Read Finding Trust (Centre Games) for Free Online

a little worried about what happened to you?”
    “I got a text from her a while ago. She decided to head home with her boyfriend and kind of indicated that she was hoping I wouldn’t need to stay with them. Although she didn’t actually say that.” Bray got the picture. Two’s company, three is a crowd—particularly for most New Year’s Eve after-parties.
    “I sent her a message saying I’d catch up with her later in the day.”
    Good, thought Bray. That solved the immediate problem of the friend she had been with earlier. He didn’t really need too many complications until he had an opportunity to get things sorted out.
    The crowd was beginning to thin but was no less boisterous than they had been a couple of hours ago. Bray continued on, purposeful in his quest to make it to his car without causing too much attention. He didn’t want to have to handle fans or to go another round with the guys from before. He was finding it harder and harder to keep his senses tuned for danger and threat with Minky snugly in his arms. He wondered whether she realised that she had smooched her cheek in a little closer to the hard plane of his shoulder or that her fingers were lazily tracing little circles at the base of his neck. He didn’t think so. From what he’d learnt, he would have guessed that her actions would embarrass her if he brought them to her attention. So he moved on in silence, his jeans becoming increasingly uncomfortable with every passing second.
    His highly attuned ears heard a few, “Isn’t that the guy from Steel?” as he continued on. He purposely kept his eyes down and didn’t slow. He wanted to be out of Surfers now.
    Finally, he turned and headed into a parking garage. The bright lights of the garage momentarily hurt her eyes that had become accustomed to the darkened street. He stopped beside a midnight blue Land Cruiser four-wheel drive and gently lowered Rihanna to her feet. Bray stepped slightly away and shoved his right hand into his front pocket, looking for his keys.
    Was it her imagination or did his jeans seem a little snugger? The thought of that sent a new array of electricity zooming through her already over-sensitised system. Was he feeling it too?
    Removing the key ring, he pressed the button on the remote; the lights flashed and the door locks disengaged. He opened the passenger side door and lifted her easily into the front seat. The dark leather was cool and smooth on the back of her legs. Her short dress offered little barrier against the sudden sensation of the cold leather. It was not unpleasant after her heated thoughts. It zapped her back to the reality of what was happening.
    Brayden had closed her door and was already around the big vehicle and in the driver’s side. He had the engine started and was reversing out when he noticed the unease on her face. This had to be tough on her. He couldn’t think of a woman he knew right now that wouldn’t be a howling mess. Here Rihanna sat, obviously upset about what had happened earlier and clearly cautious about what was happening between them, but somehow managing to keep it together. He had to admire that. She was a fighter and they may just be able to pull this off together.
    He reached over and took her hand. “It’s okay. You’re safe now and nothing is going to happen that you don’t want to.” With that, she gave him a weak smile and gently squeezed his hand. He smoothly guided the big vehicle through the tight lanes of the parking garage with one hand. He stopped at the pay station and, seemingly reluctantly, let go of her hand while he retrieved his wallet and the parking ticket.
    After paying the attendant, he slightly turned to her and said, “I don’t want to alarm you but I am going to engage the locks on the doors. We’ll have to go through a number of traffic lights to get out of Surfers and I don’t want drunks trying to get in.” He gave her one of those killer smiles and took her hand again as he pressed