The Avoidance of Love (The Daniels' Sisters Book 2) (9 page)

I could see her smile fading. We all knew Lana was great at her job and anything that revolved around the world of fashion. If you pushed her out of her comfort zone, she fell apart. This time it was fun to watch. Sadly, I couldn’t milk it for too long, since I needed to make sure I was ready for the weekend and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. Plus there was the whole escaping out the bathroom debacle which I had decided I was just going to pretend never happened.

“How about I just email you with a list of things to do?”

We paid and left the restaurant going our separate ways. Coops hadn’t driven to work, so he took the tube home. I couldn’t wait to get to bed. I was exhausted. Between not sleeping last night, shopping, and walking around all day today, I just needed to crash.

THE WEEKEND FOR Italy came much quicker than I wanted, but I was ready to go in any case. Jace still wanted me to come, and he hadn’t brought up what had happened between us in the restaurant bathroom. I refused his offer to pick me up and take me to the airport. He ignored my protests and said he was coming anyway. I’d had just about enough of him telling me what to do, so I arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the airport. I would wait for him there. The least amount of time I spent with him in private the better.

The flight into Italy departed at 6am, so Jace was picking me up at 3:00 a.m. The races started on the Friday and we were flying in on Thursday to give Jace time to prepare. The rest of his team was already at the hotel and making their own preparations. I made sure I booked my taxi for 1:00 a.m. so I would miss him; I would rather wait at the airport for an extra two hours. I had no problem with my own company.

The taxi arrived a bit early, which was even better. I grabbed my bag and headed out to the car, only to find the very person I was trying to avoid.

“Something told me that you might try to skip out on me. Again. Good job I went with my gut instinct. At least this way we can have breakfast together.”

The rat bastard! How the hell did he know? I didn’t even tell Lana that I was trying to evade him. I stood there with my mouth ajar and watched him take my bag from the taxi driver and pay him nicely for the inconvenience. I still didn’t say anything as he took my arm and guided me to the car. I continued to stare at him dumbfounded as he pulled away and drove us to the airport.

“Come on, BonBon. Say something.”

“BonBon?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna call you. I’ve been thinking about you non-stop since that earth shattering kiss and lovemaking in the bathroom. You know when you took over my mouth and had your wicked way. Totally robbed me of my innocence.” He chanced a glance in my direction to see if I was smiling. I wasn’t. “Even though you’re a cad and ran out on me, and although you’re tough and not the easiest person to get through to, I’ve decided you’re also sweet.”

“When have I been sweet to you?” I have never been sweet to him. I was doing everything possible not to be even remotely sweet with him.

“Well, the kiss was pretty sweet, and I’m sure you’ve got some other pretty sweet places as well.” This time, he looked at me and waggled his eyebrows. I just hoped he didn’t notice me clench my thighs together in response. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the road.

“Whenever I’m near you, I can always smell your hair. You smell of strawberries and vanilla. It reminds me of strawberry bonbons.” Okay, now that was kind of sweet. Not that I was about to tell him that. “I saw your cheek twitch. I know you liked what I just said.” He reached over and gave my knee a squeeze, then returned his hand to the steering wheel.

Rat bastard!

We drove the rest of the way to the airport with nothing but the radio to fill the silence. I wondered whether I should make small talk but that had never been my forte and Jace looked like he felt awkward the few times I tried to take a sneaky look at his facial expressions.

He parked the car in the airport car lot and we headed to check in. The rain had started coming down pretty heavy so we ran to get inside. Once through the doors, Jace pulled me into his body and began to pat me down to take off some of the surface water from the rain. If I said it felt good, it would be the biggest understatement of the year.

I suddenly realized there was something I secretly yearned for, without even realizing it. I wanted someone who could deal with the bitch I was on the surface, but take care of the real me that lived inside. I was fucking exhausted. I lived to protect my family and be there for everyone, but it was tiring.

That was the real reason I was struggling to resist Jace. He was starting to get through. I was starting to see a man that I actually wanted and it scared the hell out of me. If I was wrong about him, who was going to catch me when I fell? I couldn’t do this. I was pretty sure that I was just a conquest for him. He was probably so used to women falling at his feet that I was merely a challenge that turned him on. It wasn’t the real me he wanted.

What was so special about me? What made me different from the many women he had been with before? Nothing. He’d get bored and leave me then. I was already alone. Was there any need to self-inflict the torture of becoming emotionally attached to him only to end up back in exactly the same place?

I collected myself and then pushed away from his warm body. I felt the loss physically and emotionally almost immediately. Jace eyed me curiously and then shook his head.

“Let’s go get some breakfast, BonBon. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“It’s too early to eat.”

“For you maybe, but I can eat around the clock. Don’t worry, I don’t mind if you don’t eat. It just means you’ve got no excuse not to talk to me.”

Damn!

We checked our bags in and then went off to the departure lounge to grab some breakfast. I had my customary double shot espresso and Jace had . . . well . . . just about everything on the menu. It was like watching something from
National
Geograhic.
He ate like an animal. In fact, I think animals had better table manners. And where did he put it all? There was no fat on him. I pretty much had to count every calorie and it wasn’t always a winning battle; thank God, I burned some of it off on job sites.

He must have felt me staring at him and finally looked up from the plate then put down his fork mid-shovel. “Sorry, sometimes I forget that it’s not going to be my last plate.” He looked sheepish and almost embarrassed. “We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up. My parents only had me, luckily, but it was still a strain.

“Some days there wasn’t as much to eat. I made sure I took in as much as I could as fast as I could. Guess I haven’t broken out of the habit. No one else generally notices because I’m around men most of the time, and I don’t take girls out to dinner.” He shrugged and raked his hands through his hair before continuing to eat the food in front of him.

Hold on! Did he just say he doesn’t take girls out to dinner? He took me out to dinner. Does that mean I am the first girl he’s taken out to dinner? Why is my heart beating so fast and why does that thought make me so insanely happy?

“I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be back in a sec.” I abruptly stood up and my heart fluttered wildly when Jace did the same in a gentlemanlike gesture. Grandma always told us that real men were hard to find, and a gentleman is harder still.

“There are no bathroom windows in there to climb through if that’s what you’re thinking about doing.” I tripped at the comment he made, but didn’t retort.

I practically ran away from the table to the nearest restroom. I just needed a moment to collect my thoughts. I reapplied some lipstick before running my fingers through my hair. I went to retie my ponytail when my band snapped. I hated having my hair down. It made me feel like a wild woman and out of control. Lana said that kind of look made men imagine what you look like under their sheets and was the main reason I never let it down.

I made my way back to where Jace sat and my stomach churned at the sight. He was standing with a beautiful blonde haired supermodel-esque female draped over him. I composed myself before they saw me approach. I was practically in my seat before either of them noticed.

When Jace finally became aware of my presence, he distanced himself slightly, looking a little awkward, from his friend. Like I gave a shit who this bitch was. “Oh, hey Mara.” I managed to stretch a fake smile across my face. “ This is my friend, Brielle.” Brielle barely managed a smile that was even worse than mine was. I put out my hand anyway out of politeness to shake her hand. She paused before taking it for one shake and turning her attention back to Jace.

“Brielle, Mara is designing my dream house for me. She’s the absolute best at what she does. I’m taking her along for the Italy race so she can get a feel for what I do.” Understanding suddenly appeared on her face and she visibly relaxed.

“Oh, so you’re the architect I heard about. For a moment, I thought you were a new girlfriend that Jace was bringing with him.” She sounded like the thought was ludicrous. “I would have been utterly devastated at the thought.” She pouted in his direction, a face that made her look like a constipated goldfish. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to catch up. It seems like you have a lot to discuss. I’ve got work I can be doing anyway.”

“Mara, wait. It would be nice if you stayed as well.” I was already grabbing the bag that held my laptop.

“That’s all right; I saw a little computer area not far from here. Brielle, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m sure I’ll see you over the weekend if you’re going to be around for the race.” I was already a good distance away from them both before Jace had the chance to say anything else. Once I reached the computer area, I saw Brielle snuggle in to him about as close as she could possible get without climbing on top of him and dry humping him.

I spent as much time on my laptop as I possibly could before we boarded the plane. Even when we got on the damn thing, Brielle was stuck to Jace like glue. Thank fuck she wasn’t seated anywhere near us, although all that meant was that she wasn’t around during take-off and landing. The rest of the time, she was practically in his lap again. I put my eye mask on and pretended to sleep for the short flight so Jace wouldn’t even attempt to include me in their conversation. It seemed to revolve around several parties that he and Brielle attended together that were ‘messy.’ Whatever! The skinny bitch even managed to get in our taxi since she was staying at the same hotel as us. Fuck my life! I was seriously going to strangle her. She never stopped talking. Where the hell was her off switch?

When we got to the hotel, I pretty much grabbed my key out of Jace’s hands and found the fastest way to my room to get away from them both. Just as it arrived, I heard Jace call out for me to hold the lift. I jumped inside and pressed the button for my floor as many times as I could, praying that the door would shut in time. Thank fuck, it did. I could do without watching Brielle grope him mere centimeters from me.

The room Jace had booked for me was amazing. We were staying in Florence near the Mugello Circuit at the J. K. Place Firenze. It was a modern suite and the décor fit in with the surroundings seamlessly. I was in architect heaven. Now I wanted to know what the rest of the hotel looked like. Jace had told me he would be practicing for the race today. We would be meeting the team for dinner later before we all called it an early night. This suited me just fine. I was itching to get out and explore.

I opened my suitcase and it became apparent that Lana had snuck into my house at some point and repacked everything. I had an ample amount of sundresses to pick from. Italy in the Summer was meant to be blistering hot, so I was glad that I’d packed appropriately. It was early in the day, and the weather was so hot that I was suffocating in the jeans and blouse that I was wearing.

I grabbed my toiletries and ran to the shower. The quicker I was clean and fresh the quicker I could take in what this place had to offer. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, there was a knock at the door. I didn’t think anything of it and opened it before looking through the peephole. It had only opened slightly before a pissed off Jace breezed through the gap.

“You ditched me!” he spat.

“What do you mean I ditched you? What are you talking about, Mr. Bryce?” ” I tried to feign innocence.

“I’ve told you before to cut that Mr. Bryce crap. You left me at the desk with Brielle.”

“I’m still waiting for you to get to your point.”

“The point is you’ve come here with me, so if you’re going somewhere without me, you should tell me.” I think he realized he’d said the wrong thing, but I was about to drive it home to him.

I drove my finger into his chest to reiterate each point I made. “Look here, you arrogant prick. Just because you coerced me into coming and watching this race shit under the pretense that it’s some learning experience for me does not give you the right to try to tell me what I can and can’t do. I am over thirty fucking years old. If my grandparents don’t tell me what to do, you better sure as fuck believe you’re not going to. Am I clear?” His face was an expression of shock and maybe fear. Good. “Now get the fuck out of my room so I can get dressed and do the job that you bloody well paid me for.”