Page 29 of Back in Black

The compliments flustered her; Brett could tell that she didn’t think of herself that way.

“I just . . . haven’t been interested, I guess. But then suddenly you’re in the picture, and you really are nice andsoincredibly good-looking and . . .”

Brett bent down and kissed her again. “So you lost your head, huh?”

She loosened up enough to laugh. “I told Millie this would happen.”

Had she told Millie that she wanted him? Oh, to be a fly on the wall forthatconversation . . . “Millie’s a worrier, isn’t she?”

“Sometimes.” Audrey moved one hand to his chest, just laying her hand there, sort of testing things. “We’re close, and she feels protective.”

Brett would have happily reciprocated, but he had a feeling that if he started pawing her chest, she’d run off.

Her dark-eyed gaze went from his mouth up to look into his eyes. “I can’t really blame Millie for how she feels. Since this place caters to the SBC, she has good reason to mistrust what goes on here.” Audrey let out a breath. “And so do I.”

CHAPTER 5

AUDREY felt a new tension in Brett and wondered at it. With her hand on his chest, she absorbed the hardness of him, the bulge of muscle and pure strength. She guessed him at over six feet, which meant he towered over her.

Usually the disparity in their sizes would have intimidated her. With Brett, it was exciting. He was by far the boldest man she’d ever met, but he had a genuineness about him, a gentlemanly “down-home” air that made everyone feel comfortable with him. Even Millie had commented on what a nice guy he was, and Audrey valued her insights.

Brett caught her hand and flattened it on his chest, keeping her still. “You have some kind of history with the SBC?”

Memories overwhelmed her, and she looked away. “One day, I’ll get the rest of the world to see the sport for what it really is.”

He frowned, but let that go. “Millie has the same beef as you?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “We’ve been friends for a couple of years now, ever since she joined WAVS. We hit it off immediately. It was like we’d known each other forever. She’s been a wonderful friend—and that’s why I blame myself for what happened to her.”

Concerned now, Brett said, “That sounds ominous.”

After a deep breath, Audrey nodded. “Drew Black attacked her.”

Stunned, Brett took a step back. “No way. Sure, everyone knows that Drew is far from perfect, but I’ve never once heard about him hurting—”

“No, of course not.” Audrey shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that he’d attacked her physically.”

A small boisterous group joined them in the hallway, so Brett put his arm around her and started her again toward the stairs for the restaurant.

On the way up, Audrey said, “But he was vicious to her all the same, and believe me, that hurt her.”

At the landing, Brett steered her toward an empty table close to the railing. He looked grim. “What happened?”

After taking her seat, Audrey looked over at the barroom below. As Brett had promised, it wasn’t nearly as busy tonight as it had been on the weekend. From what she could tell, there were fewer fighters present, too. To Audrey, they stood out from other men. Most of them were tattooed, loud and rowdy, big and buff. Despite the lack of a sports crowd, there were still plenty of people milling about.

Quietly, she recalled that awful scenario involving Millie and Mr. Black. “As one of the spokeswomen for WAVS, Millie posts articles and information about the SBC on various bulletin boards, and on her own blog. Sometimes other outlets pick up the info, too. She did an interview with a small local paper that later got posted on the Internet. It wasn’t really a big deal, but she . . . had a few minor facts wrong.”

When the waitress came by, they ordered drinks—a diet cola for Audrey and an ice water for Brett.

She was wondering about the water when Brett said, “I take it Drew reacted badly?”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Temper sparking with the memory, Audrey curled her hands into fists on the tabletop. “Rather than just correct her, Mr. Black demolished her in the cruelest ways possible. He called her awful names, cursed her, and maligned her intelligence. The whole conflict hit the Internet and Millie was publicly humiliated.”

Recognition showed on Brett’s face. “The online blowup. That was Millie?”

She gave a humorless laugh. “You see? Everyone has heard of it.”

“I’ve seen it, yeah. If you follow the sport at all, it would have been hard to miss.”

---