Blind with Love Page 2

  As they approached the table, Kristen quickly realized she wouldn’t have readily identified which of the men was Chase. She’d thought it would be obvious which man was unable to see, but until they actually arrived and began introductions, there was really no distinguishing quality about either man identifying him as “blind”. Just two gorgeous, sexy men out for the evening. Impressively gorgeous and sexy. A detail Margo seemed to have previously left out. Although it was true, most sisters wouldn’t rate their brothers on any sort of sexy scale.

  They finally made their way to the table and Margo, ever the hostess, made introductions. “Chase, Ryan, this is my friend, Kristen.” Kristen noticed Chase was not looking directly at her. Of course, dummy, he doesn’t know quite where you’re standing.

  “Oh…sorry. Hi, I’m Kristen. Kristen Nickels.” Should I shake their hands? How does one greet a blind person when they meet? Kristen was instantly very nervous and realized a little too late her hands were actually sweating. Hopefully no one would reach out to…

  Both men stood, but it was the dusty blond one that extended his hand. So much for making a good first impression. She had no choice but to stick her damp palm into Ryan’s. “Ryan Adams.” Kristen hesitantly accepted the proffered hand and smiled.

  Ryan’s perfectly manicured, white-collar hand was not sweaty and sticky. Wait, why did she care about impressing two guys she was only out with as a favor to a friend? Because they’re hot, that’s why.

  “This is Chase.” He motioned toward the other man with his free hand.

  Saving her from any further embarrassment, Ryan finished shaking Kristen’s hand and placed it directly into Chase’s. Obviously the two men were very close friends and had been for some time, since Ryan was well versed in the proper etiquette and handling of… Her thoughts were once again cut short when Chase took her hand and “looked” directly at her with the most wonderfully warm smile she’d ever seen. He pulled her slightly closer and leaned into her.

  “Chanel,” Chase whispered.

  “Excuse me?” Kristen stared as he inhaled deeply.

  “You’re wearing Chanel perfume.”

  How did he know that?

  The cutest, most mischievous grin fell across his lips. “Hello, Kristen.” The deep, sexy way he said her name sent goose bumps across her arms. “Margo has told me so much about you over the years. I can’t believe we’ve never met before now.”

  I can’t believe I’ve barely even heard of you.

  Everything about him screamed “sit, tell me about yourself”. Chase appeared to be extremely relaxed and sure of himself. Confident. Whatever misgivings Kristen had before arriving instantly disappeared as she took the seat next to Chase. Is it hot in here?

  Chase was impeccably dressed in a pale blue oxford, brown slacks, and loafers. He could have been at a photo shoot instead of a casual dinner party. Kristen was glad she’d decided to dress up more than she normally would have for a Friday night out with friends, thankful to have chosen the sexy skirt and somewhat revealing blouse she hoped was more sophisticated than sleazy. Margo had selected it on their last shopping spree. Kristen trusted her friend’s fashion sense. Now, she found herself wishing Chase could see her.

  “Yes, well…she has said very nice things about you, too.” Why had Margo barely mentioned her brother before now? Was she embarrassed about him? She didn’t appear to be. In fact, Margo didn’t appear to even notice he was with them. She was too busy babbling her greeting to Ryan, whom she obviously was trying to impress.

  “So, Kristen. What do you do?” Chase leaned so close to Kristen she could see every detail of his very finely chiseled face and smell the minty breath escaping from his deliciously perfect mouth. A mouth that begged her to kiss it, with full soft lips… Pull it together, Kristen. You just met him. This was not going as Kristen had expected. This was not the average blind date. Why was this guy even available? And how did such a sexy stud become blind? She was feeling way too eager. This is Margo’s brother, for Christ’s sake. You can’t maul him here in the crowded restaurant. And you can’t have him in any case. You’re not available.

  “Oh, sorry. I…um…work with Margo. I mean…not with…Margo…but in the same building…” Was he grinning?

  “Do I make you nervous?”

  Yes. Your perfect looks, soft brown hair that makes a woman want to run her hands through it… Kristen gave her head a shake to bring herself back to the conversation. What had he just asked her? Oh, yeah. “Well, I don’t usually, I mean, I never, go on blind dates.” Oh my God, did I just say that? A pregnant pause ensued.

  He chuckled. “Don’t sweat it.” The deep resonating sound drew Kristen in and made her want to hear more of his laughter. A lot more.

  “I’m going to shut up now.” Before I insert my other foot into my mouth. “What do you do? Tell me about yourself.” Maybe if he’s talking, I won’t be able to say anything stupid.

  He looked right at her, as if he stared deep into her soul with the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen. No. That wasn’t true. Margo had the same eyes, but his were male and oh so sexy.

  Kristen, pull yourself together. You are making a fool of yourself.

  He was, after all, just a guy. Not even just a guy, but more like a brother, Margo had said.

  Screw that.

  This hunk of man was not brother material. Was that why Margo had never introduced them before? Was she protective of her brother? Had she realized Kristen would fall for him in a heartbeat?

  “I work at the Braille Institute. Just a few blocks from here.” She fixated on his mouth, wondering what it would feel like to press her lips to his. “I’m a translator and editor,” he said.

  “Really? Sounds similar to what I do. What do you translate?” Was this guy even real? Brains and looks. He just got better every moment. Perhaps he enjoyed reading as much as she did.

  “Hey, do you two want to order something to drink?” Startled by the sound of another voice, Kristen jumped when she realized she was not alone on a deserted island with Chase, but rather sitting at a table with two more human beings. What were their names? Margo and Ryan. Right. And what was the question? Everyone seemed to be looking at her for some reason. A drink, right.

  Kristen turned to the waiter standing rather impatiently, waiting for her to gather her wits. “Oh, yes. I’ll have a glass of the house merlot. Thank you.” Perhaps a glass of wine would settle her nerves and ground her a little.

  Chase smoothly inclined his face to the waiter. “I’ll have the same.”

  Without missing a beat, he turned back to Kristen, and continued. “So, you were telling me you’re also involved in translations?”

  How did he manage to appear to be looking at everyone so directly? It seemed to Kristen most people would never even notice Chase was blind.

  Was it possible this amazing, sexy hunk could also carry on a conversation? Kristen couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone out with someone who’d actually cared about what she’d had to say, or had even seemed interested in really learning anything about her beyond “when would it be too soon to have sex?” Why now?

  A silent giggle tickled her throat. How ironic. The table had turned; she was the one thinking of sex. And it was impossible not to. Every time he leaned into her space, his distinctly masculine scent wafted over to tease her nose. She wanted to close those last few inches and run her lips over his cheek, his neck… Kristen shook her head a fraction in an effort to return to reality. You just met this guy.

  Feeling empowered and a bit more relaxed, Kristen responded in the calmest voice she could muster up. “Yes, I actually work for the law office down the hall from Margo. I spend most of my time translating their materials into Spanish, and editing the materials previously translated over the years. Sometimes I travel with my boss to translate directly for him. They have enough work to keep me busy for a thousand years it seems, especially since more and more of the clients coming into the office are from S
outh America.” It wasn’t a lie exactly. That is what she had done, up until this evening.

  “Fascinating. I wish I could speak a foreign language.” He leaned forward, clearly interested in what she was saying. Excitement like she’d never felt before skittered across her bare shoulders. Was this man real, she wondered as he continued, “Well, other than Braille, that is. Although some people don’t consider Braille to be a foreign language, none of them have ever tried to learn it. It can be rather taxing at times.”

  She could only imagine how difficult it must be to read, much less translate the spoken word to Braille.

  “What do you translate?” Kristen found herself increasingly curious about this “brother” of Margo’s. His entire demeanor entranced her. His aura drew her in.

  “Everything. Anything. Whatever anyone wants to read. We work on supply and demand. If you think you have enough to translate for a thousand years into Spanish, you should see what I have. Imagine every book ever written. My office works furiously, based on what books most people want to read. There is no way to keep up with it all. But it’s rewarding, and I get to read everything under the sun in the meantime.”

  Read? Something else they had in common. She wanted to hear more. “How do you do it? I mean…translate written work…”

  “Audio,” he interjected. “Nearly everything ever written is on audio now.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.” Dummy.

  The waiter arrived with their drinks. She glanced up and took both her and Chase’s glasses from the waiter. Kristen was amazed at how comfortable she was with Chase. At least she didn’t dump the wine in anyone’s lap. Although the thought of leaning over and wiping spilled wine from Chase’s lap was not unappealing…

  “Here.” Chase held out his hand and Kristen realized he intended for her to place his glass in it.

  “Oh. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Relax,” the smooth, low, soothing voice addressed her again, “I don’t expect you to know everything there is about quote ‘dining’ with me on the first, um, is this a date?”

  Kristen choked on the wine she’d just sipped. “Uh, sure, I mean, I guess… Well, is it?”

  Again with the chuckle. He is going to make me cream my panties if he doesn’t stop. His voice could have wooed any woman in the restaurant. In fact, Kristen actually found herself looking around as if to make sure no one else was listening. They might decide they should be on a “date” with Mister Sexy Voice, instead of the rambling idiot he was currently with who couldn’t seem to articulate a complete sentence.

  “Look, I know my sister put you up to this. I have actually met her before.”

  Kristen glanced over at Margo to find her deep in a conversation with Ryan, who looked thoroughly entranced by her. Not surprising. Margo was stunning and had always managed to quickly lure any man she wanted into her cocoon. Kristen had always admired that about her. She would miss their camaraderie.

  “She didn’t have to twist my arm too hard.” Not entirely true, but he didn’t need to know it. “She really wanted to double date with your friend Ryan. Adamantly I would say. They are so enamored with each other already, they don’t even know we’re here.” She chuckled as she glanced over toward Margo and Ryan.

  He leaned in to conspiratorially whisper, “She’s been after me to set her up with Ryan for several years. The truth is, I’ve told her several times I’d be glad to set her up with him…as soon as she was willing to set me up with you.”

  “Huh? What? But… We’ve never even met. How did you know you wanted to go out with me?” This information literally stunned Kristen. What was he talking about?

  Grinning—it seemed to be a habit of his—Chase responded quietly into her ear, “Oh, I’ve heard enough about you to write a book. I’m not sure whether Margo’s goal for the evening has more to do with her and Ryan, or you and me.”

  What? Kristen was so going to kill Margo when this evening was over. Maybe. And what timing. Shit.

  “Really? That’s interesting. I didn’t realize… But you didn’t even know where I worked or what I did for a living? What has she told you about me?” The confusion mounted the more she thought about this situation.

  “Oh, I already knew all that stuff about you. I was just being polite.” A giant smile took over his face.

  The waiter showed up while Kristen turned to glare daggers at her friend. “Can I tell you about this evening’s specials?” He continued speaking, but Kristen surmised not a one of them was listening to him, but all were attentively pretending to until he once again walked away, saying something about returning for their orders in a moment.

  When the waiter finished, Chase interjected, “May I suggest the chicken parmesan? They have a delicious marinara sauce here you should try…if you like that sort of thing.”

  “Sounds delicious. I love a good marinara.”

  The ease with which Kristen found herself in Chase’s presence was unprecedented. She couldn’t remember having had such a good time in years, or perhaps ever.

  *

  Sweet Jesus. Chase may have just hit the lottery. This woman was an angel. Her voice was like silk to his ears. The few times he’d managed to brush against her hand or knock into her knee, the flying sparks electrified him. Her skin was so smooth and soft. She was warm and kind, and unpretentious. And aside from the understandable nervousness on her part, she didn’t exude any indication she felt sorry for him, or thought she should take pity on him. A breath of fresh air.

  He was usually so confident and poised, rarely caring what other people thought. But tonight was different. He did care what this woman thought. His nerves were taking a beating.

  By the time their meals arrived, Kristen seemed so in tune with him she automatically helped Chase get a lay of the land, or plate in this case, like a seasoned pro. No one would know she’d not been dining with him for years. He hoped his perception of her interest in him was on target.

  As soon as the waiter set the plate down in front of Chase, Kristen reached for his hands, laid them directly on the edges, then placed the fork in his right hand. How did she know I was right handed? How considerate. How observant.

  He never wanted her to let go of him and missed her touch immediately when she did to begin describing the meal. He was so busy thinking about her soft, warm, delicate hands, he hardly heard a word she said. She muttered in a low tone something about the chicken being already cut up, the pasta on the left and vegetables on the right.

  Chase ate this same meal here often and the waiter already knew to deliver his food cut up. This was one of his favorite, most accommodating spots to dine. But, of course, she didn’t know that. And he was enjoying her voice so much he hated to interrupt her.

  “Would you like me to cut you a slice of bread?” she asked.

  “That would be great, thanks.” Please keep talking. He loved listening to her.

  Jolting him into reality, Margo spoke from across the table. “Would you two like some parmesan?”

  Kristen responded before he could pull his mind away from his preoccupation with her. “Sure. How’s your food?”

  Chase could tell by the projection of her voice she directed the question at either Ryan or Margo.

  “Fantastic. They have the best lasagna in town.” His sister was always so positive. She would have said something wonderful about the meal, even if it was cold and had eyeballs. “Ryan? How is your pasta?” And she was, of course, polite.

  Chase felt a smile spread across his face as he listened to his sister interact with her date. Skittering around him, the way most people do when they first meet and want to impress the other person with their best manners.

  “I love this place. I don’t think I have ever had a bad meal here,” his friend replied, also joining the “blind date” dance.

  Hmm, why aren’t Kristen and I having first date jitters? He noticed the distinct difference between this date and all others he’d previously had. A certain comfort level.


  She was so thoughtful and understanding. In the past, Chase had often found himself rather embarrassed to eat in front of people. They weren’t always quite as forthcoming with the details of the items on his plate as Kristen was.

  The restaurant quieted down some as the meal progressed, making Chase privy to many more noises. Dishes clanking as the bus boys cleared tables. Patrons laughing at other tables. The soft whir of the ceiling fans.

  The four of them settled into a conversation about their work, the economy, the cost of living…all while Chase noticed the ease of the evening. Like they were old friends. Especially Kristen and him. He desperately wished he could look at her and see her soul, but as it was, at least he could hear nearly every nuance in her voice, the rustling of her clothing as she shifted in her seat or crossed her legs. He hoped she was as sexy as she sounded. The only way to be sure, however, was to touch her, not a graze, but a full sensual exploration with his hands. And mouth. Of course, unfortunately, it was not possible for such a perusal at the moment. He crossed his fingers that later…

  When Chase finished eating, he sat back in his chair with a last swipe of his napkin and hoped to God tonight wouldn’t be one of those times when he had food on his face, or in his lap, he was unaware of. Hopefully, his pal Ryan was not so incredibly engrossed in Margo he would forget his duty as a gentleman to make sure Chase was in order. For all the confidence he knew he could outwardly emit in a multitude of situations, this was the first time in a long time he actually felt awkward, nervous, prepubescent. What was she thinking? Where was she looking right this minute? Was she as sexy as her voice sounded? He’d known basically what she looked like, from Ryan and Margo, but Margo had described more about what they had in common. God, make it work out somehow, someway, I get her alone before this night is over.

  Chase leaned forward and began to speak. “How was your chicken?” Anything to take his mind off the fact this segment of the evening was about to end, and the transition into what would hopefully ensue was about to begin.