The waitress delivered their breakfasts and he was forced to have an annoying interaction to specify that yes, he was fine and no, he didn’t need butter. When she finally left, his eyes tracked back to Addi, who hadn’t so much as picked up her fork.
“I’ll try to leave you with enough energy for work on Tuesday.”
Elbow on the table, she propped her chin on her fist. “I make no such promises.”
Damn.
He liked her like this. Bold and fun. Open and lively. So much better than the controlled, practical woman he’d bumped into this morning.
“The entire night,” he reminded her as he cut into his pancakes. “I might save some of this syrup for later.”
As he took a big bite, she laughed. He loved hearing it. He also made it a point to ask the waitress for some syrup to go when she returned to the table.
Fifteen
The surface of the pool sparkled in the sunshine. They were on the rooftop, overlooking the lake, trees and mountains. Plenty of boats were out today, their passengers sunbathing on decks or following behind on water skis.
“Rather be boating?” Bran asked from beside her. His tanned body was stretched out on a lounge chair, arm thrown over his head, sunglasses hiding his closed eyes, a pair of yellow swim trunks covering her favorite part of him. Although, to be fair she had a lot of favorite parts of him. Starting with his hair, followed closely by the sharp straight nose, contoured perfect mouth, the column of his throat leading down to his wide chest. Her eyes traveled down to the bumps of his abs, a perfect “innie” belly button and long strong legs. He even had nice feet.
“I can feel you staring at me.” One of those eyes peeked open and he turned to face her. His white, sharklike grin was cunning and reminded her of every yummy thing they’d done last night. If there was anything that made her want to leave the pool or the precious sunshine, it was the promise of more Brannon Knox.
“I’m not staring,” she lied. “I’m thinking and happened to zone out on you.”
He pulled off his sunglasses and sat up. And no, she did not miss when his abs contracted with movement. “Thinking about what? The hours of foreplay thing? I meant that. Say the word. Our rooms are a short elevator’s ride away.”
She couldn’t hide her smile, and his answering one told her he’d read her mind.
Early this morning, she’d woken and rolled to her side to admire him asleep next to her. She’d realized with a gut-wrenching certainty that keeping her heart out of the bedroom was more challenging than she’d previously imagined.
By leaving his bed and climbing into her own, she’d hoped to pull herself up from the emotional tailspin she saw coming. She worried if she’d stayed there awake next to him, she would’ve watched him sleep, counting his thick, numerous lashes, or tracing the outline of his amazing body under the sheet so that the night would forever torment her memory.
And she thought she needed to forget about him. Because last night wasn’t supposed to happen—and sure as hell wasn’t supposed to happen again.
Now she’d agreed to stay another night with him for one reason and one reason only: she still wanted him. She’d had a hard time compartmentalizing. The memories of the time they spent together followed her from bed to breakfast. By the time he admitted he wanted her again she’d been powerless to resist.
“I was serious before,” she started.
“About?”
“About stopping by Pestle & Pepper on the way back. Since you’ve never been there.” It was likely her only chance to take him. P&P was technically in River Grove, but she reasoned that driving by the exit counted as part of this trip. “Would you like to stop?”
“Heck, yes.” With that, he slid his sunglasses back onto his perfect nose and closed his eyes to soak up some more sun.
It must be nice to not worry about the future. Then again, he’d worried plenty earlier this year. She remembered him taut with frustration when Royce had been named CEO. Bran had come a long way. She understood why he didn’t want to think any more. Why he wanted to indulge in the present.
The difference was, his indulgence was a fun sex-filled weekend. Hers risked her very heart and soul.
Drama queen, Joe’s voice whispered in her ear.
Am not, she argued back, but he was sort of right. Indulging in Bran didn’t mean she had to be emotionally crippled once she arrived home. She should give herself some credit.
That’s better, Joe encouraged.
“Look who it is,” a familiar voice said—a real one this time. She shielded her eyes as her mother approached, Addi’s father behind her. “I thought we’d missed you.”
“Nope, just grabbing some sun before we, uh, check out.” No way was she telling her mom and dad about staying another night.
“We were on our way out, but we can stay for a drink. Brannon, darling, would you like a drink?” her mother sang.
“He’s sleeping,” Addi said at the same time Bran said, “Sure.”
So agreeable.
“Let’s move to the café, dear.” Her mother lowered her voice but not low enough when she said, “Much as I like admiring his chest, he should dress before discussing business.”
* * *
“I’ll hand it to her,” Bran told Addi as they strolled inside. “Your mom has some balls.”
She groaned. Her mother had been an embarrassing disaster. She’d grilled him about everything but his banking information, and even then, Addi had half expected her to ask.
“I’m sorry. They’re completely embarrassing.”
“It’s fine. I was the one who agreed to a drink. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” His hand in hers, he towed her in for a quick kiss. She was going to miss that when they arrived back home.
At the front desk, Bran stopped.
Ava, the same woman who’d checked them in, smiled in greeting. “Good morning, Mr. Knox. Ms. Abrams.”
“Morning, Ava,” he said. “I need to extend our reservations one more night if you have the space. We’re not ready to check out yet.”
“I’m happy to extend your reservations.” Ava’s smile was smug, as if she’d known something they hadn’t. As if Bran and Addi had been wasting their time by not sharing a room in the first place. “Are you extending reservations for one room or for both?”
“One,” they said at the same time and Bran sent Addi an approving smile.
Ava tapped a key on her keyboard. “Which one?”
His eyes on Addi, enough heat in them to start to start a forest fire, Bran answered, “Mine.”
“Good choice.” A few more key taps later, Ava looked up. “I have you down for one more night in the room with the king bed. Shall I send up a bottle of champagne or strawberries this evening?”
Addi laughed.
Bran didn’t. “Both. Thank you.”
As they walked to the elevator, his hand went to her back. “You’re learning.”
“What does that mean?” she asked as the doors opened and they stepped inside.
“You let me treat you without any pushback. Pretty soon, you’ll have no problem letting me take care of you.” The doors shut and in one smooth move he had her back pressed to the elevator wall. “How about I take care of you now?”
“N-now?”
He reached for the big red emergency button and she grabbed his outstretched hand in both of hers. “Brannon. No.”
He tsked at her. “So practical.”
He shook off her hold, swiped her hair behind her ears and cradled her jaw. Then he lowered his lips to hers for a warm kiss. He smelled of coconut-scented sunscreen and really, really good sex. Or maybe she was projecting that part.
“You’re mine tonight, Addison Abrams. What do you think of that?”
“I think you’d better start as soon as possible.” She grabbed his ass. “What I have in mind for you is go
ing to take a while.”
* * *
Turned out they had to first move her luggage into Bran’s room before they—ahem—indulged. After a few hours of indulgence followed by a much-needed nap, they emerged from their shared room in search of a late dinner. The strawberries and champagne were lovely, but not filling.
In the downstairs bar, they ran into two other couples. Rebecca and Allen and two men Addison had never met before who were newlyweds: Dave and Cameron. Rebecca had waved Addi and Bran over and asked them to join them at the bar.
Bottoming out her second glass of wine, Addison decided she didn’t want this day to end. But Dave and Cameron had an early flight, and Rebecca had hidden more than one yawn behind her perfectly manicured fingernails.
“I can’t keep up with you West Coasters.” The cute redhead didn’t bother hiding her yawn this time. “In my head, the time hasn’t changed.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s always in bed by seven,” Allen joked.
“Same here,” Dave said. “Cam and I have gone to bed at eight o’clock every night while we’ve been here.”
“Well, we’re not twenty any longer,” Cam said. “Hell, we’re not thirty any longer.”
This led to a discussion from both of them that Bran and Addi should “enjoy their youth.”
“What about you, Ad? Are you tired from your exhausting day?” Bran asked, pure mischief in his smile.
“Actually I’d love another glass of wine.” They had time for another round of epic sex or three, even if she stayed at the bar a little longer. Bran had nothing if not stamina.
“Allow us.” Dave dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the bar top and kissed Addi on the forehead. “Enjoy.”
“To Joe.” Cameron polished off his whiskey sour, and Rebecca and her husband toasted their late friend and then finished their drinks as well.
Once everyone had cleared out, Addi let out a wistful sigh. After spending a few hours reminiscing about Joe and hearing how each of the couples met, she decided that practicality was overrated.
If she’d stuck with her plan to “Get Over Him” she never would have experienced the wonderful moments they’d had together this weekend. Some of the best of her life. Because she’d followed Bran over to the light side, her afternoon had been filled with surprises. Including an evening of swapping stories about Joe, which had been cathartic and so very needed.
In a way, Joe’s death had brought her and Brannon together.
Bran ordered another round and when two full wineglasses were delivered, they settled into a comfortable silence. Remembering the life Joe left unlived added weight to the room.
“You know, if Joe really did think of me as the love of his life, that’s sad.”
“Why? Did you want to fulfill his dream?” Bran asked.
“No.” She gave him a playful poke to the ribs. “The opposite. I would have had to let him down easy. I might’ve broken his heart. He was my friend. I never wanted more than that.” Her own heart felt broken admitting that aloud.
“You did love him. As a friend. What if that was enough for him?”
“Hmm. Love’s tricky.”
“The trickiest,” he agreed.
“My parents love me, but their love has always felt like an exchange. Like if I behaved and did what they asked, I could trade my good behavior for some of that love. I longed for the unconditional kind. The kind of love your family has so much of it’s bursting at the seams.”
“I’ve met your parents a few times now. They love you. I can tell they want what’s best for you even if they have a harsh way of showing it. Their scheming is born of worry.”
“I never thought of it that way.” She’d only felt criticized or punished. “I guess I was too busy trying to hustle. Trying to make something of myself—trying to prove them wrong. Have you ever felt like you don’t measure up?” She wanted to eat those words as soon as she’d said them. Of course he had. “You must’ve. With your dad. With Royce.”
He held her hand, their elbows resting on the bar top between their drinks. “I know it’s hard to believe because of my daunting physique, but I am only human.”
She rolled her eyes, though she had to agree with the daunting part.
“Like you, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” he said, serious now. “I felt like I needed to win. Royce didn’t do anything wrong accepting CEO. Taylor didn’t do anything wrong by falling in love with him. Listen, I can’t argue with you about my family. They’re incredible. Gia, Royce and I, we stick together. We have each other’s backs. I’ve always felt loved and know that no matter how many times I screw up they’ll still love me.”
“You are now witnessing the jealousy of an only child.” She pointed to herself but was only half kidding.
“My family adores you, too, you know. I’ve told them again and again how lucky I am to have you. You’re a crucial part of ThomKnox. You want a family to appreciate you? You don’t want to be alone anymore? Addi.” He kissed her knuckles. “You’re not alone.”
Hearing that healed some hidden part of her. A wound she didn’t know was there. She’d admitted she wanted family, but had never truly accepted that she’d had one all along. “Thanks for saying that.”
“I mean it.” He kissed her knuckles again before releasing her hand and then lifted his wine glass. “To family.”
She raised her glass and clinked his, feeling very not alone for the first time in a long time. “To family.”
Sixteen
Three and a half hours into a four-hour-long car ride and Addi was still buzzing from last night. Not only had Bran assured her she had a place in his family’s heart, but he’d implied she had a place in his. And after he’d promised her she wasn’t alone, he’d taken her to bed and made the most tender love to her. He’d been present and focused solely on her needs. She knew it was dangerous to project, but she could swear what he couldn’t put into words he’d said with his body. She hadn’t imagined their conversation afterward, as they lay snuggling and cozy in bed, talking.
“If I have kids, I’m having more than one,” she’d told him. “I’d love to have a sibling or two.”
“I always thought three was a good number,” he’d said, tickling her forearm with his fingertips and sending chills down her body. “Royce and Gia and I have always been close. If one of us is acting like an idiot, at least there are two other honest opinions and no possibility of a tie.”
She’d laughed at that, as she did at most of their conversation. Even though he hadn’t outright admitted he wanted to have three children himself, that’s what she heard. Her mind had offered up a vision of a small child on her hip, another’s hand in hers, and a third one chasing Bran along the ocean’s shoreline.
A fantasy, surely.
But what came next seemed to confirm it.
“I have a proposition for you,” he said now, from the driver’s seat.
“Sounds important. Let me prepare myself.” She smoothed her hair—down since they’d left the windows up—and straightened her spine. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Honestly, when did you become such a smart-ass? I ruined you this weekend.”
He so did, but not in the way he meant. He’d successfully thwarted her plan not to fall for him. She’d tried to keep her heart out of the bedroom but how could she when he’d been all heart?
“Which brings me to my question.” One hand on the wheel, he spared her a quick glance before looking out the windshield again. “How would you feel about spending more nights together once we return home?”
Delighted. Thrilled. Sign me up!
“I’m having fun. You seem to be having fun.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Why not?”
Not the profession of love she was hoping for, but that wasn’t going to happen—not so soon. She might’ve been in love with him for a year, but he’d
recently been through the wringer. He was stoic about how Royce and Taylor and the role of CEO had affected him, she knew Bran—she knew he was still feeling his way forward.
She wanted to be more than his soft space to land. What they needed was more time to uncover what they could mean to each other. Exactly what he was offering. But. There was a real world to consider outside of this car.
“What about your family? What about work?”
“We can keep it to ourselves. Not because I’m worried about backlash, but who needs the pressure, you know? Who needs outside opinion on what we’re doing when we know what works for us?”
Coming from anyone else, she might consider it a blow off, but this was Bran. She knew Bran. And she wanted Bran. So much she’d be willing to do almost anything he asked.
Almost.
“And this won’t affect my working with you?” she asked.
“Not on my end. It might lead to a couple of very interesting private meetings—” his mouth quirked “—but I don’t want you to worry that anything that happens between us will affect your job. I meant it when I said I needed you at ThomKnox, Ad. I do.”
She needed him, too, but wouldn’t dare mention it.
“I appreciate the transparency. I’m not ready to shut this down, either.” She clucked her tongue and offered up a sarcastic, “Poor Tammie, though, what will you tell her?”
He chuckled. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Probably not.”
He reached for her hand and lifted it to his mouth. “A small price to pay.”
A few minutes later, he swiftly pulled over several lanes of traffic and angled for an exit she knew well.
“Pestle & Pepper,” he said in explanation.
“My home away from home.”
“Let’s have a celebratory lunch. I’m starving. Plus, they’re going to wonder if you fell off the planet. Probably think their best customer was abducted.”
She was still on the planet. But she was fairly certain her heart was orbiting Earth at the moment.
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