Into the Flames

Chapter 5

5

Brianna showed up mid-morning, while Rollo was trying to answer another email from Cornelia. He dropped it with deep relief.

As he opened the door, he grinned at Brianna so happily that she looked startled. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing. Ready for a break, that's all."

She glanced around the front yard, her eyes all lit up. A blue bandanna held back her bright hair and she had a smudge of dirt on her cheek. "I love this house, I can't believe I get to work on it. Seriously, you don't even have to pay me."

"Of course I'm going to pay you," he grumbled. "Don't be ridiculous."

As far as he knew, Brianna didn't know he was "Money" Wareham because he never talked about that part of his life. But he would never not pay someone for their work. His mother used to pull crap like that; if a jeweler or a tailor didn't produce something exactly to her specifications, she'd refuse to pay, no matter how unreasonable her demands. Rollo despised that attitude.

He let her in and quickly closed the door before Finn spotted her. They needed to prepare for this encounter.

"Are you thirsty? Want a drink?"

"Mostly I'm just nervous," she admitted. "I know it's silly but I can't help it. I'll take a drink, but really it's just a delaying tactic."

Smiling at her Brianna bluntness, he went to the fridge and they surveyed the options. "Red Bull, beer, Vitamin water?"

She bent to peer under his arm, then shook her head. "Never mind. I'm too nervous to drink anything."

He grabbed himself a Vitamin water and led her into the living room. She skipped to the window and stared in the direction of the guesthouse. Too bad he didn't have any herbal tea or maybe some tranquilizers. He'd never seen her so nervous.

"I know you're used to seeing me as a normal, semi-functional adult," she told him. "The only reason I'm letting you see this side of me is that I trust you."

He toasted her with the bottle of water. "I'm touched. I really am."

She exhaled a long breath, jittering back and forth from one foot to the other. "Neurotic question number one. Do I look okay?"

He scanned her, trying to see her through Finn's eyes. In her usual work clothes of grubby trousers and a blue checkered flannel shirt, she looked a lot more comfortable than she had last night. She looked great to him. But Finn had grown up in Hollywood and was used to models and actresses.

"You look great, for someone who's going to dig up my yard."

She frowned at him, pushing up her sleeves to reveal firm, freckled forearms. "This is what I always wear to work."

He looked her up and down. "Can you, I don't know," he gestured vaguely at her waist, "tie it up or something?"

A bit self-consciously, she undid the lower buttons of her shirt and tied the tails around her waist. Her very tidy, trim waist, he noticed. Despite the fact that they were just friends, he felt attraction tug at him.

Dammit. He couldn't be attracted to Brianna. Their friendship was a solid, bright light in his life. Besides, she had a crush on his friend. Also, he was supposed to be romancing Cornelia Nesmith. Jesus, how many more reasons did he need?

"Better." He cleared his throat. "What do you have on underneath?"

"Excuse me?"

"It looks like a, you know, a camisole type of thing. Can you ditch the shirt and just wear that?"

Her eyebrows lifted and she planted her hands on her hips. "It's November. You want me to go around in my undershirt? What about my bra, should I get rid of that too?"

Ugh, he really wished she hadn't mentioned the bra. Now he could actually picture her in just a bra, maybe a red one to match her hair.

What was going on? He'd never gotten turned on in Brianna's presence before. What was different now? Was it because he was paying closer attention to her than he ever had before—on Finn's behalf, of course?

Whatever. He had a job to do here. "Leave your bra on. Take the other shirt off. We won't be outside that long. You're just trying to get his attention, that's all. Men like skin, didn't you know that?"

Brianna c****d her head, looking thoughtful. "Men like skin," she repeated seriously, as if writing it down in a mental notebook. "Including goose bumps? Because there's a wind coming off the ocean right now."

Rollo felt a laugh welling up in his chest. "Just offering advice. Take it or leave it."

"Fine."

She untied her flannel shirt, unbuttoned it, and slid it off her body. Even though her manner was completely practical and not at all designed for seduction, his c**k had the predictable reaction. Brianna's skin looked as if a fairy had scattered gold dust over her. Her arms were firm and muscled, her hands strong and capable. She was half pixie, half tomboy, and entirely, surprisingly delectable.

"Happy?"

Rollo nodded, not entirely trusting his voice. Yeah, no…attraction to Brianna was definitely not a good idea. He dug his phone out of his pocket, ready to dial Finn.

"What are you doing?" Brianna flew to his side and grabbed the phone out of his hand.

"Uh…calling Finn. That's the whole point, right?"

"No! I mean, it needs to look natural. Not like you're setting it up."

"It will. I'm going to ask for his advice about where to put the koi pond. He knows more about that s**t than I do, he's from LA."

"Look, just…humor me. Let's go out there and we'll talk about the pond placement. Then if he sees us and wants to come out, he can."

"You're making this too complicated."

"Please. Come on." She stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

Oh hell. Her hand was so close to his package, and he was still half-aroused by the whole bra thing. He swallowed and held himself still.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward his front door. She might be small, but she was strong, and he found himself trailing after her. It amused him—no one pushed him around. He'd never lost a fistfight in his entire life. But petite, redheaded Brianna was now towing him toward his own front door like a tugboat steering an ocean liner.

He gave in and followed her outside. The ocean looked like a magic carpet of sparkles under the midmorning sun.

"How much does a place like this cost, anyway?" Brianna mused as they walked in the direction of the guesthouse. "Sorry, that's a rude question, isn't it? Forget I said that."

Rollo didn't answer. If she really wanted to know, the information was public. But he wasn't about to spill the beans.

Brianna kept going. "I keep forgetting you're like some kind of millionaire. You seem so normal. I mean, you have like, nothing in your refrigerator. Shouldn't a millionaire have more food than that? Or do you just order takeout all the time? Maybe you should keep a chef."

Rollo reached out and snagged her upper arm. "Hang on. You knew?"

She turned her open, pretty face toward him. "Knew what?"

"About the…well, the millionaire thing."

"Sure. Is it supposed to be secret? Everyone knows you have a big trust fund. How else would you be able to buy a house like this?"

Rollo grunted, annoyed at his own naïveté. As a hotshot, he mostly spent time with his crew, who knew him the way you know a well-broken-in pair of boots. He forgot about things like town gossip. "I could have saved up."

A smile quivered in the corners of her mouth. "This is prime real estate, bud. That's the Pacific Ocean right there, in case you hadn't noticed. I'm sure you hotshots get paid well, but not that well. It's okay, no one holds it against you that you're loaded. Well, Merry might."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think her mom was someone's housekeeper. She has a grudge against wealthy people."

Great. It figured he'd go for the one woman for whom his trust fund was a black mark against him.

"But don't worry. I have some ideas, and I'm working on it." She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Could you please drop that whole thing? I'm begging you."

"No way! I want you to be happy, and you never look completely happy. You need the right woman in your life and that's where I come in."

He gave a double-take. Her cheeks flamed.

"I mean, to find the right woman. Not to be the right—oh, you know what I meant." She gave him a playful swat in the ribs and they both laughed.

Finn chose that moment to open the guesthouse door and step out.

He and Brianna froze. Rollo pictured the scene as if they were in a mannequin challenge. Brianna laughing up at him, her hand on his chest. Him grinning down at her.

He saw the exact moment that Finn came to the most logical conclusion. With mischief in his eyes, he came walking toward them.

"Hey there. You must be the new landscaper." He stopped short when Brianna looked his way. "Oh. It's you. I know you. Where have I seen you before?"

Brianna stared at Finn as if he was a vision from heaven. "I dumped mulch on you once."

Rollo felt his eyebrows climb up his forehead. Brianna had never bothered to mention that little detail. "You dumped mulch on Finn?"

She barely glanced at him. "It was an accident. I apologized."

"Repeatedly," Finn agreed. "Annika got a kick out of it, actually. I think it's the closest she's ever come to a shovel."

This got better and better. Finn had a habit of dating actresses Rollo couldn't stand. "Next time, dump the mulch on her," he told Brianna. "We'll all thank you."

"I don't plan to dump anything on anyone else. I'm a professional. Now can we get to work here?" She composed herself and offered Finn a bright smile. "Since you're here, maybe you can help us choose a good spot for a koi pond."

"A koi pond?" The incredulous tone of his voice suggested that she might as well be talking about digging a hole to China. "What the hell do you want a koi pond for, Rollo? Doesn't seem like your style."

"Maybe I want to meditate," he muttered. "With fish." Damn, he really hadn't thought this through. No one who knew him would believe the koi pond thing.

A smile was playing across Finn's face. He bent down and whispered something in Brianna's ear. A funny series of expressions crossed her face—humor, alarm, denial, confusion. She giggled, but didn't say anything. Rollo had the feeling she didn't know exactly what to say. If Finn was flirting with her, she probably wouldn't know how to respond. She wasn't a flirt, she was…herself. At all times. That was what he liked about her.

But then Brianna turned the tables and whispered something in Finn's ear, and Rollo experienced a strange, shocking bolt of jealousy. He hadn't actually thought Brianna had a chance with Finn. For one thing, they had nothing in common. Finn ought to stick with the starlets he usually dated. He had no business messing around with someone like Bri. But he was smiling at her as if he really liked her.

That was good. So why did he feel so unhappy about it?

"So…anyone going to clue me in on the secret?" God, even his voice sounded jealous. What was wrong with him?

Luckily, his cell buzzed at that moment, giving him a chance to regroup. He stepped away from the two of them—not too happy about that, actually—and answered the call from his mother.

As he listened to her rant about how secretive Sidney had gotten lately, and how she refused to do anything to help out with the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend charity event the Wareham Group sponsored every year, he watched Finn and Brianna talk.

Brianna didn't seem shy anymore, but sort of manic instead. She was gesturing toward various locations on the property, presumably potential homes for koi. Finn listened closely, shading his eyes and nodding earnestly at her various suggestions. That sense of envy returned. Brianna was a one-of-a-kind human being, and if she really cared that much about Finn Abrams…well, lucky guy, that was all.

"Will you talk to her?" His mother finally came to the point. "It's the least you could do. You abandon your family, ignore your responsibilities. At least keep your poor sister from heading down the same path you did."

"Mother, why don't you just lighten up on her? She's a kid."

"Lighten up? The way we did with you? That didn't end so well, did it, Rollington?"

God, she really knew how to needle him. "Stop throwing the past in my face. You should be glad I f****d up. Otherwise I'd be doing whatever I wanted right now."

"And now you're going to take your anger out on your own mother?"

"I'm hanging up, Mother. Goodbye."

"Talk to Sidney."

As he ended the call, he saw Brianna and Finn staring at him. "Everything okay?" Finn asked.

He didn't answer, since he wasn't one to lie. "You guys make a decision?"

Brianna nodded. He noticed that she was shivering. He ripped the cable-knit sweater off his back and passed it to her. "That would be a 'no' on the goose bumps, by the way," he told her.

She gave him a delighted smile before pulling it over her head. It hung nearly to her knees and the sleeves were about a foot longer than her arms.

He let his gaze rest on her as she showed him the spot she recommended. Her bright energy, her can-do spirit, her jaunty personality—it all washed away the aftertaste of that conversation with his mother like a drink of cool water after a run.