Brayden straightens up. “He got to you, didn’t he? He made you think you don’t have a right to be upset?”
“No, I think I have a right. I would be more upset if I didn’t feel such obvious…”
His breath quickens. “Such obvious what?”
“Relief.” There. I’ve said it. The emotion that’s been messing with me all week. “I felt relieved when I broke it off with him. Free. Maybe even a teeny bit…happy.” The last word comes out choppy. “I moved in with Sophia—temporarily, only until I find a place—and even though I’m sleeping on the couch, and have no idea what the hell my future’s going to look like, I feel better than I have in months.”
Brayden rests his forehead against mine.
I look closely into his eyes. “I’ve felt broken since that night. Like nothing, and no one, could put me back together again. Until I ran into you at the store.”
Brayden’s blue eyes darken. “You’re putting yourself back together, Lei.” He puts his hand on my back and urges me closer to him. “All on your own.”
He takes my face in his hands and, with no more hesitation, puts his mouth over mine. He kisses me softly at first, waiting for me to open to him. I do with a moan, and he slips his tongue in my mouth.
Brayden kisses me like his whole life depends on it. He nips my lower lip until I cry out, and he never lets up. It’s familiar and new all at the same time. It’s safe, and it’s scary, only in the best way. It’s not just different than with Phillip. It’s like I’m brought back to that night twelve years ago but without all the pain that came with it. Back then, Brayden kissed me carefully like he was afraid I’d break.
Tonight, he’s all in. He doesn’t hold back, and neither do I. My heart’s pounding, and my palms are sweating as I let my tongue tangle with Brayden’s. He pulls me onto his lap and keeps kissing me, his mouth devouring mine desperately.
When he puts his hands up the back of my shirt and unhooks my bra, shivers dance across my skin. I wrap my legs around his waist as tightly as I can. I don’t want to think straight. I don’t want to think at all. And I definitely don’t want this moment to ever stop because I’m scared I’ll never feel this good again.
Our kiss grows wild and out of control. I feel like I could kiss Brayden forever, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I slip my hands underneath his shirt and across his chest, which is solid muscle. He takes his shirt off and I kiss his bare bicep, before getting a glimpse of his tattoo in the moonlight.
“When did you get your tattoo?” I whisper.
“The year I made the varsity football team,” he says. “I got it to remind myself of what truly makes me feel free, not the lure of money and fame. I knew I’d lose myself if I pursued playing football as a career. Staying here, in Montana, is what’s always made me happiest.”
“I can relate to losing yourself in the wrong career,” I say quietly.
And then I bite down on his shoulder as Brayden’s hands roam up and down my bare back. His touch feels so, so good, even though he keeps them on my back and doesn’t wander. But I start to wish his hands would wander everywhere. With a low growl and never taking his mouth off of mine, he lays me down in the back of the truck. He makes sure I’m on top of the blanket, and then he leans over me and slowly unbuttons my sweater.
His darkened eyes lock with mine with each button he reaches. I shiver as his hot breath hits my neck, and then his lips find my mouth again. He increases the tempo of our kiss, and once my sweater’s open, he undoes the top button of my flannel shirt. Then he reaches for the second one and then the third.
By the time he’s released all the buttons, I’ve forgotten anything but this moment in time. My body’s writhing on the truck bed, begging Brayden to touch more of me. He takes his mouth off mine to kiss my neck, and then he keeps going south, grazing my collarbone with his teeth. A noise escapes my throat as his lips touch the top of my breast, and then he lifts his head back up to kiss me again. Meanwhile, his hands are all over my bare skin, skimming over the curves of my breasts, and pausing to rub his thumb over my pebbled nipple. He groans as his hand drifts purposefully down to my navel and over my hips. He reaches the snap of my jeans, and I can feel his fingers shake as he hesitates.
I tense just enough that he stops.
I drag myself into a sitting position, and Brayden moves away from me, his hands in fists at his sides. I button up my shirt and sweater quietly, but we’re both breathing heavily.
He breaks the silence. “Leleila, I think we should go to sleep. I want you to leave this party feeling healed, not confused.”
“I’m okay, Brayden. That was…the best kiss of my life.”
He looks at me for the first time since we stopped kissing. His lips are swollen and bruised, his blond hair’s a mess, and his eyes are filled with such heat that I suck in my breath. We hold the eye contact without speaking until he says—
“Mine too. But I don’t want to rush this, and I’ll be honest with you. I’m going to fix up the blankets so we can go to sleep because I need to stop putting my hands all over you like I’m dying to do. God knows how much I want to make love to you all night long.”
My breath catches in my throat.
I reach out and take his hand. “I’m sorry this has been so messy.”
“Don’t be sorry that I want you. Or about any of it.”
I swallow. “I guess the fact that I’m single isn’t enough, huh?”
His eyes find mine. “Not when I want more than one night with you, Leleila. I care about you. I really like you too. And I want to make sure you’re more than ready for everything that I want with you. I’m not going to make love to you for the first time in the back of my truck. You deserve better than that.”
“Brayden.” His name comes out of my mouth in a pained tone. “I’m happy being anywhere with you.”
Brayden’s hands are on my cheeks immediately. “So let’s take our time. You just got out of a long-term relationship, and you’re still figuring your shit out. I’m happy to go slow. Okay? I have an idea for our second date.”
“When was our first date?”
He gestures from me to him. “It’s happening right now. But I didn’t know tonight was going to be a date, so our next date will be more official—would you like to go with me to Dylan and Jasalie’s wedding?”
I take his hand. “I would. Very much.”
“I’ll pick you up beforehand.”
All I can do is nod before he plants a quick kiss on my mouth and then lets me go. He jumps down off his truck, and I hear him rustling around inside the front of the cab. He taps the glass to get my attention, and I climb off the back and go around to the open passenger door.
“This’ll work, I think.” Brayden shows me the bed of blankets he’s made.
It looks warm and cozy. I never knew a truck could feel so homey.
“It’s perfect.” I climb up into the truck before Brayden can get out and shut the door behind us. “Bray, I want you here with me. Even if we have to talk all night in order to not touch one another, I want to be with you inside this truck tonight.”
Brayden drags both hands through his hair. “Let’s start talking then because other parts of me are talking louder than your voice is right now.”
And so we do. We talk all night about anything and everything, and eventually, we drift off to sleep with my head on his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brayden
The next morning, I kiss Leleila goodbye inside the truck before telling her I’ll see her Monday for the wedding.
“How’d things go last night?” Cam tips his head in the direction of Sophia’s car as Leleila disappears inside of it and they pull away.
“I’m in love with her.” I didn’t mean to say the words out loud, but the sentiment couldn’t be more true.
“Shit, Bray.” Cam’s hand claps my back roughly.
“Yeah.” I stuff my hands in my pockets and sta
re after the car as it gets smaller and smaller, driving away from me.
“Things will work out then,” Cam says confidently. “If you feel that strongly, they have to.”
I hope he’s right.
I simply can’t imagine my life without Leleila in it.
Leleila
I spend the weekend looking for an apartment. I find a studio apartment on Main Street, just a few blocks from June’s store. I’m terrified to live alone, but it’s always been a dream of mine, and I figure I can handle a studio. I don’t have a lot to bring with me, but I have to start somewhere.
I fill out an application first thing Monday morning. Just as I’m celebrating that milestone, Rona from the at-home job calls to invite me in for an interview this afternoon. She says she knows it’s short notice, but they’re looking to make a near-immediate hire for the position as they just got a new client, and they need the help right away. Well, I need the help right away too—the help of an income. I make an appointment with her for one p.m.
I walk in the door of Sophia’s house and she’s sitting on the couch.
“I got a job!” I say.
“That’s great, but what are you still doing in those clothes?” she asks me.
“What do you mean? I’ll change into jeans now.”
“Have you forgotten? You need to get into your dress, darling. Brayden will be here any minute.”
Shit. The wedding’s at four. “I completely lost track of time.” I jump up and head for her bathroom with my dress in my arms.
“Ready or not, Lei.” Sophia glances out the window. “Brayden just drove in.”
I reach the bathroom and slam the door shut.
“Don’t let him inside!” I pull off my shirt and pants and begin to apply my makeup. “I need ten minutes.” I glance more closely at my face, which looks pale and exhausted. “Okay, maybe twenty minutes.”
“Hey, Brayden. Don’t you look gorgeous in that suit?” I hear Sophia say. “Leleila’s just finishing up putting on her hot dress. Take a seat with me on the couch here.”
“This is a nice place, Sophia.” Brayden’s low voice comes through the door. “You been here long?”
“Five years,” she says proudly. “Let’s see, how did I find this place? I think it was that guy, Daryl, who I was dating for a while. Well, I wouldn’t say dating; I would probably say screwing, you know?”
Sophia giggles, and I hear her flirt button click on even higher. As if telling Brayden how gorgeous he is wasn’t enough. Good Lord. Why did I not remember what time this wedding was?
Her flirting distracts me so much that I give up on makeup and step into my dress. I zip it up as best I can, but it’s just not possible. So I pull my hair up into a twist like I practiced last night, give myself one last brush of rouge and lipstick, and step out of the bathroom and into my heels that are waiting for me right outside the door.
By the time I get them on and look up, Sophia and Brayden are sitting in silence and watching me. Sophia’s smiling as I walk over to Brayden nervously.
“Hi,” I say. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not late,” he says as he stands up. “I was early.”
I stare at his beautiful dark suit and blue tie that matches his sapphire eyes so perfectly. His hair’s combed and styled, and his expression is filled with desire. My breath catches in my throat, so much so that I can’t speak for a moment.
“Your zipper, Lei,” Sophia says for me. “You need help?”
I nod and she turns to Brayden, who also seems to have lost his breath. “Brayden, you want to help Leleila with her zipper?”
Brayden steps behind me. When I feel his hands on my back, I shiver and catch Sophia’s eye. She raises her eyebrows at me. Brayden struggles with the zipper at first, and his hand slips, but then he gets it and zips up the back.
“Thank you,” I say to him as he comes around to face me again.
“You look beautiful,” he says to me.
I smile and grab my fancy purse off the couch. “Have fun tonight,” I say to Sophia.
“I will. Don’t you worry.” She walks us to the door. “You have the key, Lei. If you come back here, that is.”
I shut the door on her laughter and look at Brayden as we walk together toward his truck.
“So do you,” I say as he opens the passenger door for me and helps me step up onto the cab.
“What?” he says to me.
“So do you look beautiful.” I bite my lip.
He steps up onto the cab and kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”
During the drive, Brayden’s cell phone rings.
He talks for a couple of minutes and then hands the phone to me. “It’s an officer from the PD in town,” he says.
I take the phone and say hello. The voice on the other end identifies himself as Officer Hayden, who says he sent a team to the ranch this afternoon.
“It was everything Mr. Wild described,” he says. “And it’s darn illegal I can tell you that. The owners of the property never even knew what was going on; it looks like it was a few of his rogue workmen who set the whole thing up. One of them works two jobs. He was asked to dispose of the container for a wire manufacturing company, and he was to pay the fee and then be reimbursed. Well, he went to find out what the fee was, then told some lie to his company in order to get the reimbursement check anyway, and went and buried the darn container for free.”
“Wow,” I say.
“He said he didn’t think any contaminants would spread when the container was sealed. Of course, there are leaks all through the thing. Our environmental specialist says the darn toxins have been leeching in that soil for weeks.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“But we’ve got a team together. They’ll begin the process of removing the contaminated soil and then containing the rest to make certain there’ll be no more seeping of toxins. The cattle will all be tested as well in case any of them ate from that part of the field. The good news? It doesn’t look like it reached the reservoir. We have a group of experts coming out to run more conclusive tests, but I think the town is safe. But thank God you two followed up on this. You’ll get a lot of press for this one, and well you should. Can you come into the station now?”
I look over at Brayden. “Sure. We have a few minutes.”
An article will appear about us in the Mountainview Union paper as well as the Montana Times as soon as the reservoir is given the all-clear. There’s a reporter at the station who has Brayden and me pose together so he can snap our picture.
“Perfect shot,” he says. “Mind if I ask you both a few questions before you leave?”
Brayden picks me up in his arms as soon as we reach his truck outside the station. “This is so incredible,” he says. “You’re amazing.”
“You were the one who found it, who followed your instincts,” I say. “I’m happy I could help, and thank God we got to it in time. But you should be proud of yourself.”
“And you should be proud of yourself,” he says to me. “You’re just as much of a real scientist and a genius as anyone in the world. No matter what you do, with a degree or without, you did this all on your own.”
He doesn’t add “without Phillip.” He doesn’t need to.
When we reach the wedding venue, Brayden goes inside to get ready for the ceremony, and I take a seat in a chair near the front of the outdoor altar.
“Leleila?”
I turn as Olivia slides into the chair next to me.
We chat until the music starts, and Dylan steps out onto the altar. He’s certainly eye-catching with that dark head of hair and striking eyes, but I twist around in my seat excitedly to watch as Brayden escorts an older woman down the aisle.
“Brayden’s walking with Rosita, Jasalie’s former neighbor and still her cat sitter,” Olivia whispers to me.
My pulse pounds as Brayden draws closer. His gaze lands on me, and I get lost in the incredible blue of his eyes. He looks gorgeous in h
is suit and tie. He winks at me as he passes, and I nearly sink into the seat as my knees weaken.
Cam is next, walking next to a curvy redhead. He murmurs something to her, and they both look like they’re trying not to burst into laughter.
“That’s Lilla, Jasalie’s friend and former co-worker,” Olivia says.
Ayden and Bella follow them down the aisle. Ayden kisses Bella’s temple when she stumbles in her heels, and they walk the rest of the way with his arm around her.
Colton Wild, a huge blond guy with piercing blue eyes, walks hand-in-hand with a slender red-haired woman who Olivia says is his wife, Sky.
Colton’s smirking, and Sky gently backhands him in the stomach. He grins outrightly then and kisses her head just as they reach the altar and separate for their respective spots.
Jenson is already coming down the aisle with a tall blond woman.
“That’s Jasalie’s birth mom,” Olivia whispers. “They reconciled after Jasalie and Dylan met. She hadn’t seen her since she was a child.”
“Wow.” I watch as the woman smiles up at Jenson, who keeps his arm around her back.
“Bella said Jasalie wasn’t sure she wanted to invite her. But in the end, she decided it would be healing.”
Jasalie’s mom is visibly trembling as she and Jenson make their way to the front. Jenson has to stop when they get near our row of chairs, and I hear him ask her if she’s okay.
“I’m fine. I’m just so happy to be here,” she says clearly back.
He escorts her into an open chair in the front row and then takes his place with the rest of the groomsmen.
When Jasalie walks down the aisle alone, I can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s as beautiful as Dylan is handsome, and her wedding gown is an amazingly gorgeous vintage-style dress. The ivory and champagne colors blend perfectly with intricate neckline beading. The gown has lace trim, long illusion sleeves, and a deep V-neckline.
Brayden (Wild Men Book 6) Page 23