HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

Emily exhaled. “I’m going to hide in your room. I don’t need to witness this crazy.”

“Oh please,” Beth whispered under her breath.

As she walked out of the room, Emily narrowed her eyes dangerously in Beth’s direction. Lexi gave Elena an encouraging smile. “It’ll be fine. Don’t mind Emily.”

Elena snatched her bag, mentally girding her loins for whatever circus show was about to unfold. For a moment, she felt bad for not preparing Chandler for the one-woman firing squad. That only lasted a second because the other ninety-nine percent of her knew it would be awesome to see Emily knock him off balance. He’d sure as hell been knocking her off balance since the moment he danced with her at that club.

“Come on up,” she said into the speaker.

“You didn’t even make sure it was him,” Emily hissed. Apparently she’d changed her mind and returned to the living room. “What if it’s a sex trafficker?”

“Ringing the buzzer instead of breaking in?” Elena asked. “And why the hell would a sex trafficker be after me?”

She sniffed and Emily glared at her, “I thought you left the room. Wonder why you came back,”

Lexi was laughing when Elena finally opened the door for Chandler. Then her laughter stopped. Beth swore, and Elena’s stomach tangled into forty-seven Knotts. She’d officially got her taste of The Kendrick Butterflies, she thought, because Chandler in casual clothes was nice enough but not the real him. Now, she was seeing the real Chandler.

The sleek lines of his midnight black tuxedo hugged his frame perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and trim waist. The crisp white shirt beneath contrasted sharply, highlighting his chiseled jawline. He didn’t have a tie on, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the tattooed skin underneath. On his feet were black polished shoes that reflected the dim light around them.

Her heart quickened as she took in his ensemble. The sight of him in such refined attire sent a rush of admiration through her. The confident elegance he exuded left her feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation, igniting a flutter of butterflies in her stomach.

Chandler returned her gaze with equal scrutiny. Her presence commanded his attention, and he gave her all of it. The sight of her in that form-fitting crimson dress sent a surge of desire coursing through him. The dress draped perfectly over her curves and stopped at her knees, hinting at the allure beneath without revealing too much…Just the right amount of smooth skin and In those heels, her legs looked longer.

The slight sway of her hips as she moved forward and the subtle, elegant neckline drew his gaze like a magnet. Her hair, elegantly styled, framed her face, and delicate earrings glinted subtly against the soft curls. Chandler imagined the sensation of holding her close, wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss her, and he would’ve done so, if not for three pairs of eyes staring at him from the background.

“Good evening, love,” he said. His voice was gruff and grumbly, like he hadn’t used it much since he woke up that morning.

“Elena,” Beth whispered in her ear, “go get yourself a damn jacket or I will do it for you.”

Elena motioned for her to back up. “Come on in,” she told Chandler. “Ignore them.”

“Seems highly impossible.” His grin was wide and charming, and damn those sexy ass dimples of his. Elena watched Beth melt like butter, and Emily shift right the frick into overprotective sister mode. ”

Lexi gave him a huge smile. “Hey Chandler.” She told him.

“Hi, Lexi,” He smiled right back at her and then turned to Beth. “It’s nice to see you again, Beth,” Beth shook his hand, and Elena stifled a laugh when she caught the gleam in Beth’s eyes. “Hey Emily, still hating me, I see.” He said with a grin.

Emily nodded. “It’s good that you think that. That way, if you hurt a hair on her head, you’ll know exactly who’s going to send you to your painful, bloody demise.”

Chandler froze. “Right. That does make it easier.”

Something about this entire exchange made Elena want to go hide in her room. Chandler was too charming. He was too big and tattooed and muscular and … too Chandler, for her to go anywhere with him that involved sharing the same roof. As he and Emily talked, he gave her a tiny wink, and her head and heart screamed at her not to leave this apartment with him. Instincts were blaring like a tornado siren. Her hand tightened around the handle of her bag until her fingers started tingling from loss of blood flow. She couldn’t do this, but she couldn’t back down now either.

“You better bring her back safely,” Emily told Chandler.

Chandler set a hand on his chest. “I promise.”

“Do you mind if I quickly grab a picture of your driver’s license?” Emily continued. “Just … in case.”

He tilted his head. “Umm, yes?”

“Why? Something to hide?”

“Okay,” Elena interjected. “Emily, I think he gets the picture.”

“Believe me,” Chandler said seriously, “I’m well aware of how precious my cargo is.”

Elena rolled her eyes. Emily, however, looked pleased. “You’re damned right.” She said.

Setting a hand on her sister’s shoulder, Elena squeezed in warning. “Thank you very much, Emily.”

She gave her a look. Emily gave her one right back. If they didn’t leave soon, she’d pull a shotgun out of thin air and start cleaning it in front of Chandler.

“Ready?” Elena asked Chandler.

His wide grin held the slightest secret edge to it that was meant only for her.

It made her heart race inexplicably. Her head was still screaming in warning.

“Let’s go, love. I’ve been ready since last week.”

——-

The drive from Elena’s apartment to the venue of the party was roughly one hour, thirty minutes, and Elena learned a few things in that relatively short span of time.

-The city was very beautiful at night. Despite the fact that it was 10pm, there were people everywhere. The lights made everything even better. If you actually knew how to do something like … paint or draw, you’d spend that one hour and thirty minutes thinking about how you’d paint or draw the city.