Blind Attraction Read online

  Blind Attraction

  A.C. Warneke

  Copyright©2013 Andrea Warneke

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN: 1481807986

  ISBN-13: 978-1481807982

  Dedication

  This is for the men and women in the military; thank you for all that you do!

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  As always, a huge thank you to my friends and family.

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  Blind Attraction is for all of those who take that leap, with or without closing their eyes.

  Acknowledgement

  Living in the digital age has been exciting and wonderful, giving me the opportunity to connect with others from all over the globe from the comfort of my home; it is one of my favorite aspects of being a writer. Since I began publishing I have gotten to know some really fantastic people who have made this road such a joy to travel; thank you for your encouragement and support!

  Angelia F Jodi N. Jennifer O. Jacque B. Jess Karen S. Scott-Robert S. Vicki V. Walesca C. Lee Ann G. Eleighna A. Bonnie M. Colleen R. Laura C. Natalie P. Theresa J. Emily B.

  And a special thanks to Jimmy Thomas

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  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  James Templeton looked at his watch for the third time, rushing down the street to meet his best friend and his cousin for one of their rare nights out. Since college, the three of them had been spending more time at their office and less time on amusements. Lately, James was feeling a bit tense from the responsibility and maturity. He was only 30, yet work had taken over his life.

  For the most part, he didn’t mind. He loved every aspect of being a graphic artist, from envisioning a design to bringing it to fruition. It’s just that he hadn’t had time for a relationship and it had been too long since he had been with a woman. It’s not like there wasn’t plenty of opportunity, he just didn’t relish the thought of a meaningless fling. Those years were far behind him.

  He was just passing the storefront that once housed the best comic book selection in the entire country when his life changed forever, he just hadn’t known it at the time. With a frown, he slowed down and realized the comic book store was gone and apparently had been gone for some time. Two of the three large windows were boarded up and the sign had completely vanished. A light from the one open window caught his attention and that is when he saw her, a goddess amongst boxes and chaos.

  Her baby-blond hair was pulled away from her perfect heart-shaped, sun-kissed face, emphasizing her high cheek bones and generous mouth. She had an ideal nose, neither too long nor too short, with just a slight upturn at the end. She was too far away to determine her eye color, but they were well-placed and slightly exotic-looking.

  His eyes roamed from her model-perfect face to her elegantly clad-body, his heart started to race in his chest. The line of her graceful neck, the curve of her impeccable breasts, the indent of her slender waist and the slight flair of womanly hips; she was breath-taking. But that wasn’t the end; oh, no. Her legs, good God her legs; they stretched on for miles and James could easily imagine having those two long limbs wrapped around his waist as he….

  Clearing his throat, he reined in his wayward thoughts as he continued to watch her through the window. She was graceful, polished; obviously refined. Her clothes, a silky blouse and a pair of expensive slacks, caressed her body as she moved. Or maybe that was just how she carried herself. His breath caught in his throat as her lips parted into a wry smile.

  He wanted to ask her out, get to know her a little better over coffee and conversation.

  Just as he was about to knock on the window, his friend Tony called out, snagging his attention. With a slight grin, he realized that he didn’t have the inclination to introduce himself to a blond angel, not with Philip and Tony hanging around. He would do it when his cousin and business partner weren’t there to encroach on his territory.

  Of course, things don’t always go according to plan. A few days later, while his driver was taking him to a meeting across town, some idiot ran a red light and crashed into the side of his car. James woke up in the hospital a week later, feeling sore and battered, but alive. However, when he opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness.

  After the initial panic wave passed, the doctor was able to explain that there was nothing physically wrong, at least nothing that showed up on any of the many scans they took. He discussed blunt-force trauma and offered platitudes about the body being a strange thing. In the end, the doctor wasn’t able to tell James whether or not he was going to be able to see again; and if so, when.

  James ranted and raged for several weeks before realizing that self-pity would not serve him. He was the co-founder and CEO of a successful business, something that didn’t get accomplished by whining about fairness or injustice. If he was going to be blind, he was going to have to adapt and overcome, just like he had hurtled all of the other obstacles that had been placed before him.

  Besides, he was more than an artist and a designer, and he didn’t get to where he was by giving up. He would get his eye sight back eventually and until that day came, he was going to adjust to his new circumstances and when he was able to see again he was never going to take his sight for granted again.

  Until then, he would hold onto that fateful image of the blond and come up with a plan to use his blindness to his advantage….

  Chapter 1

  With another dazed shake of her head, Victoria Davis knew that it was serendipity for her to be opening a store back in her old home town. The owners of the comic book store where she had spent too many hours while growing up decided to retire and Victoria had been in the right place at the right time. After that, everything seemed to fall into place and her dream of being self-employed was coming true a few years ahead of schedule.

  She was twenty-four and she had employees. How cool was that? My Romance had been her brainchild since she was a teenager and while she had to work long, long hours and she owed the bank a lot of money, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Marnie Connolly was someone whom Victoria met during college. They had bonded when they realized they grew up not ten minutes away from one another and knew several of the same people, often laughing that it took being two thousand miles away from home for them to meet. Marnie spent as many hours at the store as possible, but with a young son, she couldn’t be there every day.

  Her other “employee” was her best friend Taylor Danner, though Taylor was more of a delegator rather than worker; and she didn’t get paid. Taylor pretty much just hung out when she felt like it, volunteering her services to help out her best friend. Victoria loved the amount of time Taylor spent at the small shop; it always made the work go by faster when her friend was there to keep up the chatter. Especially since Victoria was just getting her shop up and running.

  Even though the store was technically open for business, there was still so much to do before the grand opening in a little less than two weeks. As Victoria hauled a heavy box to the back room, she wished that she had a clone to keep an eye on the store front. Taylor had volunteered to come in early but Victoria hated taking so much advantage of her best friend. Sure, Taylor was incredibly wealthy and claimed she had nothing better to do with her time than hang out at a specialty shop but Victoria still f
elt guilty.

  With an unladylike grunt, she set the box down and wiped the back of her arm across her forehead, a bemused smile on her lips. Taylor thought opening a shop was a sweet idea but Victoria was attractive enough to snare a wealthy husband. While Victoria wanted to marry, she wasn’t going to wait around for Mr. Right. She knew Taylor meant well, they just had different goals for their lives.

  Taylor was mind boggling beautiful with her baby-blond hair and exotic amber brown eyes, her perfect five-foot-ten-inch willowy body. It was enough to make men beg and any woman green with jealousy. But not Victoria, who had been Taylor’s best friend since the third grade when the two of them were seated next to each other, their last names Davis and Danner. For sixteen years, Victoria was Robin to Taylor’s Batman; Chewbacca to Taylor’s Han Solo; Betty to Veronica. They were closer than most sisters.

  It wasn’t that Victoria wasn’t pretty, just compared to Taylor, she was simply Victoria. Taylor was Paris nights and Italian beaches; Victoria was the girl next door. Her hair was long and dark blond; she had a slender frame and decent curves with average features set in an oval face. She was of average height with pale skin, since the sun made her burn then freckle. Her one exceptional feature, if anyone happened to notice, were her large, violet eyes. But once a guy saw Taylor, Victoria just sort of disappeared; which never bothered Victoria because Taylor was so Taylor it was impossible to hate her.

  Taylor was so dazzling and she was used to getting by on her breath-taking beauty. It didn’t help that Taylor’s mom, the socialite Phoebe Danner, encouraged her daughter to trade on her looks. According to Mrs. Danner, Taylor was old enough to get married; after all, twenty-four was practically on the shelf. And the biggest fish wanted trophy wives, it didn’t matter if a brain was included or not. Mrs. Danner accepted Victoria because the girl was no threat to her daughter’s, or rather her own, ambitions; men certainly didn’t want a fresh-faced girl with a smattering of freckles on her pert nose.

  Walking back out to the front, Victoria surveyed the small, intimate shop that specialized in fantasy and romance. Novels and magazines were in one area; movies, music and other media in another; there were special areas for single romance and more adventurous romance; and oils, lotions, potions, all sorts of things romantic were dotted throughout the store. Beautiful artwork hung on the walls; some famous reproductions, some local artists, ranging from that fantastic to the erotic, from the profound to the profane.

  With a satisfied smile, she looked around the little shop with a huge measure of pride. It was finally something she could call her own. Well, in theory; the bank owned it. Still, she was the one who envisioned it and planned it out and executed the plan. Mrs. Danner could keep her elevated circles and find her daughter a rich husband; Victoria was content in her little corner of the world.

  The bell over the door chimed and Victoria stepped out from behind the register to greet her first customer of the morning. Her breath caught in her throat as the most magnificent man stepped into the shop… with a pile of clothes on his arm. How peculiar. Still, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was: short, dark hair; sculpted face with broad cheek bones and a chiseled jaw, a straight nose, a mouth that was luscious, with lips that were full and decadent. His eyes were hidden behind black shades but she could imagine the power in his stare; he simply exuded self-confidence. He was entirely too… delicious.

  He was also tall; lord he had to be over six feet; her eyes were level with his delectable chin and she was wearing four-inch heels. Judging by the way he filled out his jacket, he was either extremely well-toned or his jacket was padded. Still, he was carrying a bunch of clothes and acted as if it were perfectly normal to be carrying them into her shop.

  A little taken aback by the incongruous sight, she ran her hands over her hair, hoping to tame the flyaway strands; then over her pants, trying to flatten the permanent wrinkles. Though she didn’t know why she bothered; a guy like that preferred the Taylors of the world. “Can I help you, sir?”

  Holding up his shirts, he smiled a devastating smile, “I’m dropping off my laundry; I need this suit and these shirts cleaned by tomorrow.”

  Victoria’s mouth opened as she tried to figure out what the guy was talking about; obviously God gave the man looks but slighted him in the brain department. “I’m sorry, sir, but the dry cleaners is next door.”

  “Ah,” he smiled a bit sheepishly, bringing his shirts back to his chest. “Then this must be that new store that was opening up.”

  “Yes,” Victoria murmured, moving closer, unusually drawn to the stranger.

  “And you’re the owner?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in an oddly appealing way. Victoria found herself mirroring his movement as her eyes drifted over him.

  “I am,” she answered, noticing the white cane in his free hand and feeling guilty for jumping to the conclusion that he was insane. He was merely blind.

  Shifting his cane to the arm that held his clothes, he held out his hand, “James Templeton.”

  Feeling as if something monumental was happening, Victoria took his much larger hand in hers and felt the zing all the way down to her toes. Clearing her throat, she murmured, “Victoria Davis.”

  Holding her hand, he swallowed thickly before he could speak. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You, too,” she said, not taking her hand from his, unable to take her eyes off his face. The dark glasses only intrigued her further; not taking away from his sculpted features.

  “I could have sworn the drycleaners was the third door,” he told her after a long moment of not uncomfortable silence. Offering an explanation of why he would mistake her shop for the drycleaners, he continued, “The doctor said it was too soon to be out but I was determined.”

  Victoria absorbed what he was saying and came to the conclusion that his blindness was a recent event. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hand as she stepped closer, until the back of her hand brushed against his chest. “Do you mind if I asked how it happened?”

  The corner of his mouth curved upwards in a sexy, half-smile, “It’s like my grandma always told me, too much masturbation.”

  With a gasp of startled laughter, she stepped back, loosening her grip on his hand. But he didn’t let her go; instead he closed the distance between them, still holding her hand. His scent filled her head, a clean, masculine aroma that reminded her of silk sheets on a moonless night. His breath moved over her cheek as he explained, “I was in a car accident.”

  Victoria’s body stilled at how calmly he spoke, the timbre of his voice playing havoc in her head, even as he talked about masturbation and car accidents. Studying his face, she couldn’t find any scars, or anything that would indicate an injury resulting in blindness. Of course, he was wearing dark sunglasses, so it was possible that he simply didn’t have eyes anymore. A slight shiver ran through her body at the idea of this poor man losing not only his sight, but his eyeballs as well.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, the concern apparent in his sexy as sin voice.

  “I am,” she managed. Her heart went out to him; he was so brave; how did he manage to keep his humor about something so horrible? Shyly, softly, she asked, “Is it weird?”

  “Is what weird?” he asked slowly, slightly confused.

  Leaning closer, until her breasts brushed against his coat, she whispered, “Not having eyeballs?”

  He released her hand and she knew that he was removing his sunglasses but she couldn’t look. When she didn’t say anything, he questioned. “Victoria?”

  “Yes?” she asked, her voice coming out as a squeak. She refused to open her eyes; she didn’t want to see the openings in his perfect face. She was imagining being able to see his brain. Maybe it was like those creepy guys on Buffy with those strange markings over their eyes, like scar tissue, or….

  “Victoria, it’s okay to look,” he said, stifling his laughter.

  Letting one eye crack open just a bit, she felt like
a fool when gorgeous green eyes looked unseeingly back at her. With a sigh of relief, and a blush of mortification, she opened her eyes all the way. Catching her lower lip with her teeth, she leaned even closer than before, examining his eyes to see if he really couldn’t see. God, they were the most striking shade of green; like wet grass in the summer, or tide pools in the Caribbean. And they were framed by the longest, thickest, blackest eye lashes ever; lashes that a woman would kill for. In a breathless whisper, she said, “They’re beautiful.”

  Her breasts were pressed against his chest again and a jolt of electricity shot down her spine. Reaching out, he grabbed her arm below the elbow, steadying her as he murmured, “Thank you.”

  Blushing, she slid her arm out of his grasp until her hand came into contact with his. Uncomfortable with her overly indulged imagination, she realized that it was time for him to go, before he decided she needed to be committed, or something. God, how could she be so foolish? Blindness wasn’t the lack of eyes; it was the lack of sight. She could have kicked herself, but her balance on heels was precarious on the best of days. The last thing she needed to do was fall on her butt in front of this gorgeous, fascinating stranger.

  Holding his hand, she gave a slight tug to indicate that she would lead him. He gladly followed, pausing only a moment, a sound escaping on an exhalation of breath, “Huh.”

  Victoria paused, looking over her shoulder and seeing the strangest expression on James’s handsome face. He seemed on the verge of discovering something, something important having to do with her; but that was just fanciful thinking. “What is it?”

  He simply smiled at her, “Nothing…. I appreciate this, Victoria.”

  She smiled, and realized that he couldn’t see. Blushing harder, she coughed, “It’s no problem. Um, how did you get here if, well, if you can’t see?”