Hunks: Opposites Attract (19 page)

Keeping secrets from another person really wasn’t who she was at all, but Sapphire wasn’t sure how well Brian would take the news that her initial interest in him was because of a bet.

Would Brian understand now that she viewed him as more than a guy she needed to accomplish her hunks challenge deadline?

God, Sapphire had to talk with Shauntie about this. Shauntie would be the one who could give her the best advice. It didn’t matter if Sapphire liked it or not. Shauntie wouldn’t hold the truth back from her.

Placing the coffee cup down on the night stand, Sapphire picked up her cell phone and dialed Shauntie’s number. She crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t be disturbing her friend and Nash from anything important.

Shauntie’s cell phone rang a few times before she finally picked up on the other end.

“Hello girl, what are you up to?” Shauntie asked her.

Sapphire noticed how Shauntie’s voice sounded more cheerful than usual. “What are you so happy about this early in the morning?”

“I have some news, but I’ll tell you later. You called me. I can only guess this call is about Brian. How are things going with him? I haven’t heard from you since you called the police on him. Did you try to pepper spray him again?” Shauntie teased her.

Sapphire wished it was only that simple. She was in such a world of confusion that she wasn’t sure how to get out of it. “No, I haven’t tried to pepper spray Brian again. We’ve moved past the stage of being perfect strangers to...”

“Perfect lovers,” Shauntie finished for her.

“How did you know?” Sapphire asked, surprised.

“Girl, you constantly talked about how much you wanted Brian before you knew his name. Did you truly believe the two of you would be able to keep your hands off each other at the cottage? I think you and Brian are a perfect match for each other. Where Brian is used to his comfort zone you’ll be able to pull him out of it. On the other hand, he’ll be able to help you laugh and open up more besides using your blog to do it.”

Biting her bottom lip, Sapphire was worried about how Shauntie would react about Brian and the news about using him on her blog, but she had called for advice which meant she would have to tell her.

“About my blog, do you remember how I was having a hard time thinking of a new topic,” she said.

“Yes, I know and you were so upset about it,” Shauntie answered. “Did you ever find anything to get you over that hump?”

“My writer’s block is gone. I’ve been working on it and my followers are eating up the new topic. It’s a hit!”

“Okay Doctor Rhodes, are you going to let me in on your topic? I know how much working on
Sapphire’s World
relaxes you. I’m thrilled you’re back at it again.”

“The hunks challenge Emerald suggested we all become a part of.”

A long pause came from the other end of the phone while Shauntie digested the information just given to her. “Are you telling me you’re writing about me and Nash on the internet?” Shauntie demanded. “How could you do that to me?”

“No, I only mentioned you and Nash once I swear to you. However, the other posts have been all about Brian along with our time at the cottage. I haven’t given a lot of details about him, but my followers do know I picked him to fulfill my hunk requirement.”

“Sapphire, please tell me that Brian gave you his okay before you did this,” Shauntie pleaded with her.

“Brian isn’t aware of the hunks challenge or my blog. He’s totally clueless and I’m very nervous about telling him. I get the feeling he’s sort of a private guy and wouldn’t be into being placed on the internet. What man in his right mind would?”

Sapphire didn’t miss the curse that came from her friend’s mouth on the other end of the phone. Panic began to settle in the pit of her stomach. If Shauntie was this upset with her then how would Brian react to her news?

“Where’s Brian right now?”

“He went out for a jog. He’ll be back later on and we’re going to do some things around the cottage. I want to tell him when he gets back but I’m not sure how he’ll take the news.”

“How would you take the news that Brian’s attraction towards you was to win a bet? I admit Nash wasn’t too happy with me at all. But we overcame it and now we’re getting married.”

Everything else stopped in Sapphire’s head after hearing Shauntie’s last statement. Nash proposed to her best friend!

“Shauntie, why didn’t you tell me Nash proposed when I first called? When did it happen, give me all of the details. I want to know every single detail. How does the ring look?”

Shauntie retold her how Nash decorated their hotel room and then popped the question. She was so thrilled for her friend after J.T. and his mistreatment of her. Her girlfriend never thought she would find love again in her life.

“I’m so happy for you,” Sapphire said sincerely. “Nash is a great guy. I know you’ll be so happy with him. Start having those babies pretty soon because I’m ready to become an aunt.”

“Come on. At least let me get down the aisle first and then I’ll see about having babies. However, you can find the same happiness with Brian too. But not if you don’t tell him about everything and I do mean everything. I can hear it in your voice how much you like him. I can almost bet you’re falling in love with him. Don’t risk it by not coming clean with your secrets. Yes, he might be pissed at first but I know he’ll forgive it in the end.”

Would Brian be as forgiving as Shauntie thought he would be? The question stabbed at her heart. Just thinking about the possibility of losing Brian shattered her.

“Alright, I’ll come clean as soon as he gets back. Why should this come between us?”

“You’re right. You’ve gotten yourself all worked up for nothing. Well, I better go. Nash is getting out of the shower. We’re going sightseeing. Call me back and let me know how things turn out with Brian.”

“I will,” Sapphire promised right before Shauntie hung up.

Sapphire placed her phone down on the night stand and tossed the covers off her body. She’d better get dressed and eat breakfast because she couldn’t come clean to Brian on an empty stomach.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Brian’s feet pounded across the hard, cold ground, the wind blowing against his face as he ran the trail in the woods behind the pond. He needed this time to get his racing feelings together about Sapphire.

Last night, he laid in bed next to her getting completely and truly lost in how wonderful it felt to finally care about a woman longer than having her in his arms for one night. Something about Sapphire’s aura made him feel at ease and not so guarded. Usually he only had good times with females because neither one of them were looking beyond having a hot night of sex.

For a very long time in his life, he lived his life like he was the carbon copy of Chance and only thought about the day he was living and without any concern about his future. However, Nash along with Chance never saw past his outer layer.

He wasn’t turned off by the idea of marriage and a few kids running around. The only thing that concerned him now was adding Sapphire to the picture he painted in his head.

Successful women like Sapphire usually weren’t happy to think about getting married to a struggling blue collar working man. How would she be able to introduce him to her colleagues? She sure wouldn’t introduce him as her mailman boyfriend and surely not her husband.

No, he would impress her more by having his own business. Sapphire should have a man next to her who she could be proud of in every aspect of their relationship. Besides doing this big move for Sapphire, he was also doing this step for himself as well.

Becoming a professional web designer was something he’d kept on the back burner from his friends and family until he felt it was the right time for him to take the giant step. Brian was nervous of failing at something new, but now was his time.

Sapphire had been so honest with him and it was about time he showed some honesty with her. She needed to know he was going to change his career partly for her. She wasn’t aware how she ended up being a huge deciding factor in him leaving his current job.

She might think he was out of his mind to leave a paying job for one he would be working to build, but how could he push his dream away anymore? He got a feeling Sapphire would tell him to rethink it.

However, this ultimately was his decision and he knew he was making the right one. Brian only hoped she would accept his love enough to stand by his side while he made this transition into a new phase in his life.

His feet continued to pound over the dirt as he turned around going back in the direction of the cottage. He loved the thought of going back there to Sapphire. Getting all of this out in the open was more important to him than finishing up his workout. Brian was positive later on tonight he would get another type of work out to burn the calories he missed during his run.

Not once in his life had Brian ever cut his exercise routine short for a woman; however, Sapphire had changed him and he knew it was for the better.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Opening the cottage’s front door, Brian walked inside and spotted Sapphire curled up in a chair by the fireplace reading one of those romance books his sister loved so much. Sometimes, seeing her there like that seemed right to him almost like home.

“I can see from how engrossed you are in your love story that you didn’t miss me one single bit,” Brian said, closing the door behind him.

“You would be so wrong,” Sapphire said as she unfolded her legs. Getting up from the chair, she tossed the book down in the empty seat then made her way over to him. “What woman would want typed writing on a page when I got my real life romance hunk standing right here in front of me?”        Standing on her tiptoe, Sapphire kissed him, slowly running her tongue along the edge of his bottom lip.

Opening his mouth, Brian let Sapphire tongue tease his for as long as he could take it before he gently eased her away from him. “As much as I love doing this with you, I want to talk to you about something and it’s very important.”

Taking a deep breath, Sapphire stepped back from him. “I want to discuss something with you too.”

Brian’s heart skipped a beat. From the tone of Sapphire’s voice, he could tell it wasn’t going to be good. Could she be getting ready to dump him? No, that wasn’t possible. Sapphire would be crazy to give away or blow off this natural chemistry they shared with each other.

Whatever she was planning on telling him wasn’t as bad as his mind believed it was. However, whatever it was they would be able to work through it. Nothing Sapphire confessed to him would make him not want to be with her.

“Do you care if I go first?” Taking Sapphire by the hand, Brian led her back over to the couch. Sitting down he tugged her down next to him.

Brian could tell from Sapphire’s tense body language she was puzzled and more than a little nervous. “I guess it would be okay for you to go first,” she said, turning her body so she was facing him. “What I have to say isn’t going to change.”

A wave of apprehension swept through Brian. It gnawed away at some of his confidence, but Brian wouldn’t let it stand in his way. “You don’t know the real reason Nash convinced me to come out here. So I thought it was about time I came clean with you. I don’t want to have secrets between us because if I’m not wrong I believe we’re forming something really special here. Am I right?”

“You’re right,” Sapphire agreed, smiling at him.

“Good, I would hate to think I’m the only one who feels this.” His confidence was coming back from the encouraging look in Sapphire’s eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about doing something different with my life for a while now; yet, I didn’t think I could do it until I laid eyes on you. I knew a professional woman like you wouldn’t be drawn to a man like me.”

Frowning, Sapphire leaned back from him. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

“I was worried you wouldn’t agree to go on a date with a man who didn’t run in the same social circle as you. I knew after I found out you were single I had to give myself a fighting chance at a shot with you.”

“Brian, I never thought you were beneath me because of your job. The moment I saw you in my office I wanted you. Are you quitting your job for me? You shouldn’t do it. I mean...it isn’t right.”

“Could you fall in love with someone who wasn’t walking around with endless money and working hard to keep his wealth?” Brian wasn’t dumb. Sapphire had never in her life dated someone like him and he had to make sure she’d stay with him. “I wasn’t sure if you could watch me pursue my dream of starting my own professional wed design business. You were giving me a second chance to live my life and do what I truly wanted. I guess you could say that you were my inspiration without even knowing it.”

Moving her hand away from him, Sapphire laid it back on her leg. Brian sensed she was taken aback by his confession to her. Was he moving too fast? Maybe he should have waited to tell her this after they had been together longer.

“You quit your job because of me? I’m not sure how I feel about you doing something so drastic. You should only make a career change for yourself and no one else.”

Reaching out, Brian grabbed Sapphire’s hand making her look back at him. “You don’t understand what I’m trying to tell you. Sapphire, I wasn’t happy at my other job anymore. It wasn’t rewarding enough for me. I always felt like something was missing each and every day I was there.

“I would hear Nash and Chance talk about their jobs with such passion and I could never do it,” Brian confessed. “This change was for me but I’m hoping you’ll go along for the ride. We truly have something special here. Yeah, I know it happened in a matter of days and a lot of people will find it odd or even maybe stupid on our parts. But I know how I feel when I see you and it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life. So, what I’m asking is do you think you’ll want to continue this after we leave here after New Year’s Eve is over? I’ll understand if your answer is no. In addition, you won’t have to worry about me making you feel uncomfortable any time we’re around Nash and Shauntie together.”