How to Resist Prince Charming(15)

Lenna seemed to understand the circumstances as clearly as he did. Her eyes lost their blissful gleam.

Braxton tightened his grip as if he was desperately trying to latch onto the perfect moment they’d been having before it slipped away.

“How was your holiday?” he asked, attempting to start fresh.

A wave of déjà vu gripped him. Hadn’t they tried this before? He and Lenna would start talking. They’d gradually drift onto a personal topic, but as soon as they took a step over the line, they’d both back off until one of them started a new conversation with a new safe subject.

They kept tiptoeing around this attraction, and it frustrated the hell out of him. But he couldn’t make himself pull away and leave well enough alone. He just couldn’t ignore her draw.

Lenna latched onto his polite, yet superficial, question and regaled him with her holiday experience. She’d spent both Christmas and New Year’s with her family. As she mentioned her father with increasing regularity, he wondered if that was her way of warning him off. But he soon decided Lenna was just that close to him.

It made him want to howl in misery. Why, oh, why did she have to be Tom’s kid?

Their song ended. As a new one started, Braxton met Lenna’s eyes. “Want to stick it out another round?” he asked, since another love ballad filled the speakers.

“You don’t think your date will mind?” she asked, her eyes shifting toward Erica, where yet another guy stepped in and asked her to dance.

No, his date certainly didn’t appear to miss his company.

“What? You don’t think I care, do you?” Braxton shot back, looking surprised.

Lenna gave him an appalled look before she realized he wasn’t serious. Then she threw her head back and laughed. “God, you’re awful. What a terrible thing to say.”

Braxton grinned. “Just being honest.” Just for the heck of it, he dipped her and then swirled her in a circle, making her hair fly before settling back against her shoulders.

Lenna continued to laugh, holding onto him more tightly. She never did manage to shift away once she settled against him. Their bodies brushed, and Braxton floated in the heady sensation. He lowered his face to hover it over her shoulder, their cheeks accidentally grazing. Praying for the dance to last forever, he held her against him.

But the next song started only moments later. It had a fast beat, yet Braxton continued to move slowly with Lenna until she tapped him on the shoulder. “Umm, the song’s over.”

He lifted his head. “In other words, you’re sending me back to my date from hell now.” He winced and pressed a hand to his heart. “You really don’t like me at all, do you?”

Lenna gave him a pitying look. “Don’t be that way. She can’t be as bad as that.”

Braxton arched his brows. “Want to bet?”

He took her hand, their fingers automatically lacing together in such a natural way Lenna gawked at them. He gave a brief squeeze.

“I really hate to torture you this way,” he said, already ushering them toward his table, where Erica had reached his empty seat and flopped down, waving at her sweaty face with her hand. “But you leave me no choice.”

Lenna stumbled after him. “Wait. What’re we doing?”

He paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m introducing you to her.”

“Whoa. Braxton. I don’t need to...”

But he wasn’t about to let her go. He didn’t stop until right before they reached his table. Then he tilted his head down toward hers as he spoke in her ear. “I really should warn you, but there’s just no preparation for this.”

Lenna wrinkled her brow, sending him a half smile and half-confused frown. Man, she thought he was joking.

If only.

Then he turned toward his group. “Hey, guys,” he called, tugging her closer. “I’d like you to meet my friend Lenna.”

He went around, pointing first at Greg, who nodded in greeting and leaned over the table to shake her hand. Then he motioned toward Greg’s date, Nadine. Nadine gave her a friendly wave but stayed next to Greg. And finally, Braxton turned to his blind date.

“And this is Erica.”

Lenna jumped when Erica flew from her chair and came straight at them.

Erica hurried forward, and it didn’t look like she was going to stop. No doubt fearing she’d be trampled by the woman with the huge smile, Lenna took a quick step back, running smack into Braxton’s chest where he’d been standing partially behind her. In reaction, he caught her waist to steady her. But he didn’t give her any more leeway, no doubt making her feel as trapped as he had the first moment he met his date.

Erica came so close her breath tickled his face—and he was still on the other side of Lenna. Her eyes seemed enormous as she snagged Lenna’s hand.

“Hey, Lindsey,” she greeted perkily. “How do you know Braxton?”

“It’s Lenna,” Lenna tried to tell her.

“What?” Erica said, and—oh, dear God—she moved even closer, putting her ear against Lenna’s mouth and making Lenna lean against him even more.

Braxton’s chest shook with laughter.

“My name is Lenna,” Lenna tried again.

“Lenny?” Erica asked, lifting her face to frown.