Hunks: Opposites Attract (12 page)

Yes, it rattled him some; yet, his curiosity was aroused to the point. He couldn’t lose another night’s sleep like he had gone through last night thinking about Sapphire. She was so unlike any other woman he spent time with. She was stunningly beautiful, owned her own business and had so many layers he wanted to peel back bit by bit until he finally reached the true Dr. Sapphire Rhodes.

“You’ll take me up on what?” Brian asked, knowing full well what Sapphire was telling him, but he wanted to hear the words come out of her pretty mouth. He hadn’t known her for that long, but he could tell Sapphire liked to keep things bottled up inside of her.

Well, he was going to change that about his new roommate. Sapphire was going to be forced to do some things that might make her feel out of her element, but the change would be good for her. It wasn’t healthy for her to keep herself hidden away from the rest of the world.

Everyone should have the ability to be able to change one thing about their personality without it sending them into an absolute and utter tailspin.

“Sapphire, what are you taking me up on?” Brian asked again. He waited while Sapphire glared at him like she wanted to shake some sense into him.

“I’ll try to share something about myself with you.” She snapped the words at him like he was trying to get her to confess all of her deep, dark secrets on a talk show.

“It won’t be as bad as you think. I just want to know more about you. I find you very intriguing. I was drawn to you way before I knew we would be staying under the same roof. I promise you that I won’t ask about all of your heavily guarded secrets. If I get too personal just tell me to back the hell off and I’ll do it.”

Brian noticed a small smile flirting at the corner of Sapphire’s mouth and he knew that he was winning her over some more. Yes, this was going just the way he wanted it to.

“You don’t look like a man who would back off after hearing the word no,” Sapphire tossed back. “How do I know that I can trust you?”

“Give me a chance and I’ll let you see for yourself.” Brian winked at Sapphire then spun back around making his way to the checkout lane.

Behind him, Brian heard Sapphire as she mumbled something under her breath like. “I’ll have to see how well that works out for us.”

****

Back at the cottage, Brian sat the four bags of groceries down on the island. Sapphire had offered to help him to put them away, but he told her he could do it so he would have some time alone to think about their time out together.

Usually, he didn’t have to work this hard to make a woman spend any time with him, but Sapphire was different. She wasn’t falling for his easy smile and charm. He knew she was affected by him, the same way he was curious about her.

He wasn’t the type of brag about the woman he dated, but the opposite sex loved him when it came to his charisma. However, Sapphire passed over it like it wasn’t even front and center.

Brian realized this might be one instance he would have to change the behavior he used most to get a woman to show more interest in him because Sapphire wasn’t allowing herself to fall for their mutual attraction alone. She desired more and he would find a way to give it to her.

Before meeting Sapphire, he would have avoided pursuing a woman if he felt rejection was in his future, but with her he wanted to prove to himself that he could hold a great conversation or anything else with a beautiful and successful woman like her

If he had any doubts about a working man like him landing a beautiful woman like Sapphire all he had to do was take pointers from Nash and his future looked brighter than normal. His days of searching for a woman who could fill the void in his heart was over He had found her in Sapphire. Which meant winning her over would be the biggest battle of his life, but he would succeed no matter how long it took him.

Chapter Seventeen

Upstairs in her bedroom, Sapphire logged onto her computer while her head was on other things, namely Brian. She couldn’t get her mind off her trip with him earlier. More than once she had fought down the urge to run her hand down the muscles in his arms on their trip back home. He had smelled so
good,
like a mixture of male, nature and soap.

The more time she spent in Brian’s company she saw there was more to him than his outer appearance. He had a way of captivating her making her long to know more about him. While they were at the store, she hadn’t paid attention to anyone else. All she could think about was how relaxed she felt in his company.

Brian had a natural savvy about him. Something about him got her motivated to get herself back in front of her laptop. Once she was finished with her new entry, Sapphire knew she wouldn’t be hiding up here.

Today, she would be downstairs trying to keep her end of the deal with Brian while learning more about him in the process. Not for her blog, but for her own selfish reasons. She wanted Brian probably more than she had any of her past boyfriends.

They never made her lose her train of thought so badly. She fought through the fog in her head to remember what she was thinking about before he walked into the room like he owned it.

She thrived on taking risks which is why she decided to place her life out there on the internet. Either people would love it or hate it. Lucky for her so far everybody loved it, so why shouldn’t she continue her love of taking new risks? Getting Brian into her life was a thrill she was craving to take a ride on.

Glancing back at her laptop, Sapphire noticed her blog was up and ready for her newest post. Her wandering thoughts about her attractive house guest made her forget about the reason she came upstairs in the first place.

Sapphire stared at the layout of her blog and wasn’t pleased by the cookie cutter design. It was too second-rate for her, but it was one of the pre-made designs that came with the site. Once she got enough free time, she would hire a professional web designer to make her a custom made one, something that would showcase her own personal style. But first things first. Her followers were due her next entry.

****

Sapphire’s World

December 27

Is everyone ready for my new update in the hunks challenge? Remember, in my last post I talked about how I had something good to share with all of you? Okay...I’ll stop dragging it out. I’ve found my hunk. He’s living under the same roof as me.

Alright. Let me start from the beginning. My best friend Shauntie sent me to this amazing little hideaway in the woods not knowing that her boyfriend had done the same thing with his best friend Brian.

So, here I am staying out in the woods with a sexy guy who has to be one of the most gorgeous men I’ve seen in a while. We both are trying to fight our attraction to each other, but it’s hard since it gets hotter and hotter the more time we spend together.

Did I mention that I had a ‘crush’ on him before running into him here? He’s the mailman who delivers the mail to my office. The guy can wear a pair of shorts. Thank God I know how to control myself in front of other people.

I can’t say that I had much control in the kitchen earlier with him. Something almost happened there, but he moved away before we actually did anything.

Does that mean the next move is mine?

****

Sapphire posted her newest blog entry and then lodged off. She wasn’t going to spend another minute up here wondering what everyone would tell her. Brian didn’t think she knew how to come out of this room, but she was going to prove him wrong. She’d made plans to go ice skating on the pond and postponed them for Brian’s shopping trip, but now they were back on.

Standing up, Sapphire hurried over to her bedroom closet. After putting on her coat and gloves she grabbed her ice skates and headed out making her way downstairs in search of Brian. She had to let him know where she was going in case he came looking for her.

Walking down the hallway, Sapphire went in the direction of the family room and the big screen television she was positive Brian was watching. The remote was probably in his hand and a drink was sitting at the side. Opening the door, she went inside and found Brian exactly where she thought he would be.

“Brian, I’m heading out to the pond to go ice skating for a little while.”

Turning his head away from the television, Brian looked at her with an almost hopeful glint in his gray eyes. “Would you like some company? I can only sit in here and watch so much television before I lose my mind. Anyways, I thought you wanted to watch a movie.”

“I’d rather go ice skating first. The movie can wait until tonight. Do you really know how to ice skate?” she asked, clearly surprised by Brian’s offer to go with her.

Flicking off the football game, Brian tossed the remote control down on the table next to the chair. He got up and walked towards Sapphire until he was standing directly in front of her.

“I played hockey from elementary school all the way through college. I still do it every other weekend. So, yes Little Miss Doubtful, I know how to ice skate. I’m so confident in my abilities on the ice I’m willing to bet I’m better than you are. Are you up for taking the wager?”

Sapphire wondered if Brian could be baiting her. The question hammered at her making her want to take him up on his dare. Did he actually think she would back down? Not on her life.

“Forget it,” Brian laughed, stepping back from her. “I can tell you aren’t up for me beating your cute little butt. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, I never told you I wouldn’t take you up on this challenge of yours,” Sapphire tossed back. It was her own driving need that shocked her. She needed to spend some extra time with Brian.

“Wonderful,” he grinned then winked at her. “Let me grab the skates I stashed in the hall closet when I unpacked my stuff. After Nash told me about the pond, I knew I had to bring them with me and then I’ll meet you by the front door.” Walking around her, Brian went out the door and Sapphire couldn’t help but admire how his jeans cupped his toned ass.

She had to fight her own battle of personal restraint not to reach out and grab it. For so long, Sapphire let herself believe there was no room for romance in her busy schedule, but all of those beliefs left once she laid her eyes on Brian.

Denying that she would be able to fight her attraction to Brian was long gone; it was truly an awakening experience that left her reeling.

“Are you ready to get your butt kicked?” Brian hollered at her from the hallway.

“Somebody is going to lose, but it isn’t going to be me,” Sapphire promised as she left the family room and met Brian in the hallway.

He was completely dressed for the cold weather with a coat, gloves, stocking cap and a pair of old black hockey skates tossed over his shoulder. He looked as if he was going to win this bet against her, but he was dead wrong.

“Let’s go,” Brian said as he spun away from her and walked towards the door.

“What are we playing for?” Sapphire asked as she followed behind Brian. Maybe she should have inquired about the rules first before jumping in with both feet without a security net.

“Live for once in your life. Find out what you have to do after you lose to me,” Brian taunted.

“A real man would tell me.”

Suddenly, Brian stopped and spun around so fast that she ran into his chest. Reaching out, he grabbed her by the upper arm to steady her while holding her firmly against his chest.

“Sapphire, I’m a real man and if you need proof I’ll be more than happy to prove it to you. Care to take me up on it,” he challenged. His heated gaze dropped down to her mouth as her body came alive with a burning need before their eyes reconnected. “I won’t have a problem at all kissing that beautiful mouth of yours.”

Sapphire’s breath hitched in her throat as she imagined how good Brian’s mouth would feel pressed against hers. She could almost literally feel his tongue brushing over hers tasting and sampling what she had to offer him. Standing on her tiptoes, she brought her lips within a whisper of Brian’s; she noticed how his gray eyes grew a shade darker.

“I just don’t kiss any man. He has to work for a kiss from me,” Sapphire whispered against Brian’s mouth before stepping away and walking around him.

“Nice one,” Brian laughed as she opened up the front door going outside into the cool afternoon air.

She couldn’t keep the grin off her face and she realized how much she smiled around Brian. He was really good for her. Not once had she thought about what was waiting for her back at work.

Little by little Sapphire saw she was becoming less rigid. Not once had she over thought anything since Brian’s arrival. His appearance could just be the thing she needed in her life now and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Chapter Eighteen

“I hope you’re ready to lose,” Sapphire taunted as she stepped onto the frozen pond. “I wasn’t lying when I told you how good I was on the ice. I even skated professionally for a few years but decided competing wasn’t for me.”

“I’m not worried about losing to you,” Brian tossed back as he placed his boots next to hers on the ground.

The snow covering the ground and trees made Sapphire feel like she was inside of a snow globe with the simple beauty of her surroundings. She skated around on the ice loving the freedom it gave her. Back home she never got the chance to do this because something was constantly coming up ranging from work, or hanging out with her two best friends to family issues.

Constantly, it seemed like one of her needy family members was always calling her about something because they thought she had all of the answers when in all honesty, Sapphire knew if they put a little effort forward, her two older siblings could handle their own problems just fine. However her brother and sister would rather call to either boss her around or complain about her choice of career. Being a dentist was important to her, but Terrell and Tamara didn’t care at all.