Loving On the Edge 5-Book Collection: Crash Into You, Melt Into You, Fall Into You, Caught Up In You, Need You Tonight. Roni Loren
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now
Brynn waved as her date drove out of the dark parking lot. He’d received an emergency call and had to head to the hospital, saving Brynn the awkward end of night, this-ain’t-gonna-happen conversation. She leaned against the brick wall outside the banquet hall and rubbed her hands over her face. What a disaster of a night.
Thank God tomorrow was Sunday. At least she could sleep in and pretend the outside world didn’t exist for a little while. Maybe a day of pajamas, HGTV, and massive amounts of junk food could make her temporarily forget about facing Reid on Monday… and every workday after that. She groaned and tapped the back of her head against the wall, hoping maybe this was all some nightmare and she’d wake up.
“Sent him packing, huh?” The deep drawl caused her eyes to snap open. Reid leaned his shoulder against the wall, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
She crossed her arms over her chest and straightened. “He got called into work. Not that it’s any of your business.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the half-empty parking lot. “Let me give you a ride home. It’ll give us some time to catch up.”
She couldn’t help the derisive laugh that bubbled to her lips. “No thanks, I have my car, and please tell me you’re not suggesting we need to catch up like old friends. Even you can’t be that dense.”
He angled toward her and planted a hand against the wall, right next to her head. His face moved to within inches of hers. “You really hate me that much, sugar?”
His calm, commanding tone and the old nickname sent goose bumps along her skin. She pressed her back against the wall, her heartbeat switching to double-time. Here it comes. She sucked in a ragged breath, and the smell of his cologne wrapped around her like a familiar blanket. Her muscles stiffened, bracing for the panic attack she knew would hit her at any moment. Being cornered sent all her fear triggers firing.
But the terror never came.
Instead, she couldn’t take her eyes off the sensual curve of his mouth. She remembered all too well the things he could do with those lips, that tongue—how he could tease her body without mercy and then when she’d thought she’d go mad with need, send her rocketing into oblivion. A heated shudder rumbled through her and a sharp ache settled between her thighs.
His finger slipped under her chin and tilted it upward, so that she had to meet his eyes. “Well?”
His voice was so close it was as if he’d climbed inside her head. She wet her lips. “I—”
The blaring ring of her cell phone jolted her from her haze. Reid frowned down at her purse and shoved away from the wall.
She dug through her bag with shaking hands and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”
“Brynn, it’s me.”
She sighed. Late-night calls from her sister usually meant one of two things: she needed money or she was in some kind of trouble. “Hey, Kelsey. What’s going on?”
“Are you busy? I know it’s late, I’m sorry, I just… I need to talk with you and I couldn’t wait until morning, and I… Can you talk?”
Shit. A rambling Kelsey—never a good sign. Brynn glanced at Reid, who was now sitting on the railing of the handicap ramp, watching her intently. She turned her back to him and faced the wall. “I have a minute, what’s up?”
“No, I mean, like, talk in person. Something’s going on, and I… well, I may need to get out of town for a while. But I want to talk to you first.”
“Hold up. Leave town? What are you talking about?” She lowered her voice. “Kels, are you on something?”
“No. It’s, I… Can you just meet me at my apartment? It’s important.”
Brynn pinched the bridge of her nose to ward off the sudden pounding in her head. The last thing she felt like doing was traipsing across town at midnight to go deal with what would surely be unfounded drama, but what else could she do? Her sister had been making slow progress toward bettering her life. If she was having a bout of paranoia or had slipped up and gotten high again, Brynn had to help her through that. Plus, Kelsey had no one else to go to—never had. “Sure, I can be there in half an hour.”
Kelsey breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, B. Hurry, okay?”
“Will do. Just hold tight.” Brynn clicked her phone shut and tucked it back in her bag. She didn’t want to turn around. She could feel Reid’s stare burning into her back. God, why had she let him get so close before? She needed to institute a five-foot rule with him—anything closer than that and her hormones could not be trusted. He’d probably seen the arousal written all over her flushed face.
“Your sister okay?” he asked.
She straightened her shoulders and turned around. “Eavesdrop much?”
He shrugged, unapologetic as usual.
“She’s fine. She just wants me to stop by,” Brynn said, rummaging through her purse for her keys.
“Right now?” He looked down at his watch.
She threw him a what’s-it-to-you look, grabbed her keys, and headed in the direction of her car. His hand caught her upper arm when she passed him. “We need to talk.”
She wiggled out of his grip, the skin-to-skin contact too much for her frazzled nervous system to handle. “I don’t have time for this tonight. My sister needs me and it’s not a short drive to Quincy Heights. So this little come-to-Jesus is going to have to wait.”
His frown dipped deeper. “Quincy Heights? You can’t go there at this hour. That neighborhood’s a war zone.”
She snorted. “I grew up in neighborhoods like that. I’ll be fine.”
She started walking again, but he hopped off the railing and caught up with her. “I’ll drive you. I promise not to speak… much.”
“Yes, because a hotshot lawyer in a Brooks Brothers suit is really going to scare off the bad guys.” She halted her step and turned to face him. “Look, Reid. The last time I asked for help, you told me no. I don’t plan on asking again. So, go home. Stop acting like there is some discussion we need to have. There isn’t. Everything’s been said. Just come to work on Monday and pretend like we’ve never met. ’Cause that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
He eyed her, his jaw visibly flexing, but didn’t say anything else.
Good. She’d take his broody silence as agreement. She spun on her heel and didn’t bother to look back. Reid Jamison might’ve been able to bend her to his will when she was twenty, but if he thought his sexy smile and whispered commands would get him anywhere with her now, he was more delusional than her clients.
