Icing On The Date (The Bannister Brothers #1) (2 page)

“You’re a really nice chocolate angel.” Owen fingered the ends of her curly hair as it hung loose around her shoulders. “And pretty. A pretty chocolate angel.”

His eyes were crystal blue, like the color of the waves in the ocean. Not that she saw a lot of ocean waves here in Colorado, but they were like the color she imagined when she pictured ocean waves in her mind. A girl could get lost in those eyes.

His expression changed from one of amusement to one of sorrow. And the look of pain in his eyes actually caused her own heart to hurt a little. “I’m sorry. I really screwed up this time. I swear I didn’t mean for anyone to really get hurt.”

What was he talking about? Who had been hurt? Besides him? Now that she got a closer look at his hands, she could see his knuckles were scraped and bruised as well. Had he been in an accident? Or a fight?

“Who got hurt?” she asked.

Before he had time to answer, the door of the bathroom opened, and a middle-aged woman wearing the hotel employee’s signature burgundy blazer walked in. Her eyes widened as she took in the man sprawled on the floor. “Is everything all right in here?”

Gabby smiled, ignoring the fact that she was on the floor of the women’s restroom with a ridiculously good-looking man laying across her chest and currently getting frosting in his hair. “Just a case of some bad shrimp. I think we may need a few minutes.”

The woman reached into a closet, pulled out a ‘Closed for Repairs’ sign and hung it on the outside of the door. “Is there something I can do for you? Would you like for me to book a room for you at the hotel this evening, Mr. Bannister?”

The woman obviously knew who this guy was. He must be a frequent visitor to the hotel.

Gabby repeated the name in her head—Owen Bannister. Nope, didn’t ring a bell. Maybe he was a celebrity. Lord knows she didn’t have time to keep up with the latest celebrity gossip. She barely kept up with the news. But this guy was obviously someone of importance.

The gold tag on the woman’s chest declared that her name was Marjorie and that she was the Head Concierge. She’d probably had her share of experience dealing with unruly guests and had most likely witnessed weirder things than a frosting-covered couple on the floor of the women’s restroom.

Owen shook his head, which did crazy things to Gabby’s insides as his head brushed against her chest. “Nah—I’m good. Bane’s on his way.”

“I called his brother, and he said he was coming right down to pick him up.” Gabby remembered Bane’s instructions to keep his brother out of sight. “We’d rather not let anyone else know that he’s in here.”

Marjorie nodded her head. “I can assure you that I’m the very definition of discreet.”

“Thanks, Margie,” Owen slurred. “You’re the best. And that jacket is a great color on you. Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”

She smiled down at him, obviously used to his charm. “Yes, you have. Many times.” She grinned at Gabby. “It looks like you’ve got it handled in here. I’ll keep an eye out for Bane and let him know where you are. And I’ll alert the staff that this restroom is currently out of service.”

“Thanks. You’re the best, Margie.” Owen laid his head back down on Gabby’s chest and closed his eyes.

“Yes, I believe you said that before.” Marjorie gave a little wave and slipped out the bathroom door.

Owen snuggled against her, sliding his hand around her waist and gripping her hip. “You’re soft.”

“Thanks.” She tenderly touched the bruised knuckles of his hand. “Did you get into a fight?”

He grimaced. “Yeah—you could say that.”

“My brother is always getting into fights. Big jerk got arrested tonight for getting into another bar room brawl. I still have to go bail him out of jail.”

“You sound like a nice sister.”

“Ha. More like a broke sister. He’s taking all of my savings to bail him out—again. And I’d been saving to run a big ad promotion for my business. But it’s not like he cares. He gets in trouble and calls me, and I go running.”

Why did she just tell him that? She didn’t usually air her grievances about her brother. Or talk about her own financial struggles. She’d been taught a long time ago that family problems stayed in the family.

Oh well, this guy was drunk and it’s not like she was ever going to see him again anyway.

He opened his eyes and gave her an appraising look. “Sounds like your brother is taking advantage of you. Why don’t you save your money and your business and let him cool off in jail?”

“Because he’s my brother. And I love him. And it’s what I do. I can always make more money. But he’s the only brother I’ve got. And he’s not a bad guy. In fact, he’s a great guy. Charming and funny and sweet, most of the time. He just gets drunk and loud, and sometimes I think he likes to fight.”

“Sometimes I think I like to fight, too.”

Somehow she didn’t have any trouble believing that to be true. “Is that what got you into trouble tonight?”

He laughed. “Yeah. You could say that. And because I’m an idiot.” His laughter faded, and he sighed. He pushed himself up, supporting himself with his arm and bringing his face within inches of hers. “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about you. What’s your name, angel?”

His face was close enough to smell the hint of whiskey on his breath, but she was too captured by the crystal blue color of his eyes to pay attention. She swallowed. “Gabby Davis.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Owen.” He grinned, and her insides did another funny flip. Sliding his finger through a spot of frosting she’d failed to wipe away, he glanced at her before licking the chocolate into his mouth. “So tell me, Gabby Davis, why are you covered in amazing tasting chocolate frosting?”

“Because someone bumped into me and smashed a platter of cupcakes against my chest.”

“I love cupcakes.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he somehow made the simple statement sound sexy.

She tried not to look at his lips. “I do, too. So much so that I have my own cupcake shop. It’s called Simply Sweet.”

He smiled. “Simply Sweet? I like it. That’s cool. It seems right for you. Do you make anything besides cupcakes?”

“I make all sorts of delicious desserts.”

A naughty grin curved his lips. “How delicious?”

She couldn’t help it—she smiled back—and let herself enjoy the easy flirting.

This was the most fun she’d had all night. Heck, probably the most fun she’d had all month. She spent so much of her time focused on work that she didn’t have time for things like flirting or dating. Or actually having a life.

So what if she let herself enjoy the drunken attention of a crazy-hot hunk for a few minutes? His brother would be here soon, and she’d never see the guy again. Why not enjoy the surreal moment and have a little fun?

She grinned at him, brazenly lifting a tiny dab of chocolate to her lips, and lowering her voice to a sultry level. “So delicious that they melt in your mouth and can bring a grown man to his knees.”

He laughed again. But this time it was a husky laugh, soft and full of playfulness. Leaning closer, he lifted his free hand and gently swiped at the bottom of her lip with the side of his thumb. “You’ve already brought me to my knees, Gabby Davis, and all you had to do was smile.”

She swallowed, unable to breathe, unable to think. Lost in his eyes, in the closeness of his body to hers, lost in the moment. He was just some guy. Some guy that she’d just met and would probably never see again.

So why did this moment feel like it could really mean something? Like instead of just looking into her eyes, he was looking into her soul—and actually seeing her. The real her—the dreamer. The one who still listened to sentimental love songs and cried at sappy chick flicks. Who believed in romance and love at first sight.

With the slightest shift, his face was just a fraction of an inch closer, his lips a whisper away from hers. “Do you taste as good as you look?”

Frozen—she held her breath—afraid to move. The scent of chocolate mixing with his masculine aftershave swirled around her as if casting a spell. A spell of lust and spontaneity and the power to ignore every single bit of reasoning that told her not to let the guy she just met in the women’s restroom kiss her. The incredibly gorgeous guy with the ice-blue eyes that held a mixture of charm and sorrow.

The spell must have worked, because he leaned in, his lips grazing hers, and instead of using her standard Gabby Davis practical logic, she closed her eyes and kissed him back. And oh, Lord in Heaven—what a kiss.

His lips were soft but demanding as he took her mouth—teasing and savoring. He tasted like whiskey and chocolate, and she sank into the kiss, enjoying the delicious tingling of desire that shot through her body.

The scruff of his whiskers brushed her skin as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Heat coursed through her, and she reached up, digging her fingers into his messy blond hair.

His arm tightened around her waist, and she felt his strength as he pulled her closer. Everything about him was solid and hard and so utterly masculine. She felt powerless—swept up in his embrace as his lips continued to tease and tantalize her mouth.

A soft moan escaped her as his free hand cupped her cheek then slid across her ear and tangled in her hair.

A knock on the door broke the spell, startling them both, and they split apart.

Gabby tried to catch her breath as the door opened and another tall, insanely gorgeous man walked into the bathroom. He was obviously Owen’s brother; the resemblance was evident except Bane’s hair was black compared to Owen’s blond.

They had similarities, but were light and dark shades of each other—the same strong muscular build—the same sturdy jaw line. Except Bane’s was now set in anger as he approached his brother and knelt on the floor. “Damn it, Owen. What kind of mess did you get yourself into this time?”

Owen grinned up at his brother. “A delicious chocolate one.” He jerked a thumb at Gabby. “This is Gabby. She makes cupcakes, and I’m pretty sure she might be an angel.”

Bane offered her a smile. A smile filled with the same easy charm as his brother’s. “Thank you, Gabby-who-might-be-an-angel.”

“Seriously, she smells like chocolate,” Owen told him, his voice slurring a little.

“You smell like booze. How much did you have?”

“I don’t know. I stopped counting.”

“You know you’re not supposed to be drinking.”

Gabby looked from Owen to his brother.
Why was he not supposed to be drinking?
Was Owen an alcoholic? An addict like her brother? Was Bane actually the dark counterpart to her—the one who always showed up and carted their drunk sibling home?

Bane shoved his hands under Owen’s arms and pulled him up. “All right, let’s get you out of here. And hope no one sees you. We don’t need any more trouble.”

What kind of trouble had Owen caused? She wished she could ask, but she didn’t want to pry. If anyone knew anything about family secrets, it was her. And she didn’t want to cause Owen, or his brother, any more embarrassment.

She stood up, brushing the remains of the dried frosting from her chest. She could only imagine what a mess she must look like to Bane—frosting smeared across her wrinkled front, kiss-bruised lips, and unruly hair that only moments before had been tangled in Owen’s large hands.

Owen leaned against him, throwing his arms around his brother in a bear hug. “I’m sorry, Bane. I know I screwed up. It was all my fault.”

Bane clapped him on the back as brothers tended to do. “It’s all right, buddy. We’ll figure it out later. Let’s get you out of here.” He glanced at Gabby. “Thanks. I appreciate you calling me.”

“Of course. Do you need my help getting him to your car?”

“No, thanks, I’ve got him.” He lowered his voice. “I hope we can count on your discretion though. I’m sure you can understand why we’d prefer to keep this incident quiet.”

Um…no, she didn’t understand. She didn’t understand a single dang thing about this whole night. She didn’t understand how her brother had ended up in jail again, and she sure as heck didn’t understand how she ended up making out with a gorgeous mystery man on the floor of a hotel restroom.

Who was this guy? It didn’t matter. She was sure she’d never see him again.

She smiled up at Bane. “You don’t have to worry. I won’t be telling anyone about this.” Except maybe her journal. Dear Diary—tonight I kissed a ridiculously hot guy with huge muscles who tasted like whiskey and chocolate, and now I will never see him again. Awesome night.

“Thanks, Gabby.” Bane pulled open the door of the restroom and checked the hall. “Neither of us need any more bad publicity right now.”

Owen hung his head in shame. “Yeah—the Bannister boys don’t need any more bad press. They’ve got enough, thanks to me.” He looked up at her and offered her a lopsided grin. “Thanks, angel. I might be piss drunk, but I won’t forget tonight.”

A flush of heat crept up her cheeks, and she gave them a little wave. “I won’t either. Bye, Owen.”

“Okay, the coast is clear. We gotta go while the hall is empty.” Bane gave her another charming grin. “Thanks again for calling me, and we really do appreciate you keeping this out of the press.”

They slipped out the door, and Gabby leaned against the sink. She wouldn’t have any problem keeping this out of the press. First of all, she had no idea who either of those guys were and secondly she had no idea how to even get something
in
to the press.