Charmed by Koko Brown

sock him one. When she tried pulling her arm from his grip, he tightened his hold and pulled her close.
    “It’s not what you think, love. I never regretted meeting you. My biggest regret is not coming after you sooner. I hate to admit it but I allowed my foolish pride to come between us too many times. And I’m here to rectify that. But I can’t do that if you’re not willing to give us a chance.”
    Although he was the cause of her world being turned upside down, she couldn’t deny the insatiable attraction between them. Chloe looked into his green eyes, which reminded her of angry thunderclouds, but the emotions she read in them were anything else but anger. More like an openness and a touch of weariness that only a soul who had walked this earth hundreds of years could convey. Would she be like that someday?
    Would she have to spend eternity walking this earth with no one to share her life with? The possibility of that filled Chloe with dread. It was bad enough living the past twenty years being the one on the outside looking in. Always seeing the skinny chick being rescued by the knight in shining armor.
    Her knight might not ride a white stallion or even be human, but at least he desired her and made her feel wanted. So why not take that leap of faith and test the waters? Especially since she now had what she’d been yearning for years staring her right in the face and, stupid stubborn fool that she was, she was fighting her perhaps one and only chance at happiness.
    “Okay,” Chloe sighed, finally tired of fighting not only him but herself as well. “I’ll accompany you, but only under one condition. Absolutely no funny business.”
    “Even if it’s mind-blowing out-of-this-world sex?” At Chloe’s sharp look, Tristan threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. I’ll promise to behave. I’ll pick you up at nine. The dress is after five, we British love to do things proper.”
    Tristan opened the door to leave then, as if thinking better about it, he turned back to her and yanked her into his arms. He bent down and planted a toe-curling kiss on her lips. He didn’t release her until she began to beat on his chest. “Sorry about that, love, I forgot you still needed oxygen to breathe. You know, I could rectify that.”
    When Chloe lifted her hand threateningly, he made a quick exit for the door.
    “Sweet dreams!” he called over his shoulder. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Chapter Five
     
    Chloe slid the last bobby pin into place, neatly securing her hair into a loose updo. Satisfied, she hurried into the bedroom. With a quick glance at the clock, she snatched up the dove gray cocktail dress she’d laid out earlier.
    Giving a quick prayer to the please-let-it-still-fit fairy, she stepped into the dress and shimmied it up her body. Made of ballet-slipper satin, the strapless gown had been custom-fitted for her fifteenth class reunion last year so that it hugged all of her curves.
    Chloe breathed a sigh of relief as the zipper closed without protest.
    Smoothing the satin over her hips, she then bent down and picked up the leather stilettos and matching clutch bag she’d chosen to wear that evening.
    As she entered the living room, the intercom buzzed in the kitchen.
    She hurried over to answer it.
    “Are you ready, pigeon?” Tristan’s silky voice asked on the other end.
    “I’ll be right down,” she yelled.
    She checked herself over one more time in the hall mirror, before grabbing her things and leaving.
    When she stepped off the elevator, she was glad that Tristan’s back was to her for it gave her the opportunity to secretly admire him. Now clad in a black suit offset by a crisp white shirt, he cut a debonair picture. The suit’s jacket nipped snugly in at the waist, emphasizing his broad shoulders and narrow waist. When he turned around, her eyes were drawn to the open collar of his shirt. His olive complexion provided a beautiful contrast to the whiteness of his