striperâs outfit asking him if he wanted to see her tie a cherry stem with her tongue.
No doubt about it, Brianne had been a wild child.
And while Aidan had congratulated himself at the time for ignoring her overturesârepeatedlyâall her suggestive propositions were coming back to him in vivid color. Only, he wasnât remembering the Brianne of a decade ago issuing them.
In his mindâs eye, he was hearing them come from the Brianne of today.
The Brianne with the take-no-shit attitude and the sexy saunter that could bring a grown man to his knees.
And it was driving him insane.
Steeling himself for another round with her, he shoved his chair away from the control board and swiveled his seat to face hers. âI canât afford to care about the consequences of Melâs arrest. Chances are theyâre going to up his status to one of Floridaâs most wanted men if I donât bring him in within the week. Do you think criminals shouldnât be punished just because it might have a few negative effects?â
Brianne shoved away from the control panel and stood. âOf course not. Iâm just saying donât pretendto give a rip about the club or me when youâre doing your damnedest to run us both out of town.â
Aidan shot out of his seat, putting them inches apart.
So maybe it wasnât such a great idea to confront her, he thought as the perfume that had been teasing his nose all night wafted even closer.
If her body was even half as hot as his, no wonder he could smell the scent all the more.
âIâm not trying to run you out. Or your business, or your partners. As long as youâre not helping him cover his tracks, lady, youâve got nothing to worry about.â He didnât want to think about Brianne being involved in anything illegal. But she had remained close to her stepfather for years after heâd divorced her mother.
Aidan knew because he had Melâs file practically memorized.
Brianne turned her back on him to glide her way across her office floor, her high heels barely making a sound on the brand-new black industrial carpet. Every facet of the womanâs space was coolly functional and austerely impersonal. No photos, no frills and no nonsense for this woman.
Aidan could relate. Heâd gone the frills and sentiment route with a woman five years ago and look what had happened.
Disillusionment on both sides. Disappointment. Divorce.
Aidan wouldnât be treading down the path of vulnerable women anymore. Heâd tangled with innocence and had ended up hurting his wife with his dangerous job, his total cluelessness when it came to sensitivity.
Brianne, on the other hand, knew the score. As shestood there in her black sequined skirt and her all-business white shirt, Aidan couldnât see a hint of vulnerability in the woman.
And innocence?
Brianne might protest her innocence in a courtroom, but she had to know as well as he did that she liked living on the edge. She was no stranger to danger or adventure.
Even though Aidan had been too much of a gentleman to indulge her eighteen-year-old sensual urges despite her provocation, he had no doubt that sheâd been able to lure other men to her bed. And had probably left them begging for more and ruined for any other woman to boot.
No, Brianne Wolcott hadnât been vulnerable or innocent for a very long time.
Which meant she was the kind of woman Aidan allowed himself to touch. To take home. To satisfy mutual urges.
He tracked her movements on the other side of the roomâthis woman who was distracting the hell out of him. She was talking to him as she flipped through papers on her desk. Apparently sheâd been telling him off while heâd been caught up in his own lust.
ââ¦and I donât care what Lainie says,â she was saying, eyeing him with a sharp green gaze. âNegative press does not equate with good publicity as far as Iâm
No doubt about it, Brianne had been a wild child.
And while Aidan had congratulated himself at the time for ignoring her overturesârepeatedlyâall her suggestive propositions were coming back to him in vivid color. Only, he wasnât remembering the Brianne of a decade ago issuing them.
In his mindâs eye, he was hearing them come from the Brianne of today.
The Brianne with the take-no-shit attitude and the sexy saunter that could bring a grown man to his knees.
And it was driving him insane.
Steeling himself for another round with her, he shoved his chair away from the control board and swiveled his seat to face hers. âI canât afford to care about the consequences of Melâs arrest. Chances are theyâre going to up his status to one of Floridaâs most wanted men if I donât bring him in within the week. Do you think criminals shouldnât be punished just because it might have a few negative effects?â
Brianne shoved away from the control panel and stood. âOf course not. Iâm just saying donât pretendto give a rip about the club or me when youâre doing your damnedest to run us both out of town.â
Aidan shot out of his seat, putting them inches apart.
So maybe it wasnât such a great idea to confront her, he thought as the perfume that had been teasing his nose all night wafted even closer.
If her body was even half as hot as his, no wonder he could smell the scent all the more.
âIâm not trying to run you out. Or your business, or your partners. As long as youâre not helping him cover his tracks, lady, youâve got nothing to worry about.â He didnât want to think about Brianne being involved in anything illegal. But she had remained close to her stepfather for years after heâd divorced her mother.
Aidan knew because he had Melâs file practically memorized.
Brianne turned her back on him to glide her way across her office floor, her high heels barely making a sound on the brand-new black industrial carpet. Every facet of the womanâs space was coolly functional and austerely impersonal. No photos, no frills and no nonsense for this woman.
Aidan could relate. Heâd gone the frills and sentiment route with a woman five years ago and look what had happened.
Disillusionment on both sides. Disappointment. Divorce.
Aidan wouldnât be treading down the path of vulnerable women anymore. Heâd tangled with innocence and had ended up hurting his wife with his dangerous job, his total cluelessness when it came to sensitivity.
Brianne, on the other hand, knew the score. As shestood there in her black sequined skirt and her all-business white shirt, Aidan couldnât see a hint of vulnerability in the woman.
And innocence?
Brianne might protest her innocence in a courtroom, but she had to know as well as he did that she liked living on the edge. She was no stranger to danger or adventure.
Even though Aidan had been too much of a gentleman to indulge her eighteen-year-old sensual urges despite her provocation, he had no doubt that sheâd been able to lure other men to her bed. And had probably left them begging for more and ruined for any other woman to boot.
No, Brianne Wolcott hadnât been vulnerable or innocent for a very long time.
Which meant she was the kind of woman Aidan allowed himself to touch. To take home. To satisfy mutual urges.
He tracked her movements on the other side of the roomâthis woman who was distracting the hell out of him. She was talking to him as she flipped through papers on her desk. Apparently sheâd been telling him off while heâd been caught up in his own lust.
ââ¦and I donât care what Lainie says,â she was saying, eyeing him with a sharp green gaze. âNegative press does not equate with good publicity as far as Iâm
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