surprised him even more was seeing that it had been donated by Janna.

      Reading the sheet that explained the donation, Austin decided to place a bid. A friend of his had lost his wife months earlier, and their sixteen-year-old daughter was scheduled to attend prom that following weekend. With the recent loss of her mother, T’Keyah wasn’t interested in prom or much else. If he won the bid, the gift would be perfect for her.

      He set his glass on the table and quickly filled out the sheet, tripling the starting bid.

      Knowing that Janna had donated made him wonder if she would be attending the event. As soon as the thought popped into his head, Austin’s breath caught in his throat at the sight of her across the room speaking to his mother. She gave a whole new meaning to the term breathtaking. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the room, and the red dress that hugged her hourglass figure should have come with a warning sign—Too Hot to Handle.

      “Wow, so that’s Janna Morgan all grown up and in the flesh, huh?” Malcolm Reynolds, Austin’s older brother by two years, said when he walked up to Austin. They both stood staring as Janna stopped and talked to a few people, even posing for a picture with a young woman. “I drove by a billboard on the way here, an advertisement for perfume. I can honestly say the picture didn’t do her justice. And considering the number of guys hovering around her, I’d say I’m not the only man who has noticed.”

      Jealousy crept through Austin’s body and his hand tightened around his glass of scotch when Timothy Cowden, the son of one of their father’s colleagues, grabbed Janna by the elbow to keep her from walking away. Austin wanted to snatch the man by his shirt collar and toss his ass outside. But who could blame the guy for buzzing around her like a moth drawn to a flame when she looked that hot? Besides the fact she was dressed to the nines, her hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head with a few tendrils framing her face, making her look sexier than any woman had the right to look. And then she smiled. Damn, he’d missed that smile that lit up her entire face.

      Frustration coursed through his veins and he glanced away, mentally shaking himself. He wanted to be mad at her, wanted to hate her for the way she left him without as much as a note or telephone call. The last thing he should be doing was standing there, salivating over how amazing she looked and remembering how much her smile once affected him.

      When his gaze returned to where she was standing, he watched as she pulled away from Timothy, her long, graceful stride taking her to the bar.

      “I know you still have some issues that you haven’t dealt with when it comes to her, but if I were you—”

      “Well, you’re not me, so you can just keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself.”

      “Touchy, touchy.”

      “I need another drink.” Austin walked away, ignoring his brother’s laughter.

      It’s going to be a long night.

      Austin walked up to the bar, where Janna was now standing. Her intoxicating scent of roses and baby powder sent a jolt of awareness to a certain part of his body.

      “Hello, Janna,” he said when she glanced at him, surprise in her eyes. Just as quick, something else showed. Fear? Regret? Whatever it was, he was sure it had everything to do with the way he had treated her the other day. Instead of apologizing for his rudeness, he said, “Can I get you something else to drink?” He nodded at the semi-empty glass in her hand.

      “Are СКАЧАТЬ