Romancing My Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens) Contemporary Romance Read online

  As soon as she had enough money saved, she’d find a room to rent. She missed the privacy of her tiny efficiency. Before her mother’s illness, when Rebecca had rented her own apartment and had a normal life for a twentysomething woman, she’d made it a practice never to take men back to her apartment. Her home was her private oasis, and she liked to keep it that way. She thought about how nice it would be to go home at the end of the day and kick her feet up on her own couch, in her own living room. Now that she’d quit her job, finding a room to rent would be pushed back for God only knew how long. She could have kicked herself for quitting. Why hadn’t she just shut her mouth and let Martin the asshole yell at her for the millionth time? Her mother’s voice floated through her mind. Because, mi dulce niña, you matter. She closed her eyes and rested her head back, wondering what her mother would think of her sweet girl living in her car.

  Rebecca didn’t rue her circumstances. Mr. Fralin had been kind enough to allow her and her mother to stay in their apartment rent free during the final two months of her mother’s life. Rebecca had been at her side every minute until the end, making it impossible for her to hold a job, and her mother had earned so little money when she was healthy that even her disability didn’t cover their bills. Not to mention that her mother hadn’t realized she was responsible for paying taxes on the disability income because her employer had paid for the insurance premiums. Rebecca was still working to pay off the debt her mother had accrued during her illness—it was the least she could do for the woman who gave up so much of her own life for her. Luckily, Mr. Fralin was a generous man, and he’d allowed Rebecca to remain in the apartment for almost six weeks after her mother had died, while Rebecca tried to pull herself together. Mr. Fralin did all he could, but he needed the rent money, and once again, Rebecca did what she had to in order to survive. Not wanting to be any more of a burden on Mr. Fralin, she found the pride she’d set aside to ensure her mother’s comfort, and she’d moved out of the apartment and into her car.

  While Rebecca didn’t rue her dire circumstances, she did have a bone to pick with God, or whomever, or whatever, powers that be had stolen her mother away like a thief in the night.

  Chapter Two

  REBECCA WALKED INTO Fitness Heaven with her gym bag over her shoulder at six thirty the next morning. She’d joined the gym three months ago on a month-to-month basis when the water in her apartment had decided to take a vacation. She figured a shower was worth the $19.99 membership fee. While she was there, she did a quick workout, which, it turned out, was just about the best stress reliever a girl could hope for. Giving up a few groceries had been worth it. And now, since the month was already paid for, she had a place to exercise while she caught up on the morning news, had a cup of free coffee, and took a warm shower with clean, fresh towels. If only her bedroom didn’t have four wheels and a gas tank, she’d be all set.

  “Hey, Bec. How are ya today?” Andy Brandt was a personal trainer, built like a marine, with a military-style haircut and a face that could stop most girls’ hearts. He was the one person Rebecca looked forward to talking to each morning.

  “Oh, same, same. I quit my job last night.” She slowed on her way to the ladies’ locker room.

  “Finally. I told you that guy’s a prick.”

  Tell me about it. “I really thought I could grin and bear it, you know? But last night I was talking to this woman. She must have been sixty or older, a really sweet lady. Her husband left her for a twenty-five-year-old. Why do men always do that?”

  “They don’t. Assholes do,” Andy answered.

  “True. Anyway, he gave me shit about talking to her, right there in front of the customers. Hello? I’m a bartender! Listening is, like, a job requirement.”

  “There’s a reason he’s in that part of town. I’m really sorry that you had to quit.” Andy leaned over the counter and whispered, “You sure you don’t want to borrow a few bucks? Just to get out of your car?”

  She had told Andy about living in her car in a moment of weakness, and now she hated that he knew about it. “Don’t, okay? I’ll get through this.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt. I was just offering.”

  She softened, despite her embarrassment. The compassion in his eyes looked strikingly similar to the look in Pierce’s eyes last night. God, Pierce has soulful eyes. “I know. Thanks, Andy. I’ll catch you after my workout.”

  Rebecca made her way to the back of the gym and put her clothes in a locker, then went through her normal routine. She worked through forty minutes of cardio—today she rode the recumbent bicycle so she could scroll through her phone looking at the want ads around town—and twenty minutes of weights. She pushed herself harder each time her mind traveled back to Pierce, replaying last night over and over—offering her his shirt like a knight in shining armor, then the way he’d gone from looking at her like he wanted to take her to bed to looking at her like he wanted to offer her comfort. Part of her had wanted so badly to snuggle against his broad chest and soak in his strength, but she’d done the right thing. She pushed the thoughts away on her way back to the locker room. No sense dwelling on what couldn’t be.

  After her shower, she dressed in her favorite interview outfit—a sleek black pencil skirt, smart white blouse, and comfortable, but not dowdy, secondhand heels—and carried her bag back out to the front to grab a cup of coffee on her way out the door.

  Andy whistled as she was filling up her to-go cup with coffee.

  “Damn, girl. You’re going to knock someone’s socks off in that outfit.”

  She held up her to-go cup. “That’s the hope. I’m interviewing everywhere I can today.”

  “I wish we had something here to offer you.” His eyes widened. “Hey, my girlfriend, Chiara, works over at the Astral resort. She’s in HR. I bet she can hook you up. Want me to give her a call?”

  “I don’t know…” Rebecca was used to handling things on her own, and she hated to take handouts of any kind.

  "Why not? The Astral is a great place. Chiara loves working there.” Andy assessed her as she mulled over the offer.

  I could use a stable position, and he wouldn’t be getting me the job, just the potential of an interview. It still felt like a handout.

  “You’ve got that look, Rebecca.”

  She darted her eyes away. Andy knew her too well.

  “Look, it’s a phone call. I know you have a hard time accepting help, but come on. This is a phone call, not a million bucks.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Thank you. That would be great. But please make sure she doesn’t feel obligated or anything.”

  “Of course. Let me call her quickly.” He walked away with his cell phone to his ear and came back a few minutes later. “Here you go.” He handed her a piece of paper with Chiara’s name and phone number. “She said to go over if you have time toward the end of the day and she’ll see what she can find.”

  “Really? Oh, Andy. You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.” She reached across the counter and hugged him, feeling silly for her initial hesitation.

  “I told her you were taking business courses.” He shrugged. “Who knows if she’ll have anything, but in this town, it’s about who you know. I hope she can hook you up.”

  “A job in a real business would be like a dream come true, but at this point I’d take just about anything.” Before her mother became ill, Rebecca had graduated with a two-year degree from the local community college, and with grants and her near-perfect grade point average, she’d been awarded a nearly full ride to the University of Nevada in Reno. She’d been forced to drop out of school and give up her scholarship to care for her mother, and now she had only two more courses to complete before she graduated. She loved the academic world and found everything she’d learned about business fascinating.

  Maybe her mother was right. Maybe it really was her turn to live.

  IT WAS ALMOST seven o’clock in the evening by the time Rebecca crossed the marble lobby floors
of the Astral after her meeting with Chiara Twain, Andy’s girlfriend and the human resources administrator for the Astral casino, restaurant, and resort. She’d arrived at five thirty after filling out applications at every place along the main drag that was hiring. She’d waited twenty minutes to see Chiara, but it had been worth it. They’d hit it off right away. Chiara took her through one of the restaurants and bars and spoke to her about jobs in both areas, as well as potential growth opportunities in other areas of the casino and administrative offices. The restaurant was decked out like a Western ranch, with photographs of the most beautiful horses she’d ever seen, with lush manes and tails and long feathery hair around their hooves. Chiara explained that the owner of the resort was very family oriented and that he’d outfitted each of the three restaurants in ways that reminded him of his family. The pictures on the walls were of his brother’s gypsy horses, which she explained were like Clydesdales, only with fuller manes, tails, and feathering. Chiara confided in Rebecca about how the owner was great to work for. Rebecca loved hearing that a business owner would honor his family in such a way. She had a good feeling about her meeting with Chiara. She said she’d contact her in a few days, and when Rebecca mentioned she was looking for an apartment or a room to rent in the area, Chiara said that they had an employee bulletin board and there was always someone looking for a roommate.

  All sorts of hope swelled inside Rebecca—hope for a new job, a place to live, and maybe, just maybe, she’d eventually let herself think about having a real life. It had been years since she’d had time to think about herself, much less a relationship, and ever since last night, she couldn’t get Pierce out of her mind.

  “Rebecca!” Chiara hurried across the lobby with papers in her hand. “Sorry to catch you on your way out, but we forgot to give you back your driver’s license after we copied it for the application.”

  “Thank you. I would have been searching everywhere for it.” She took the driver’s license and slipped it into the pocket of her skirt. She didn’t like carrying a purse and did so infrequently. It was harder to steal from a person’s pocket than a purse, and Reno was full of pickpockets. When she’d worked at the bar, a purse was an easy target for theft. Depending on where she was going, Rebecca kept her driver’s license, money, and other important items in her pocket, or if she wasn’t in a situation where she needed to whip them out, she carried them in her bra or sometimes in the bottom of her sock. She wasn’t taking any chances of them being stolen.

  “Rebecca.”

  Rebecca turned at the sound of the male voice that had been seared into her brain since last night. It sent her stomach aflutter. When her eyes met Pierce’s, the air left her lungs. He wore a dark suit that probably cost more than a year’s rent, and he was even more handsome in the light of day. And—oh my—he was heading her way.

  “Hi,” she managed, wondering how he knew her name. She caught sight of Chiara standing at the elevators and realized he must have heard Chiara call her name across the lobby.

  “So, it’s not Ronda, then?” His eyes held a tease.

  She forced her legs to move before the blush she felt creeping up her chest from the Ronda Rousy reference seared her skin and turned her legs to Jell-O.

  “Rebecca Rivera, actually.” She headed for the rotating doors, and he followed her out, walking so close she could smell his musky scent. Inside the glass enclosure of the doors, she breathed him in, and good Lord, heat rolled off the man. He was like a sexual magnet. It was all she could do to keep a straight face. She didn’t think men like him existed outside of Hollywood.

  “That’s a much prettier name,” he said as they reached the sidewalk. “Are you just getting off work?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit. “No. I was applying for a job.” She looked around as if she had someplace to go. Why couldn’t she have someplace to go? His voice was sending tingles to places that weren’t used to tingling.

  “Really? Is the Astral hiring MMA fighters?” He arched a brow, which eased her nerves a little, so she went with the ruse.

  “They usually don’t, but, well, you know. I’m special like that.” Oh God, really? It had been so long since a man flirted with her that she had no idea how to react. Her tingling parts must have taken over her brain.

  “Yes, you are.” He held her gaze just long enough to send a shiver down her spine. “I’m just getting off work. Would you like to grab a drink?”

  “Sure. Why not?” What? You live in your car. Do. Not. Go Out. With. Him. Her mother’s voice pushed the thoughts away. It’s your turn, my sweet girl. She’d spent the last few years putting aside what she wanted. It was a drink, not a date, and, boy, did she want to go.

  SURE, WHY NOT? That was far from the typical responses Pierce received. Rebecca’s shoulders lifted and she crinkled her nose in an adorable way that made him want to hug her—and was in sharp contrast to not only the offhand way she answered but also to the angry, determined woman he’d seen last night. He wondered if he was being pranked, and half expected his brother Jake to appear and make a joke about Rebecca’s less-than-enthusiastic response. This was just the type of joke his competitive brother would play on him. Jake would take great pleasure in seeing Pierce befuddled by a woman. He glanced around just to be sure Jake hadn’t flown in from Los Angeles for a surprise visit.

  Nope. This was all Rebecca, which threw him for an even bigger loop. Pierce watched Anderson Claymore, the valet, talking with a young man in a dark suit. Anderson finished his conversation and joined them.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Braden. I’ll bring your car around.” Anderson was in his midfifties and had worked for Pierce for four years. He was respectful, and he had a good sense of humor and a solid sense of loyalty.

  “Thank you, Anderson.”

  A few minutes later his charcoal-gray Jaguar arrived. Rebecca’s eyes bounced from his expensive car to the high-fashioned casino patrons in a way that made Pierce wonder if she felt out of place, which was nonsense. She wore a primly buttoned white blouse and a tight black skirt that stopped just above her knees. She looked feminine and even more beautiful than she had last night. With a face and a body like hers, she could wear a paper bag and she’d be more beautiful than the cars and the patrons combined.

  Pierce caught Anderson’s eye and guided Rebecca around him, as if the Jaguar wasn’t his. “Actually, Anderson, I think we’ll walk.” The last thing he wanted to do was to make her more uncomfortable, or give her a reason to change her mind.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll cancel your car.”

  “Thank you.” Pierce slid Anderson a nod, indicating that he’d give him a little something extra later. He didn’t want to whip out a fifty in front of Rebecca. She was nervous enough already. Out of habit, he placed his hand on her lower back and immediately felt her body tense. He removed his hand and hoped a cozy environment would ease her nerves. “There’s a nice pub around the corner.”

  “Will he mind that you did that?” She glanced over her shoulder at Anderson.

  “Anderson? No, not at all.” Most women would be so focused on going out with him that they’d ignore Anderson altogether and relish in his extravagant cars. Pierce wasn’t anyone’s fool. He knew that many women he went out with were in it for the visibility of being seen on the arm of a handsome millionaire, which suited him just fine, because all he usually wanted was a good time. It did bother him when women ignored Anderson or doormen, hostesses, or waitresses, and seeing Rebecca’s reaction made her even more attractive.

  They walked around the corner to a quiet pub that faced a park. Rebecca pulled open the door before Pierce could reach for it, and as he reached above her to hold the door, she’d already walked in.

  “This is cute. I’ve never been here before.” She smiled at the blond hostess. “Hi. A table for two, please?”

  The hostess, Eva, smiled, then furrowed her brow at Pierce. He’d been in the pub many times, usually with a woman draped all over him. Eva clearly noticed how different Rebecca was.
“Good evening, ma’am. Mr. Braden. It’s nice to see you.”

  “You, too, Eva.” Having been raised to be a proper gentleman, Pierce acted as such in public. The way Rebecca opened the door and requested the table took him as much by surprise as he could see that it did Eva. He smiled and raised a shoulder.

  They followed her to a table, and Pierce pulled out a chair for Rebecca, but by the time he looked up, she was already sitting down across from where he held the chair. He cocked his head in question, but she didn’t seem to notice that either as she glanced around the pub. He wasn’t sure if she was making a statement or completely oblivious to his efforts. Either way, he was damn curious about this beautiful woman who wasn’t giving him one inch to impress her.

  He handed her a drink menu. “What’s your pleasure?”

  Normally, he’d have taken her in his Jag to a four-star restaurant, ordered a nice bottle of wine, and pretty much followed his usual routine, ending the night with her beneath him in a bedroom at the resort. But there wasn’t anything typical about Rebecca, and he had no desire to try anything routine with her.

  “I’ll just have a glass of wine.” She set the menu down.

  Ah, she’d given him an inch to choose white or red wine.

  “Wine it is.” He flagged the waiter.