She whimpers against my lips and my body lights on fire.
“I love you, Brennan,” I whisper against her lips.
“I love you too,” she replies, pulling my lips back to hers.
Waking up with her by my side is like a dream come true. She’s warm and soft against me, making me want to just stay wrapped around her all day long. She stretches and groans.
“I haven’t slept that good in a week,” she says, looking up at me in the darkness of my room.
I place my hand on her jaw and kiss her quickly. “I haven’t been sleeping that well either.”
“Dada,” Milly says, walking into my room. She looks up and sees Brennan beside me. “Bre!” she yells, her little feet carrying her closer. She climbs up onto the bed in a hurry, then jumps on Brennan, giving her a crushing hug.
“Hey, Milly.” Brennan laughs out. “Did you miss me?”
Milly nods. “Mickey!”
“Come on, Mills. I’ll get Mickey on so Brennan can get ready for her first day at work.” I pick Milly up and carry her into the living room. Placing her on the couch, I turn the TV on and get Mickey going—thank God for DVR.
I get her cup of milk and hand it over to her as she watches TV before going back to the bedroom to dress for the day.
“Who’s keeping Milly today?” Brennan asks as she buttons up her dress shirt.
“Celeste is busy today so she’s going with me to the shop.”
She frowns. “That seems dangerous.”
I wave off her concern. “It’s nothing we haven’t done before. I just keep her in the office. There’s a TV in there, toys, a fridge for snacks and drinks. She’ll be fine.” I pull a pair of jeans up my hips, watching as she slides on a pair of sexy high heels.
“Are you nervous for your first day?” I ask.
“Nah. All I gotta do is answer the phone and sign people in. It doesn’t seem life changing.”
I reach over and take her hand in mine, pulling her against my chest. “Don’t give up. That job at the school will be yours when the time is right.” I kiss her forehead and she smiles.
“I hope you’re right,” she breathes out.
Twenty-Six
Brennan
DRIVING to work, I can’t help but smile. I’m not super excited about this job or anything, but Colton and I are back together and I still have my family. For the first time in a long time, it feels like I have it all. Everything seems better with my good mood. The sun is brighter and warmer against my skin. The sky is more blue, cloudless. The grass is greener, and the early smells of summer are all around me. I can smell the sweet blooming flowers and the faraway scent of freshly cut grass. The day is warm but still cool enough to enjoy it. As I drive down the worn road, children play in their yards, finally out of school for the summer. I smile to myself, just happy to finally be here at this point in my life.
I park my car in the gravel parking lot at the doctor’s office and make my way inside. Dr. Clark is already inside. He’s a tall, thin man with graying hair. Although he’s much older, his face is remarkably smooth and free of deep wrinkles. He only has a few surrounding his blue eyes.
He smiles and holds out his hand. “You must be Brennan. I’m Melvin Clark. How are you?”
I shake his hand. “I’m great, and yourself?”
He nods. “Much better now that you’re here.” He laughs as he motions toward the front desk. “Here is where you’ll be sitting. All you have to do is answer the phones, sign people in and out, and make appointments. Any thing that involves medical records, just get a note to me or the nurse and we’ll walk you through it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Great. I’m going to go back and get ready for the day. I wish I had someone here to really train you and walk you through everything, but we’ve been without a receptionist for a while now. We’ll just have to get through this as the time goes.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I catch on quick,” I assure him as he walks out of the office area and down the hall.
I sit at the desk and start clicking around on things on the computer, trying to learn where everything is. Since this is a private practice, everything is pretty straightforward, and it doesn’t take any time at all to figure out how to book an appointment.
By the end of the day, I’m tired from lack of stimulation. My head hurts from staring at a computer screen all day long, and I feel annoyed from listening to people yell at me all day because they’re unhappy they have to wait until a certain day to get their medications refilled. As I’m walking out, it becomes very clear this is not the career for me.
I climb behind the wheel of my car and drive back to my place. As I’m unlocking the door, my cell phone rings.
“Hello?” I answer, trying to get the key into the lock.
“Hello, this is Superintendent Richard. Is this Brennan Crawford?” a man says on the other end of the line.
“It is. How can I help you?” Finally, the key goes into the lock and I’m pushing the door open and walking through. I drop my keys and purse on the entry way table.
“Hello, Ms. Crawford. How are you doing today?”
I want to laugh at that question. If he only knew how my day has been going. “Wonderful, and yourself?”
“Very well, thank you. I was calling because you applied several months ago for the music instructor position. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Would you happen to still be interested in that position?”
“I thought the position had been filled?” I flop down onto the couch and pull my knees to my chest to get comfortable.
“It had already been filled for the school year, but with it now being summer break, the position has reopened. Mr. Jefferson will be moving and won’t be returning this fall.”
“I’d love the position!” I jump to respond.
“Wonderful. If you could just stop by my office to start your paperwork, we can have you all set up and ready to go when school resumes this August.”
“Okay, thank you so much. I will be by first thing in the morning.”
“Sounds perfect. Have a good day, Ms. Crawford, and I look forward to meeting with you again.”
“Thanks. You too.” I quickly hang up the phone. I squeal in delight as a wave of excitement and happiness wash over me. I’m relieved that I will no longer have to sit behind that computer every day. I just gotta hang in a few months and I’ll have the job I’ve been dreaming about.
The first person I call is Colton.
“Hey, beautiful,” he answers on the first ring. The sound of his voice causes a spark in my belly.
“Guess what,” I practically scream into the phone.
“What?”
“I was offered the music teaching position at the high school!”
“What? When?” He’s clearly as excited as I am. I can hear it in his voice.
“Just now. I was coming home and thinking about how horrible this receptionist job is when I got the call. Can you believe it? I start when school resumes in August!”
“That’s great, baby. Let’s go out to celebrate.”
I smile. “When? Tonight?”
“Yep. I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“I love you, Brennan.”
“I love you too,” I breathe out, still amazed by the way those words can get to me.
I call my mom and tell her the good news before going to wash this horrible day off of me. When I climb out, I set to work on perfecting my hair and adding a little makeup. My strawberry blonde hair is curled and hanging down my back in long, flowing waves. I add just a touch of mascara, blush, and a shimmery lip gloss before going to my closet to search for the perfect outfit.
This town is tiny and there isn’t much to do. I wonder where he’s taking me. I wonder what I should wear. I look at everything in my closet twice before deciding on my baby blue summer dress that’s covered in a tiny floral print. It has spaghe
tti straps and just enough of a low cut to show off some cleavage. Wearing it with my strapless pushup bra, I know he won’t be able to take his eyes off me. I pair the dress with brown leather wedges and put on my silver necklace that has a tiny diamond pendant on it. At six on the dot, he’s knocking on my door.
I pull the door open and find him on the other side. A wide smile stretches across his face as his eyes take me in, slowly scanning up and down my body.
“You look…amazing,” he says, leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.
“Thank you,” I say, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind me. “Where you taking me?”
He chuckles. “It’s a surprise.” He takes my hand and leads me to the truck.
“Where’s Milly?”
“She’s staying with Drake and Celeste tonight.” He opens the passenger side door and waits for me to slide in.
“All night? We really are celebrating,” I joke.
He climbs behind the wheel and twists the key. The truck fires to life. After pulling out of the parking lot, he takes my hand and holds it between us. His thumb gently sweeps back and forth across my skin, lighting every nerve ending on fire. It’s weird that just being with him, with him touching me so simply, can get my body like it is, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I don’t know if he somehow knows what I’m thinking about because he picks up my hand and presses a kiss to the back.
“You have to stop that,” he says in his deep, sensual voice.
I smile and glance his way. “What?”
“Thinking about what you’re thinking about,” he replies.
That makes me laugh harder. “What am I thinking about?”
“Sex. It’s written all over your face. I can see it in your eyes, the flush of your cheeks, the way your lips are parted from your heavy breathing. If you don’t stop thinking about it, I’m going to have to pull this truck over and bend you over the tailgate,” he teases.
“If you don’t want me to think about it, then you need to stop touching me.” My face is hot with embarrassment.
He doesn’t remove his hand from mine though so it must not bother him too badly. As we drive through the countryside, I can’t help but to wonder where we’re going. I’m confused when he pulls the truck into a field and shuts off the engine.
“We’re here,” he says, glancing at me quickly before climbing out of the truck.
“We’re where exactly?” I ask, stepping out of the truck and moving to the back where he’s pulling a blanket and a picnic basket out from the bed of the truck.
“I packed us a picnic.” He smiles. He tosses the blanket out and lays it flat on the ground. Then, he starts to unpack the basket.
I smile as I watch him. I’ve never had a man pack me a picnic before. My heart flutters in my chest.
He looks up at me and holds out his hand. “Come on.”
I give him my hand and he holds it as I walk around the basket and take a seat across from him.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” he says, picking up a bottle of wine and pouring me a glass. I notice the way his hands are shaking and I wonder why he’s so nervous.
I look at him, curious.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Sorry, I’m nervous.”
I set the glass of wine on the blanket and lean forward. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his mouth to mine. After only a moment of us kissing, he takes me by my hips and picks me up, setting me down in his lap, my legs on either side of him. His hands run up and down my back as his lips move with mine.
“Why are you nervous? It’s just me. You’ve never been nervous before.” I lace my fingers into his hair, making sure he doesn’t turn away.
Twenty-Seven
Colton
WHAT the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve never been the nervous type. But it’s not every day that I propose to the woman of my dreams. Her fingers are threaded through my hair, holding my eyes to hers. With her in my lap, she’s pressing right where I need her weight. This dress is about to be ripped off so I can bury myself deep inside of her in the middle of this open field. No, get to the point first. There will be time for that later.
I break away from her lips and take a deep breath. “Do you know where we are?” I ask.
She tears her eyes from mine and glances around us. “We’re not too far from Drake’s, right?”
I nod. “Mm-hmm. This is part of our family land. Way over there”— I point off in the distance behind her—“is the brewery, not that you can see it from here.”
“Wow. How much land does your family own?” she asks, twisting her neck to look around us.
“A lot. Generations ago, it was all farmed. But then my grandfather built the brewery and passed it down to my dad. My dad decided to break the land up and leave a section to each of us boys so we could build our dream house for our growing families while all staying close together.”
“Aw, that’s awesome. I wish I had a big family like yours. How many brothers do you have?”
“There’s five of us,” I answer, not bringing up this potentially new brother we have. “Anyway, after talking with you last night and learning that this isn’t temporary for either of us, I thought it would be a good idea to put this land to good use.”
She bites her lower lip and draws her brows together. “What does that mean, exactly?”
I don’t reply. Instead, I just pull the box out of my pocket and hold it between us. She looks down, eyes landing on the box, and gasps.
“I know we haven’t known one another long, but I know I love you more than life itself. That week without you was torture. I told you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and I meant every word of it. Brennan, if you’ll be my wife, I promise to give you everything in my power. I’ll give you myself—mind, body, and soul. I want to build us a home here, a home that can support our growing family. Please, Brennan, do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Her green eyes are glassy and full of tears. She covers her mouth with her hand and swallows. “Are you sure?”
I laugh. “Of course I’m sure.” I take her hand and slide the ring into place. “This was my mother’s ring. I’ve had it tucked away since the day it was given to me.”
She looks at the ring. “This…is this the ring that you gave to—?”
I cut her off. “No. This has only ever been my mother’s ring, and now yours—if you’ll accept it.” I don’t want her to say her name. I don’t need any doubt cast in her mind. Brennan is the only woman I want on my mind, now and forever. Deep down, a part of me knew that Ashley wasn’t my soulmate even though I loved her with everything I had. That’s exactly why I never gave her this ring. This ring, it just felt like it was meant for someone else. At the time, I didn’t understand it, but now, I do completely.
Her smile breaks free as her hand falls away from her mouth. “Of course I will.” She squeals and throws her arms around my neck, causing me to fall backward. My lips find hers as I push her hair back. As we kiss, I can’t force the smile to leave my lips.
When she pulls back and looks into at me, her eyes are sparkling and full of excitement. “You’re absolutely beautiful, you know that?”
Her cheeks turn pink. “Stop it.” She tries pulling away, but I hold her tighter.
“No, I mean it. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you, and the fact that you’re going to be mine forever…” I squeeze her thighs that are on either side of me. “Makes me want to slide into you right now.”
Her breathing is picking up with my words. “Then do it,” she breathes out.
A growl leaves my lips as I roll us over and position myself on top of her. I reach between us and yank her panties down her legs. I have my cock in my hand seconds later. With one roll of my hips, I’m pushing into her. Her legs tighten around my hips, and her head falls back as a moan leaves her sexy as fuck lips.
“God, Colton,” she breathes out, tightening her muscles around me. “Never leave me.�
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“Never,” I agree, nipping her ear as my hips grind against hers. The more I thrust into her, the tighter she’s becoming around me. I know she’s about to come soon, but so am I. “I can’t hold on much longer, baby.” Something about the emotion pumping through my body is pushing my orgasm closer and closer to the surface.
She shatters around me, wiggling beneath me and calling out my name. Her reaction to my body finally pushes me over the edge. I try to pull away, but she doesn’t release me. I can’t hold it back even though I try. My hips jerk as every last drop of myself spills inside her. With everything I have now resting deep in her belly, her muscles seize around me, locking me in tight.
I rest my head in the crook of her neck. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it back.” My chest is heaving, my heart pounding alongside hers.
Her fingers lace in my hair. “That’s what I wanted you to do. I wanted to feel you, all of you.”
“Aren’t you worried about getting pregnant? I mean, I know we’re going to go there one day, but today?”
She giggles. “I’m on birth control and have been for years. One time won’t hurt.” She presses her lips softly to mine before I remove myself from her.
After we eat, the sun is beginning to set. I turn the radio on in the truck and crank it as loud as it will go. I pull her to her feet and to my chest.
“Dance with me.”
She smiles as she wraps her arms around me. Slowly, in the middle of an empty field, we dance to “You and Me” by Lifehouse. I place my hands on her lower back as hers stay wrapped around my neck. Her chest is pressed against mine and our eyes are locked. Seeing her like this, so happy and lost in love with the sun setting behind us, it tells me I made the right decision. Brennan Crawford is my soulmate. She was the one this ring was meant for. She was made for me in every sense of the word. I smile as I lean in, kissing her, tasting her, savoring her.
The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection Page 37