Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) (10 page)

“There, now that's not so bad, is it?” she teased.

His lips twitched as he looked down at her. She was
breathtakingly beautiful. Holding her like this felt good, he had to admit. She
was warm and smelled of honeysuckle. Her fragrance was always different, he
noticed. She was apparently one of those women who wore a different perfume
each and every day, the way some woman did shoes.

He smiled when she rested her cheek against his chest.
Although she'd had only three drinks, he knew she was feeling a little fuzzy.
He could tell by the slightly glazed look in her eyes and by the way she had
relaxed. He moved his hands from her hips to close his arms around her waist,
and pulled her closer. She didn't object.

It was nice, she decided. She loved being this close to him.
She could feel the beat of his heart, and thought that it beat just a little
bit faster. His skin was warm, and his hard-muscled body, from his chest and
arms all the way down to his thighs, touched hers, rubbed erotically against
her as they moved together.

The fire that built between them seemed to crackle in the
air around them. His desire for her was intense, and it was all he could do to
try and reign it in. She felt the evidence of it against her pelvis.

Brooke looked up at him, and was secretly thrilled to see
the unmistakeable need reflected in his eyes. She loved the fact that he wanted
her.

Her own desire began to build, and she struggled to put
aside the undeniable attraction she felt for him.

Sex between them had always been incredible, and it was
something he remembered too well. But he didn't want his mind to wander in that
direction, especially in the middle of the dance floor in front of a bar full
of people. When the song ended, he took her hand and led her back to their
table.

“Would you like another drink?” Logan asked her.

“I'll have a spritzer, if you're heading to the bar.” He
eyed her curiously. “Three's my limit,” she said. “I'm not a drinker.” She'd
noticed that he'd nursed only a few beers the entire night. She was glad that
he wasn't a drinker, either. In fact, she'd only seen him really drunk once in
her entire life, and it had been ugly. It was the night of the End of the Year
party when they were in college, the same night he'd betrayed her and broken
her heart. The same night all of her hopes and dreams had been shattered. She
tried to push all of those unpleasant memories out of her mind, and concentrate
on enjoying herself in the here and now.

Logan came back, handing her a large glass. She sipped, and
smiled. “Thanks,” she said.

“My pleasure.”

Karissa, who had been mingling, returned to the table and
sat down. She looked around, and spotted Seth on the other side of the dance
floor, a pretty brunette on his arm. Karissa recognized her as  the cousin of
one of their oldest friends. She'd met her earlier in the evening, and thought
she seemed nice enough. The brunette threw her head back and laughed at
something Seth said, and Karissa began to feel little pin pricks of jealousy.
Not that she had a right to be jealous. She and Seth were friends, and that's
all they'd ever been to each other. She didn't care at all for these feelings.
They made her miserable.

Seth had been trying to get away from the brunette for the
past ten minutes. She was nice enough, he supposed, and certainly attractive,
but he just wasn't interested.  At one time, he would have taken her home with
him and had her in his bed all night long. But meaningless sex wasn't what he
was after. Not that he'd ever been a man whore, like Chase, because that was
far from the case, but he'd had a few one-night-stands in his past. Especially
when he'd been in the U.S. Marine Corps and was on leave. It was an easy thing
to find any number of willing females. But he was older now, and had matured.
And he realized that he wanted something more.  After making one final excuse,
the very disappointed brunette reluctantly conceded. Seth eased away and made
his way back to the table. Karissa, lost in thought, was taken by surprise when
he took her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.

Bust A Move
, by Young MC had come blaring through the
speakers. The crowd erupted in shouts and whistles. “Let's show these amateurs
how it's done, Rissa,” he shouted over the noise. She laughed and followed him
onto the dance floor. Seth had always been an excellent dancer. At school
dances, he'd have everyone gathered around him in a circle, she remembered,
yelling his name and cheering him on. Hip-hop had been his style back then.
Some things never changed, she mused, watching him now. She had to give it to
him, though, he definitely had moves.

“Showoff,” she teased, as he pulled her toward him when a
slow sang came on next. He wrapped his arms around her waist as they swayed to
the music.

“I think I may be getting too old for that,” Seth said,
enjoying the moment. He'd finally gotten his breath back.

“You? Never,” Karissa said, teasingly. He threw his head
back and laughed. The rich sound of it carried to Brooke, who watched them from
her seat at the table. She liked seeing her sister laughing and having a good
time. Happy. It looked good on Rissa, she thought. And just as good on Seth,
she decided.

They looked amazing together, she realized. She decided then
and there that she had to do something to push this flirtation along. Not that
there was anything wrong with flirting, but that phase should have been long
over for them. How long did they intend to wait before one of them made the
first move, anyway? she wondered, as they made their way back to the table and
took their seats across from her and Logan.

Logan, who had been sitting there quietly listening to the
music, and watching Brooke watching Seth and Karissa, leaned closer to her and
whispered in her ear. “I'd just leave it alone if I were you,” he said. She
turned her head to look at him.

“I'm sure I don't know what you mean,” she replied, trying
her best to appear innocent.

“And
I'm
sure you do.” His eyes were a dark green,
and he smiled as he watched her.

“The last thing the two of them need is interference. If
it's meant to happen, then it simply will.”

“Alright, what do you know?” Brooke's eyebrows narrowed
suspiciously.

“I know nothing. Except for what I've observed, that is.” He
could be so infuriating, she decided. He never used to be. She wasn't sure how
much she liked this new side of him.

“And what is it that you've
observed
? Brooke asked
sweetly. Her curiosity was really piqued now.

“Oh, nothing you would be interested in knowing.”

“Oh, come on, Logan,” she complained. He just smiled and
nursed his beer. She was tempted to smack that smile off his smug face. But
that would hardly be acceptable, she thought, frowning into her  spritzer.

The band came back from their break, and went right into
their set. Brooke listened to the music, thinking how just a little push might
be what Seth and Karissa needed. What did Logan know about relationships,
anyway? Except for how to destroy them, that is, she thought.

Chase, who was feeling no pain at this point, came back to
the table. “Calling it a night, guys,” he said. “I'll catch you boys tomorrow.
Dinner at mom and dad's, don't forget,” he said to his brothers. They both
nodded their agreement. “Night, ladies,” he drawled, looking from Karissa to
Brooke. He looked over his shoulder to where the buxom blonde was waiting near
the door. He looked back at Brooke and said, “It's not too late to change your
mind, darlin'.  All you need to do is say the word.” He smiled, flashing
perfectly white teeth, and wiggled his eyebrows. She laughed, because he warmed
her heart.

“Night, Chase,” she said, smiling sweetly.

 “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He was still smiling as he walked away.

“I swear, he doesn't think with anything but his dick,” Seth
commented.

“What's the flavor of the week?” Logan wanted to know.

“Cotton candy.” Seth said, his lips twitching. They all
burst into laughter. Seth ran a hand through his dark hair and leaned back
comfortably in his chair.

Brooke thought about the MacKenna boys, at the time when
they were kids, growing up wild and carefree. Then she thought about each of
them the way they were now, and the men they had become. Sometimes it still
astounded her to realize that so much time had passed. One minute they were all
young and the next, they were adults with responsibilities. How she wished they
could go back to that time.

Brooke glanced at her wrist watch. It was going on midnight.
“I suppose we should call it a night, too,” Brooke said.

“Yeah, it's getting late,” Seth put in. “We should get
going, too.” Both he and Logan stood.

“We'll walk you out,” Logan said.

Brooke handed her car keys to Karissa. “I know it's only a
few blocks, but would you mind driving, Riss?” Karissa had had only one
alcoholic drink the entire night, which had been when they'd first gotten
there.

“Sure,” she said. “Brooke's spending the night at my place,”
she said, sure that they'd already figured that out for themselves.

“Thanks for the dance,” Logan said, and leaned down to kiss
her cheek.

“You're welcome,” she replied, surprised that he would kiss
her, even if it was a chaste peck on the cheek. She glanced over to where Karissa
and Seth were chatting a few feet away and noticed them noticing her and Logan.

They said their goodbyes, and Brooke slipped into the
passenger seat, while Karissa got behind the wheel. They waved as the guys
crossed the parking lot to their cars. Her head felt a little fuzzy and her
chest was warm, like a dull burn. She closed her eyes and let all thoughts
disappear from her mind. Thank God she wasn't a drinker, she mused, as her
sister guided the car in the direction of Locust Lane. She was asleep before
they reached Karissa's place.

It was a beautiful Sunday. Brooke had slept until nearly
noon. It was unheard of. She couldn't believe the time when she'd awoken.
Karissa had been up, showered, and had gotten half a dozen things done by the
time Brooke rolled out of bed. Long periods of time with very limited sleep
caught up with you after a while, she supposed.

Brooke showered and dressed. She'd brought an overnight bag
with her, so she had all of the necessities. The hot shower did wonders for her
stiff neck and equally stiff back. Now, she and Karissa sat on Karissa's
terrace, soaking up the warmth as they ate lunch. The tuna wrap was delicious,
and Brooke realized that she was famished. She sipped iced tea between bites.
Karissa was uncharacteristically quiet, and Brooke wondered what the crease
between her eyebrows was all about.
Time to do a little digging,
she
thought. Frankly, she surprised herself that she had been able to hold off with
the probing for as long as she had.

“What's the matter,” Brooke asked, looking pointedly at her
sister.

“What do you mean?” Karissa said. “Nothing's the matter.”

“Au contraire.” Brooke pointed a French manicured finger at
Karissa. “Something's going on with you.” She waited, but Karissa said nothing.
“You can tell me, honey.” Her voice took on a softer tone.

Karissa looked up from her plate, and met Brooke's eyes. “I
just have a lot on my mind, that's all. Worrying about mom, keeping up with
things at the shop....” she trailed off.

“And mooning over Seth MacKenna,” Brooke finished for her.

Karissa's mouth opened, then closed. “What are you talking
about?” she asked. She knew her voice would betray her, and she was certain her
eyes would. She'd never been able to keep anything from Brooke. She just
knew
things.

“How long have you known?” Brooke asked, her voice soft and
sympathetic.

“Known what?” Karissa asked, confused.

“That you're in love with Seth.” Brooke saw the surprise
cross her sister's pretty face.  “Don't bother denying it, Rissa. I know you
better than anyone else knows you, and I know what I see.”

She sighed deeply.“For about half my life,” she admitted.
“But
really
in love with him? The past year or so, I guess. At least,
since I've felt
this
,” she said, holding a hand to her heart. It was
Brooke's turn to be surprised.

“Oh, honey, that's wonderful.” Brooke truly meant it.
Karissa and Seth would be the perfect pair, she mused. Why hadn't she seen it
before? she wondered. Probably because she'd rarely been home, and had
basically ignored her roots, and pretty much all things MacKenna for the past
eight years. She had to admit that she was ashamed of that.

Karissa shook her head. “No, it's not wonderful,” she
whispered. “It's horrible, and it's humiliating.”

“Why would you say that, Rissa?” Brooke's voice was full of
concern.

“Because Seth doesn't have the same feelings for me, that's
why,” she managed. “Do you know what it's like to love someone, someone you've
known your entire life, and know that there's no future for you with him?”