Unforgettable (15 page)

“Look at you! You’re not an angel after all. I half expected to see wings folded across your back even in that suit,” Brittany teased, noticing how he automatically shortened the stride of his endlessly long legs to match her pace. Lord knew she was no fashion expert but she could recognize an incredibly sexy man in an expensive suit when she saw one and this was definitely one extraordinarily sexy man! His hair was the most amazing blue-black color, wildly out of control and looking like it had never been combed. Yet, somehow, it suited him perfectly. It made her fingers tremble with the desire to touch it. High cheek bones complimented the most stunning brown eyes…magical eyes captivated and hypnotized at the same time. His features appeared to be chiseled from solid granite, yet softened when he smiled. Oh, and when he smiled! Her heart skipped a beat every time he unleashed that smile. The sound of his voice wove its own spell…deep and mellifluous, with no trace of an accent. At well over six feet in height, he was tall. His lean body looked strong and well-built, unlike other tall men she’d seen. Never before had she been so attracted to a man in every way. He was the kind of man every woman dreamed of but rarely met. Lord, have mercy! He was achingly gorgeous. Brittany could well imagine the many women back in New York tripping all over themselves just to get near him. He’d probably had more women in his lifetime than she could even fathom. Yes, he must be quite the ladies man, which brought the words to an old Peggy Lee song, “He’s a Tramp,” to mind.

Brittany stifled a giggle as she sang the words in her head.

“Oh, I’m no angel, I can assure you,” Patrick said, running his fingers through his hair and tousling it even further.

“Perhaps not, but you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve thought of you as my guardian angel for so long now, it would be kind of difficult to think of you otherwise.”

I could forgive you anything, my lovely one
, he wanted to say. Instead, he simply replied, “I’ll be your guardian angel for as long as you let me, but I know a lot of people who could tell you just how far from angelic I am.”

He felt so comfortable around this woman, certain she wouldn’t judge him for anything he said or did. Still, something kept warning him to be careful not to frighten her. What was it about her that captivated him so? He wanted to put his arm around her as they walked but, since they’d only officially met a few hours ago, that would hardly be appropriate. Not knowing what else to do with his hands, he shoved them deep into his pants pockets and kept them there.

“You mean like Tom? Over the past year or so, he’s told us a lot of stories about how mischievous the two of you were in college,” Brittany said, hoping he would tell her stories of his own. She knew so little about him and, now that she’d met him, she was dying to know everything.

“Yes, Tom and a few others.”
Mostly everyone I know
, he added silently. “Speaking of Tom, how did that mangy dog ever manage to catch a girl like Susan?” Patrick asked, purposely changing the subject. He wasn’t trying to be rude, nor was he hiding anything except that people normally thought of him as cold and heartless. He just didn’t want her to know who he was, yet. Without exception, greed reared its ugly head as soon as people discovered his identity. He could only hope she’d be the exception to the rule when the truth finally came out.

“Oh, I suppose you can blame me for that one. He came into the shop one day looking for a gift for a relative; a wedding anniversary, I think it was. I helped him find something appropriate and we talked while I wrapped it for him. He asked me out. Well, he was a stranger…a nice stranger, of course, but I turned him down. He came into the shop every day after that, and every day he’d ask me out again. I just kept turning him down. I don’t know why. Maybe because, I just saw him as more the brotherly type than anything else. He was wild, a little bit crazy and I truly liked him right away. He reminded me of…he reminded me of a little boy I once knew. He still does in many ways,” Brittany stumbled over those last words. She didn’t know him well enough to tell him about that part of her past. She pushed the cruel memories away and went on with her story, but it didn’t escape Patrick’s notice. “I wasn’t interested in a relationship at the time but I thought he’d be perfect for Susan so, one day when he stopped in to aggravate me and ask me out yet again, I floored him by asking him to dinner at my house. I thought he was going to have a heart attack right there on the spot. Of course I invited Susan too, but I didn’t tell either of them the other was going to be there.”

“An hour into the dinner, I ceased to exist. They were so enchanted with each other they forgot I was even there. I think they fell in love at first sight. I swear, I never saw two people fight so much, or have so much fun making up, in all my life. I thought he’d never marry her!” Brittany finished her story, smiling softly at the memories.

“Sounds like Tom. He always was a pest when it came to women. He never took ‘no’ for an answer. Once, he camped out in front of this girl’s dorm and refused to leave until she agreed to go out with him. He pitched a tent right on the front lawn and it rained the whole week he was there. Half way through the week, she still hadn’t agreed to go out with him so the idiot threw the tent away and slept out in the pouring rain with no shelter other than his sleeping bag. At that point, he was just hoping for a sympathy date. The girl finally felt so sorry for him she gave up and agreed to go out with him. On the morning of their date, Tom was rushed to the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia. Of course, the girl babied him the whole time he was there and he just ate it up.”

“Oh, no!” Brittany laughed. “I’ll bet he hasn’t told Susan that one.”

“You know, it’s kind of strange when you think about it. I mean, Tom and I being friends for so long and you and Susan being friends your whole lives. One day, out of the blue, they meet…through you. Now, years later, you and I meet…through them,” Patrick said. The irony of it all hit him.

“I was thinking about the same thing earlier. Don’t mention it to Susan, though. She’ll swear it was fate or karma catching up to me for fixing her up with Tom. She’ll even say it’s our destiny,” Brittany laughed, air quoting “our destiny.” Patrick laughed with her but he wasn’t at all so sure it was a joke. Something unusual had surely brought them together. He didn’t feel a whirlwind of electricity surround him every time a beautiful woman simply hugged him. Before tonight, his hands had certainly never trembled just because a beautiful woman looked at him a certain way. Hell, his hands had never trembled for any reason whatsoever! He had absolutely never acted on impulse and sent a woman gifts, or mushy notes, or dedicated songs to her on the radio for the whole fucking world to hear. He’d never acted so completely out of character until he’d met Brittany Spring. No, something quite out of the ordinary was happening to him and he couldn’t explain it.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” he stated. “You sing beautifully, by the way. You literally blew me away with that song. Did you take professional singing lessons?” he asked.

“Heavens, no! Just high school choir and church choir. Singing is just something I’ve always enjoyed a great deal.” After a moment of silence, she added, “I meant every word of that song, you know. You are my hero. You were only a face without a name for so long to me and I do thank God you were there that day, and today,” she said, looking up at him shyly.

Patrick felt his arms and knees go weak as his hands began to tremble yet again. There it was…that look. She tilted her head to one side and looked up at him through her lashes with a slight blush on her cheeks and a soft, shy smile. She wasn’t even trying to be sexy but, good Lord, she was! God help him if she ever tried to be sexy on purpose around him. He wouldn’t stand a chance!

“So do I, Brittany…so do I,” he replied sincerely. It was the only thing he could think of to say in reply. He’d never had trouble finding the right words to say to a woman before but this was no ordinary woman.

“This is your house, isn’t it?” he asked after several moments had passed with their eyes locked on each other. He wanted to look at her forever but he knew he had to say something.

“Oh! Yes, it is,” she replied, still a little dazed by his closeness. She hadn’t even realized they were standing on her front porch. Blushing profusely, she rummaged through her purse, finally pulling her keys out of its depths. Patrick gently took the keys from her hand and unlocked the door. Feeling around just inside the house, he found the light switch and turned on the porch light, along with the inside light.

“There you go…safe and sound,” he said softly. Placing the keys back into her hand, the tips of his fingers lingered just a moment too long.

“Mr. Day, I don’t…”

“Please, call me Patrick. I’ve heard so many people call you Brittany tonight I’m sure to forget to call you Miss Spring. Besides, using our surnames is so formal and business-like. Can’t we be friends and just skip the formalities?” he asked. Unable to resist any longer, he stroked the end of her long auburn hair and watched as it curled around his finger possessively.

“Yes, of course,” she replied. He’d become Patrick to her over the course of the evening, as well. She was glad to have all that Miss and Mister stuff out of the way since she already thought of him as a friend rather than a stranger. Gazing up at him, she lost herself in his entrancing gaze once again.

“What were you going to say before I interrupted you?” he asked, unable and unwilling to tear himself away from the soft blue depths of her eyes.

“Oh…I…um…, I was going to say I’d ask you in but the truth is, I am tired. It’s been a long day for me. So, I hope you won’t think this is too…um, forward of me but, uh…since we haven’t had the chance to talk tonight, I was wondering if, uh…if you don’t have plans, would you…would you have dinner with me to…tomorrow night in town? If you don’t have plans, I mean? It’s…it would be my treat,” Brittany stammered. She’d never asked a man out on a date before, let alone offered to pay. Well, except for Tom, or Paul, of course, but that was different. They were like family and this was Patrick; all man from head to toe and unimaginably attractive! She barely even knew him and it would be just the two of them…alone! Oh, my God! What had she done? What if he said yes?

Susan would have fainted dead on the spot if she heard Brittany asking a man out to dinner. As it was, she was going to throw a hissy fit when she found out. Brittany was so timid and shy around strange men she knew Susan was never going to believe this; not in a million years! Brittany didn’t know where she’d gotten the courage to ask but, now that she had, she held her breath waiting for his response. Maybe she’d die from lack of oxygen before she died of embarrassment when he turned her down. She could only hope! Did she want him to turn her down? Did she want him to accept?
Oh, Brittany, you stupid, stupid girl! What have you stuck your foot into this time, besides your big mouth, obviously?

Patrick bit the inside of his cheek and flared his nostrils to keep from grinning. Never in his life had he heard such a pitiful invitation and never in his life had he found anything so damned sexy! From what little he knew about her, Patrick could well imagine just how difficult it must’ve been for Brittany to ask him out.

Hell, the women in his world were blatantly bold. He’d been propositioned hundreds of times in the past by rich, elegant, beautiful, and sometimes married women. Some were blunt while others were more subtle in their approach, but he always knew, just as they did, the evening would end in his bed in the Presidential Suite of The Plaza Hotel.

Out of all of them combined, Brittany’s invitation was the most flattering and the most appealing. He’d known beforehand those other invitations would lead to sex. This one would not. The others had asked him out as much for his money as for his social standing. Brittany had asked him out because she liked him, the man, not the millionaire. The others always wanted something from him. Brittany just wanted to give him her friendship. All she hoped for was his in return. This was all so new to Patrick that he was in shock; amazed to find himself in such a unique position. Most of all, he was grateful that the “Powers That Be” had found him worthy enough to place him there.

Yes, he may not know much about her but, thanks to Susan and Tom, he knew more about Brittany than she realized. He knew she didn’t like owing anyone money or favors but gave both of these things freely without asking, or even expecting, anything in return. She was self-conscious and had low self-esteem, for some strange reason. She didn’t think of herself as anything other than average; nothing out of the ordinary. He also knew she was dead wrong in her opinion of herself.

If she thought he’d allow her to pay for dinner, she was mistaken. He knew her invitation had taken more courage on her part than he would ever understand, and she’d probably never done such a thing before…ever. The fact that she neither wanted, nor expected, anything from him, other than his company and friendship made her more precious to him than anything on this earth.

“It would be a great honor and a privilege to accompany you to dinner tomorrow night, Brittany,” he replied. “What time shall I pick you up?”

“Six?” she squeaked, too shocked that he’d actually said yes to think of anything else to say.

“Casual or formal?” he asked, not knowing what she had in mind.

“Um…casual I guess, somewhere in between?” Brittany replied.
Holy crap! Formal? Did he do formal often?
The only time she went formal was at the Christmas Ball. Even that was…well, different. She was thinking of taking him to the new restaurant on the outskirts of town. It was a nice place, by Brittany’s standards. Most people dressed up in suits and ties and nice dresses to go there but they didn’t require formal gowns and tuxedos, if that was what he was referring to.

She wasn’t sure what clothing he’d brought with him since he’d just moved here. She didn’t want to put him on the spot by being too fancy but she didn’t want him showing up in a pair of cut-off jeans, either. Not that seeing him in a pair of tight, denim cut-offs would be a bad thing…not at all! Her whole body shuddered lightly as an image of Patrick wearing nothing but a pair of stressed, rip-kneed jeans flashed across her mind. Brittany sucked a tiny breath of air between her teeth, hoping he hadn’t noticed.