His brows drew together. “I called you my little tigress. You know, tiger, like the striped animal?”
Her chest rose and fell quickly, and she didn’t doubt that fire shot out of her eyes from the anger inside her. How did he know that was her first name? Tyger, the one name she loathed. She hadn’t been called that since her parents were alive.
“Don’tevercall me that again.”
An expression of shock touched his face, but within seconds, his lips curved up into a grin. Slowly, he closed the space between them, his gaze never leaving hers. He leaned to her ear. “Now I want to call you that all the time. It fits you perfectly, especially when you’re riled up. Your gray eyes spark with excitement.”
As his lips gently caressed the top part of her ear, his hot breath dulled her senses. Anger faded, leaving her incredibly warm. Seeking more, she leaned forward to smell more of his manly scent, but the doorbell rang again and brought her back to reality.
He stepped away and took hold of her hand. “Come on, tiger.” He winked. “Let’s go greet our guests.” This time, she let him lead her into the living room.
The first to arrive were the girls from the office, each having a date, a friend, or husband. It wasn’t shocking to see the way Brad greeted the girls, kissing them lightly on the cheek and calling them some kind of endearment. He did this with all the women, even those he’d barely met. He was a professional charmer. Was that what he was doing when he’d called her tiger? Although she didn’t like it, the name grew on her. Brad certainly lived up to the reputation she’d heard so much about.
As the party progressed, her co-workers continued to give her compliments. She caught a few of Brad’s friends bringing in kegs of beer. Although she disapproved, her guests seemed to like it. After a while, she caught men staring at her with silly grins. She was sure it was due to the amount of alcohol they’d consumed.
But tonight it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. She actually enjoyed the way people treated her. Being one of Brad’s friends meant that she was friends with everyone. Giddiness spread through her and made her body tingle. The strange emotion made her feel pretty – something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Tom certainly never made her feel like this.
Despair washed over her and she sighed. Why had she thought ofhim? Once again, the wounded feelings of rejection touched her. She frowned. Why did Tom do more things with Kevin and Trisha, instead of the woman he professed to love?
Turning away from the party, she stepped into the kitchen. An assortment of drinks was displayed on her counter, mini bottles and a few soda cans still remained. Dare she take a drink of alcohol? It seemed to make some of her guests forget their problems. Could it do the same for her?
“Tempting, aren’t they?”
The man’s deep baritone voice startled her from her sober thoughts, and she spun around to face him. Brad leaned against a wall, his relaxed stance radiated his flirtatious charm, especially the melting grin he had on his perfectly shaped lips.
She smiled. “Yes, the liquor is working its hypnotic power over my weakened soul. Especially, since I’ve never tasted it before.”
Brad grinned. “In that case, can I suggest this?” He stepped over to a cooler full of pop cans and pulled out a Coke, then handed it to her.
She glanced at the can, and then at him. “Does this mean you don’t want me to drink alcohol?”
He shrugged. “I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, but if you insist on trying it, I’ll do my best to talk you out of it.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not looking forward to taking care of you when you’re sloshed. Holding your head over the toilet doesn’t sound like a fun time to me.”
She chuckled. “Thanks, I guess.”
He moved over beside her and hung his arm around her shoulders. “Hey? Would you like to dance with me?”
His question startled her, and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from dropping to the floor. “Uh, sure.”
He took the can of Coke away from her and placed it on the counter, he then drew her cold hand into the warmth of his, pulling her into the front room. The music blasted from every direction, and through the hordes of people crowded in her living room, she could see that the front door was open and people gathered outside her apartment.
Before she had time to worry about what her neighbors might think, Brad circled his arms around her waist and gathered her close. Automatically, she rested her hands on his shoulders and swayed back and forth with him to the slow playing music.
As she stared into his dreamy green eyes, she experienced a feeling of floating on a billowy cloud. Her mouth turned dry, yet her palms began to moisten. She knew she held a lovesick expression, so she forced herself to look away from his gorgeous face.
What was wrong with her? She couldn’t deny that for the first time in her life she felt totally helpless from the uncontrolled feelings Brad stirred inside of her, but she also couldn’t let it continue. Hopefully, her fascination with Brad would soon pass. Tom was her boyfriend, and although his actions tonight had wounded her heart, he was still the man she wanted to marry.
And yet, after meeting Brad, a part of her wanted something more than what Tom could give her. She longed to feel loved and pretty. Tom hadn’t accomplished that, but... Brad had.
