Page 46 of Playing with Seduction

“I have. You didn’t tell me that she was as sweet as she is beautiful. Look what she brought me.” Lena nodded toward the flowers.

“Thank you, Bree.” Wes studied the expensive flower arrangement, then turned toward her. His expression was a mixture of gratitude and suspicion. “They’re lovely.”

Bree clasped her hands, her eyes roaming anywhere in the room except Wesley or his mother. The elegant bouquet of red roses and orange Asiatic lilies was an expensive gift to a woman she’d never met. But they were beautiful and Wes had said how much his mother enjoyed gardening. So she thought Lena would appreciate them. She hadn’t given any thought to the message her gift was sending…until now.

“Yes, they are.” Lena emphasized the words as she eyed her son sternly. She returned her warm grin to Bree. “I hope you’ll join us at the house for lunch, Brianna. It won’t take me long to throw something together. We’ll just need to make a quick stop at the grocery store.” She turned to Wes.

He frowned, his arms crossed. “The doctor made it very clear that you should get some rest and stay off your feet as much as possible.”

“Relax. It’ll be fine.” She squeezed his arm, then turned to her. “Brianna?”

“I’d love to join you for lunch, but Wes is right. You should be resting. So why don’t you let me fix lunch for you?”

Lena’s eyes lit up and her smile widened. “That’s so thoughtful, Brianna. But I can imagine how busy you must be. I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all. It’d be my pleasure.”

“Then we have a date.”

The attendant arrived and helped Lena into a wheelchair. They followed the attendant down the hall as he pushed Wes’s mother and they chatted.

“Look, Bree, I appreciate your willingness to come here and the flowers…but you don’t have to fix lunch. I can pick up something that’s already prepared.” His voice was hushed.

“Are you afraid to eat my cooking?” Bree teased, hoping to lighten his mood.

Wes held back a smirk. “Should I be?”

“Probably.” Bree smiled. “Actual cooking isn’t my gift. But, I can assemble a mean chicken salad. Don’t worry. I’ll pick up a rotisserie at the grocery store.”

“Bree.” He grabbed her arm, stopping her, so that their eyes met. Wes sighed. “I just want to make sure you understand that nothing has changed between us. We’re still just business associates and friends—”

“With benefits.” Bree narrowed her gaze, her chin tipped so her eyes met his. “You were crystal clear about that. I’m not an idiot, and I’m not trying to get to you through your mother—if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Wes’s stare signaled that he didn’t buy her story.

“I got the flowers because they were pretty. I thought your mother would like them. I offered to make lunch because it was clear that if I didn’t, she was going to insist on making lunch for us. And because she seems sweet. And I like her. But if you don’t want me to have lunch with your mother, fine. I’ll rent a car and head back.”

“No. Don’t. I’m sorry. I’m usually not so ungrateful. I swear.” Wes rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you for the flowers and for offering to make lunch. Maybe you can distract her while I move her bed downstairs. Otherwise, she’d insist on helping me.”

Bree nodded and fell back in step with Wes as they caught up with the attendant and his mother.

Her cheeks flamed and a knot tightened in her gut. She hadn’t been completely honest with Wesley. She wasn’t actively pursuing Wes through his mother, but she wanted very much for Lena Adams to like her.

* * *

Wes finished the last bite of his second helping of Bree’s cranberry-walnut chicken salad served on warm, fresh, buttery croissants from the local bakery. So maybe Bree couldn’t cook, but she could assemble a damn tasty meal.

He’d wanted to get started on rearranging the house while Bree fixed lunch, but his mother had insisted he sit down with them until his cousin Dallas could come over and give him a hand with moving her bed. Though she didn’t much like the idea of moving her bed downstairs, even temporarily.

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