Get Bunny Love (16 page)

He sighed inwardly, wondering when Bunny would arrive. He hadn’t seen her since she’d deposited him at the emergency room two days earlier. Try as he might, he couldn’t tamp down his lingering anger. Obviously, the entire incident had been an innocent mistake, but the woman was a walking menace.

He jerked his focus to an approaching couple. Jealousy tangled with the anger in his gut at the sight of Bunny’s arm tucked against his older brother’s elbow.
Jealousy
. As if that wasn’t the last emotion he needed. Bunny’s gaze flickered to his as Jeremy held her chair. Soft pink blossomed in her cheeks.

“You look lovely, dear.” Aunt Martha nodded approvingly.

And she did. The color of a warm summer sky, her dress hugged her curves, making Nate long to touch what lay beneath. Her bare shoulders glowed under dimmed ballroom chandeliers. Nate fought the protective urge to ask if she were too cool.

He snuck a peek at her feet, wondering if her toenails were still painted the same sky blue. Closed-toe pumps obscured his view.
Damn
.

“How are you feeling?” Bunny’s tone was cautious and light.

“Full recovery.”

Her expression shifted from timidity to hopefulness. “I’ve taken steps to make it up to you.”

Dread pooled in Nate’s stomach. “I need you to focus on order and control, not feng shui.”

Melanie mumbled something incoherent and took a long swallow of wine.

“Did you say something?” Aunt Martha questioned.

The pale blonde shook her head, her blue eyes huge.

Nate squinted at her, and she quickly turned away. He redirected his attention to Bunny, whose cheeks had flushed to a distractingly attractive shade of deep pink. Her full lips pressed into a defensive line. “I’m asking you to toe the line from now on.”

She met his glare unflinchingly.

“There will be no more tea, or chipmunks or positive chi. Understood?”

Bunny made no move to agree. Not even a nod.

“If I want coffee, I’ll drink coffee. If I want gray carpet, I’ll have gray carpet. If I want a boring life, I’ll-”

Bunny interrupted. “I never called your life bor-”

“It is boring.”

Melanie’s words stunned Nate, silencing his rant. He turned a disbelieving stare toward his fiancée-to-be. She returned a watery smile. “Aren’t you tired of gray, Nathan?”

She lowered her head to the table. Nate held his breath. Perhaps she’d pass out, sparing them her uncharacteristic outburst. No such luck.

She straightened as if steadying herself for battle. “Your trip to the ER was the most exciting thing that’s happened to you in what? Forever?”

Nate opened his mouth to respond, but Martha beat him to it.

“You, my dear, are drunk. Your behavior is inappropriate.”

Melanie scraped back her chair and stood. “I’m not drunk.” She leaned toward Nate and whispered, “I’m bored.”

Nate flinched. A tear slid over Melanie’s lower lid, and she turned, making a beeline for the ladies’ room.

What had gotten into her? If he didn’t know better, he’d swear Melanie harbored the same doubts about their impending engagement as he did.

o0o

Nate, Martha and Jeremy sat in stunned silence. Bunny squirmed uncomfortably. At least Melanie’s little outburst had deflected the attention from her. She looked around the table expecting someone—anyone—to go after her. When she couldn’t take the silence a moment longer, she glared at Nate. “We should do something.”

“She’s drunk,” Martha hissed.

Bunny rose from her seat, not willing to let Melanie cry alone in the ladies’ room. She navigated the dance floor and slipped into the restroom, hesitating in the ornate dressing area just inside the outer door. Visible through the archway, Melanie stood at the bank of sinks, dabbing her cheeks with a tissue. Bunny’s heart twisted.

She reopened the outer door, letting it close with a thump. She cleared her throat, crossing to where Melanie stood. “Are you okay?”

Melanie’s eyes shone bright with tears, and a phony smile lit her features. Even distraught, the woman was gorgeous. The jacket of her pink evening suit lay draped across a bench. Melanie hugged herself as if she’d been caught half-dressed.

The halter-style bodice accentuated her shapely upper arms and shoulders, sending a ripple of envy through Bunny. The woman was a vision.

“I’m sorry.”

Bunny dabbed at her lipstick, watching her reflection in the mirror. “Do you want to talk about it?”

The pale eyes grew wider, softer. “Just a bad night, that’s all.” She reached for her suit jacket.

“You should leave that off.” Bunny swallowed. She didn’t know the proper restroom etiquette for commenting on another woman’s outfit, but she’d never been one to keep quiet.

Melanie spun to face Bunny. “Leave off the jacket?” She emphasized the last word as if the idea were unthinkable.

“It’s not as if I’m telling you to go out there naked.”

Melanie blinked.

“Your gown is gorgeous.” Bunny pointed to the fine beadwork. “You should show it off.”

“I couldn’t do that.” Melanie plucked the jacket from the bench, slipping it over her bare arms. “A lady wouldn’t do that.” She glanced at Bunny, standing bare-armed in her sheath. “I mean...I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“You didn’t,” Bunny lied, sadness uncoiling in her chest.

“Your dress is lovely.” Melanie’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “It matches your eyes.”

Bunny thought of the woman modeling the cobalt blue cocktail dress at Daffy’s—the woman who had looked so much like Melanie, but with a look of happy abandon on her face.

“I can picture you in cobalt blue. Something vibrant against your pale coloring. A sequined sheath perhaps.” Bunny grinned. “That would be a sight to see.”

Melanie’s pale brows arched and soft flush spread up her cheeks. “Cobalt blue?”

Bunny nodded. “Don’t get me wrong. Pink is fine, but it’s got so much yin.” She pressed her lips together, carefully choosing her words. “It can be a problem.”

“Yin?” Melanie’s eyes grew huge, her gaze flickering from Bunny to the front of her dress, frantically searching the delicate material. “Where? I don’t see it.”

A soft laugh slipped from Bunny’s lips. “It’s not on you. It has to do with energy.” She took a step closer. “You can change your energy fields through your choice of color.”

Melanie’s gaze narrowed incredulously. “Energy fields?”

“Mmm Hmm.” Bunny patted Melanie’s arm. “Try cobalt blue. It’ll liven up your aura.”

“I’ll remember that.” Melanie blinked again then stole one more glance at her reflection. “Cobalt blue?”

“Definitely.”

The women locked eyes for a brief moment. Bunny relished the happier expression on Melanie’s face.

“I’d better get back before Nate thinks I’ve passed out.” She gave Bunny a genuine smile. “Thank you for checking on me.”

The bathroom door whooshed shut, and Bunny stared into the full-length mirror, scrutinizing her reflection. Her auburn hair fell carelessly into the choppy bob, so different from Melanie’s smooth, pale strands.

She reached to tame the unruly waves, tucking first one side, then the other, behind her ears. No earrings hung from her lobes, never had. A simple pearl necklace adorned her throat, a treasured sweet sixteen gift from her grandmother.

Bunny stared at her narrow face and frowned. Bending at the waist, she shook her hair free. She stood upright and smiled at the exaggerated tangle surrounding her cheeks.

Maybe she didn’t belong with the country club set. And maybe she didn’t know well enough to cover her bare shoulders. But she was being true to herself. And that was one thing she’d never sell out on.

o0o

Nate watched the soft drape of Bunny’s dress as she headed off after Melanie. As for himself, he was too shocked by Melanie’s words to give thought to much else. Talk about a total loss of control. He’d never dreamt Melanie had it in her to speak her mind.

“Anything you need to tell me?” Ice tinged Martha’s words. The palpable heat of her glare seared into the back of Nate’s head. For a fleeting moment he considered pretending she hadn’t spoken.

Nate cringed. Melanie had the right idea. Getting too drunk to remember the evening had definite merits.

“I’m speaking to you, Nathan.”

He turned to face her. “Sadly, I’m well aware of that.”

Surprise registered on her face. Nate took some small measure of pride in being the cause. Jeremy stood, excusing himself.
Coward
.

Martha stood, pushing back out of her chair. “Don’t make a mess of this.”

Guilt rippled through him as she walked away. Maybe he’d been wrong to speak to her so harshly. Someone slapped his shoulder. He turned to meet Jeremy’s questioning gaze.

“Okay?”

Nate nodded. Jeremy handed him a fresh drink.

“Rough crowd.” Jeremy waggled his brows. “And you wonder why I got the hell out when I could.”

“Why did you?”

Jeremy sank into a chair, meeting Nate’s gaze head on. “If I’d followed her rules, I’d be the one whose most exciting experience in years had been an allergic reaction.”

A few moments later, Melanie returned. In true McNulty fashion, neither brother asked about her outburst. It was the family way. Emotions were for denial, not acknowledgment.

Nate took a sip of his scotch, watching gratefully as Melanie and Jeremy headed for the dance floor. She’d been right, of course. His life
was
boring. He’d played by the rules his aunt had spelled out for so long, he wasn’t sure he knew how to do anything else.

“Everything okay?” Bunny’s voice whispered close and soft.

Or at least, his life
had
been boring. He glanced up at her concerned smile. The corners of her eyes crinkled and his breath caught in his throat.

“Everything’s fine.” He glanced guiltily to where Jeremy spun Melanie around the dance floor, their bodies disappearing momentarily among the throng of partygoers.

Bunny slipped into the seat next to him, her warm, vanilla scent washing over him.

“I apologize for my lecture.” He smiled at her surprised expression. “I was out of line.”

A soft pink blossomed in her cheeks. “I had it coming.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t mean what I said in the cab the other day—about Aunt Martha asking you here out of pity.” He spun his glass from one hand to the other.

A soft laugh slipped from Bunny’s ruby red lips. “But you were right. I
am
out of my league.”

His pulse quickened. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.” Her features softened, saddened. “It’s true. I don’t even have a proper jacket for my dress.”

Nate’s gaze slid over her figure, from one enticingly bare shoulder to the other. Desire fired low and heavy. He swallowed. “It would be a crime to cover up that dress.” He took a quick sip of scotch, watching the shock register on Bunny’s features. He stared at his empty glass, wondering if it had been the liquor or his libido talking. Either way, the observation was true.

From her mop-topped hair to the way the soft filmy material of the dress’s hem shimmered against her ankles, she was a vision. A sudden wave of need surged through him. “You look like a young Audrey Hepburn tonight. Except for the hair.” He stood, extending a hand. “Dance with me?”

Bunny slipped her slight hand into his, sending countless sparks of awareness radiating from her touch. She beamed, launching Nate’s heart into a rapid rhythm.

Damn Aunt Martha
and
her McNulty rules. For once in his life, he’d do what he wanted—and he wanted to dance with Bunny. The orchestra slid into a slow number, and he curled an arm around Bunny’s waist, inhaling deeply when her hair brushed his chin. His pulse roared in his ears.

He wished he weren’t a McNulty, Bunny wasn’t an employee, and they weren’t standing in the middle of the Warwick ballroom. He longed to sweep her into his arms, take her mouth with his, slip the straps of her filmy dress from her shoulders and cover the valley between her breasts with slow, sensual kisses.

If only
.

o0o

Bunny didn’t think her knees capable of supporting her. They’d turned to rubber the moment Nate had compared her to Audrey Hepburn. Her muscle tone had gone downhill from there.

He tightened his grip on her waist, and her breath caught. Desire coiled in her belly. She fought the urge to tuck her head into the hollow where his shoulder met his neck.

He smiled down at her, his dark eyes soft and smoky. Bunny knew she must look like a schoolgirl, but for the moment, didn’t care. Her only thoughts centered on the warm spot where Nate’s palm pressed into the small of her back, and on the heat burning where his hand held hers, tension simmering between them.

For all his talk of control and decorum, Nate McNulty oozed raw, masculine heat. Bunny intended to drink in every drop offered. She swallowed hard, thinking of the changes she, Bert and Tilly had made to the conference room and Nate’s office. A wide grin spread across her lips. He’d be so pleased when he experienced the improved energy flow.

“What’s that look for?”

Bunny met his questioning gaze with a shrug. “You’ll see.”

The music stopped. For several long seconds they stood staring at one another—the silence anything but awkward. In fact, it was the most comfortable moment Bunny could remember.

“Statements like that make me nervous,” Nate teased.

“Trust me.”

“The last time I trusted you I ended up in an epinephrine-induced stupor.”

Bunny winced. “I didn’t know-”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” His rich brown eyes darkened, his gaze softening.

The orchestra began a new number, but Nate and Bunny remained still, staring intently into each other’s eyes. He gave her hand a squeeze and Bunny’s stomach tightened. He leaned close, his lips parting ever so slightly.

Bunny’s heart beat a rapid staccato against her ribs, and she fervently wished he’d brush his lips against hers. She longed to know how his kiss would feel. How he would taste.

“What’s the matter?” Jeremy’s voice whispered roughly. “You two so caught up in conversation you forgot to dance?”