Free Blueprint for Love by Chanta Jefferson Rand Page B

bowling. He’d surprised
himself by asking if he could take her on Sunday instead. It worked
out, since Andrea wasn’t feeling well anyway. Normally, Vic
wouldn’t have made the suggestion. He knew Andrea looked forward to
getting out of the house. Maria was very particular about who she
kept company with.
    Vic’s change of plans was due to Ronnie.
Standing at her door earlier this week, Vic was mesmerized by her
shapely body and long legs. She’d looked so vulnerable, working up
the nerve to ask him to go to the party. He couldn’t say no to her.
And he didn’t want to say no either.
    He’d never felt this type of slow burn for
any woman. No, it was more than a slow burn. What had started off
as a harmless spark had grown into a full-blown blazing
attraction.
    The question was, what were they going to do
about it?
    There was so much more to the Ice Queen than
what was on the surface. She was warm and compassionate inside. She
cared about people. He liked her spunk. Her sassy tongue. The way
she kept him in line and didn’t crumble at his sexual innuendos.
He’d like to think he’d had an effect on her ability to let loose,
too. The other day she actually made a joke. The woman was making
progress.
    Vic owned plenty of shorts and t-shirts, so
finding something to wear to the party was no hardship. He picked
Ronnie up in his Explorer at exactly six o’clock. After he’d opened
the door to the passenger side for her and slipped behind the
wheel, she laughed.
    “ The view certainly looks
a lot different from the front seat,” she said.
    He chuckled. “You can ride in the back if
you want, but that section is strictly reserved for changing
clothes.”
    “ No, thanks. I’m
good.”
    “ Great. ‘Cause I think you
look amazing in that outfit.”
    She pulled on the hem of her short, pale
blue dress. “Thank you. Let’s just hope what happened last time
doesn’t happen tonight.”
    His eyes met hers and he felt the heat of
her gaze. Was it embarrassment or passion? In either case, he
wanted her to feel at ease. “You don’t have to worry,” he promised.
“As much as I enjoyed the show, I’ll make sure no one else gets to
see what I saw.”
    “ Did you say you enjoyed
the show? Goodness, that’s two compliments from Vic Romano in the
span of sixty seconds. Let me put this on the calendar.”
    He’d wanted to tell her how hard his cock
had been for most of the drive home that night, just thinking about
her. But that was too much power for any woman to have over him. He
had to keep his feelings in check.
    Instead, he said, “Oh, yeah. I very much
liked what I saw.”
    She crossed her shapely bare legs, drawing
his attention to the nude high-heeled wedges cradling her pretty
toes, accented with vibrant red toenail polish.
    He smiled when she remained silent. “What?
No smart ass comments?” he asked.
    She shook her head, a mischievous grin
pressing against her glossy lips. “No comment needed. You’ve said
it all.”
    He laughed and put the car in drive. This
was going to be some kind of interesting night.
     
     
    The party was just getting started when Vic
and Ronnie got there. There was a small crowd, consisting of
Candace and Gabe’s family and friends. Some funky, upbeat music
played at a respectable level. People mingled freely, dancing and
eating barbeque. Ronnie introduced him to her sisters, and her
cousin, Toye, the lady he’d met the night he dropped her at the
Eden Roc. Vic thought the way Toye’s grey eyes boldly raked him
over from head to toe was a little flirtatious, but he reserved
judgment. Maybe she was just being friendly.
    Other than that, from the moment Vic set
foot on the boat, he felt at ease around everyone, especially since
the event was casual. Shorts and flip-flops. He’d been to places
where he’d felt like he didn’t belong. He was glad this wasn’t one
of them.
    He finally met the guest of honor, Gabe
Hunt. Candace’s fiancé was a down-to-earth guy who welcomed