by Golden Angel
When Brady walked her back to her rooms, she braced herself, ready to turn him away rather than inviting him in. Instead, he didn't even bother to ask or try. She was starting to feel kind of confused, as she unlocked the door, and opened it before turning back to say goodbye to him. Part of her was mad he hadn't made a move and part of her was relieved he hadn't. It didn't feel like they were being friends, but it didn't feel like he was really trying to be romantic either.
Jesse looked up at him almost challengingly, waiting to see what he would do.
He just cupped her face and kissed her.
And kissed her.
And kissed her.
Jesse melted against him, her hands on his wrists, her lips parted for his tongue, practically moaning as he indulged them both with a completely panty-dropping kiss. She was practically panting when he pulled back.
"Sweet dreams," he murmured, and walked away. Jesse just stared after him, her body throbbing with the desire he'd stirred... and then slammed the door.
He hadn't even tried to get in her pants so that she could deny him.
That asshole.
******
Down the hall, Brady heard the slam of the door, and grinned. Jesse might be pissed he'd left her like that, but there was no way he was leaving her without a goodbye kiss, and there was also no way he was going to try and get into her bed tonight. The last time they'd been together she'd been so adamant that it was just a one-night thing, a moment in the woods, and that it didn't mean anything.
Well next time, it was going to damn well mean something.
And that meant doing this right.
He might not have much experience with relationships, but he knew enough to not jump right into bed with Jesse, no matter how much he and his beast both wanted to. They'd gone from completely platonic friends, even if he'd had feelings for her, to sex without commitment, and Brady hadn't been completely satisfied with any of those things. So he figured his best route was to mix it all up together. He wanted to keep the friendship part of their relationship intact, but he didn't want to be completely platonic, and they weren't going to have sex until Jesse felt secure in his commitment.
No matter how much his cock might ache and his beast might roar.
He had to admit, though, he did feel really good about knowing that she wanted him physically too. That could only help, right?
Brady went to Eli first, to inform the bear that he would be staying at the Peak and with Steele's pack. Which had always been coming anyway, since Steele had wanted them to return to him once their training was finished. Eli wasn't surprised at all.
Stopping by Bethany and Steele's rooms, he accepted Bethany's squeals and hugs when he told them he'd be staying.
"Good choice," she said, grinning widely. "Bailey and I were about to start setting Jesse up on dates to help her get over our stupid brother."
Brady scowled at her. "Where's the loyalty?"
"With Jesse," she answered, without even a second of hesitation, and grinned even wider. "You were being stupid."
He sighed. "I was... having some trouble figuring out the best way to proceed."
"So you proceeded stupidly," she said, nodding her head.
Grinding his back teeth together, he switched his glare over to Steele, who was sprawled out on the couch, watching him and Bethany. "Can't you do something about this?"
"Probably not," Steele said with a shrug, as Bethany slapped Brady's bicep in annoyance. She really hated it when anyone even hinted Steele might have some kind of control over her behavior. "Besides, I think it's kind of cute as long as she's not doing it to me."
Bethany made kissy faces at her mate, looking at him with a particular light in her eyes that Brady found extremely uncomfortable. He hastily said his goodbyes and beat a quick retreat back to the room he was sharing with Brice.
He wasn't at all surprised when he found it was empty. Likely Brice had already found some accommodating member of Steele's pack to bunk with. Brady was fine with the time alone to lay on his back and start to plan. Steele had promised him a new set of rooms, which would be good... Jesse probably wouldn't be okay with leaving Daniel alone for long periods of time, but now and then wouldn't bother her and it would be good to have his own space. Somewhere for him to stay as long as they were confined here to the Peak.
All he needed to do now was prove to Jesse that he wasn't going anywhere. Unfortunately the only thing that could really do that was time, but he could also make a good show of his intentions. And he could romance her.
He could romance the hell out of her.
Pulling out his phone, he pulled up Google and searched how to romance a woman. The very first result was 7 romantic gestures that make women swoon.
1. Make her something
Okay, he'd have to think about that one later.
2. Demonstrate you think about her when she's not around.
Well, he'd already been doing number two, but that was when they were separated by distance. Maybe it would be even more romantic if he did it when they were actually spending time together. Because he did still think about her.
Switching to the text messaging app, he sent her a text.
I wish the circumstances of today had been different, but I'm really glad I got to spend tonight with you.
Of course, thinking about his brother made him think about Meredith and the rest of the team Brock had been with, and that made him angry all over again. Part of him felt bad that he was more focused on Jesse than on their loss... but another part of him realized that he'd never been particularly close to any of them either. He was angered at the loss of life, grieved that he wouldn't get to know them better, but it wasn't like losing someone close to him. He was grateful his family was all safe and Jesse and Daniel were safe. It made him feel a little selfish, but on the other hand, after everything he had lost in his life he felt like he got a pass.
His phone buzzed.
I definitely didn't want the Peak to be attacked, but I'm really glad you're here too. =)
The little smiley emoji at the end made him grin. He hoped she was smiling like that.
Alright, so far this advice stuff was good, he'd see what else there was.
3. Be supportive
Okay, he'd been doing that since he'd met her - go him!
4. Clean up
Clean up what? Her space? Brady didn't think she'd appreciate that. But he'd make sure his space was clean. And if she ever needed help cleaning up her space... or, maybe. Hm... It had been a long time since he'd thought about his parents but he did have more memories of them than any of his siblings and one of them pushed to the forefront of his brain.
Dad doing the dishes and Mom coming up behind him to slide her hands around his waist and pepper the back of his neck with kisses. As a child, he'd just seen and accepted it as normal parental affection. Now, as an adult, he was pretty sure his mom had really liked it when his Dad did the dishes.
So check, on that too. Brady could handle that. Even though it hurt a little to remember his parents, it also made him happy... especially because it felt like he was definitely on the right track with this list now.
5. Make important introductions
Well she'd already met and been accepted by the most important people in the world to him. He'd done that from the very beginning.
6. Take care of her.
Well he thought he'd been doing that before, when he'd left to go be part of the group hunting down The Company, but now he was going to interpret this in a different way. A more personal, intimate, daily way.
Brice was always telling him that he was too serious, and that's how Brady felt about Jesse. She needed more joy in her life. They both had grown up way too fast, being the oldest siblings. Maybe that was why she was so stuck on a series of kid's books. Brady liked being the one to take care of his siblings, it suited him, but with Jesse... it seemed more like she did it because she had to step up. Not that she resented it or that she didn't want
to take care of Daniel, but he didn't think she got the same kind of happiness that he did from being the caretaker. If anything, she seemed to stress about making everyone else happy to the point where she didn't even notice whether or not she was happy.
So Brady could take care of her and change that, and that would make him happy.
7. Surprise her!
Hm. That would be another one he'd have to think about. Although he was pretty sure he'd already surprised her a bit today, he was pretty sure this meant romantic surprises.
Maybe that could go hand in hand with making something?
Or little surprises to show that he was thinking about her when they weren't together...
Brady grinned as he put down his phone, his head already whirling with ideas. Okay, so he'd made some missteps at the beginning of this relationship, but he was sure he could do this.
Jesse was too important for him to mess it up.
******
Jesse didn't know what was melting faster - her panties or her heart.
It had only been one week - one week! - since Brady had officially moved into Cryus Peak and she'd gone from being half in love with him to pretty much full blown, head over heels, totally gone on him. He'd been part of her daily routine for months now, even when she'd been here and he'd been at Lakewood, but she hadn't realized how easily he would completely make himself comfortably in her life.
Life at Lakewood hadn't exactly been normal, considering she'd been dying the entire time she was there, and once she wasn't dying, the attack had happened and she and Daniel had been immediately moved. When she was sick, she'd practically lived just for Brady's visits; he'd been the brightest part of her day. Once she'd settled in at the Peak, she had a lot of bright parts to her day - Bethany and Bailey were always fun, spending time with the kids was a joy... but she'd always looked forward to hearing from Brady too. Not a day had gone by when he hadn't reached out to her.
Still, she'd thought he might struggle adapting to normal life with the Pack. Things weren't as regimented as they were with Lakewood. Even though Steele considered his Pack almost like a military unit, they were still a full pack, with younglings, elders, and non-fighting members. Sure, everyone had a job in case of attack, but about half of the Pack's daily life had nothing to do with security or the operations Eli would send Steele's pack on.
Instead, Brady seemed to be perfectly happy. He was now part of Jordan's team, took his guard shifts, and worked out with the other members of his team, but that definitely didn't take up all of his time. Oh no. As soon as he'd realized where Jesse liked to spend most of her free time, she suddenly had an extra set of hands helping her out in the playroom.
The kids loved him.
She'd even been slightly supplanted in Trey's affections, but only after Trey had challenged him and Brady had done one hundred push-ups with Trey on his back. Apparently it was a feat that Trey had believed only his Uncle Kasim and his Dad could do. Later she found out that Brady had begged Kasim to tell him how to get on Trey's good side. Too. Freaking. Cute.
Jesse wasn't the only one having trouble keeping her panties on either; apparently there were quite a few females in the pack who remembered Brady and either wanted a chance with him or a second go around. They weren't interested in romance either, just getting in his pants. It might have been off-putting, except that Brady took care of their advances within the first twenty-four hours.
"I'm trying to win Jesse's heart and I don't want her to get the wrong idea," he said. He actually said that. She heard him. More than once. Because he said it very, very loudly. With an immediate follow up of: "Do you have any suggestions to help me?"
It was amazing she hadn't turned into a puddle of goo by now.
Now every single female in the Pack was working with him to help him win Jesse. Literally, every single one, from the toddlers to the old grannies. The ones her age (okay, and quite a few that weren't anywhere near her age) were still swooning over him, but they did so in that "unattainable crush" kind of swooning way. Jesse found herself constantly alone with him, even when they were in a room full of people.
He spent time playing with the kids in the playroom. He spent time with Daniel and Daniel's friends, playing video games and giving homework help. When Jesse cooked him dinner (which had been almost every night), he kicked her out of the kitchen afterwards so he could clean up. She'd ended up hanging out in the doorway just watching him do dishes. When he was out on his patrols, he'd bring back flowers or nuts that he found in the woods for her. And every time they had to part ways, he did so with a searing kiss that left her aching for more.
Which really sucked because she was already incredibly aroused by everything else he was doing, even though she was pretty sure he didn't mean to because there was no way he could realize how sexy it was to watch him do dishes or play hide-and-seek with five year olds.
All in all, he acted like he'd been part of the pack for years, not just a week. It felt like he'd been in her life for years too and she was having trouble imagining her life without him. She was more relaxed, she was less stressed, and every time she turned around he was doing something that made her life easier... and in such a charming, disarming way that she couldn't even protest. Part of her worried that she was going to get used to this and then he'd leave and pull the rug out from under her... but another part of her already believed him when he said he was there to stay.
Yesterday they'd gotten word that Eli and two of his teams had taken out another Company facility, and Brady hadn't even cared that he'd missed out. Sure, a ferociously satisfied glint had been in his eyes when he'd whooped and high-fived Brock, but he hadn't been bothered at all by missing out. Brock had been grumpy about it, especially because Brice had returned to Lakewood with Eli and had gone out on the mission, but Brady had been perfectly content just hearing about it and knowing it had happened. He really was by her side to stay, and Jesse not only wanted him there, she believed this could really work.
How had it happened so fast?
Maybe the Bunsons had all been infected with a charm gene along with everything else. Bethany and Bailey had basically done the same thing - sucked Jesse into their world when she'd been trying to hold herself aloof. It had only taken them a few days to make her feel like they were her best friends in the world, and only a few more days beyond that to upgrade that to sisters from another mister. As annoying as Brice could be and as broody and silent as Brock could be, they had the same thing draw.
"Jesse! I'm going over to AJ's! I'll see you later!" Daniel said as he swept down the hall and out the door, not even waiting for her to respond. Not that she would have told him no.
"Have fun," she called after him, right before the door slammed shut.
Her brother was completely happy and settled here with Steele's pack, which made her happy. Sometimes she thought about Aunt Penny and wished... but on the other hand, she wasn't sure how well her stuffy aunt would have settled in here. But she thought Aunt Penny would be happy to see how happy Jesse and Daniel were. She knew her parents definitely would be.
Looking back at the pages of the book she'd been reading and realizing she'd been flipping pages without really focusing on the words again, she grumbled under her breath as she flipped the pages back to the last thing she remembered. Thinking about Brady was making it hard for her to focus.
Her phone buzzed, and she held the book open as she picked it up.
Hey beautiful, patrol was quiet. Come over for dinner tonight? 7 pm?
Since her phone clock said it was only 4pm now, Jesse raised her eyebrows. Brady had texted her to get together when his shift was over every day for the past week, except he'd always wanted to get together immediately. And Jesse had obliged him. So this time he wanted to wait? Why?
She'd only eaten dinner at his place once this week, and they'd gotten food from the cafeteria and brought it there. When she'd teased him about being a bachelor, he'd claimed he'd cook her a romantic dinner that wou
ld knock her panties off.
Her heart rate kicked up.
Sure, I'll see you then.
Immediately she closed out the text message with him and opened up a new window.
Help! I think Brady's finally making a move and I have nothing to wear!
Brady's sisters texted her back even faster than he did.
We're on our way over!
Chapter 14
"Oh... oh, yes. That is definitely the one," Bailey crowed as Jesse spun in front of them.
Bethany was way too petite for Jesse to use her clothes, but Bailey was about the same size and she'd brought over several of her dresses. Jesse didn't bother to question why Bailey had brought dresses to the Peak - Bailey was a bit of a clothes horse and her closet was crammed full of clothing. She kinda figured it was Bailey's way of making up for all the shopping and girly outings she'd missed out on, since she'd spent her teenage years in captivity.
Since there were no shops at the Peak - although there were plenty of shop-owners waiting patiently to get back to pack lands and their livelihoods - Jesse hadn't been able to expand her wardrobe beyond what she'd picked up at Lakewood. She hadn't even thought about wanting to look nice until she'd started to think that this dinner tonight might be a little something more than just a regular meal. Man, she really hoped it was, otherwise she was going to feel really stupid for dressing up.
Since Bethany and Bailey were encouraging her, she figured that was probably a good sign. She didn't ask them any questions, because if they knew what Brady was up to she didn't want to ruin the surprise, but she did take her cue from them and they were thrilled to get her ready. Heck, she kind of felt like Hermione getting ready for the Yule Ball, they'd put so much time and effort into getting her ready.
Bethany had done her make-up while Bailey did her hair. Her grey eyes looked huge and shiny against the smokey-eye Bethany had given her. The dark grey and black was expertly done without being overdone and Jesse was so thankful for Bethany's help since if she'd attempted the same thing she'd probably end up looking like a raccoon - or worse, like she had a black eye. The rest of her makeup Bethany left fairly light, so that her eyes stood out, but she'd made Jesse's skin look completely flawless, given her just a hint of pink in her cheeks, and a little bit more pink in her lips so they balanced her eyes but didn't compete with them.