13
PIPER
“Piper!”I freeze mid-stride, turning to the woman behind the front desk of the apartment building. I’m getting way too many packages if the staff recognizes me on sight. “I was just about to call you. You’ve got a delivery.”
“Oh, can I just—”
“Let me run to the back and grab it,” she says, cutting me off as she disappears into the small room where deliveries are stored.
Most days it’s a convenient service, but today? Not so much.
I’ve got class with Dr. Barnes in thirty minutes and I cannot be late.
I rack my brain, trying to remember what I might have ordered and if it will fit in my backpack, but nothing comes to mind.
When she returns carrying a stunning arrangement of white lilies, my concern for punctuality goes right out the window.
Brady.
It has to be. No one else would send me flowers, especially lilies.
“Oh, wow.” I cross the lobby to the front desk and when she places the arrangement on the counter, I inhale, savoring the sweet scent of the blossoms.
“They’re beautiful.” The leasing agent flashes me a knowing grin as I grab the little envelope bearing my name. “Whoever sent these is a keeper.”
No kidding.
My date with Brady was perfect. Or as perfect as a first date can be, and when we finally parted ways, the desire to wrap him in my arms was nearly impossible to resist.
And not just because he oozes sex appeal.
The raw emotion in his voice when he talked about losing his grandfather and becoming the man of the house at just twelve nearly broke me, but it also helped me understand him. Helped me understand the sharply honed protective instinct that drives him to shield those he cares about from harm.
I tear open the envelope and remove the card. The message is scrawled in small, uneven letters and I’m certain Brady wrote it himself. Becauseof coursehe’d physically go to the florist to place his order. He always goes the extra mile.
Piper,
I had a great time yesterday. I’d love to take you out again sometime.
Brady
PS. I know you’re a modern woman who can buy herself flowers, but I hope these brighten your day anyway.
My stomach flipsand a subtle tingle spreads throughout my body, warming me from head to toe. No one’s ever sent me flowers before. It’s so incredibly sweet, and so incredibly Brady.
If he were standing in front of me now, I don’t think I’d be able to resist flinging myself into his arms and crushing my lips to his. The scene plays in my mind’s eye and—
Shit. Am I swooning? Is that what this feeling is?
Yup, I’m totally screwed.
As much as I’d like to take Brady up on his offer of a second date, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair. Not when I haven’t been honest with him about my Fangirl channel.
Technically, you didn’t lie.
Bullshit. A lie of omission is still a lie.
I’ve got a pretty good sense of Brady’s values, and despite our sizzling chemistry, I doubt he’d be down to date an adult entertainer. And even if he was okay with it, it would be too risky.
