A Christmas Promise (The Buchanan Brothers 9)

“We don’t need to pretend we’re anything more than passing acquaintances.” Lana told him. “Let’s put the rules in play right now so as to avoid any awkwardness later.”

“Sounds serious,” he said. “Should my lawyer be present?”

Lana slanted a look his way and he was struck at the beauty in those eyes. “My sister arranged this evening in an attempt to force me out of my self-imposed seclusion. I’m only here so she’ll ease up on the intervention. I’m not interested in seduction or a relationship, so let’s just try and enjoy the evening as best we can without aggravating one another with unwanted advances that will certainly lead nowhere.”

“That’s an option,” he agreed. “May I suggest an alternative?” When she only arched her brow in answer, he continued, drawing her close as they joined the dancers on the floor. “How about we try friendship? Have you an aversion to being friends? I’m told I’m a pretty good conversationalist.”

“Yes, I remember. And then I realized that you’re also a fairly competent liar and I have no room in my life for liars, as I’m sure you can understand.”

“Harsh.” He frowned. “What if I told you I hadn’t lied about a thing I shared with you and that was the reason I ran away?” Okay, so he was going with honesty after all. He glanced down to gauge her reaction. “Cat got your tongue?” he teased when she failed to offer a sharp quip.

Her fingers tightened ever so slightly on his shoulders and for a brief moment she lost the cool control she’d been wielding like a shield. But soon enough her gaze cleared and a tight smile returned as she said, “As I said, you are a masterful liar and I have no room in my life for people like you.”

“Pity. We make parties far more interesting,” he said with a lazy drawl as he twirled her in his arms. Startled by the sudden motion, she clung to him, her eyes darting. Her cheeks, bright and rosy, only drew more attention to the sparkling loveliness she radiated, whether she liked it or not. Given the fact that the last time he saw her, she’d purposefully downplayed her good looks and he, being the unobservant clod he apparently was, had bought her act hook, line and sinker, he wondered if it wasn’t his duty to help coax her out of her shell.

As if sensing he was thinking of things he had no business thinking about, Lana exclaimed, “Oh! I see Emma and Vince,” and moved out of his arms to hurry after her sister as if seeking shelter.

Of course, her retreat only gave him the most tantalizing view of her sweet, heart-shaped ass and he couldn’t really complain about that, now could he?

How had he missed such a lovely little dove flying right beneath his radar? He’d spent weeks with her and not once had he seen the succulent thing. When he thought of all the time wasted…

She’s not the kind of girl you fuck and leave…

Damn, that little voice of reason and logic again. What a kill joy.

And there was that promise he’d made to Vince that he wouldn’t attempt to seduce the little peach.

But then, Vince knew him very well. Surely, he’d known that he wouldn’t be able to keep a promise like that.

Perhaps that’d been his plan all along, Laird mused. Vince must’ve known that such a request would’ve been beyond Laird’s ability to deliver so, if that being true, did that mean that his request wasn’t entirely binding?

You can twist the logic into a pretzel, doesn’t change a thing. She’s too good for you.

His expression screwed into a scowl at the incessant voice being a royal prude and pain in the ass. Wasn’t your inner voice supposed to be the one talking you into trouble, not talking you out of it?

Screw you, Inner Voice of Depressing Reason.

A predatory smile curved his lips as he followed Lana.

Let hunting season begin.

-4-

Lana caught up to Emma and Vince and exchanged a brief, Hollywood-style hug and kiss so as not to mess up her sister’s exquisite hair and make-up and she thought with a swell of pride that her sister was beautiful. “That red is stunning on you, Emma,” she said, momentarily forgetting about Laird. “My goodness…you’re glowing.” At the sudden widening of Emma’s eyes, she quickly added, “I mean, this light is gorgeous on your skin. Those spa treatments are really paying off.”

“Yes, thank you,” Emma said, biting back a laugh at Lana’s awkward attempt at fixing her inadvertent gaffe. Not that Vince caught on. The man was oblivious to anything aside from the stars in his eyes when he looked at Emma. Vince was a lot of things but he was certainly devoted to her sister and Lana thought that was pretty damn special. She couldn’t help but wistfully wonder if she’d ever get to experience that kind of all-encompassing passion with another person. Emma drew her back to the moment with an exclamation of her own. “Talk about beautiful…that gown…I could never pull that off. It suits you, Lannie.”

“You don’t think it’s a little too tight?” Lana fretted, smoothing invisible lines from the fine fabric. “I can’t believe how much you spent on this dress.”

“Emma is right; the dress was made for you,” Vince agreed with an appreciative wink that caused Emma to whack him in the arm. He yelped and rubbed his bicep. “What? I’m agreeing with you!”

“You’re not allowed to look at my sister like that,” she said with mock jealousy.

Lana blushed even though she knew it was all an act. Those two were lovesick about each other. But Vince’s reaction was nothing compared to the look Laird gave her and that’s the one that kept stealing her breath whenever she thought of it. And speaking of Laird…

“I see you’ve found my wayward date,” he said, smiling as he handed Lana a glass of champagne. She accepted the glass with a murmured thanks, though she didn’t know if alcohol was wise. Still, she might need something to calm her nerves and took a tentative sip. He grinned with warm approval as he gestured, “See? They brought out the good stuff for tonight. They must really want people to open up their wallets.”

“Champagne,?

?? Vince said with resignation. “I say bring on the whiskey and really get this party started. Besides, champagne makes people gassy.”

Emma frowned. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s all the bubbles. Trust me, I’ve been around enough models to know. By the end of the night, it’s nothing but giggles and farts.”

Emma laughed outright and Lana wasn’t sure if Vince was kidding or not but it was enough to make her laugh, too. “Kind of ruins the whole mystique about models,” she murmured around a chuckle, loosening up a bit. She risked a glance at Laird and immediately looked away when her heart rate sped up. He wasn’t hard on the eyes. But then, that was just one of the tools in his arsenal. He couldn’t very well charm the women out of their panties if he looked like a troll. She tried to look past those arresting, soulful eyes and beyond the shaggy, artfully mussed blonde hair and definitely past the tall, surfer-build that appealed to her on a primal level. Her internal heat level rose a notch and she thought perhaps the champagne was already going to her head. A passing server walked by with a silver platter and she deposited her glass, finished with drinking for the night. The last thing she needed was to lose her head around Laird.

“We’re going to check out the silent auction items,” Emma informed Lana. “You good here?”

“Yes, actually, I think I’ll just find our table.”

“Okay, well, we’ll join you in a bit.”

Emma and Vince went off in search of the silent auction items and she realized she was, once again, alone with Laird. She forced a bright smile and said, “You don’t have to stick around. I’m sure I can find the table. If you wanted to mingle, I understand.”