Time to Pretend (15 page)

Daniel had no idea what happened the night before.

He kept his gaze turned toward the door to the parking lot. “Ready to go, Sophia? Is Drew meeting us there?” His sister, bless her soul, got the point. He wouldn’t be asking Alaina out for coffee, or anything else, tonight. Sophia eyed Alaina with sincere regret. “Maybe next week?” Alaina shrugged. She didn’t look at him. “Poker really isn’t my thing.”

The knife twisted.

“Do you like to hang out?”

Okay, he
thought
Sophia had gotten the point. He tugged on her arm. “Let’s go.”

She shook him off. “A bunch of us girls are going out this Friday night. We usually dress up and go out to dinner, and then we go to a dance club or two. I’d love it if you came.”
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Alaina studied Sophia closely, no doubt looking for the rotten worm. She wasn’t going to find one. On one hand, Daniel was glad to see his sister making overtures of friendship. It had been too long since she let anyone new into her life. Drew had opened her up in so many ways. On the other hand, he wanted to know what the hell she meant by inviting Alaina to hang out with her.

A small nod. The uncertain smile reached those brown eyes. “I’d like that.”

“Great,” Sophia said. “I’ll pick you up Friday at six.” As they climbed into Sophia’s car, Daniel threw baleful glares at his sister. “I can’t believe you just asked out the woman I told you I liked.”

Sophia laughed. “I don’t think she’s into threesomes. Besides, if I was going to make a move on Alaina, I would have done it months ago.”

Daniel desperately hoped Sophia was wrong about that. In addition to having claimed a large piece of his heart, Alaina held his last chance with Evan in her hands. He swallowed the censure in Sophie’s declaration. It lingered, a lump in his throat that too many drinks couldn’t shrink.

Later, Drew and Sophia loaded him into Sophia’s car and drove him home. Daniel sat in the back seat and watched the streetlights spin by the car.

Daniel liked Drew. They had begun with a rocky dislike of one another because Drew thought Daniel was one of Sophia’s submissives, and Daniel thought the same thing about Drew. Daniel never liked the path his sister had discovered after her rape. He didn’t mind her working at Ellen’s club, beating the shit out of people who paid her to do so, but he hated that she built her sex life around the concept. She didn’t have relationships, she had sex.

But Drew had changed all of that. For starters, he wasn’t a submissive. While he hadn’t completely changed that particular habit
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of Sophia’s, he had reined it in considerably. And the two of them were madly in love.

The pair held hands over the console while Drew drove.

Daniel sat in the back and wished Alaina was with him. He’d never held her hand, not as a simple act of affection.

“Sophie?”

She twisted in her seat. “Yeah?”

“Do you think Alaina had plans with that doctoral candidate?

Maybe she wasn’t lying last week. Maybe she’s involved with him.” Drew hissed something that sounded like “Yes!” Sophia punched him in the arm. “This isn’t a cause for celebration.”

“I bet Jonas and Ellen that Dan was having girl problems. He was awfully quiet tonight.” At her continued glare, he added, “What?” Daniel’s laugh was pathetic. “I think that means you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Please,” Drew said, waving away the idea. “She can’t keep her hands off me. If I’m sleeping on the couch, then she’s sleeping there with me.”

Sophia released her seat belt and crawled into the back seat. She put her arm around Daniel’s shoulders and pulled him so that his head rested on her shoulder. That, combined with the motion of the car, made him feel nauseous. The number of shots he had done during the game didn’t help the problem. “Even if she is seeing someone else, she’s not serious about him.”

Daniel bit his lip, mostly to keep from vomiting in his sister’s lap.

“I slept with her.”

Now Sophia punched him hard, but, thankfully, not in the stomach.

“What the hell was that for? She kissed me first.”

“Have you even called her, Danny? You didn’t ask her out. You didn’t make plans to see her again. Everything you did screamed one-night stand. And you have the nerve to get drunk and depressed
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because she had other plans tonight? What kind of imbecile are you? I
told
you she wasn’t one-night stand material.” From the front seat, Drew laughed. “You used to be so suave with the ladies.”

Daniel straightened. “I hired Evan to do some repairs on her house. I brought Chinese food for dinner. That was yesterday. She didn’t call me, and neither did Evan. What if she likes him better?” Sophia stared at him. The passing headlights lit up the incredulity in her face. “I didn’t think you were that drunk.”

“I’m pretty wasted,” he said. “But you gotta admit Evan’s attractive.”

Sophia said nothing. She stared at him with a thoughtful expression on her face, and Daniel didn’t want to know what she was thinking. The car stopped in the parking lot of his studio. For the first time since he’d bought the place from his grandfather, Daniel looked at the building and didn’t want to go inside. He wanted to go to Alaina’s house and crawl into bed with her. He wanted to smell her scent and feel her warm little body pressed against his. He wanted Evan in the bed with them, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted him next to him or next to Alaina. How would Alaina take that?

He climbed out of Sophia’s car. She came out after him. He thought she would get back into the front seat, but she shoved something into his pocket. “These’ll help you keep the next one.” Daniel tried to glare. Her expression didn’t change. He gave up and stumbled to his door. Digging in his pocket for keys only produced a set of handcuffs. He rolled his eyes at Sophia’s gift. She and Drew were into bondage and those kinds of games. Daniel was not.

Daniel turned to wave as Drew drove away, and that’s when he noticed Alaina’s car still parked in his lot. Did that mean she was still out with the wannabe doctor? It was after midnight, but the coffee bar served food and stayed open until almost two.

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Chapter 9

It was late. Alaina hadn’t meant to stay as late as she did, but the coffee and the conversation flowed. She met up with the friends she had made in graduate school once every few months. Their sessions invariably ran late as they caught up on one another’s lives and talked shop. She had purposely not scheduled any meetings or appointments for the next morning.

The group of seven had taken over the sofa and chair grouping toward the back of the rather large, yet quaint, shop. They could be loud, and they didn’t want to be interrupted by people coming in and out. Alaina had risen several times with the intention of leaving, but somebody always tugged on her hand and urged her to stay. So she sat back down on the chair’s soft cushion and had another coffee.

Mostly, it was Trent. They had flirted for years and even dated on and off. From the signals he had been sending her way, Alaina had figured out that Trent was open to discussing more permanent terms.

They suited one another. Trent was intelligent. His research was in a different field than hers, but he understood the time commitment required by the university system. He understood the pressure to publish, yet he also shared her deep commitment to helping people.

Though he was missing some of the light blond hair he had in college, he was still handsome. They had shared real passion in the past. Trent liked sex as much as she did. His blue eyes sparkled with warmth and affection.

Alaina wasn’t moved. She didn’t want those blue eyes smiling at her, and she wanted a mass of deep brown hair in which to tangle her fingers. She wanted that head between her legs while the right pair of
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blue eyes penetrated hers as Evan leaned in for another soul-deep kiss. She wanted…

“Daniel?”

As if he knew she was thinking of him, he appeared, standing behind the couch in front of her like a Roman god in sexy jeans. He wore the same polo shirt he had been wearing earlier when he had stood behind Sophia and refused to look at her. It was as if he knew she had slept with his best friend, and he didn’t like it. Well, what man would? The rigid set of his shoulders had betrayed the intense emotion he had been trying to hold in.

The way he looked at her now betrayed those emotions, too, only Alaina didn’t know exactly what emotion he was showing. Was it just lust? After their night together, she knew she wanted a repeat performance. Did Daniel simply want her again?

When he left that morning, Evan had mumbled something about having to go home for clean clothes, but he had said nothing about seeing her again.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. The cowlick just above his right eye stayed standing on end. If she didn’t know him better, she would think he was nervous.

“It’s late,” he said. “I thought I would walk you back.” The slight slur in his voice made her glad he mentioned walking.

She wondered just how drunk he was. Rising to her feet, she flashed a smile at her friends. “It is late,” she said.

Trent rose with her. “I’m headed out, too.” He flashed a glance at Daniel, recognizing competition. “I didn’t think this neighborhood was unsafe, though, and I know you can take care of yourself.” Daniel looked Trent over, raking his gaze from head to toe and dismissing the smaller man outright. “Alaina parked at my place.” Alaina had never seen Trent in a pissing contest, and she didn’t want to see it now. Visions of Daniel having a similar fight with Evan made her sick, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret sleeping with
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Evan. Something about him tugged at her soul, just as Danny did with the cocky, confident set of his jaw.

With a sigh, she rounded the couch with the intention of laying a placating hand on Daniel’s arm and leading him from the café.

As soon as she was within striking distance, his arm snaked out.

Her chest slammed against his wall of muscle, and his lips claimed hers. She should have been upset with his macho display of territoriality, but she was too busy drowning in the heat and languor of a skillful kiss that should have been sloppy. Nobody should be able to kiss that well and reek of alcohol.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, he stumbled forward, knocking her against the back of the sofa. “Sorry.” His apology was automatic, and his eyes blinked uncomprehendingly.

“You smell like a brewery, Daniel. How much have you had to drink?”

He shrugged. “I counted six shots and three beers, and then I stopped.”

“You stopped drinking or counting?” Her lips twitched, holding in a laugh. She’d never seen him like this before. She wondered how many condoms he had in his pants and if he was up to using them.

He swayed, rocking on his feet. “Counting. Jonas was trying to outdrink me. I couldn’t let him do that.” She had no idea who Jonas was, but she understood the sort of male bonding ritual to which he alluded. “Did he?” Daniel started to shake his head, but then he appeared to reconsider the movement. “No. His wife’s pregnant.”

“I see,” Alaina said. She didn’t, but that didn’t matter. She slid her arm around his waist, a gesture she wouldn’t have had the courage to make if he wasn’t so wasted. It was a detail that would escape his notice once he sobered up. “Let’s get you home.” Daniel draped his arm across her shoulders. “Don’t you think you should introduce me to your friends?”
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The smile that had appeared on her face the moment she saw him turned to a grin. “Why? Do you think you’ll remember any of this in the morning?”

Those luscious pools of chocolate, ringed in red, narrowed at her.

“I’m not that drunk, Lainie. I’m still on my feet.” She didn’t point out her help in the matter. He was resting more than a little of his weight on her. She made the introductions. Daniel held together quite well, nodding and greeting each person in turn. He didn’t let go of her to shake anyone’s hand, and she didn’t mind.

Then she introduced Trent, who was waiting patiently to walk out with her. Daniel stuck out his hand. Trent reached out cautiously.

Trent’s grip was firm, but Daniel didn’t play fair. He squeezed Trent’s hand more than necessary. Alaina tugged at his arm and hissed his name.

He ignored her. “I don’t need help taking care of Lainie.” With a disgusted exhalation, Alaina dropped her hand from Daniel’s arm and left the building. Daniel’s footsteps caught up with her just on the other side of the door. He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “Are you mad because you wanted to go home with Trent?”

Alaina exhaled, but she didn’t attempt to sever their contact. “I wasn’t going to go home with Trent.” His eyes took a moment to focus. In that moment, he appeared to sober up significantly. “Are you still mad at me for hiring Evan?” She stopped walking, jerking his hand to make him stop and face her. “I wish you would have asked me first, but no, I’m not mad at you, Danny. I’m sure he’ll do a good job. You can’t go around making major decisions for me like this. Just because I’m short doesn’t mean I need a knight in white armor.” He grabbed both of her hands. “Even though you’re damn sexy up there on your high horse, I don’t wanna fight with you, Lainie.” Lifting her hands, he brushed his lips over the backs of her fingers.

“Come down and admit you want to come back to my place and make
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out. We can do a night in white satin. No, white cotton. I don’t have satin sheets.”

She had to smile. He was charming and sexy, and she did want to go back to his place. She didn’t know how far they’d get with the making out, though. Tilting her head, she nailed him with her most charming smile. “Aren’t you too drunk to get anywhere?” Laughing, he dropped one of her hands and began walking toward the building that housed his studio and his apartment. Since he kept hold of her other hand, Alaina was pulled along with him.