CHAPTER 13
Brian guided Skye to his car he had parked in the driveway. It was the first time she had seen his car and she was impressed. “Wow, a BMW. What was it you said you did for a living?”
“I didn’t actually.” Brian said almost defensively then softened. “Sorry. I’d just rather not talk about what I do, I am trying to take a real break from it.” He looked apologetically at her.
Skye shrugged. “It’s okay. A bit of mystery can be a good thing,” she said smiling at him. “But it’s still a nice car. Show me what it’s like.”
“You got it.” Brian laughed, glad that she didn’t pressure him about his work. He helped her into the car and ran around to the other side to climb in.
Skye sunk into the plush leather seats and sighed. “This is amazing. Such comfort. I just have to say it though. You must have some job to be able to afford such luxury.” She looked over at him grinning cheekily. “You don’t do anything illegal do you?”
Brian laughed aloud and turned the engine on, the motor purring around them quietly. “No, nothing illegal. I will tell you Skye, and when I do you will understand.”
“It’s okay Brian,” she repeated to him. “When you are ready.”
Brian turned in his seat and looked at her, distress clearly evident in his eyes. “Skye, I’m sorry I can’t tell you yet. It’s just…” He was struggling for words to explain his need for anonymity.
Skye put her hand out to touch his arm. “Brian. It’s okay, honestly. I can’t say I’m not curious, but in the long run it shouldn’t matter.”
She noticed his expression change, softening. “Thanks Skye. It means a lot to me that you trust me.”
She nodded. “So, are you going to show me how this car of yours goes?”
Brian shook his head smiling at Skye. She was so trusting and he had given her no reason to be. He felt like he knew her so well after all his dreams, yet she had only just met him and still she trusted him. It was comforting to know that she was in his company for himself, not how the showbiz world perceived him and because of his celebrity status. “Lets go then, show me the way,” he said and followed the simple directions Skye gave him. Before long they were pulling up at a charming looking restaurant by the beach, the sound of the waves breaking on the shore quietly. Brian opened her door and helped her out, his chivalry impressing Skye. His hand on her back as he led her into the restaurant had tingles running down her spine.
Brian was thankful that the table they had been given was semi private, hidden slightly by a wall of greenery. Not only was it an excellent opportunity to get to know one another, but he was always on his guard in case someone recognised him. It was not the way he wanted Skye to find out about his famous lifestyle. He wanted to pick his time.
“So Brian,” Skye said breaking the silence as they looked at the menus. “I know you come from Kentucky and you have one brother. What do you like to do to keep yourself happy?”
“Ahhh,” he smiled. “I love two things in life. Music and basketball.”
“Music? So singing does run in the family?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how much Daniel has sung to you, but the whole family is musically inclined. My parents were always in the church choir. I joined when I was very young too. My brother sings, my other cousins sing. We all love music.”
“Wow, I couldn’t carry a tune if you paid me. Singing in the shower is my expertise. I would love to hear you sing.” Skye told him and saw his face soften with a warm smile. She could feel herself falling under his spell and falling fast.
“I would love to sing for you, but not here.”
“Shy are we? You don’t like an audience?” she asked and Brian cringed inwardly. If only she knew.
“No, not really. I don’t particularly care to sing in front of anyone else right now. Talking to you is far more appealing.” The waitress arrived at that moment to take their orders giving him a respite from the conversation. But Skye didn’t let it lie for long.
“What sort of music do you like to sing?” She asked. Brian knew these were innocent questions to her, but to him it felt as if she was probing. He felt his nerves grating and took all his effort to school his features and remain pleasant. He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise whatever it was they were building.
“A bit of pop, country, gospel. Stuff like that.”
“Oh very nice. I look forward to hearing you sing some.” She flicked the serviette onto her lap. “So what about the basketball? I would assume you would be a Wildcats fan?”
He breathed a sigh of relief at the change of subject. “Oh yeah, a Wildcats fan through and through. I always fancied myself as a player when I was younger, but my height put a stop to that. It was always a sore point with me.”
Skye saw the disappointment in his eyes and raised her hand to cover his. “I’m sure you could have made the team. We should play some. I know Daniel has a hoop at his place.”
“You play?”
“A little, I’m not very good, I just like it, I play it for fun.” Her hand stayed over his, Brian lifting his thumb over hers to lock them together. On the surface they were making casual conversation, but the underlying currents were felt by both of them. Neither one of them could deny it.
Their food arriving broke the spell floating around them. They continued to talk, ever mindful of the tension between them. During dessert Brian watched Skye intently as he ate, his eyes not leaving her face. As she looked up, catching him watching her, she felt awash with the feeling of déjà vu. The eyes from her dreams were identical to the ones now before her and it sent a tingle down her spine. It suddenly freaked her out to think she had been dreaming about him and now he was here in front of her, exactly how she had dreamt and daydreamed about. “What?” she asked him.
Brian’s eyes visibly softened. “You really are beautiful,” he said, noticing her blush. He reached over and took her hand, glad to have an excuse to do so again. “Don’t blush Skye, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like honey. Honey Eyes. Your smile, it mesmerises me.”
Skye averted her eyes for a moment then looked back at him. “Thank you Brian.” She watched him as he spoke, her eyes travelling down to his lips and for that moment in time all she wanted to do was taste those lips. She had in her dreams, she had kissed him many times, now she had the real Brian here, she wanted to do it for real.
“Skye?” Brian said squeezing her hand softly to get her attention.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts but it was hard. Her dreams of kissing him and her grandfathers urging of her to kiss him kept floating through her mind, making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Kissing Brian right now seemed to overtake her. “Sorry Brian. My mind just wandered for a moment.”
Brian smiled at her again. That wasn’t helping Skye any and she took a deep breath to steady herself. His smile, the way it made his eyes dance with life, made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Would you like to go outside and walk along the beach?” Brian asked her. He was reaching for any reason to be alone with her, to be able to take her hand in his and quietly walk. He had seen her reaction to his compliment and he figured it was a good thing. She had gone into a world of her own, but the look on her face had told him she was pleased with his comment.
“That would be nice,” Skye said. She took her hand out of his to remove her serviette from her lap and Brian stood to come to her side. She stood and Brian took her hand almost instantly, a warm glow radiating slowly up her arm up to her heart. She looked up at him, her eyes almost glazed over with desire. She knew she would have to control herself, or he would be thinking she was just anxious to hop into bed with him. She had dreamt it many times, but in reality it was another subject. She wasn’t one to do that, having very little experience and definitely not with any other man but Trevor. She looked away and broke the spell he had over her, feeling happy to walk by his side, her hand in his gently.
He squeezed her hand when she looked away, and another floodgate of emotions overtook her. She peeked at him again and almost moaned aloud. His smile was the same but his eyes contained the same desires she was sure were shining from her own. Stepping out into the evening air cooled her skin down, but not the fire raging within her. Was this the way a first date was supposed to be? She had technically never really had one.
“Oh look over there,” Brian said pointing to the road along the shoreline. Skye squinted her eyes in the night light and saw what Brian was looking at. An old fashioned horse and buggy sat quietly by the curb. “Would you like to take a ride in that? You can show me the sights of the city by night.”
It sounded romantic and Skye wanted nothing more than to share that sort of experience. She was losing herself to him completely and in the back of her mind she heard the warning to be careful, to take it slowly but she didn’t want to listen to it. “I’d love to Brian,” she whispered to him.
They climbed onto the carriage, Brian helping her up then climbing in next to her. His arm automatically went around her shoulders when they sat. “It’s cool out tonight,” was Brian’s excuse. Skye smiled to herself in the darkness laying her head back on his shoulder. She didn’t mind.
She welcomed the cool night air that helped her to keep a check on her flaring emotions. It was like a brush fire engulfing her and this was enough to slow it’s pace. She had to get a grip on herself. She began to concentrate on telling Brian all about the scenery and before long the two of them were again laughing about some of the antics she had gotten into as a child in the area. She grew quiet in one part of the trip, an area that she and Trevor had frequented many times. Brian didn’t question her sudden silence guessing the reason but he worried about her and also how their relationship could get past it.
They were back along the beach front and nearing the end of the ride. “I’ve really enjoyed this Brian, it was a lot of fun.” Skye told him enthusiastically.
“Yes, seeing the sights, night air, the smell of the ocean, wonderful company, what more can a man want to help him to relax from the stresses of life?” Brian said to her. “Especially the company,” he added looking into her eyes as she turned to him.
Skye was lost, drowning in his blue-eyed gaze. Her breathing became shallow, coming in short gasps as she waited for what she was sure would happen. The floods of emotion flowing all over her before gave way to a tidal wave hurtling through her. Brian was waiting for a sign from her, something to let him know it was okay to continue and subconsciously her tongue flicked out and licked her bottom lip. That was all he needed.
Closing the space between them Brian pressed his lips softly to hers and then moved back. His eyes searched hers, looking for any sign that she wanted him to stop. She hoped he saw nothing but desire and longing and that it was exactly what she wanted. Moving closer again, he wet his lips quickly and pressed his lips to hers again, a soft moan escaping him as he did, enflaming Skye again.
The carriage jolted softly to a halt, the horse whinnying at the displeasure of stopping. Brian and Skye jumped apart, looking about them in a dazed state. The horse had returned to where they had begun and their romantic ride was over. It was back to reality. Brian smiled at Skye and took her hand, helping her out of the carriage after he had jumped out by lifting her out around her waist, her body sliding down his as he let her down. He looked into her eyes and she knew the romance was not over. There was much more to come.
Chapter 14
Index
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