Read Blown Away for Free Online Page B

a big shot now?” She smiled at the
valet tipping his hat. “Because I’m not.”
    He led her to a
secluded bench amidst a floral profusion and waterfall where he’d
attended a wedding or two over the years. “I’m not asking you to be
impressed, but I think I deserve some answers.”
    “I’m here with
a date tonight.” She scowled when he pointed to the bench. “Did it
ever occur to you how he might feel seeing his date take off to
spend time with you?”
    “Why should
it?” He folded his arms, pinning her with the stare that made
powerful business men squirm in their seats. It didn’t work with
her. She simply lifted her chin and gave it right back. Damn
her . She was throwing him off his game. “If he knows you at
all, he’d know that taking off on unsuspecting men is your
specialty.”
    “It was a
meaningless one-night stand. I didn’t owe you anything!”
    He grabbed her
upper arms and hauled her body against his. Her mask of
indifference slipped, and he saw something familiar flare to life
in her eyes: arousal. “It meant something to me.” He fixated on her
lips, intent on making her guess what he might do next. “You meant
something to me.”
    She seemed to
be having trouble drawing breath when she said, “I never promised
you anything.”
    “Yes, you did.”
He leaned in to whisper in her ear. His lower lip grazed her
earlobe, and she sucked in a breath. “Don’t you remember? When you
were coming apart in my arms, begging me to make you come over and
over again?” His plan to remind her was backfiring and making him
recall every detail of a night he couldn’t forget.
    She pressed her
hands into his chest. “Brent, I don’t want to talk about this. That
was a long time ago. I was just a kid.”
    “But you’re all
grown up now, aren’t you?” He skimmed her bare back with his
fingertips. He wasn’t worried about her running, not when he was
holding her prisoner with her own desires. She wanted to be there.
Her head may be telling her to run, but her body was pleading with
her to stay. “You’re a gorgeous, sexy, classy woman.” His lips
grazed her cheek. “And I want you. Tonight. So tell me, what’s it
gonna take for me to get you back in my bed?”
    She reared back
and raised her hand. He caught her wrist just before her palm
connected with his cheek. “That is never going to happen, you
arrogant son of a bitch!” She practically vibrated with outrage
when she said, “Read my lips. Never.”
     
    ***
     
    Ava was still
furious, but she had to smile and make polite small talk while
trying to ignore the daggers piercing her back. Brent had barely
taken his eyes off her all evening, and her date had clearly
noticed.
    “Jesus,” Bryan
said, grinning, “who is that guy?”
    “Just someone I
used to know in college.” She reached for her third glass of wine.
It was a good thing she’d accepted Bryan’s offer to drive. If ever
she’d needed an extra drink to take the edge off, that was the
night.
    “It looks like
you knew him pretty well.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You guys ever
get busy, or what?”
    Ava couldn’t
suppress the laughter, though she tried. Only her best friend’s
older brother could get away with asking her a question like that.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
    “Aww, come on,”
he whined. “You make me wear this damned monkey suit and you won’t
even throw me a bone?”
    Ava’s eyes were
drawn back to Brent. On other men a tuxedo may look like a monkey
suit, but Brent Armstrong wore his as though he was born to it. He
was a self-made man, so he must have some redeeming qualities. He
was obviously driven, intelligent, tenacious… She only hoped he
wouldn’t apply those skills to pursuing her. She didn’t need a man
trying to dominate her. She wanted a partner who would love and
respect her as his equal. The way he’d treated his date all night,
as though she was a piece of arm candy, proved that he treated
women as second-class citizens. No