Brody (Default Distraction Book 1)

by A. S. Roberts

  ‘What did you think you were doing, coming here and booking into my room using that name?’ Brody asked from behind me.

  ‘You drove me to it, Brody. I wanted to talk in Vegas, and you left. I’ve sent messages and phoned, you ignored it all. I won’t live like this anymore. I’ve been working for eight long months, to get me to a place where I can see a future for myself. You can’t ignore and bury our past any longer. For my own sake, I won’t let you.

  Silence filled the room.

  ‘Sissy, I don’t know how we got here. Just how the actual fuck did we get from A to B?’ It wasn’t really a question, but a declaration of disbelief. I could feel Brody’s head shaking from side to side.

  ‘I don’t know all the answers, not yet. Nico has paid for me to see a therapist who’s been helping me…’ Barbara began to reply.

  ‘I paid for you to see loads of therapists, what makes this one different?’ Brody asked her. I could tell he wasn’t accusing her, but trying to understand.

  ‘The difference is, Brody, Nico comes with me.’

  ‘Nico Morello?’

  ‘Yes, Nico Morello, my husband.’

  ‘You don’t even know who he is,’ he accused as his anger flared again.

  ‘You’re wrong, I know exactly who he is and he knows exactly what he’s married.’

  The deep sigh that left the man behind me, vibrated his hurt and pain through me.

  ‘If he can offer you what I couldn’t or wouldn’t, then he’s a better man than I believed him to be. So, it’s what I always thought all these years, all of this is down to me.’ I heard the disappointment in his voice and brought my hands up to cling on to his biceps. I needed him to know that despite how he had brought me here, I was now very much with him.

  ‘It’s not down to you. I know that for years I told you it was and I’m sorry. Brody, we followed a pattern that was drawn out for us, a path that we just couldn’t see past. But there is a fork in that path now, we have a choice which way we choose to go. And I, for one, don’t want us to be these toxic people anymore.’ Barbara wrapped her arms around herself and I truly felt for her, standing there all alone. I leant myself further into Brody in response, as she carried on. ‘Cade told me you’d fallen in love, Brody, and I couldn’t see how it was possibly true. But, I can see it now. I’m sorry if I’ve caused all this trouble, but I had to see you and this was the only option I thought I had left. I booked in as Mrs. Barbara Daniels, because I am married, but until you give me your blessing I won’t accept Nico’s name.’

  The sigh behind me was loud, as he audibly sounded his disappointment in himself. I gripped his arms tighter, pressed my fingers deeper into his skin, making sure his hold stayed put and I tried to offer him my strength.

  ‘I was wrong, Barbara, and in so many ways… I’ll give you both my blessing. I hope that you’ll be happy together, and I sincerely pray that he gives you everything that Amy offers me,’ Brody answered and I felt his face come down onto the top of my head as he breathed me in again.

  ‘Thank you, Brody. That means so much, I just can’t tell you,’ I heard Barbara say.

  I released my hold on his arms and he took the cue to let me go and to go and hug his sister. I sat down on the edge of his bed and I watched them hold each other. I could hear as they whispered their apologies to each other.

  ‘I’ll give you two a bit of space, I’m sorry I doubted you.’ I stood to leave the room. I wanted to hold him in my arms. We were moving forward, slaying the ghosts of our pasts and doing it together. My heart was full to bursting and I needed to show him exactly that. But it could all wait for now.

  ‘Don’t go, don’t leave. I have something I want to ask,’ I heard as I stood from the bed.

  ‘You two go ahead, I need some fresh air anyway,’ Barbara offered.

  ‘Thanks.’ He smiled his response to her.

  I watched as she grabbed her coat and walked out of the room, smiling at us both. Her anxiety had lifted the moment her brother had taken her into his arms. The door closed behind her and I turned around to face the man I loved. As I did so, he simultaneously fell to his knees in front of me.

  ‘Brody?’ I questioned as I felt my mouth open in shock. I tried and failed to pull him back up by grabbing his hands in mine. It was pointless, there was no way I could move him. He turned my hands around, lovingly kissed both of my wrists and then gazed up at me. I fell in love with him all over again.

  ‘Amy,’ he started and I held my breath, not knowing what to expect. He smiled a shy sort of smile at my reaction and I bent down to chastely brush my lips on his in reassurance. ‘Amy, when I stood in your office earlier, taking in your anger, I read the words your nan created for you. It was as if she was speaking to me. I know that sounds crazy.’

  ‘It doesn’t sound crazy to me. She often speaks in my head, too,’ I revealed to the incredibly serious, but sweet man on his knees in front of me.

  ‘I want you to want to be with me. I want to be the one you spend the rest of your life with. I want to be the one who rids you of your sadness, so that you can smile again.’ I watched as his lopsided grin swept over his face and his voice changed to a more playful tone. ‘Hell, I know I can enflame your anger, take today for starters. But, I also want to be the man you have passionate make-up sex with.’ He offered me a wink and I smiled back at him. ‘I know sometimes we’ll argue to the point of you ignoring me and still, I want to experience that with you. I want to be the father to our many children.’

  ‘Many?’ I laughed a little, as I questioned him.

  ‘Yes, Amy, many,’ he replied. I could see the previous tension he had held in his body falling away, the more he spoke. ‘FUCK! I read those words she made for you and I know I’m that man. I want the white picket fence and the whole goddamn nine yards with you. So, what I’m down here officially asking is… Amy Harper, will you live with me for the rest of your life.’

  I burst out laughing at his words and flung myself into his arms. ‘Yes!’ I shouted out.

  With my sudden momentum, he collapsed backwards, taking me with him. I placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed all over his smiling lips, until he whispered to me.

  ‘Then, beautiful, this isn’t the end of our story, it’s just the end of the beginning.’

  Five years later

  I’d dumped my bags in the hallway and after calling out and getting no reply, I followed my nose. It led me through to the back of our house, to the open-plan kitchen and family room. Standing at the door, I took in the woman who owned every single fucking part of me. She was busy in the kitchen, with the full view of the lake behind her. Not for the first time, I thought to myself just what a lucky fucking bastard I was. If someone had ever told me I was going to fall in love, just by seeing someone through a shop window, I’d have told them that they must be fucking high. But, she had come into my life and rocked my world. Here we were, five years later and I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like without her. I was a better man for loving her and I could only hope she felt the same way about me.

  Quietly, not wanting to disturb the view in front of my eyes, I walked in and sat down at the breakfast bar. I knew I should let her know I’d arrived home, but hell, for these few peaceful minutes, I just wanted to watch her, like I had the first time I saw her.

  I’d missed everything about her in the time we’d been apart. Three weeks away from my family these days, was my fucking limit.

  I studied what she was doing and knew I was comprehensively fucked.

  Amy was baking, fucking baking, when she knew exactly what the smell of flour on her skin did to me. I watched as she moved around, taking in the way her supple body looked in her black leggings and fitted vest. Her chestnut coloured hair was up in a ponytail and the skin on the back of her neck showed a sheen of moisture that just called for my fucking attention. I watched as she wiggled her hips around to the music she was playing in the background. A huge part of me loved the fact that she
listened to me singing whenever we were away on tour. I knew that she missed me, as much as I fucking missed her. Skype sex was hot as fuck, but it only took the edge off the need I had for her, my woman, the one that I wanted twenty-four hours a day, every single fucking day.

  I licked my lips at the sight of the cakes she was icing. I could smell the peanut butter from here. She knew they were my favourite and I knew that they were being made especially for me. But, the unsurpassed view was of her, bending over to place another tray into the oven in front of me. I couldn’t see any panty lines and I started my game of guessing just exactly what she was or wasn’t wearing underneath her clothes. My fingers twitched along with my dick, as I imagined running my hands all over that ass and finding out.

  The best sort of women were cooks in the kitchen and whores in the bedroom. Fuck me, those sexist bastards were right. I was the lucky bastard who was on the receiving end of all her handiwork.

  My expanding dick meant that I was now fidgeting as I rested my ass against the edge of the stool. I always knew that I found watching her baking erotic, but the sight of her and the neat baby bump she was carrying, was fucking killing me slowly.

  I fucking loved her being pregnant. It spoke to me in a primeval way.

  As her voice joined in with the chorus of one of the love songs I’d written when we were first together, a huge fucking grin broke out on my face. I cringed as she missed the high note and started to laugh at her.

  My secret was out.

  The moment she heard the sound behind her, she spun around. The knife that she’d been using dropped unceremoniously onto the granite worktop with a loud clatter and she flew towards me. I took in the sight of her face, tendrils of hair had fallen out of her hair tie, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes alight and her face was dusted in flour, as only hers could be. I realised that I’d never loved her more.

  ‘You’re home!’ she shouted, as her bare feet flew over the slate floor to reach me.

  I shifted my ass off the edge of the stool and matched her step for step, until at last we were touching. I lifted a piece of her hair off her face and placed it behind her ear. Instinctively, her arms went around my neck as she pulled me closer. My hands found her ass and I lifted her up, to place her exactly where I needed to feel her and her legs wrapped around my waist.

  A groan left my mouth as the warmth of her pussy rubbed against my hard dick.

  ‘Yep. I’m home. You miss me?’ I kissed the tip of her nose and watched her.

  She pulled away and looked at me like I was stupid and I grinned at her, watching as her dark brown eyes darkened further. ‘Desperately. Woman in her second trimester here.’ The words stopped and her mouth crashed into mine and I met her half way. She demanded and I let her take. Her tongue swept into my mouth and I met it with equal fervour. The pace she was setting started to quicken and small moans left her mouth. Finally, I took control, refusing to be rushed, as I wanted to savour every moment of our reconciliation. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers.

  ‘Don’t you dare pull away, Daniels.’ Amy rolled her hips, making her warm pussy rub against me. It caused a dull, painful ache inside my balls that was so strong it felt fucking dangerous. I exhaled and raised my eyebrows at her words.

  ‘Turn the oven off and take me to bed,’ she demanded.

  ‘I’d love to, beautiful. But aren’t you forgetting a couple of small things?’

  ‘I’m seriously forgetting how much I love you the longer you talk and insist on making me wait.’

  I laughed out loud at her words.

  I moved one of my hands, knowing she was gripping her thighs tight enough around me. I wanted to tease her a little bit more. I ran my fingers up her back and stroked her neck. Her skin changed in the wake of my fingertips. I loved watching her react to me, it never got old. As her eyes closed and she leant into the feel of my hand, I couldn’t hold out any longer.

  ‘Where are the boys?’

  Her eyes opened and she smiled a slow, lazy smile at me.

  ‘Aunty Barbara has taken them for a few hours. We’re all by ourselves.’ I knew I loved my sister, but I’d never loved her more than when she was in the U.K. offering her babysitting services. It had taken us a long time and a lot of therapy to come through our twenty-odd years of hurt, but it had been worth every single fucking piece of heart rendering pain. I had her firmly back in my life. Between her, Amy and the boys, and the guys in the band, they had put me back together, piece by very broken piece.

  ‘Well that puts a different swing on things, why the fuck didn’t you say before, beautiful?

  ‘You never asked.’ She grinned back at me.

  The three weeks he’d been gone had almost been painful. I missed him with every bone in my body. After five years together, my heart still leapt when I saw him. Even after having two children already and with another on the way, the very moment he gave me that look, or used a certain tone of voice, I would move heaven and hell just to fall into his arms.

  Barbara had taken Felix and Max off my hands a couple of hours previously. She knew Brody was due home this afternoon and it had given me an opportunity to make sure I was ready for him. I had soaked in the bath, shaved and creamed my skin. Then I’d pulled on comfortable clothes, knowing that he didn’t give a rat’s tail about what I was wearing. I’d brushed my hair and without putting on a scrap of make-up, I’d gone down to the kitchen to bake his favourite cakes.

  I was sure my nan was with me on days like today. I felt so close to her when I baked and I was convinced I could feel her love surrounding me as I made food for my own growing family. Dementia had finally taken her two years ago, the only thing that consoled me about her loss was the fact she had stayed with us long enough to see I was happy and settled. I could still remember her soft skin on mine, as she touched our first baby bump and felt him kick her in response. She had left us, but her love and words of wisdom still echoed in my heart and my head. She was the one who had shown me how to be a mum, and I had made a vow to myself that our children would never be short on the love and encouragement that she had shown me.

  Feeling a little emotional due to pregnancy hormones, I turned up the volume on the radio to let Brody’s voice wrap itself around me.

  All the time Brody was away I listened to Default Distraction, as it made me feel closer to him.

  Stood in the kitchen getting more and more excited by his imminent arrival, I was now singing at the top of my voice. The man I loved had the sexiest bloody voice. I knew I was a mess of hormones, but thinking about him being here soon and listening to him as the music reverberated around the kitchen had my core aching with need. My breathing was unsteady and my skin was so on edge that goose bumps had started to appear on my arms. I laughed to myself at just what the thought of him could do to me.

  The song that was playing was one of my favourites by the band and had me singing out loud. As the chorus came around again I put my heart and soul into every word.

  Deep, melodic laughter hit my ears and I spun around so fast, I dropped the palette knife I was using.

  And there he was. I let my eyes sweep up and down him, taking him in and inhaling deeply to find his spicy cologne.

  ‘You’re home!’ I shouted out in disbelief. Without thinking any further, my feet moved of their own accord and flew over the tiled kitchen to where he was pushing himself off one of the stools. Our bodies connected and I exhaled a sigh of relief. He moved some hair off my face and I looped my arms around his neck as he lifted me up into his arms.

  My pregnancy hormones had taken over and I shamelessly rubbed myself over the hardness I just knew I would find. The groan he released was almost too much to bare.

  ‘Yep, I’m home. You miss me?’

  Was the man stupid?

  ‘Desperately. Woman in her second trimester here.’ The time for talking was over. I crashed my mouth into his and took everything I needed.

  The next few minutes were a blur, I demanded and
he controlled. I thought he might never give in to what my body was pleading of his. The conversation went back and forward between us, until suddenly the look in his eyes changed when he found out we were home alone.

  Finally, we were moving. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and gripped his waist with my thighs. He strode towards the oven and switched it off. I could now only feel one of his hands on me and it wasn’t nearly enough. I heard the rustle of a cupcake wrapper and moved my head to look at him squarely in the face.

  ‘You’d better not be thinking about food?’

  He grinned back his response to me. ‘You needn’t worry, the only thing I’m eating, Amy, is you.’

  ‘Promises, promises,’ I teased.

  At my words, his teasing, relaxed demeanour changed to one of a man on a mission and I couldn’t help the sigh of relief that left my mouth. I clung on for all I was worth as he strode back across the kitchen to the breakfast bar. The sound of his boots thumping on every piece of slate was like music to my ears. His hold on me changed as he kicked a couple of the boys’ toys out of our way. Slowly, he lowered me backwards until I was lying on top of the cool, granite worktop.

  ‘Okay?’ he checked.

  I nodded at him and sucked my bottom lip into my mouth in anticipation.

  ‘Lie still, I’m getting these clothes off you.’

  I exhaled a trembling breath. I placed a hand either side of me to check exactly where he had placed me and then held on to the edges of the granite. Brody stood in between my legs and pulled his T-shirt up and off his body and then lovingly placed it under my head. I heard myself gasp, as I took in everything about his gorgeous torso and my eyes went down to watch him release the top two buttons of his jeans. It was then I knew he was playing me at my own game. Very tidy manscaping met my eyes and my core tightened as I realised he was commando. I let my eyes run all over his body and his nipples hardened under my perusal. I knew he was watching my reaction as I took him in and I licked my lips at the sight of him, showing him just how he affected me, as if he could ever be in any doubt.