Page 17 of Brant
"Well, some of it. You have quite a fascinating collection. I bought a table for my mother, and your employee assures me that it would be shipped to her."
"What table?"
"The one that was in the window display. It's something she would love. Ready?"
"Need any help?" She gestured toward the packages.
"No, I got this." Putting away his iPod, he swept the packages into one hand and took her arm with his free hand.
"It's going to snow," he commented, looking up at the sky.
"They said it would. It's January, so that's to be expected. This is me."
"Drive behind me." He stowed the packages inside the back seat and closed the door.
She got into her vehicle and waited until he had backed out before following him. The car she was driving was new. The one she owned before had been on its last legs and she had used some of the money he had deposited into her account to purchase a car. She had done that without telling him and he had been furious.
"We own car dealerships. That's our main interest. I could have given you a vehicle. You only had to ask."
"That's it. I don't feel free asking, and the fact that you've done so much for me already makes it even more difficult."
"Next time say something to me," he had responded tightly.
The streets were slick and wet from the snow and a combination of icy rain over the last few days, which made navigation a little tricky. It was still the holidays, and the buildings were bright with lights and colorful bulbs. The uptown area was buzzing with activities and people taking advantage of the sales going on.
She had dropped by the rehab center to bring her brother his gifts and was grateful to see that even in such a short time, he looked much better. And he was not so bitter and down on himself. She had brought him some clothes and books to occupy his time. They had talked, really talked for the first time in years. And he had made some friends.
"It's not so bad here and the food is good."
He was still thin, but he didn't look half dead like before. She had Brant to thank for that. She had him to thank for everything. For the way her life was turning around.
She did not want to believe that it was gratitude that was making her feel this way. Yes, she was attracted to him. Who wouldn't be? The man was gorgeous and sexy as hell. And she had seen him wearing old sweats and a T-shirt. She had seen him with his hair tousled and stubble on his face.
And she spent nights tossing and turning in her very big bed, wishing she had the freedom to march into his room and climb into bed with him. But she didn't.
He was doing her a favor and as much as he wanted to deny it, she was getting much more from the deal than he was. A hell of a lot more. She couldn't and wouldn't be the one to try and make the first move and complicate things between them.
He had helped her out. Simple. He had felt sorry for her and helped her out. She had to respect his space and the agreement they had. Even if she wished fervently that it was more- even if she wished he would climb into bed with her and- No! Shaking her head, she concentrated fiercely on navigating traffic.
They were friendly and that's all she could hope for. It could have been worse, and she should be grateful that it was this easy. But was it? she wondered in despair. Was it easy at all when she had all these feelings rolling around inside her?
Biting off a sigh, she made the turn into the private road that led to their home.
Chapter 5
She only had an hour to get ready and had to hurry and select something suitable to wear. She had been out with him twice already, but to restaurants where the lights had been low. And they had been given a private booth, which meant that not a lot of people had seen them. Tonight they would be going to a gala in a fancy, well-lit hotel ballroom where hundreds of people from his society would be there to pass judgment on her. No one other than her friend, his mother, and lawyers knew the true state of their marriage, and she was certain people were wondering what on earth had possessed him to marry her.
So, she was going to look spectacular tonight. After frantically searching through the huge closet, she finally decided on a glittering emerald-green dress. She had tried it on one night while she was exploring the closet and simply loved the way it fit her curves. Romano's was horribly expensive, but there was a reason for that. They designed clothes for the ultimate woman, and no two styles were ever alike. Wishing she had time for a long, leisurely soak in her tub, she compensated by using the lovely, scented roses and cream body gel in her bath.
And she would have to do her own makeup. She had taken a crash course from the stylist, someone her mother-in-law had sent over to take care of her when she was going out for the first time with Brant.
Glancing at the time, she hurriedly used the curler to attend to her hair. And then she went about doing her makeup. Withonly fifteen minutes to spare, she dashed into the closet after applying scented cream and one of the expensive perfumes that had been delivered with the rest of her stuff. Stepping into the dress, she worked the long sleeves over her arms and adjusted the swirling chiffon skirt. Adding the hammered gold belt around her waist, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and stared at the result.
Her face glowed from the foundation she had rubbed into her skin. The eyeshadow, an exact shade of her skin tone, made her eyes appear even larger. The lipstick, a blend of ruby and orange, highlighted the fullness of her lips.
Her eyes caught the front of the dress and had her wondering if the cut was too daring. There was a built-in bra in the bosom, which was a good thing, because half of her breasts were exposed and she wouldn't have been able to wear a bra anyway. The material clung to her curves from bosom to waist, where it flared out and drifted around her to the ankles.
Her hair, the tight coil of locks, cascaded in twists and curls past her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the black strappy sandals and prayed earnestly that she would not embarrass herself by falling flat on her face.
