Читать книгу A Lover's Vow - Brenda Jackson - Страница 7
ОглавлениеDalton Granger glanced around, noting the hundreds of people assembled in the rose garden of the Granger estate. What had happened to the small wedding Shana Bradford had originally planned? Granted, the pregnancy wasn’t obvious, but he thought the huge wedding along with the white gown was a bit much. But then, even he would be the first to admit that Wonder Woman looked jaw-droppingly stunning.
Wonder Woman was the nickname he had given Shana, and she’d proven more than worthy of the name after performing more than one impossible feat. The main one of which was capturing his oldest brother Jace’s heart. Dalton had honestly thought Jace would avoid marriage like the plague, especially after his first failed marriage to the woman Dalton still thought of as Evil Eve.
Stay focused.
Easier said than done, Dalton thought, shifting his gaze from the bride to her maid of honor, her sister, Jules Bradford. She was the one woman on this Earth he despised with a passion. Unfortunately, his major problem was that he desired her with that same degree of passion. Yes, he would own up to it, although he wished things were otherwise. There were times when he’d even concluded that his attraction to Jules was too obsessive to be considered normal. However, he could deal with it as long as she stayed in her space, because he certainly intended to stay in his. Today would be an exception, since her sister was marrying his brother. He’d been warned by Jace to be on his best behavior, which was an effing challenge. And nothing could have prepared him for last night’s rehearsal dinner. It wasn’t his behavior but his attraction to Jules that had tested his level of control.
She’d shown up wearing a pair of skin-tight black leggings and a long-sleeved white dress shirt with tails fanning across her shapely hips, thighs and curvaceous backside. And she’d worn a tie of all things. Was that a new trend or something? Mixing masculine with feminine? Business with casual? You had to have balls to make such a bold fashion statement. But the one thing he’d discovered about Jules was that she thought nothing of pushing the damned envelope to do whatever she pleased. However, he would admit, even grudgingly, that when she’d worn what he considered outlandish attire, she’d managed to look totally feminine and sexy as hell.
A frown curved Dalton’s lips. He needed to get a grip. The last thing he wanted was to think about how Jules looked last night. But then, today wasn’t much better with her hair pulled up tight in a bun with a few curls left to frame her face. She had skin that looked soft and flawless, and her eyes were a dark chocolate. Then there were those beautiful, high cheekbones and lips that looked enticingly kissable and were painted a beautiful shade of red.
It was damned torture standing here and looking at her when he should be paying attention, listening to whatever asinine wedding vows Jace was making to Shana. It was a known fact that Dalton didn’t believe in that forever-after, until-death-do-us-part BS. Being cynical was a character flaw of his, one he embraced wholeheartedly. He prided himself on never doing anything he’d regret later. But there had been that one time he’d been stupid enough to let his guard down, and it had been with Jules.
Damn, he needed a drink. Thinking he needed one was better than thinking he needed to go over to her, unwind her hair and run his fingers through it before kissing that lipstick right off her lips. Hell, since he was thinking of being so effing bold, he might as well strip her naked, too. He could imagine the wedding guests’ reactions to that, and the last thing his family needed was another Granger scandal.
He couldn’t help but recall the first time he’d seen Jules. He’d been feeling so fucking horny and had gone to this nightclub to make a hit. He hadn’t been impressed with the prospects until she’d walked through the door. At the time he’d had no idea she was Shana’s sister and, to be quite honest, it would not have mattered had he known. All he’d cared about was that she’d looked hot, and he’d wanted a piece of her. No, not just a piece, he’d wanted the whole thing. Head to toe and especially all those areas in between. He saw. He liked. He got. Things had always been that simple for him. Quick, easy and hassle-free.
Anger suddenly rushed through him, and he fought the emotion by breathing in deeply when he remembered how things had actually gone down that night...definitely not the way he’d planned. Jules Bradford had turned his life into a damn circus, where he was a clown one minute and walking a tightrope the next. No other woman could make his blood boil while at the same time rev his libido up to the point of making his groin ache.
He should have more control, but unfortunately, at the moment, he didn’t. He couldn’t help but be grateful for the little ring bearer who was standing directly in front of him, blocking any telltale signs of his aroused state. By rights, all eyes should be on the wedding couple, anyway, and that included his own. But some things were unavoidable, and his fixation on Jules today fell into that category.
He slid his gaze down to her feet and then back to her face while wondering whose idea it was for the maid of honor and the bridesmaids to wear short dresses. At any other time, he would have appreciated seeing so many gorgeous pairs of legs, but since one of those pairs belonged to Jules...the pair he was transfixed by...he would have preferred otherwise.
“By the power vested in me by the great state of Virginia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
The minister’s words collided with Dalton’s thoughts. Had he been standing there and staring at Jules the entire time Jace and Shana had exchanged vows? He quickly slid his gaze away from Jules in time to see Jace kiss Shana.
Dalton then shifted his gaze to his other brother, Caden, who was standing beside him and grinning from ear to ear. Both he and Caden had served as Jace’s best men. He loved his brothers, although at times they got on his last nerve. And lately, he couldn’t understand what drove them to do some of the idiotic things they did, like getting married, for instance. Jace tied the knot with Shana today, and a few weeks ago Caden had eloped with Shiloh Timmons, whom Dalton referred to as the Wine Lady, since she owned a wine boutique in town. It was quite apparent that both of his brothers had been p-whipped out of their ever-loving minds.
He returned his gaze to Jules at the same exact moment she glanced over the heads of the kissing couple. Their gazes clashed, and bam, he swore he could hear cymbals banging in his ears. Her eyes were frosty as hell, and she was probably calling him all kinds of names under her breath. And then, as if she suddenly recalled they’d both been warned to be on their best behavior, she parted her red lips, showing perfect white teeth in what he knew was a fake smile. Was she trying to taunt him while staring him down? He’d be damned if he’d let that happen, but she was welcome to try. Moments later, he saw she’d given up when her phony smile was replaced by a frown, and her eyes went back to being frosty again. Now it was his turn to smile, and his was more fake than hers had been.
The music began playing, and it was time for the newlyweds and their wedding party to exit the garden. At least Shana had the good sense not to pair him with Jules. Instead, he was coupled with her best friend and neighbor, Gloria McCabe, the perky, blue-eyed blonde he’d met last night. She smiled as she took his arm, and he escorted her from the rose garden.
He’d managed to get through the wedding and hoped the same would hold true for the reception.
* * *
Jules loved her sister immensely, which was why she had promised Shana that she would try like hell to be civil to Dalton Granger even if it killed her. Already, she felt like she was taking her last breath because it was killing her.
She’d been aware of him the entire time he’d been staring her down during the wedding ceremony, but she’d refused to glance over at him. Feeling the heat of his gaze scan every inch of her body, lingering in places it should not have, made her think how totally disrespectful he was, but then she wasn’t surprised. The man was so full of himself it made her teeth ache. He assumed he could get any woman he wanted and, on two occasions, she’d proven him wrong by ignoring his schoolboy pick-up lines. Of course, he was still furious about it and had placed her on his shit list. Good. No sweat off her back if he kept her there.
Snagging a glass of champagne from the tray being carried by a passing waiter, she glanced around the wedding reception. The botanical garden that overlooked Mammoth Lake was nice—pretty damned impressive, in fact. But then, so was the rose garden where the wedding had taken place. The moment she’d driven onto the sprawling grounds of Sutton Hills, the Granger estate, she’d been captivated. Shana had warned her, but she’d still been stunned by the two hundred acres of lush and beautiful countryside near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
She’d never ventured into this part of Charlottesville, Virginia, but she’d really had no reason to do so. People who lived in this area had money, and she was a plain old working-class girl. The number of people who’d attended the wedding—college friends of Shana or her close business associates—were mesmerized by the wealth surrounding them in the same way Jules was. She knew her sister was taking it all in stride, since she had married for love and not money. But Jules felt Shana had been lucky to get both.
She glanced to her right and saw Dalton talking to Gloria, no doubt trying to make a hit. She knew that Gloria was already in a committed relationship, so he was wasting his time. Good. But what if she was wrong about that?
Releasing a long breath, she wondered why she cared one way or the other. She couldn’t stand him. The very ground he walked on. The air he breathed. Whatever food he ate. The clothes he wore. The—
For some reason, her thoughts refused to move beyond his clothes. Okay, he wore them well; she would give him that. Each and every time she saw him; he looked like he’d stepped off the pages of some fashion magazine. But then, she had to grudgingly admit, it was more than the clothes. A lot more. For starters, he had the looks—chiseled features that were handsome beyond reason, eyes that could draw you in, a pair of fascinating brows...and lips that promised more sin than anyone could possibly indulge. Those things alone should have been enough. But unfortunately, they weren’t. He’d found favor in someone’s eyes, because on top of all that, he was so arrestingly male, so strikingly masculine with muscles in all the right places, broad shoulders and perfect abs—and he was tall, at least six-two. He had the ability to take any woman’s breath away and increase her pulse rate just by walking into a room.
He’d gotten a lot of feminine attention last night at the wedding rehearsal and was getting a lot of attention now. She noticed several women hovering on the sidelines, waiting for his conversation with Gloria to end so they could take their turn. Honestly, did they have no shame? Apparently not, she thought, noticing that as soon as Gloria moved away, another woman had taken her place.
This time it was Rosa Larimore. The divorcée was one of Shana’s friends from college and someone Jules had never cared for. She liked her even less now. The woman had been married twice already, and after eyeing the Granger wealth, was probably contemplating Dalton as a third prospect. Since Rosa was a known man-eater and Dalton a woman-lover, they should be great together. But Jules didn’t like the thought of that for some reason.
She frowned. Was that a twinge of jealousy she was feeling? No, it couldn’t be. There was no way she would ever succumb to such an emotion for Dalton Granger. The bottom line was that it bothered her when women acted so desperate for a man, wealthy or otherwise. There was absolutely no way she would sink that low. No man was worth it.
Deciding she had been standing in the same spot too long, she was about to turn to go find her father when Dalton suddenly leveled his gaze at her over Rosa’s head.
Jules drew in a slow breath. She couldn’t stand him, so why did just looking at him make her feel all hot inside? Why had her throat suddenly gone dry? It was as if his gaze were a heated caress, some kind of physical connection that was drawing her to him. She fought the sensations consuming her, sucking her into a sensual abyss. She shouldn’t be reacting to him, or any man, this way. It had to do with control, something she liked having; and she refused to let any man take it away from her. Especially a man like Dalton Granger. She knew all about him, including the fact he’d been a cub to numerous cougars while living in Europe. Yet, at the moment, her body didn’t care what she knew. It was operating on hormones and a need long overdue. And it was that need that had heat sliding up her spine, making it difficult for her to draw a full breath.
What finally broke the spell was the conceited gleam in the depths of his eyes along with a smirk. The arrogant bastard thought he had her, but she intended to prove otherwise. No man had her, now or ever. She was a woman who didn’t tolerate bullshit and, as far as she was concerned, he was full of it.
“You and young Granger are trying to stare each other down again, I see.”
Jules blinked and quickly broke eye contact with Dalton to glance up at her father. “Again?”
Ben Bradford smiled down at his youngest daughter. “Yes, I noticed you and him doing the same thing during the wedding ceremony.”
Jules wondered if the others had noticed, as well. “The man is simply horrid. Totally despicable. I hope Shana knows what she’s doing by marrying into that family.”
Ben took a sip of his champagne. “I think your sister knows exactly what she’s doing. She loves Jace. He loves her. I’ll be a grandpa come spring. I think you’re the only one not happy with the match.”
Jules moved quickly to correct her father’s assumption. “I am happy with the match, Dad. I like Jace. He’s wonderful and a dream come true for Shana. They were meant for each other.”
“Oh. Then it’s Jace’s brothers you don’t like.”
She knew her father was toying with her. “Of course I like Caden. Who wouldn’t? He’s a sweetie pie.”
“That leaves Dalton, and I know the whole story involving the two of you.”
She didn’t say anything, although she was tempted to tell her father he was wrong. He didn’t know the whole story, not even half. He only knew what she’d told him, and she had left out a few details he didn’t need to know about.
“So where’s Mona?” she asked, deciding to change the subject.
“She went to the ladies’ room.”
Jules raised a brow. “Alone?” Mona, who was legally blind, was the woman her father had been seeing for a few months.
“Yes. Alone. She’s very independent.”
“Obviously. And she looks beautiful today.”
Ben smiled. “I think Mona looks beautiful every day.”
Jules nodded. Her widowed father had fallen in love, and he’d made that clear to both her and Shana. He’d also made it clear that he intended to make Mona a permanent part of his life, and that anyone who had a problem with that needed to get over it. Since Shana had easily accepted Mona’s role in their father’s life, that comment had been mainly directed at Jules, and they both knew it.
“You know what I think, Juliet?”
She knew that line, especially when he referred to her by her full name. Her father was about to point something out to her that she would rather not hear. But she wouldn’t dare tell him that. She would do as she’d always done, just grin and bear it. “No, Dad, what do you think?”
“That there’s a thin line between love and hate.”
She hoped her father wasn’t intimating the possibility of something happening between her and Dalton. He was totally wrong if he thought there was a chance that she and Dalton Granger could ever be anything other than enemies. Just in case he was thinking that way, she knew she had to squash that assumption. He was so far from the truth it wasn’t funny. “You have it all wrong, Dad, trust me. I wouldn’t fall for Dalton Granger if he were the last man on Earth. Even if I were threatened with jail time, I would gladly take a life sentence. I would choose hell over heaven if I thought for one minute that he had already passed through the pearly gates.”
Her father didn’t say anything; he merely stood and stared at her for a long moment. She could handle his stare as long as it meant he accepted what she said as gospel. She knew he was thinking, giving what she’d said much consideration...a little too much to suit her. When he finally nodded, she released the breath she’d been holding. Had it been anyone other than her father who’d suggested such a thing, she would have given him the tongue-lashing he deserved.
“I can understand why you might assume that,” she said, breaking the silence after taking another sip of her drink.
Ben lifted a curious brow. “You do?”
“Yes. You’re in love with Mona, and Shana got married today. So, in your mind, love and happiness are ruling the day.”
“Possibly,” he said, still giving her that in-depth Ben Bradford stare. “Nevertheless, you and Granger need to resolve this issue and make permanent peace.”
Permanent peace? She doubted that was possible. In fact, she knew it was highly unlikely. “Why?”
“For your sister’s sake.”
Jules shook her head. She couldn’t see herself doing it, not even for that reason. “Dad, Shana’s fine. Besides, she married Jace, not Dalton.”
“He’s Jace’s brother.”
“And I’m her sister.”
Her father paused a moment then asked, “Do you want to force Shana to take sides?”
“Of course not.”
“You are twenty-six, not six. You and Granger need to stop behaving like children and start acting like adults.”
She had news for him. Acting like an adult is what had landed her in this mess with Dalton. As a fully grown woman, she’d never been aware of a man the way she was aware of him...and that wasn’t good.
“There’s Mona. I’ll talk to you later,” her father said, moving away. “Come to breakfast in the morning,” he threw over his shoulder.
Jules watched as he walked swiftly across the room to where Mona Underwood stood. Jules glanced down at her watch, and although she didn’t want to, she glanced over to where Dalton was standing and saw him glancing down at his watch, as well. Like her, he was probably counting the minutes before the newlyweds left for their honeymoon so he could split.
Dalton glanced up and snagged her gaze. Jules tilted her head, lifted her chin and regarded him with all the loathing she could muster. The bastard had the nerve to smile. She shook her head in disgust as she turned, deciding to check out the live entertainment. If he wanted to stare, let him stare at her back.
The jazz band sounded great, and everyone appeared lively and festive. She was glad Shana had ditched the idea of a small wedding and had gone all out. She deserved it. Like Jules had told her sister, she wouldn’t be the first pregnant bride or the last. Besides, few people knew about her sister’s condition, and frankly, it wasn’t any of their business.
“Nice band, isn’t it?”
Jules froze. She cut her gaze away from the musicians to the man who’d come to stand beside her. The rough, manly texture of his voice grazed her insides, suddenly making her feel so hot that she was tempted to fan herself. His eyes were penetrating, and it felt as if he were looking at her naked. She’d never felt self-conscious about anything she wore; she liked dressing up and showing off her body. Knowing she looked desirable to a man was no big deal to her. But not with this man. She didn’t need or want his attention.
“The day is almost over,” he added after getting no response from her. His voice had shifted to a smooth yet husky tone, sending shivers up her arm. “We pulled it off, being on our best behavior and all, so I thought I’d come over and say hello.”
She was tempted to tell him what he could do with his hello. Instead, she took a sip of her wine to help fight off the sensuous dominance radiating off him. It took every ounce of fortitude she had to hold his gaze, pretending nonchalance when she was so aware of him. Her body’s reaction to him made her livid with him as well as with herself. “I can’t believe your audacity,” she said in a low, cutting tone.
His smile was slow and seductive. “Yeah, I do have balls, don’t I?”
Now why did he go there? Her gaze lowered to the area below his well-proportioned waist. He had an incredible masculine build that not only made her speculate about his balls but also about every single inch of him. She snatched her focus back to his face and watched his eyes darken at the same time his mouth spread into one of those gotcha smiles. He’d realized what she’d been thinking when her gaze had dropped.
“Look, Dalton,” she said in a stern voice, while trying not to make a scene. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t like you.”
He chuckled, and instead of irking her, the sound sent a small quiver humming up her spine. “Then that makes us even, Jules, because I don’t like you, either.”
* * *
Although he might not like her, he did want her, Dalton admitted, staring at her with an intensity he hoped she found unnerving. He could envision all the things he would do to her if he ever got the chance. She was the cause of many sleepless nights and the loss of his peace of mind. Even worse, she was stopping him from desiring other women. Whenever he saw Jules, her level of femininity struck a blow to his libido, mainly because what he saw in her was something he would never get.
Bullshit.
He refused to acknowledge she was different from any other woman he saw, wanted and got. He knew women, could read them like a book. Although he would be the first to admit there were a few of Jules’s chapters he’d rather skip. The bottom line was that she wanted him, probably just as much as he wanted her. She could pretend otherwise. She could fight it. She could even deny it. But a woman’s scent didn’t lie. She wore Amarige like no other woman, and the way it mingled with her body’s chemistry was so damned mind-blowingly hot, like some aphrodisiac that was drugging him senseless, making him act like a boor when he should be a gentleman. It was revving up his sexual awareness of her, and he was convinced the feeling was mutual.
“Since our total dislike for each other has been established, why are you here, in my face?” she asked, cutting into his thoughts like a sharp knife.
She hadn’t seen anything yet, he thought, leaning in closer to that same face, breathing against her ear as if he were about to let her in on a little secret. In a way, he was. “I like riling you, like seeing you flustered and all hot and bothered. I can tell, although you might deny it. I could remedy things easily, to both our liking. I could put smiles on our faces that could last a lifetime. The animosity between us ends here if you come home with me tonight.”
There was a brief moment of silence. “Dalton?”
“Yes?” He’d heard a catch in her voice. Why did it have to sound sensuous, so unbearably sexy, causing his breathing to stop as he hung on, waited in lustful anticipation for her response?
“Go fuck yourself.”
Those three words had been whispered low but spoken clearly, direct, definitely matter-of-fact, no holds barred. His eyes narrowed as anger ran up his spine. Instinctively, he took a step back, refusing to let what she’d said affect him. And he rejected the idea that the strange tight feeling in the middle of his chest meant anything. Her snubs were becoming commonplace, like oil rolling off his back, because in the end, they would make her capitulation that much sweeter.
He pulled back and smiled down at her, saying with none of the calm he actually felt, “I’d rather do you than myself. Sorry you’re missing the opportunity.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not missing any opportunity, trust me. And—”
The clapping of hands drowned out her next words. They both turned when Jace and Shana appeared holding hands. They had changed into traveling clothes. It was time for them to leave on their honeymoon—two weeks on the beaches in Cape Town, South Africa.
Dalton shifted his gaze from the smiling couple and back to Jules. She was still looking at Jace and Shana with genuine happiness on her face. But he saw beyond her happiness for her sister and his brother. She was clearly not a romantic at heart, and he’d picked up on her cynicism a few times. They thought alike in some ways, and Dalton figured that if given a chance, they would set a bedroom on fire. He would see to it. But there were a few things about Jules he was determined to find out. Unravel. Sink his teeth into. And then he would sink his body into hers. Make her scream. Holler. Bite him a few times. Come unglued and put an end to this shitty attitude she wore like a suit of armor. The thought of taking her on in the bedroom made a tingling sensation spread through him. Right now she was made of ice, and he couldn’t wait to see her melt.
“You’re a difficult person, Jules Bradford.”
She glanced at him, her smile gone. “You’re still here? I thought you would have seized the opportunity to leave.”
“With my tail tucked between my legs? No woman will ever drive me to such madness.”
“Really? And as far as my being a difficult person, I disagree. I just refuse to tolerate bullshit.”
He leaned in closer again. “Then I don’t understand why we don’t get along, since I refuse to tolerate bullshit, either.” He straightened and smiled down at her. “See you around, Juliet.”
And then he walked away.
