He's on My Mind

by Crystal Red

  “That’s one way to die alone.”

  Brandon narrowed his eyes. “Even if she does drink, it’s probably wine or some other girly shit.”

  “So what’s your point?”

  “Fuck you.” Brandon marched past him.

  “Fuck me? Dude, I thought you had your anger in check.”

  Brandon whipped around to face Chad. “I do, but your smartass comments don’t help.”

  “Sorry, bro.”

  Brandon waved for Chad to follow him. “If I’m going over there, then you’re coming with me.”

  Chad snickered. “Are you afraid she’ll try to seduce you?”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped. “That’s not going to happen. She doesn’t like me.”

  Chad shrugged, scurrying down the steps and then up the sidewalk to Kelsey’s house. Before Brandon could even make an attempt to ring the doorbell, Chad pushed the button for him.

  The door swung open and Kelsey peered out. She wore a red silky nightgown. Instantly, her nipples hardened beneath her lingerie. He tried not to stare, really he did, but the animal in him lusted after her like any man would with a pulse.

  Brandon cleared his throat, hoping to drown out the sound of his pounding heart. Why did her lips have to look so damn kissable? He wanted to reach out and bite them. Or even nibble a little. Yeah, his mind always went there. Of course it had been a while since he’d had sex. He looked into Kelsey’s eyes only to see her lips curl in to a tight frown.

  She crossed her arms. “I was going to take a shower until you guys interrupted me.”

  Oh, great. I don’t need that picture in my mind. It was too late. He already had it in there. She probably would glide a soapy sponge up and down her smooth, curvy body until she got herself off with the showerhead or maybe her finger. Yeah, he bet she was in to some kinky shit. The girls who didn’t always show their bad girl side were naturally freaks in the sheets.

  “Sorry. I wanted—”

  Chad held a hand up. “We just wanted to hang out and get to know you better. Plus, we were hoping you have beer, or something that isn’t too girly.”

  “If we’re bothering you…we can come back another time.” Brandon rubbed the back of his neck. “I know I can be a jerk sometimes, like Chad points out, but…”

  To his surprise, her lips formed a huge smile. She waved them in. “It’s fine. We might as well be friends if we’re going to live next door to each other. Besides, I have two beers left and other drinks that aren’t so girly. I don’t mind sharing.”

  “Great, thanks.” Brandon stepped into Kelsey’s gray carpeted living room. Chad followed him as if he were his shadow.

  “You guys can sit and watch some TV if you want,” Kelsey called from the kitchen.

  He choose to sit in the blue recliner, and Chad took a seat on the white flowered loveseat. Before he could grab the remote, Chad snatched it off the brown glass-topped coffee table. His friend turned on the sixty inch flat screen TV. Right away, Chad turned it to the show Cops.

  Brandon exhaled as Kelsey stepped into the living room, holding two bottles of beer. That’s the kind of a woman I want to marry. One who’ll bring me a beer any time I want one.

  His grin faded as Kelsey scowled. She didn’t say anything, just handed him the beer. She offered the other one to Chad, but his friend shook his head.

  “What’s wrong?” Brandon asked, studying her. He swallowed a long swig of beer.

  “You only want to marry a woman who will wait on you hand and foot?” She brought the beer to her lips and took a long drink.

  Brandon squirmed against the chair. How could she hear his thoughts? There had to be something about Kelsey that he’d missed. What was it?

  Kelsey’s eyes narrowed. “Well?” Her foot thumped against the carpet.

  He held a hand up. “I never said a word. I swear.” He drank half his beer.

  Chad snickered as he looked their way. “Maybe she can read your mind. You finally met a woman who can see through all your bullshit.”

  Brandon muttered under his breath. Not here. He couldn’t show her that side of him. The animal in him would have to stay away, at least for now. He didn’t need any trouble.

  Kelsey tightened her grip on her beer and stepped back. “That’s not possible.”

  He stiffened. Maybe some things weren’t. After all, who would really believe werewolves exist? Hell, he was obviously living proof they were real. Even if he’d received the bite by mistake and not by choice. He couldn’t let Kelsey find out his secret. The day would come, but not today.

  “Maybe some things aren’t,” he mumbled.

  Chad tilted his head to the side. “Do you two need to get a room or what?”

  “No!” Kelsey’s lips tightened.

  Brandon glared at Chad, then he looked at Kelsey, forcing a smile. “I think it’s time to go. I guess we’re getting on your nerves.” He rose to his feet.

  Kelsey shook her head. “You’re not. I’m just—”

  The front door swung open, and in stepped a woman with long, red curls that fell into her bright green eyes. “Hey, Kelsey. I didn’t know we were going to have company.”

  “Me neither.” Kelsey threw back the rest of her beer.

  Chad whistled as he eyed the redhead up and down. “That’s what I’m talking about. Double date. Sweet.”

  The redhead glowered at Chad. “Excuse me? I have a boyfriend.”

  “Don’t mind Chad, Beth. He’s a smart ass. I guess he has a thing for redheads.” Kelsey laughed.

  “What a damn shame.” Chad leaned against the back of the loveseat. “I bet I could make you melt with one touch.”

  Beth snorted. “I doubt that. I’m dating a very successful lawyer.”

  “Well,” Chad rubbed his palms together. “That changes everything.” The smirk that formed on his friend’s face proved his sarcastic tone.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Beth crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Oh, I mean you’re obviously attracted to a guy who is either full of himself or he’s a workaholic.” Chad tapped his lips. “So, which is he?”

  “Chad, leave the poor girl alone.” Brandon downed the last of his beer. “Time to go. I can see we’ve already overstayed our welcome.”

  Beth’s lips puckered. “No doubt about that.”

  Chad waved, walking toward the front door. “See you girls later.”

  “Oh, and, Chad?” Beth’s voice rang out like a demand.

  Chad turned around to face Beth. “Yeah?”

  “Steve is neither,” Beth called as Chad shook his head.

  “Whatever you say, Beth.” Chad stepped outside.

  Brandon stared at Beth, then Kelsey. “I, uh…”

  “I’m going to get ready for bed,” Beth muttered, stomping toward a room down the hall.

  “Follow me.” Kelsey waved him into the kitchen.

  Inhaling a deep breath, he trailed behind her in slow strides. Unlike him, she breathed light and steady. Her heart wasn’t racing as hard as his either. So he wondered why the hell she made him lose his cool. Maybe it was the unknown…

  He pulled out a pine chair and sat. As he leaned back, she grabbed a bottle of brandy out of the top oak cabinet and two shot glasses.

  She grinned, setting one in front of him. “I thought you’d like this better than beer.”

  “Sure.” He took the bottle from her and poured them each a shot.

  Kelsey plopped down onto the chair next to him. She clanked her glass with his and then tipped her head back to chug the drink. Then she poured another.

  “Maybe you should slow down. It’s Monday night.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be the one who’s downing shots rather than me? I’m the one who has become telepathic.”

  “We don’t know that yet.”

  “Why are you so uptight?”

  He coughed after downing the shot. “I wanted to ask you the same thing.”

  A low moan tumbled
out of him as she licked her lips after her third shot. Holy shit. Could this woman drink him under the table? What was her deal, anyway? There was no doubt he wanted her. The way she licked her lips made him want to strip her naked and take her right there on the kitchen table. Damn, she’s beautiful. All I can think about is kissing her.

  Brandon lost count of how many shots Kelsey knocked back, but his guess was around seven plus the beer.

  “So, are you going to do this thing or not?” She giggled. Her words slipped out of her in a slow and unsteady slur.

  He gaped. Did she mean what he thought she did? No way. He wouldn’t be the guy to take advantage of the drunk girl. No matter how much he wanted her.

  “I think it’s time for you to get some sleep. You don’t want to do anything you’ll regret in the morning.”

  Kelsey’s lips curled downward, and she stomped her foot. “I see how you look at me. You wouldn’t have come over here if you didn’t like me.”

  “You’re drunk.”

  She jabbed a finger at his chest. “So what? I can be lots of fun. How do you know until you try?”

  His gut ached, bile threatening to rise. And not from the liquor. He had to get out of there before he made a really bad decision.

  She poked him again. “You don’t have an answer for that, do you?”

  Brandon climbed to his feet and took a step back. “Kelsey, you’re beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have you, but you’re drunk. I’m not the right man. You deserve better than me.”

  “What a bunch of bullshit.” She stood and attempted to walk, but instead tripped over one of the chairs and fell to her knees.

  He dropped to her side and pulled her to her feet. His heart jumped at the feel of her smooth skin against his. He scooped her up into his arms and then carried her toward the door that was next to Beth’s room.

  “This is your room, right?” He gripped her tight with one arm while he turned the doorknob.

  “Hmm, yeah. It’s about time,” she murmured.

  “I’m putting you to bed, Kelsey.”

  Brandon stepped inside the cream colored carpeted bedroom. He laid her on the queen-sized bed. After he pulled her red slippers off, he slipped her under the comforter.

  “Come in here with me.” She slapped the extra pillow.

  He shook his head. “I’m going home. You need to sleep this off. See you tomorrow.”

  Kelsey groaned, jumping to her feet, a hand on her mouth. “Uh-oh.”

  Moving out of the way, he waited until she ran into the bathroom. The sounds of her blowing chunks and gagging filled the air.

  He hurried over to her, wincing when she threw up again. “Are you going to be okay?”

  She gazed up at him. “I don’t know. Maybe you should stay and keep me company.”

  “Kelsey, you have Beth to stay with you. I live next door. You’re going to be fine.”

  “Okay. I guess it’d be a bad idea if we slept together this soon.” She took his hand and stood.

  He helped her back into bed and then shut the door behind him. With a heavy knot in his chest, he walked over to Beth’s door and knocked.

  She answered with a scowl. “What?”

  “Kelsey’s really drunk. Can you make sure she’s okay?”

  Beth nodded. “Of course. What’s your deal, anyway?”

  He slid his fingers into his hair and tugged. “What do you mean?” He held his breath until she answered.

  “Do you like Kelsey?”

  “Yes, but I’m not the type of guy she’ll end up married to.” For some reason, his gut turned at the words.

  “Why’s that?” Beth crossed her arms over her cat nightgown.

  He sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  Beth’s brow lifted, her gaze boring into him. “If you get involved with her and she gets hurt, just know I’ll come after you. No one is going to hurt the people I love and get away with it.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me.” He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “I’m not looking for a serious relationship. I already told Kelsey it wasn’t a good idea for her and me to start anything.”

  “Okay, just remember what I said and we’ll be cool. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Beth.” Brandon waved. He exited their house and then hurried over to his.

  As he prepared for bed, he really wondered if he could keep his promise to Beth, let alone to himself.

  Chapter Three

  Kelsey sat up with a moan. She rubbed her pounding head. Why the heck did I drink so much last night? Her head and stomach ached. A hangover and work the next day didn’t help make her a happy woman. Not a good way to start out a Tuesday.

  She shuddered, and hoped she wouldn’t run into Brandon for a while. She didn’t normally act that way by getting drunk and trying to seduce the hunk next door. Heat rushed to her cheeks at the thought of her actions last night. No more drinking for her. Not if she couldn’t keep it under control.

  After a quick shower, she stepped outside with Beth and then headed to the bookshop.

  “Did you have fun last night?” The corners of Beth’s mouth quirked into a smile.

  Kelsey winced. “Yeah, until I threw up a few times.”

  “That’ll teach you.” Beth snickered.

  “Laugh it up, Miss I-have-a-boyfriend.”

  A cool breeze hit Kelsey’s face, but it didn’t stop the heat that remained. Brandon had stayed with her until she’d fallen asleep. Why hadn’t he tried to make a move on her? Most guys would take advantage of a drunk girl. Maybe he was different. She hoped so.

  “Brandon likes you. He admitted it, but it’s only a matter of time before he breaks his promise.” Beth laughed again.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kelsey muttered.

  Her friend’s brows shot up. “What?”

  “You talked to him last night when I was drunk, didn’t you?” As Kelsey bit her lip, she looked at her friend.

  Beth sighed, pushing a few loose strands of hair away from her eyes. “Yeah, he wanted to make sure I kept an eye on you.”

  “Really?” Fire filled her belly, making her tingle with lust.

  “Yes.”

  Her heart fluttered. Maybe Brandon wanted her too. Damn, she desired to climb him like a tree. She imagined throwing him up against her bedroom wall and kissing every inch of his well-built body. Starting with his lips, she’d work her way to his neck, then his broad shoulders, and trail her tongue along every inch of his collarbone.

  Maybe he was the type of guy who liked his nipples teased. Hmm, she couldn’t wait to find out. As well as some other kinky things she’d never dared to do with her past boyfriends. She squirmed. Sex should have been the furthest thing from her mind. Too bad it wasn’t.

  It’d been way too long since she’d had a man’s touch. Even though she knew it was too soon to go that far with Brandon, she wanted to imagine it anyway. There was nothing wrong with a little fantasizing. It was the real thing that got a girl into knee-deep trouble. If she got involved with Brandon, that could be the outcome of the situation. He could break her heart, and she sure as hell didn’t want that.

  Beth snapped her fingers. “Kelsey? What planet have you gone to?”

  “Sorry. My head still hurts.” She rubbed her achy temples.

  “Hmm, sure.” Beth unlocked the front door to the gray building of their bookshop. Her friend obviously didn’t believe her, judging by the sarcastic tone of her voice. It didn’t matter to her, though. A girl could dream.

  Kelsey followed her friend into the shop. She flipped the closed sign to open, then turned the lights on. She squinted as she forced her eyes to adjust to the well-lit room.

  Beth walked over to the cash register. She grabbed the key from her jeans pocket and then pulled the lockbox out from under a counter shelf before she opened it.

  “I can do that.” She reached for the stash of cash as her friend unlocked the register, but Beth waved Kelsey’s hand away.
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  “No, it’s fine. You can take care of inventory in the back. It’ll be less stress on you.” Beth placed a stack of twenties, tens, fives and ones into each slot of the cash drawers. She filled the change last.

  Kelsey touched Beth’s shoulder. “You okay?”

  Beth nodded. “I thought about asking you the same thing.”

  “Nothing happened last night.” She stared at the ground. Even if I’d wanted it to. Brandon rejected me every time. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

  She had no idea what to do about her new telepathic ability either. Could the woman who’d visited her the night of her birthday have been behind it? There had to be a good reason it happened. What if the strange woman had something to do with Brandon? Something about him didn’t add up. Maybe she was his aunt or older sister. He had a secret, and she intended to find it.

  Beth stared at her with a stony expression. “You wanted to sleep with him, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed as she looked away.

  “Well, maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t sleep with him. I worry about you.”

  Kelsey continued to stare at the floor. “I’m not going to drink brandy anymore. I want Brandon to give me a chance, but I feel as if there is something he isn’t telling me.”

  “I have the same feeling.”

  A smile spread on Beth’s face as Kelsey looked up at her. “Maybe he’s a vampire.”

  “Yeah, right.” Kelsey laughed.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s right. You ran into him during the day.” Beth slapped her thighs as she sat on the stool.

  “Very funny. Not. I’m going into the back now. Give me a holler when you need me.” Kelsey entered the backroom.

  The bell dinged, and her heart went into overdrive. What if that was Brandon? She ignored her nerves and rummaged through a stack of science fiction books.

  “Kelsey? Brandon wants to talk to you,” Beth called.

  Oh, great. How was she supposed to face him now, after she’d made a total fool of herself last night?

  Her heart hammered hard and fast as she sauntered out into the front. She didn’t look him in the eye as she approached. Instead, she stared as his feet. Size twelve maybe? Could the old saying really be true? Large feet equals a big…