Read Blown Away for Free Online Page A

me?”
Brent asked, tearing his attention from Ava long enough to glance
at his date.
    “She likes nice
guys, like Parker.”
    Parker Klein
was his rich father’s doormat. Brent had no respect for him or his
old man. Brent couldn’t keep himself from looking back at Ava. She
looked even more beautiful than he remembered. She wore a stunning
black and white evening gown and her long blond hair was upswept in
an elegant twist. Her makeup highlighted the cobalt eyes that still
made his heart falter, even from across the room.
    The Ava he’d
known was a young and innocent college girl just finding her place
in the world, testing her boundaries, and developing her
self-esteem. But the woman before him was confident and sexier than
any mirage of the girl she used to be. She held her own with
business moguls and social climbers with practised ease, but she
did it without looking fake or pretentious. She was genuine, and
that was a rare quality in those circles. He watched her talk and
laugh with dozens of people, treating each one as though they were
the most important person in the room. He wanted her attention
fixed on him.
    “That guy she’s
with,” Brent said, raising his crystal highball to his lips. “You
know him?”
    “No, and I
don’t care to.” Leslie didn’t like sharing Brent’s time or
attention. She’d made that abundantly clear whenever someone
approached to talk business. “Can we sit down now? My feet are
killing me.”
    “I’m not
surprised.” Her shoes were at least five inches high. Between the
tight dress and the shoes, she walked like a penguin. Unlike Ava,
who pulled off her glamour effortlessly. “If you’ll excuse me, my
brother just walked in. I need to have a word with him. Why don’t
you find our table? I’ll be right there.”
    She wasn’t
happy, but she toddled off with a pout on her face. Brent could
care less about making small talk with his brother. Ava was his
target. He walked up to her group and caught her off guard when he
settled a hand on the small of her bare back.
    She sucked in
an audible breath when she saw him. “Brent.”
    “Hello, Ava.”
He nodded to the other members of the group.
    “Brent, good to
see you,” the vice president of his bank said, offering his hand.
“Nice to see you out supporting this cause tonight.”
    Ava shot him a
quick glance before looking away. “I’m surprised to see you
here.”
    He suddenly
realized she’d been purposefully avoiding him all these years. But
why? “I’m Leslie’s plus one tonight,” he said, smiling. “I sent my
regrets when they sent my invitation because I was supposed to be
out of town. Turns out my plans fell through and I was able to make
it after all.”
    “Lucky us,” Ava
said, low enough so only Brent could hear.
    Brent bit his
lower lip, trying to suppress his smile. He was glad the refinement
hadn’t stripped her of the feistiness he’d loved so much. “If
you’ll excuse us, Ava and I haven’t seen each other since college.
I’d like to steal her away for a few minutes so we can catch up
before the evening gets underway.” He didn’t give her a chance to
object. He tightened his grip on her waist and turned her away from
the group.
    “Where are we
going?” she asked through clenched teeth when he steered her
outside.
    “I need a
breath of fresh air,” he said, inclining his head toward a group of
men.
    “Are you asking
me if I’d like to go with you or telling me?” she asked, smiling
sweetly at a little old lady who sat on the board of the charity
they were honoring.
    “What do you
think?”
    “I think you
have a hell of a lot of nerve cornering me. I didn’t respond to
your email because I’m not interested in talking to you. Can’t you
take a hint?”
    Brent wasn’t
used to fighting for a woman’s attention. He was surprised it
turned him on in a big way. “Would I be where I am if I took no for
an answer, sweetheart?”
    “Am I supposed
to be impressed because you’re