My Only Exception (6 page)

Braden.

An excited flutter took up residence in my belly.

I can’t get you out of my head. I’m pretty sure I’m going to dream about you tonight.

Uh, whoa.
Definitely not from my mother. It was all I could do not to get up and do a happy dance. As much as I should not want Braden to want me, I loved that he did. I bit my lip and sent him a message back.

You naughty boy. Go to sleep.

A second later a beep alerted me of his response.

Okay. But just so you know. You’re going to be very busy in my sleep tonight. Sweet dreams, gorgeous.

I let him have the last word, but secretly I knew Braden would most likely be very busy in my dreams too.

*  *  *

I woke the next morning to Bree bouncing up and down on my bed.

“Get up, Presley. We’re supposed to go to the gym this morning. Remember?”

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. The girl had
way
too much energy for this early in the morning.

Bree snatched the blanket off of me and stood to open the blinds at my window, letting sunshine spill over me. I blew out an exasperated breath and sat up.

“Really, Bree? You could have just called. You’re making me regret giving you a key to my apartment.”

She shrugged a shoulder and turned to stand at the mirror above my dresser, pulling her mass of curly red hair into a bun on top of her head. She turned around to face me where I was still sitting on my bed.

“Get dressed. I’ll go make some coffee.”

I grabbed my pillow and threw it at her. She easily dodged it and hurried out of my bedroom door, calling back, “You’ll thank me later.”

I stood and paused by my window to look over at Braden’s apartment building. Why? I had no idea. I was supposed to be maintaining my self-imposed friend status with him but it was becoming
really
hard.

I was getting ready to move away from the window when I saw Braden walking to his jeep. He looked completely mouthwatering as usual in a fitted T-shirt and rugged cargo khakis. I froze when I saw a cute blonde walk out of the stairway that he’d just exited. I could see that she was calling a goodbye to him and she waved before climbing into her red Honda.

I sucked in a breath. There was nothing unusual about seeing this. I mean, I’d probably think something was wrong if there wasn’t some female foot traffic coming from Braden and Liam’s apartment. What bothered me was not knowing if the girl had been with Braden last night or Liam. I mean, Braden had sent me some pretty suggestive text messages last night. Not to mention all of the talk about writing songs about me. This was exactly why I was so leery about getting involved with him. And I’d just heard this past week that he’d be leaving to finish recording the band’s album in a couple of weeks. I didn’t know if he could be faithful living in the same apartment complex, let alone traveling the world.

I sighed deeply, tugging on my yoga pants and sports bra. If only thoughts of him didn’t consume me, this would be so much simpler. I guess it’s true what they say about matters of the heart. When it came to love, you’ll know when you find it.

Once Bree and I left the gym we stopped at a street café downtown and sat down at a table outside. After ordering lattes, we settled in to indulge in some light gossip. Bree was great for that. She somehow knew anything and everything there was to know about everybody.

Talking to her was better than reading a gossip magazine. After thirty minutes of laughing and chatting I was surprised by male hands covering my eyes from behind. And then I tingled from the neck down when Braden’s voice whispered in my ear. “Guess who? I’ll give you a hint. It’s your favorite person.”

“Oh. Then it must be Wyatt,” I said teasingly.

I gasped when he gently nipped at my ear.

Braden released me and sat down in the chair next to me. I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking in his muscular, tattooed biceps and working up to his chiseled face with the sexy five o’clock shadow. Of course, when I got to his face he was looking at me with a hint of amusement, but mostly lust.

I swallowed and tore my eyes away to look at Bree. She was smiling from ear to ear. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She could read me like a book. There was no hiding my feelings for Braden from her.

“So, Braden,” Bree turned to him with a look I knew all too well. She was up to something. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

My eyes widened. She was up to something, alright.

Braden glanced at me before responding. “We have one last gig at the bar downtown before we leave for L.A.” He winked at me before saying, “You guys should come. We can hang out after.”

Oh yeah, I knew what kind of hanging out he wanted to do.

Bree answered without waiting for me to respond. “Count us in. We’ll be there.”

It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I couldn’t stay away from Braden no matter how bad he would be for my heart. I needed to get him out of my system somehow or things would be bad for me when he left. Something told me it would by bad either way.

*  *  *

The next night I was dressed in a white strapless mini-dress and long, nude-colored sequined cardigan. I had slipped on some nude heels that made my tan legs look miles long. I’d added a smoky eyeshadow and some nude lipstick. Thankfully, it was one of those nights where I actually felt hot. Something told me I would need the extra boost of confidence tonight. I tried to push back the thought that I had been dressing for Braden —right down to the lacy panties and bra. There would be plenty of females there with the same intention, but I wanted to be the one to hold his attention.

My subconscious reminded me that it was me he’d written a song about. Supposedly. At least that’s what he’d told me, but I was having a hard time believing it. Whatever feelings he said he had for me didn’t stop him from constantly having a girl or two hanging onto him.

Maybe, he was trying to maintain his rock star image. Or maybe I’d end up calling bull on his claim. Maybe it was all an elaborate attempt to get me under him.

I took a deep breath. I was sounding more and more like my mother now, always so pessimistic and doubtful when it came to men. I made a promise to myself right then and there that I was not going to harbor the same attitude as her. I was going to go see Braden and the band play tonight and be more open to what could develop between Braden and I.

Anticipation whirled in my stomach at the thought of seeing Braden without my usual defenses up. There was really no telling where that could lead.

*  *  *

The band was in the middle of a set by the time I’d pried Bree away from the flat iron she was attempting to tame her mass of curly hair with. That was one thing about the two of us. We were
always
fashionably late.

And of course the place was packed. Chronic Need was extremely popular with the Wilmington crowd as well as in the surrounding areas. They’d been traveling and performing for the past several years and were only just now getting the mainstream attention they deserved.

My heart sank at the thought that they’d probably be too busy to play around here for a while. And who knew if Braden would even remember who I was after all of the women he’d meet on tour. That thought renewed my determination to give it a chance with him now. I had
never
wanted anyone so much in my life. What if I never did again and it was too late?

*  *  *

Bree and I sat down with bass guitarist Jack’s girlfriend, Katie, who was sitting with a couple of other girls we knew near the stage. It was a more intimate location than the venue the band had played at a few weeks ago and I had a feeling I would enjoy this one much better.

Bree ordered a rum and coke and I ordered a vodka and cranberry before sitting back to ogle Braden with the rest of the girls in the building. I’d need a little fortification if I was going to be able to let my guard down a bit. But there was no way I was drinking more than a few. I would
never
allow myself to get as drunk as I did the last time. That had been awful, and so unlike me, thanks to a certain Braden Worthington.  

*  *  *

I sat back watching the guys in the band perform for what would be the last time in this area for a while. Their excitement for the future was palpable and they were completely dominating the stage.  As was usual for a lead singer, it was obvious that Braden was a fan favorite, but Ryan had an especially huge fan following as well. The two of them brought on wild screams and excitement whenever they sang or moved toward the crowd. Braden with his effortless sex appeal and Ryan with his all-American good looks drew the girls in like bees to honey.

I pushed back the insecurity that was threatening to rear its ugly head. I had pretty much decided that I needed to stop trying to foresee what could happen between Braden and I long-term and live in the moment.

I’d deal with regrets and a broken heart later.

*  *  *

Braden’s eyes raked the crowd and came to rest on our table. When he saw me, he gave me a seductive half smile before turning back to sling his guitar over his head and step toward the microphone that was front and center stage.

He leaned forward with both hands wrapped around the microphone, his lips just millimeters from it, and seconds later his perfectly husky voice slid seductively through the room.

“This is a song that I wrote about a girl I know. One that’s somehow gotten under my skin in a way no one ever has before. I’ve just got to convince her that I’m worth the risk.”

Loud female screams and “I love yous” followed this statement and he turned around to signal the band. I recognized the first chords of “my” song almost immediately.

Damn. It had really done a number on me the first time I’d heard it, and if the fact that I was on the verge of hyperventilating were any indication, it would be no different this time.

Braden’s eyes found mine as his voice filled the building, pulling us all in with its smooth, sultry tenor.

Bree nudged me with her foot in recognition of the song that he was singing and then reached over to grab my hand under the table in a show of support. I was thankful to have a friend who knew how I was feeling without having to say a word. She knew about the walls I had thrown up for myself and she knew how scary it was for me to have them broken down.

 This guy was going to be the death of me. He was slowly and surely breaking down every single one of my carefully built walls.

And… he was also leaving in two weeks.

I somehow made it through the song without fleeing from the feelings it provoked in me. Maybe the promise I
’d made to myself to be more open to something between Braden and I, no matter how short-lived it might be, had made Braden’s feelings for me a little easier to listen to.

*  *  *

I breathed a sigh of relief when the song was over and I wouldn
’t have to face those emotions quite so blatantly.

I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the show, dancing and singing with Bree and Katie, and forgetting, for a little while, that I
’d have to face those feelings once again with Braden after the show.

Once the band finished their last set, the guys exited the stage and made their way over to our table. That process took the better part of an hour, considering they were stopped every two feet by fans, and by then I
’d downed my third, and final, vodka and cranberry. By the time Braden walked up to our table, I was more than ready to have him to myself. What I wasn’t expecting, was for him to lift me off of the chair I was sitting on and sit down instead, pulling me onto his lap.