by Audra Cole
I shake it all away and try to clear my head. I don’t need their approval in order to live my life. If this is a mistake, I’ll find out sooner or later, and then I’ll be the one who has to deal with the fallout, not them.
Chapter Three
Apparently what they say about Los Angeles traffic is true, because it takes us nearly an hour and a half to get from LAX to Brandon’s house, which is less than twenty miles away from the airport. I spend most of the drive looking out the window, familiarizing myself with this city that I will now call home. It’s sunny and clear, and the warmth radiating off the window feels nice on my skin.
We finally start winding our way up into the Hollywood hills and pull into a gated community. The car comes to a stop in front of a sprawling estate and I practically do a double take. The grounds look well maintained and lush with a variety of plants and perfect grass. My breath catches a little when I realize that this is where I will be living. I’ve never even visited a home like this before, let alone imagined living in one. Valerie’s house is the biggest I’ve ever been to, but this one looks much bigger.
Keith comes around to open my door and offers me a hand. I take it, needing the support as I get steady on my feet. He leaves my side to go retrieve my luggage and I stagger forward, trying to take it all in.
“Cherry!”
I turn and see Brandon crossing the yard. I’m not sure where he came from because the front door never opened. There must be secret trap doors somewhere. I mean don’t all of the cool houses have trap doors?
I start running across the yard and launch into his arms. He grips his arms tightly around me and I lock my legs around his waist. He weaves a hand through my hair and pulls my face to his, kissing me fiercely, as if it’s been years, not days, since we last saw each other.
Breathless, we finally break apart and stare at each other.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hi,” he replies with a smile. There is a shimmer in his eyes and I don’t know why but I start giggling uncontrollably. Something about the visual of us mauling each other in the middle of his front yard is funny to me.
“What is so funny?” He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
“Nothing. I’m just happy to see you.”
“Well, good.” He kisses me again and then sets me back on the ground. “I was worried you’d be pissed and wouldn’t speak to me for the first week, since I ditched you at the airport.”
He takes my hand and starts leading me to the front door. “I can’t say I was thrilled, but I get it. You would have been there if you could have.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he growls against my temple. He gives me a devilish smile and eyes me up and down.
“You better,” I say with a wink.
Keith comes in behind us with the last of my luggage, and Brandon lets go of me to go and settle things with him. I watch as he presses a handful of bills into Keith’s hands. “Thanks man, I appreciate you being available on such short notice.”
“Anytime, Mr. Hart. You two have a nice day,” he says, turning to go.
“Thank you,” I call as Brandon escorts him out the door.
I hear the door close and Brandon comes back into the room. I start tingling just watching him cross the room. He’s wearing relaxed-fitting jeans and a button-down, flannel shirt that has the sleeves cuffed to his elbow. I can’t help but notice that the first couple of buttons are undone.
He just looks yummy.
His eyes are dark and intense when he gets to me. He nudges me back till I’m pressed against the wall and stares at me for a long moment before leaning in and kissing me. I wind my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the kiss deepens.
“What do you think of starting the tour in the bedroom?” he asks with a smile as he pulls back.
“Yeah, I probably should get a jump on unpacking,” I tease, running my fingers through his hair.
“You’re impossible. You know that right?” he says, laughing.
“It’s part of my charm.”
All banter falls away when he kisses me again, and we head upstairs to the master suite, stopping along the way to kiss, taking turns pressing each other up against walls.
Brandon opens the double doors and ushers me into the massive room. It is decorated in neutral tones, with striking, masculine looking furniture. I look around quickly before my eyes fall back on Brandon. The rest of the room fades as our eyes lock on each other. My heart rate speeds up and my eyes dilate as I take him in.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he says, staring back at me.
“I know.”
“Come here,” he says.
I step back into his arms and he runs his hands down my body as he pulls me flush against his body. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I say, popping up on my toes to bring my lips to his. He pushes his tongue past my lips and invades my mouth, exploring my tongue and the fullness of my lips. He nips my lower lip with his teeth and I moan at the sharp, but delicious pain. He pushes me up against the bed and makes me fall back. I sink into the softness of the bed and Brandon rakes his eyes over me. He slips his hands up the bottom of my shirt and brushes his fingertips over my stomach and up to the edges of my bra. Through the padding, I feel my nipples harden and strain against the silky cups.
He removes his hands, sliding back down my body. I whimper, wanting his hands back on my skin. He smiles down at me with a glint of naughtiness behind his eyes. He grabs the hem of my shirt and takes his time, slowly stripping it off my body. He leaves the bra on but kisses a hot trail down my exposed skin, lingering on the curves of my breasts, peeking out above the silk. My skin is hot and flushed as he devours me. His scruffy jaw nuzzles me and leaves a tingling sensation as he skims over me. Next to go, are my jeans, which he slides down my legs, quickly followed by my panties, leaving me laying before him, completely naked and exposed.
His eyes get darker as he watches me. I sit up and pull him back down to the bed and start removing his clothes. I slide his button up off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor, and then remove the shirt he was wearing underneath, sliding my hands up his firm abs and sculpted chest before I pull it off, over his head. He unbuttons his jeans and I follow his hands as he slides out of them. I stare at his bulge and start to peel away his boxer briefs. His cock springs free of the fabric, and stands at attention before me. I lean forward and place the head of it into my mouth, sucking gently, teasing him.
He groans and pushes me back on the bed. He lowers on top of me and grinds his hips against me. He rolls to one side and pulls at my hips, tugging me to straddle him. His cock is between my legs, rubbing at my slit, but he doesn’t enter me. He places his fingers at my folds and slowly spreads me apart. I moan as his thumb circles my clit, applying gentle pressure. I bounce up and down on him, feeling his cock near my opening, sliding in between my lips, slick with my juices. I move faster as I get closer and closer to the edge with each stroke of his thump and the pressure from his shaft against me.
“Oh, fuck!” I cry out as he slides a finger inside me. He thrusts another finger in and starts massaging the tender g-spot inside my tight pussy. I feel my own wetness start to run down onto Brandon’s lap as I squirm against him. Every fiber in my body is cinched tight, like loaded springs, waiting to be released.
I rock back and forth faster as he finger fucks me harder and when he adds a third finger, I lose control and scream out as I come hard and fast, bearing down as I shatter over the edge of climax and then relax onto Brandon’s chest, shaking as I finish.
“Brandon, fuck me, please, fuck me.”
He flips me over and is on top of me before I can even blink. He guides his cock into me slowly at first but then pulls out and slams into me. I call out again and brace myself, gripping the blankets, as he slams into me again and again. I can hardly catch my breath in between thrusts, and he pushes me further than I’ve ever been, filling me completely and
stretching me with every thrust of his throbbing cock. He comes quickly and I can finally catch my breath when he rolls off of me. He is breathless as he stares into my eyes, and we both laugh at each other from sheer joy.
“Can we go again?” I ask, once my body fully recovers from the shock of my powerful orgasm.
He laughs and grabs me in his arms, rolling back on top of me and teasing me with his cock, that is already starting to get hard again as he moves against me. “I’ll see what I can do,” he answers before kissing me fiercely.
Chapter Four
“What’s my surprise? Tell me it has something to do with food,” I mumble into Brandon’s shoulder. We are still nestled together in his ginormous bed, neither one of us making a move to get up just yet.
Brandon laughs. “No, not exactly.” He starts to stir and roll away. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
I fight the urge to cling to him, argue for five more minutes of cuddling, and start to scoot out of bed. I wrap myself up in the sheet and sit at the edge for a minute. The idea of getting back into my travel clothes is less than appealing, and while I’m sure Brandon wouldn’t complain if I decided to wander around naked, I’m not really that kind of person. I prod my discarded jeans with my toe.
“What do you need?” Brandon asks, turning to me as he pulls on a pair of athletic shorts and a black T-shirt.
“Can I borrow a tank top or something? My luggage is all downstairs.”
“Well, I would rather you not put anything on,” he answers.
“Brandon…”
“All right, fine. Check that dresser,” he says, pointing across the room. “I’ll be right back.” He turns, presumably to go to the attached master bath.
I shuffle across the room, careful not to get tangled up in the sheet. I open the top drawer to the dresser, and my mouth drops open when I see it is filled with all of my stuff. The top drawer has my bras, underwear, and socks all laid out in colorful organizer boxes, as if they are in a department store display. The next drawer has all my T-shirts and light sweaters, the bottom drawer my pajamas and workout gear.
I shimmy into a pair of yoga pants, bra, and long-sleeved shirt before going across the room and stepping into the walk-in closet. Everything on one side is clearly Brandon’s, but on the other side, everything is mine—most of it brand new with the tags still attached. I realize the boxes we had shipped down after my shopping spree day must have arrived early.
I run my hand along the line of dresses, check through the drawers on the center island, and notice a few pieces of spicy-looking lingerie that I know I didn’t pick out. I smile and make a mental note to never leave Ashley alone with practically no spending limit in a mall.
“I must say, I’m very intrigued by a few of your selections.”
I spin around to see Brandon standing in the doorway, giving me a lazy grin.
“I think you have Ashley to thank for these additions,” I say, waving at the open drawer.
“Ah ha,” he says, laughing.
“Did you do all this?” I ask. “It’s beautiful.”
He shakes his head. “No, I copped out and called one of those master closet people to come unpack and organize everything. I figured it would make you feel more at home if everything was organized and unpacked when you got here.”
“Thank you. I love it,” I breathe. “It’s perfect.”
“Good, I’m glad. But that isn’t the surprise. Come with me.” He reaches for my hand.
I let him lead me out of the master bedroom and back downstairs. As we walk, I crane my neck to see everything. On our way upstairs, I had been too busy grabbing Brandon’s cock to really pay attention. The whole house is decorated in neutral tones and looks very polished and high end, but it lacks personality. There’s generic-looking artwork on the walls and random knick knacks strategically placed on shelves and tables. I don’t really get the sense that Brandon had too much to do with the decorating, which doesn’t surprise me.
He leads me through the formal living room that appears to have seating for at least a dozen people and takes me out the double doors that lead to the back patio. There is an outdoor kitchen, complete with brick oven; a pool with an infinity edge; and a hot tub with a water feature. The plants and flowers are more plentiful out here than in the front of the house. The combination of sparkling blue water and the greenery makes it feel a little bit like a tropical oasis. I’m half expecting to see a toucan sitting in a tree. Beyond that, is a view of the hillside that seems to go on forever. Although I can see other houses, they are so far off that it still feels truly private back here.
“This is amazing,” I say.
“Yeah, it really is. Sometimes I still don’t feel like this is really my house,” he says, grabbing my hand. “This is the first big purchase I made after I signed my movie deal. It was important to me to find something like this, a home base, where I can always go to get away from all the noise and chaos.”
I nod, trying to take it all in.
“It feels better now though, now that you’re here,” he adds after a pause.
I look at him and he meets my eyes. We don’t say anything out loud but in that moment, there seems to be an unspoken understanding. I pop up on my tip toes to press a soft kiss to his lips.
He brushes a strand of hair away from my face and tucks it behind my ear. “This still isn’t the surprise,” he announces. He takes a few steps across the patio and picks up a silver bowl that has black paw prints painted on the sides. “This is.”
“You got a dog?” I ask, my eyebrows wrinkling together in confusion as I notice the fenced off section with a dog bone and another bowl matching the one Brandon is holding up for me to see.
“No, but we are getting one, tomorrow,” he replies, his eyes twinkling. He sets down the bowl and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He fiddles with it for a moment before turning the screen to face me so I can see the picture of a puppy. “Her name is LeeLee. She’s a six month old Boxer puppy.”
“She’s so cute!” I squeal at the phone. “She’s really ours?”
He nods, smiling at my reaction. “Yeah, the rescue place is dropping her off tomorrow afternoon.”
“This is amazing!” I exclaim before throwing my arms around his neck.
“Well it’s something we always talked about doing. She can keep you company when I’m working,” he says, holding me tightly. “Now let’s go order some food.”
“You mean you don’t have a twelve-course meal, complete with ice sculpture, ready to be delivered via helicopter?” I tease.
Brandon rolls his eyes but lets out a loud laugh as he steers me back inside to the kitchen. “You’d better be careful, or I’ll have to make you do the dishes.”
“Some Hollywood treatment…” I laugh.
***
“I can’t believe you’ve already been gone a week! How’s everything going?” Ashley says. “Give me the grand tour!”
I’ve pulled her up on video chat, and I laugh as she moves her head back and forth, trying to see around me. I change the camera on the tablet and slowly scan the room. “I’m in the living room right now.”
“It’s huge!”
“I know, the whole place is. It’s kind of ridiculous actually. All this space just for the two of us.”
As if on cue, LeeLee barks from her spot; snuggled by my feet.
“Well two people and LeeLee,” I add, scratching her ears. I scan the camera so Ashley can see her too. I already texted her several pictures and a video clip earlier in the week.
Ashley laughs and blows her a kiss. “I can’t wait to come visit!”
“Me either. I miss you like crazy!” I say, flopping back against the couch. “I’m just bored here. Brandon is gone pretty much all day, and most nights he doesn’t get home till really late. It’s been very…different from what I expected.”
“Can’t you go out?”
“Yeah, I’ve gone to a few yoga classes at Brandon’s gym. Honestly, I’ve sp
ent most of my time at the grocery store. The ones here have so many things we don’t have back home, and I’ve been able to try a lot of different recipes to get things ready for my photo shoot. Emelia, the food photographer, is booked till the end of the month, but that’s probably best, because now I’ll have more time to get everything perfect. Downside, I’ve probably gained five pounds eating all my new creations.”
“Well if you have a surplus of pastries you know where you can send them. Always happy to help,” Ashley says, giving me a wink. “Have you met any new friends? Not that I would be jealous or anything…”
I laugh. “No, your title of BFF is nowhere near being in danger. I haven’t really gone anywhere I would meet people. LA is obviously full of things to do, but I guess I just don’t want to go out alone.”
“Well it’s only been a week. I’m sure this is just an adjustment period. It will get better.”
I nod but remain unconvinced. It’s a strange feeling to be in a city with thousands and thousands of people, and to still feel so incredibly lonely. I know I need to put myself out there and meet new people, but the task seems daunting. Living in a small town my whole life did not prepare me to move to a big city and make a whole new group of friends overnight. I’m sure there are people out there who could do that, but unfortunately, I’m finding that I’m not one of them.
I put on a smile for Ashley’s sake, not wanting her to worry. “I’m sure you’re right. I just have to find my niche. That’s all.”
“Exactly! Now let me see this closet you’ve been raving about!” she demands with a smile.
Chapter Five
“Cherry! I’m back,” Brandon calls from the other room.
I sigh and look at the time on my phone. Half past ten. I pull myself off the couch and go meet him in the kitchen.