Hunting Human (5 page)

Beth sprayed down the counter and began wiping in quick strokes. Anything to keep her occupied. Every time she had a spare moment a tempest of nerves snared her, dragging her under thoughts that swam in whirling circles.

“Nervous about tonight?” Angie asked, as she walked out of the kitchen.

“What?”
Oh God, is it that obvious
?

“Well, you’re either nervous or trying to wipe all the varnish off my bar. That’s the third time in the last hour you’ve sprayed it down.”

Crap.
Beth stored the cleaning supplies back under the sink. “Maybe a little, it’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone.”

Angie turned toward her and raised one perfectly penciled eyebrow. “Is that what you’re doing?”

Heat infused Beth’s cheeks. “Well, I guess. I mean, we’re going to dinner.” A slick wave of dread coursed through her. “Is that a problem?”

“If it is?” Angie kept her tone casual, but the hand she planted on her hip hinted at a challenge.

“I…” Unsure how to respond, Beth snapped her mouth shut. She liked Angie, considered her both a friend and a good boss, but she didn’t like the direction of this conversation. She liked being pushed around even less.

Beth squared her shoulders, met Angie’s gaze and prayed she wasn’t about to get fired. “I’m sorry, Angie, but it really isn’t any of your business.”

“Good.”

Torn between relief and indignation, Beth forced her jaw into forming words. “What?”

“Well, I didn’t want to have to fire you for being a pushover.” Angie’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I’m sorry.” Angie reached over and gave her limp hand a quick squeeze. “Braden’s like family. He grew up with my boys. I guess I just wanted to gauge your interest.”

Beth let the breath she was holding whoosh out of her. “Well, you could have just asked! Do you scare all his dates half to death?”

Angie smiled. “You’re the first.”

“What makes me special?”

“Because when Braden looks at you,
he
sees something special. If I saw him look that way at another woman, I’d have something to say to her, too.”

“Oh.” Flattery and a fresh bout of nerves battled within her.

“You know,” Angie said, her voice edging toward serious, “Braden tends to be tenacious when he’s serious about something.”

“It’s just dinner.”

“If you say so.” Angie smiled, contradicting her without words. “Now get going.”

“But I’ve got another hour left on my shift.”

“We’re slow. Go home. Get ready for your date.”

“Thanks.” Beth said, already taking her apron off and moving toward the back. A little spare time would be nice. She could redo her hair at least twice.

“If I’m not around when he picks you up, have fun tonight.”

Fun, right
.

Her thoughts began to whirl again as she walked toward her Jeep.

***

Braden cursed and pulled the knot of his tie out for the third time. He hated the damn things and generally avoided them whenever possible. He stared himself down in the mirror; the tie would not win. He carefully adjusted the lengths and tried one more time to get it right.

“Over…under…around…” Braden’s large hands fumbled against the dark green silk as he tried to stuff the thick end of the tie through the knot at his throat. “And through.” Crap. The mirror confirmed what he already knew. Complete disaster.

“Either he’s in love or he hasn’t been laid in a really, really long time.” Caleb’s voice filtered in from the doorway. “What do you think, Chase?”

Braden cast a dirty look over his shoulder. He didn’t want to know how long his brothers had been watching him struggle.

“I’m going with option two. Option one is too damn scary,” Chase answered.

“Screw you.” And screw the tie. Braden yanked the material from his neck and dropped it on the sink. Wasn’t his style anyway. He tugged the starched collar of his shirt until it lay flat and obedient, then flicked open the top button.

Much better.

Braden grabbed his heavy silver watch off the countertop, sliding it onto his wrist as he shoved past his brothers into his bedroom. “When did you get here?”

“Just in time, apparently. Should we hide the cologne?” Caleb asked through his laughter.

Busy sorting through the mess on his closet floor, Braden paused long enough to shove his arm through the door and toss out a one finger salute. Was it too much to ask for a matching pair of dress shoes? Under two weeks’ worth of laundry, an old gym bag and some boxes he kept meaning to get rid of, he found one brown shoe and one black.

Shit. Under the bed?

Stubbing his toe on God knew what, Braden limped his way back into his room and over to the bed. He dropped to his knees and scanned under the bed; running shoes, tennis balls, a couple of missing CD’s…and one brown loafer. Thank God. He shoved his feet in his shoes and glanced at the clock. “Shit, I’m late.”

He grabbed his jacket off the bed and crossed the room in four long strides.

“Forget something?” Chase emerged from the bathroom with Braden’s tie knotted loosely and dangling from his fingertips.

“I don’t need it.”

“You need all the help you can get.” Caleb grabbed his elbow before he could escape through the door.

“I’m late,” Braden countered.

“Relax, princess. This will only take a minute.”

Sandwiched between his brothers with no time to wrestle his way out, Braden rolled his eyes. It had to be some sort of cosmic joke that he was both the oldest and the shortest.

“Hold that.” He tossed his jacket at Caleb and refastened the top button of his shirt in time for Chase to swing the silk noose over his head.

“What’s he doing here anyway?” Chase asked, tossing his head toward Caleb.

“Babysitting.” Braden jerked back as the tie cinched around his throat. “Watch it.” He stepped back and caught his reflection in the mirror above his dresser. He had no idea where Chase had learned to tie a tie, but it didn’t look half bad.

Chase leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, his expression petulant. “I’m not a kid.”

“So you’re not planning on jetting the minute I leave?”

Caleb’s quiet laughter was the only response.

“Whatever.” Chase didn’t bother to contradict him; his mutinous expression made his feelings clear.

“Relax, bro. I won’t make you go to bed by nine.”

Caleb stumbled into Braden. Before the shoving could get out of control, Braden cut in, “Cut it out. He’ll pull a stitch and I am not explaining to Mike why he has to drive all the way back out here.”

“Buzzkill.”

Braden ignored him and shrugged into his jacket. “You,” he said as he pointed at Caleb. “Keep an eye on that one.” He jerked his thumb in Chase’s direction. “Mike left an antibiotic and a painkiller. Make sure he takes them with dinner.”

Palming his wallet and his keys, Braden made for the door. “Later.”

“Nah, we’ll crash at my place. You know, just in case the mojo you’re trying to buy with that tie actually works.”

Braden slammed the door on his brothers’ laughter.

***

Beth checked her makeup in the cracked mirror above the hand-washing station in Angie’s kitchen one more time. It would have to do. She’d tried twice to create a dramatic effect with some smoky eye shadow, but what the container advertized as “smoky nights” translated to “murky swamp” under her shaky fingers. Instead, she had settled for the navy blue eyeliner Rachel introduced her to years ago and a neutral shadow.

God, I’m boring.

“Nah, natural’s a good look for you, Lizzy. Very Abercrombie.” Beth knew the voice was only in her head, just as she knew the image of Rachel, smiling at her nerves, in the reflection of the mirror was only her imagination. But for the first time, the warmth of Rachel’s memory pierced the bitter pain of her absence.

The swinging door that separated the kitchen from the café hit the wall with a bang, evaporating Rachel’s reflection. “Girl, you’re gonna knock him dead!” Marianne tore through the doorway, a pint-sized tornado of energy with a bus bin on her hip. “Turn around, turn around.” The dishes rattled against each other as she dropped the entire bin into the sink and came over to take a closer look.

Amused, Beth did a quick spin to appease her. Marianne’s enthusiasm was a welcome distraction.

“That’s a great dress. And snazzy shoes,” Marianne said, a wistful smile on her lips. “There was a time I’d dance all night in a pair of shoes like that.”

“You mean last week?” Beth tossed over her shoulder as she reached for her purse and matching wrap.

Marianne’s delighted laugh filled the kitchen. “You’re a sweet one. Now, you give me a head start. I want an uninterrupted view of his face when you make your entrance.”

“He’s here?” Beth clenched her hands to keep from rubbing her palms against her dress.

“Yup. Give me ten seconds, then come on out.” Marianne paused at the door. “And Beth? Have fun tonight, sweetie.”

Ten seconds. Ten seconds separated her from the first date she’d had in three years.

God, what am I thinking?

Chicken shit.
The words crossed her thoughts, but the voice was all Rachel. Dammit. Somewhere, Rachel was utterly amused that she was the voice in her head. Beth took a deep breath and walked toward the door.

Chicken shit, my ass.

“She’s coming, honey,” Marianne said as she cruised back into the café.

“Thanks.” Restless, Braden propped his left arm on the bar and stuck his right hand in his pocket. When no one emerged, he glanced to where Marianne was still hovering.

“You sure she’s not sneaking out the…” The soft click of heels against wood heralded Beth’s arrival. His chest tightened and his breathing stalled.

She wore a deep blue dress that hugged her frame and swirled like the tide around her legs as she walked into the café wearing shoes designed to drive a man crazy—tall heels with little strappy things that tied around her ankles and extended her toned legs into impossibly long planes of silk. It required a conscious effort to drag his gaze back up, only to discover that the rest of the picture was every bit as enthralling.

She’d pulled her hair back, a curly mass loosely pinned to the nape of her neck. Though he’d wondered more than once what it would feel like to run his hands through the long lengths, he found this style held a certain appeal. How long would it take for her hair to tumble around her shoulders if he pulled out every pin, one by one, replacing each with a kiss to her exposed throat?

Everything about her captivated his imagination, but her eyes snared his attention. She’d done something to them, something that brought out the cobalt hue. When he finally recovered enough to smile in greeting, her eyes were the first to respond, crinkling at the edges as a warm welcome bloomed across her face.

“Hi.” Hardly smooth, but the best he could do until blood rushed back to his brain.

“Hi.” She said, pulling her wrap over her shoulders.

“Ready to go?”

“Sure. You said the restaurant’s close, right?”

“Two blocks. It’s nice outside, but if you’d rather drive, I can pull the car around.”

“Walking sounds good.”

“Goodnight, Marianne.” Braden smiled over his shoulder and slid an arm around Beth’s waist as they moved toward the door. It was a nice evening to walk, the warmth and humidity of the afternoon lingered, but a pleasant breeze blowing in from the west made it a comfortable evening to be out.

“The weather today was perfect. Did you get a chance to enjoy it?” Braden cringed.

The weather? Lame. Very lame.

“Not directly, I had to work for most of it, but the customers brought the atmosphere in with them.” Her amusement was clear in her tone. “What about you?”

She pressed closer to his side to avoid bumping into another pedestrian. The warmth of her seared straight through him, scattering his thoughts. “What?”

“Did you enjoy the day?”

“Oh. No, not really, my brother’s in town.” Braden maneuvered them off to the side and under a rich expanse of maroon awning.

Glancing around in confusion, Beth asked, “Is everything alright?”

“I’m sorry.”

Her shoulders tightened and she opened her mouth to speak, but he slipped an arm around her waist and pressed her against the rough brick of the storefront behind her. His slid a hand carefully along her jaw, letting it rest against the nape of her neck. Her breath hitched, as he pressed his lips to hers in a caress that began as a warm and gentle greeting and accelerated into a promise of things to come.

Finally, when reason prevailed over greed, Braden forced himself to step back and suck air into his lungs. She’d been beautiful in the moment before he’d kissed her, and beautifully responsive as he had. But neither compared to the picture she presented now. The faintest flush warmed her cheeks and her pupils had expanded to swallow all but the thinnest halo of blue. Her hands must have come up at some point to grasp his arms because she still had a viselike grip on his jacket. He leaned his forehead down to rest against hers, breathing in the scent of her one more time before he stepped back, out of temptation’s grasp.

“Sorry. I couldn’t seem to think.” He smiled when she blinked twice before focusing on his face.

“Huh?”

“I just thought I’d get it out of the way.” He admired the way her blush deepened as awareness returned to her eyes. “This way I won’t be wondering what it feels like to kiss you the rest of the night.”

“Did it work?” A small smile graced her face.

“Yeah.” He settled his arm around her shoulders and led her to the door of the restaurant. “But now I’ll be looking forward to doing it again.”

The restaurant was both warm and opulent. Thick carpet ran from wall to wall, an intricate sage design sprawling like vines across the cream surface. Two-story windows glinted gold in the setting sun along the wall facing the street. Rich draperies of dark blue cascaded down the windows, tied back with heavy silk cords. The atmosphere was so rich and elegant that Beth struggled to keep from fidgeting. How was it that she was standing in such a beautiful place, on the arm of such an attractive man?