Begin Again | Sam Wilson

Chapter Fifteen

Brianna stood in the bathroom of the hotel room she had rented for the night so she could be closer to the building where the military ball was being held. She admired her hours of work on her hair and make up. She had curled her hair and pinned most of it back with the exception of a few pieces framing her face. For her make up she chose a more natural, dewy look, but did a darker brown and bronze on her eyelids to compliment her hazel eyes.

She had fallen more in love with the dress she had chosen the moment she slipped it on. She had chosen a pair of black, strappy heels to go with it even though she wasn't the most coordinated in heels. If the dress hadn't had a slit she would have probably just worn flats. The person hosting the military ball had been nice enough to send a car for her to take her to the event. She just had to let them know when she was ready.

She grabbed her clutch which only held her ID and hotel room key and got inside the elevator. Outside was a simple black sedan waiting for her. The driver opened the door and she got inside. Lingering in the back of her mind was the conversation she had had with Laura days ago. Was she going to tell Sam that she was having feelings about him? She wanted too, but she didn't know if those feelings would be reciprocated. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with him either.

She leaned forward in her seat as the building came into view. She could see a line of cars waiting for someone to open the door for them to exit. There was a carpet that had been set up with several photographers. She thanked the driver as she got out of the car and dug her ID out to flash to the security guard.

"Is Agent Barton coming?" Torres asked Sam curiously as they stood talking with a group of people they both knew.

Sam looked at him. "I think so. At least she said she was."

"I guess she's going to be fashionably late." He attempted to joke.

Sam gave him an annoyed look and reached up to fix his tie. He wasn't used to wear such formal clothing anymore. It felt like he was suffocating. His eyes gazed around the room, waiting for Brianna to appear. He practically ignored the decor that had been set up. Beautiful chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Circular, white clothed tables were around a small stage and an area to dance. Along the perimeter of the room were tables filled with food and drinks.

He finally laid eyes on her. He felt his lungs stop working as she walked into the room wearing a black dress that showed off every curve of her body. He had only seen her dress up a few times, but none of those times came close to this. The light seemed to gleam off her face and bare shoulders. She was clutching a purse tightly in her hand indicating that she was nervous while she looked around the room.

"Damn." Torres remarked when he saw who Sam was gawking at.

"Yeah." Sam's voice sounded hoarse. "I'm going to go talk to her."

Brianna froze when she saw Sam. Part of it was because of how handsome he looked, the other part was how nervous she was to talk to him. She swallowed dryly and mustered the best smile she could. "You look handsome."

"Yeah? You don't clean up too badly yourself." He told her. "Can I get you a drink?"

"I would love that." She asked.

He lifted his arm out and she slipped her hand through the crevice. She could feel his strong bicep under her hand.

"What's your poison tonight?" He asked.

"Hmmm, I think I'll start with champagne first. I'm not sure I want to get drunk in front of the very people who are trusting us to find potential terrorists." She informed him.

He handed her a dainty glass filled with a bubbly liquid. She took a rather large sip, enjoying the way to felt going down. Part of it was for liquid courage.