Read Online Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance by Melissa Foster - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melissa Foster
Ads: Link
to reach out to her. He folded her in his arms and pressed her to his chest. “I really like that about you.” When they drew apart, he put the jacket and gloves back in the trunk and withdrew the latest issue of Racing magazine, then placed it in her hands.
She looked down at it, and he watched her eyes narrow. She blew out a long breath as she ran her fingers over the image of his face. She squinted, her mouth set in a serious line. Then she looked up at him and touched his cheek before looking at the magazine and running her finger over the image again, as if she were comparing the contours of his jaw.
“So, this is you?” she said quietly.
“That’s what I do, not who I am,” he clarified.
She nodded. “It’s dangerous, right?”
“You could say that.”
“And this is why we haven’t seen you around, right? You travel a lot, to race?” Her fingers were still running over his image.
“Yeah.”
She nodded. “I’m glad I know.” Worry lines stretched across her forehead. “I know about the race track, but honestly, I’ve never been. I don’t have time to breathe, much less follow any sort of sports, but there are entire bars in town that cater to the fans. Restaurants too.”
“I know. I purposely avoid them.”
She nodded again, as if she understood, and Hugh wondered if she could possibly realize what it was really like to wonder if people gravitated toward him for what he represented rather than who he was.
He reached for the magazine, and she pressed it to her chest.
“May I keep it?”
He felt the air around them shift, and he didn’t like the way it blew her a little farther away than she’d been a moment before.
“Sure.” He opened the car door and closed it after she was settled in the luxurious seat. “It’s after two. Why don’t we go by my place so you can pick out—pick up—a car. I’ll follow you back to your place, so you’re not arriving home alone this late, and then, when your car is done tomorrow, I’ll bring it to you and we’ll swap cars.”
“I can’t take one of your cars,” she said. “By the looks of it, your cars are worth more than my mother’s house.”
Hugh reached across the seat and took her hand in his. “You’re borrowing a car. I promised you’d have what you needed, and I always follow through with my promises.”
She shook her head. “Hugh, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in an expensive car. You saw what I drive. It’s a nine-year-old Honda Civic. Not exactly a luxury car. And it barely runs. That’s more my style.”
He leaned across the seat, and he knew he was pushing his luck, but he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer, then pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “I respect whatever decisions you make, but you’re a working mom, and you don’t have your daughter with you tonight at least partially because you need to work tomorrow. Take my car; fulfill your obligation; then you can forget you ever drove it.” He started the car and drove toward home.
By the time he pulled into the garage, Brianna had been asleep for ten minutes. Hugh had a lot of experience with women. He could handle drunk women, horny women, tired and cranky women, but he had absolutely zero experience with beautiful women he actually wanted to get to know in more than a carnal way falling asleep in his car. Should I wake her up? Carry her inside? Drive her to wherever she lives and carry her inside there? Her face tilted toward the window and her hands were folded in her lap. She could have been just closing her eyes for a moment, save for the even, peaceful breathing that came only when all the cares of life were set aside—and he doubted that Brianna set aside her cares easily. She was definitely sleeping. She’d worked a long shift at Old Town Tavern, and she had said she’d had an appointment before that, which he now assumed, given her financial situation, was a second job of some sort. She had to be exhausted.
She looked down at it, and he watched her eyes narrow. She blew out a long breath as she ran her fingers over the image of his face. She squinted, her mouth set in a serious line. Then she looked up at him and touched his cheek before looking at the magazine and running her finger over the image again, as if she were comparing the contours of his jaw.
“So, this is you?” she said quietly.
“That’s what I do, not who I am,” he clarified.
She nodded. “It’s dangerous, right?”
“You could say that.”
“And this is why we haven’t seen you around, right? You travel a lot, to race?” Her fingers were still running over his image.
“Yeah.”
She nodded. “I’m glad I know.” Worry lines stretched across her forehead. “I know about the race track, but honestly, I’ve never been. I don’t have time to breathe, much less follow any sort of sports, but there are entire bars in town that cater to the fans. Restaurants too.”
“I know. I purposely avoid them.”
She nodded again, as if she understood, and Hugh wondered if she could possibly realize what it was really like to wonder if people gravitated toward him for what he represented rather than who he was.
He reached for the magazine, and she pressed it to her chest.
“May I keep it?”
He felt the air around them shift, and he didn’t like the way it blew her a little farther away than she’d been a moment before.
“Sure.” He opened the car door and closed it after she was settled in the luxurious seat. “It’s after two. Why don’t we go by my place so you can pick out—pick up—a car. I’ll follow you back to your place, so you’re not arriving home alone this late, and then, when your car is done tomorrow, I’ll bring it to you and we’ll swap cars.”
“I can’t take one of your cars,” she said. “By the looks of it, your cars are worth more than my mother’s house.”
Hugh reached across the seat and took her hand in his. “You’re borrowing a car. I promised you’d have what you needed, and I always follow through with my promises.”
She shook her head. “Hugh, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in an expensive car. You saw what I drive. It’s a nine-year-old Honda Civic. Not exactly a luxury car. And it barely runs. That’s more my style.”
He leaned across the seat, and he knew he was pushing his luck, but he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer, then pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “I respect whatever decisions you make, but you’re a working mom, and you don’t have your daughter with you tonight at least partially because you need to work tomorrow. Take my car; fulfill your obligation; then you can forget you ever drove it.” He started the car and drove toward home.
By the time he pulled into the garage, Brianna had been asleep for ten minutes. Hugh had a lot of experience with women. He could handle drunk women, horny women, tired and cranky women, but he had absolutely zero experience with beautiful women he actually wanted to get to know in more than a carnal way falling asleep in his car. Should I wake her up? Carry her inside? Drive her to wherever she lives and carry her inside there? Her face tilted toward the window and her hands were folded in her lap. She could have been just closing her eyes for a moment, save for the even, peaceful breathing that came only when all the cares of life were set aside—and he doubted that Brianna set aside her cares easily. She was definitely sleeping. She’d worked a long shift at Old Town Tavern, and she had said she’d had an appointment before that, which he now assumed, given her financial situation, was a second job of some sort. She had to be exhausted.
Similar Books
