Then she’d missed the subway train on the way to an interview for a temporary receptionist gig at a local art gallery in the Village only to arrive and find the position had already been filled. So she had gone to drown her sorrows over a cup of her favorite holiday beverage: a chestnut praline latte. That’s when she spotted the flyer for Brandon’s book signing. Although she only had a few pennies to her name, she’d had to come and buy the book.
It was Brandon.
Brandon who’d never gotten tired of her endless dreaming about the future, who’d listened when every one of those bad boys had mistreated her, leaving her heartbroken. He’d always been right there to pick up the pieces. Then after graduation ten years ago, they’d lost touch. It was her fault because she never could keep her cellphone bill paid and she was terrible at remembering numbers. So she was thrilled to connect with him again.
“Hey,” Brandon’s deep tenor voice called from behind her.
Startled, Sasha spun around, and her gaze collided with his. Raw sexual attraction ripped through her. Suddenly, she was unsure of what to do next. “Hey.”
“I was really glad to see you in the crowd,” he said. He was at a loss for what else to say.
Sasha filled in the silence. “Is this your first book signing?” She felt like a groupie as she clutched the signed copy of his well-reviewed crowd-pleaser.
He nodded. “Yeah. My publisher has me on an eight-city book tour. New York is my first stop. ”
“That’s awesome. So how long will you be in NYC?”
“Not long. I leave tomorrow night.”
Sasha didn’t realize she was frowning until Brandon apologized. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? You didn’t plan the tour, and you certainly didn’t have any idea you’d run across an old college acquaintance.”
This time, his mouth turned downward. “Is that all we were, Sasha? Acquaintances? I could have sworn we were more than that.” His eyes searched hers, and she nervously looked away.
She chuckled dryly. “Yeah, we were friends.”
He stared at her. “And that’s all?”
They’d never directly confronted the sexual tension that had always existed between them just beneath the surface. She’d always felt an underlying attraction to Brandon. To his charm. To his wit. To his giving nature. Some part of her had wanted to explore it when they’d been friends at Stanford.
His next response surprised her. “Because I have always wanted more, Sasha. Much more.”
“You have?” Maturity had made Brandon brutally honest and forthcoming. It excited her.
“We’ve always had bad timing, Sasha. When I was free, you were dating that wrestler, and when you were single, I was hooked up with that cheerleader Nikki Wright.”
“Oh yes, I remember her.”
He laughed. “You didn’t like her one bit. Said she wasn’t good enough for me.”
Sasha smiled. “And if memory serves, I was right. Wasn’t I?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Anyway, that’s beside the point. I’m single now. What about you?”
“I’ve been casually dating someone on and off.” She and Kyle Johnson weren’t exclusive. They just hit it and quit it when the mood was right, but she couldn’t exactly tell Brandon they were friends with benefits – if they were even that.
“Do you have plans with him tonight?”
“We mentioned getting together, but it wasn’t in stone. I’m single.”
“Then that means we’re both unencumbered.” Brandon glanced down at his watch. It was four p.m. “Ditch him, and have dinner with me tonight.”
“Like a date?” It felt weird because she’d known this man since she was nineteen. He knew every one of her flaws and insecurities.
“Call it what you wish,” Brandon said, not taking his eyes off her. “Just agree to spend the night with me.”
Color bloomed in her cheeks, and he immediately retracted his statement. “What I meant to say was—”
Sasha grasped his hand to stop him. “It’s okay. I know what you meant.”
He stopped speaking and looked down at their joined hands. Their eyes met, and Sasha’s heart pounded as she thought about what his hands might feel like all over her body. Seriously disturbed by her own thoughts, she pulled her hand free. “Dinner sounds great.”
She immediately pulled her Android from her purse and sent a polite text to Kyle letting him know she’d made other plans for the evening. It was time she and Brandon finally explored what could come next.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to take the lead. I’ve never been to Manhattan, and I wouldn’t have the foggiest notion about where to go.”
“Leave it to me,” Sasha said. “I have you covered.”
She certainly hoped she did because the sudden sexual connection she felt toward Brandon shook her intensely, making her recognize that she wanted to stay calm and cool.
Her last relationship had been an utter disaster, so she knew she wanted her relationship with Brandon to remain platonic. In the past, Brandon was the one man she’d always been able to count on. So why in the back of her mind was she hoping for a different outcome?
Chapter 2
Yes! Brandon thought. We’re going to spend time together in the city. After thanking the bookstore staff and signing the remaining attic stock, he and Sasha left the store for parts unknown. Even with the brisk New York wind, Brandon smelled Sasha’s sweet floral scent that was uniquely her as they walked side by side. Having grown up in Los Angeles, he wasn’t used to the cold weather, but he wouldn’t trade this time with Sasha for anything.
“So where to?” he asked. It was nearly dusk, but the Manhattan streets were coming alive as New Year’s Eve was getting underway.
She glanced up at him. “It’s still early for dinner. How about walking around for a bit? I can show you some of the sights.”
“Sounds great.” Without thinking, he reached for her hand. Sasha didn’t protest as they strolled the streets of Greenwich Village.
Because the Village had a bustling arts scene, Sasha pointed out some of the Off Broadway theaters, the Blue Note jazz club, and the Comedy Cellar, where lots of stand-up comedians start out. They walked through Washington Square Park too. There, they threw coins in the fountain and stopped to watch street performers dance and an elderly couple battle each other in an intense game of chess.
Brandon, however, was curious to know more about Sasha. “What have you been up to all these years? How’s your art going?”