Did he think she was going to dash into the living room, gather her clothes, get dressed and leave before he came back from the bathroom? “I will.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.” Running off like a coward wasn’t going to help.
While he was gone, she fussed with the sheet. The least she could do was cover up. He was probably right about how tousled she was. She doubted that he was accurate about her being beautiful, though. But she wasn’t going to argue with him. It was nice being admired.
Frighteningly nice, she thought.
She glanced up and saw Brandon returning from the bathroom. He was still naked, still perfect in every way.
He had an amused expression. “Check you out, with the covers pulled up to your neck. It’s a little late for modesty, don’t you think?”
She lied. “I was cold from the air-conditioning.”
“Do want me to adjust the thermostat?”
“No, it’s okay. You can just come back to bed with me.” She wanted to cuddle with him. But she couldn’t ignore her fears, either.
He got under the sheet, but he pulled the fabric lower and looser, so they weren’t sandwiched in it. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to say something I’m not going to like?”
“Because I am.” She shifted onto her side, facing him so they could converse. “As wonderful as this is, it’s not going to last.”
“Why do we have to talk about it being over? Why can’t we just see how it unfolds?”
“Because we’re not right for each other. We come from different backgrounds. We don’t have anything in common.” She rattled off the same old excuses, everything except the truth. She couldn’t bring herself to say that.
“I think we’re getting along just fine.”
“We’ve only had a few dates, and we’ve never been anywhere where our worlds collide. If you took me into your social circle, you’d see what a mess it would be.”
“I disagree. Do you know how many of my friends have been telling me I should find a nice girl like you?”
Heaven help her, she thought, and him, too. “What if I’m the wrong kind of nice? What if what we’re doing is riskier than it seems?”
“Why? Because you inspire me to buy naughty paintings and talk about kinky sex? I’ll admit that my attraction to you is pretty damn primal. But I want to spend time with you in other ways, too, and get to know you better.”
“I want to know you better, too.” Only she was wrong to want a real relationship with him. She’d come here to end it, not get closer to him. “But I still don’t see how it’s going to work.”
“Let’s just try it, okay? Even if it turns out to be the mess you’re convinced it’ll be, at least we gave it a shot.”
She nuzzled against him, his body strong and solid next to hers. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Everything doesn’t have to be difficult. Besides, I’m the peacekeeper, remember? That’s what I do.”
The peacekeeper who’d filed a restraining order against her mother. “Can lawyers be trusted, Brandon?”
He smoothed her tangled hair. “What?”
“The T-shirt you were wearing earlier said that I should trust you.”
“I wasn’t wearing that as a message for you. It’s just a novelty shirt that Tommy gave me. I have tons of them with funny sayings on them.”
“So I should trust you?”
He kept smoothing her hair. “Have I done something to you, something that makes you question my integrity?”
“No.” He hadn’t done anything to her, but there were still the wrongdoings against her mom. “If you damaged someone unknowingly, would you regret it?”
“Of course.” He frowned at her. “Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.” She moved a little closer, absorbing his warmth, his strength. Her decency had been on the line since she’d met him, but his seemed intact. There was nothing untrustworthy about him, not as far as she could tell. “I’m sorry if I’ve been saying weird things. I do that sometimes.” She didn’t know how else to explain her ramblings, but at least he wasn’t frowning anymore.
A few silent seconds later, he asked, “Will you spend the weekend with me?”
The change of topic made her blink. “I didn’t bring anything with me. I can’t wear the same clothes every day. I’d need my toiletries, too.”
“I can take you to your apartment tonight, and you can throw an overnight bag together.”
“I can run home myself.”
He squinted. “As long as you don’t ditch me.”
“I won’t.” She intended to come back.
They’d already made love, with tender feelings between them. It wouldn’t solve anything to disappear.
For her, the romantic damage had already been done.
* * *
By the time Mary returned to her apartment, Alice was home and dressed for bed. The dark makeup was gone and her normally spiked hair was flat, making her look younger than her nineteen years. Even her pajamas were kid-like, with cartoon characters on them.
Mary had hoped to leave her sister a note or send her a text, but now she had to deal with it in person.
After Alice followed Mary into her room, she told her that she was spending the weekend with Brandon. “I went to his house to end it. But then I got caught up in my attraction to him. That’s probably no surprise to you. You’ve been saying all along that I wanted to sleep with him.” She took a hurried breath and continued. “Regardless of how long my affair with him lasts, I’m not going to tell him who I am. He’s never going to know that we set out to dupe him.” No more revenge. For Mary, this was becoming real.
Alice clenched her jaw, disgust flashing in her eyes. “So you’re just going to be his adoring little lover and never say anything when it’s over? What’s the stupid point of that?”
Mary sat on the edge of the bed, which was covered by her old chenille bedspread. “I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want him to hate me later, either. It’s just better for everyone involved to keep the truth hidden.”
“Seriously? You’re protecting him, after what he did to Mama?”
“I don’t think he did it on purpose. In fact, I’m certain now that he didn’t. He’s a good person. I’m sure of it.”
“And what if you’re wrong and he’s as conniving as his dad? You’re just going to let him and Kirby get away with destroying our family?”
“I told you from the start that I had doubts about Brandon being like Kirby.”
“You’re so naive.”
“I’m just going with my gut.”
Alice heaved a noisy sigh. “And now you’re falling for Brandon. Even though you said you never would.”
“I can’t help it.” Mary winced, her guilt growing. Feeling much too anxious, she picked at a loose thread on the bedspread. “It all just happened so fast.”
“Well, you know what? I can still get my revenge. I can spill the beans and tell him who you are.”
Mary turned livid. She’d been nothing but loyal to her sister, caring for her their entire lives. And this was how she was being repaid? “I can’t believe you’re threatening me.”
Alice scoffed like a school-yard bully. “And I can’t believe you’re choosing him over me and Mama.”
“Okay. I get it. You’re upset that I care about him. But, please, don’t tell him. It’ll rip my heart out if you go behind my back and do that.”
“Really? Well, he might be the one who ends up ripping your heart out, not me. I know you think he’s a good guy, but he’s still Kirby’s devoted son. No matter how kind he seems, he still has it in his genetics to hurt you.”
Mary didn’t want to think about anyone hurting anyone. “Just give me your word that you won’t betray me and tell him who I am.”
“Fine. Wh
atever.”
Alice stormed out of the room, leaving Mary alone to pack. But that was okay. Because for now, all she wanted was to return to Brandon.
Seven
Brandon skimmed a hand down Mary’s spine, and she sighed at his touch. They were back in his bed, warm and naked.
“I’m glad you didn’t ditch me,” he said.
“I told you that I wouldn’t.” But she wasn’t going to tell him about the argument she’d had with Alice. Mary had so many secrets, so many things weighing her down. Her life had always been complicated. She’d spent her youth with a depressed mother and a rebellious sister.
She nuzzled closer to Brandon. Cuddling with him felt good.
“Being around you makes me hungry.” He took a pretend bite out of her shoulder. “You smell like cookie dough.”
“It’s my body spray. I used it right before I came back here.” She’d also packed it in her overnight bag. “It’s vanilla and cinnamon.”
“You must smell like that when you’re working, too, except from the real thing.”
“Yes, I definitely do.” She played with his hair, intrigued by the shiny blackness. For now, pieces of it were falling onto his forehead instead of staying slicked back the way it normally was. She knew he was fascinated by her hair, too, particularly given the way he’d undid her braid earlier.
“Are you tired?” he asked.
She shook her head. She was too exhilarated to be sleepy. She glanced at the clock and saw how late it was. “Are you?”
“Not in the least.”
“I’ll bet you’re not even normally home on Friday nights.”
“Not usually, no. There was a gathering I was supposed to attend this evening, but I didn’t go. I was hoping that you’d call or come over, and you did.”
Curious about the social engagement he’d skipped, she asked, “What kind of gathering was it?”
“A party at a friend’s house. He’s the architect who designed this building. He and his wife invite me to all of their get-togethers. I have a lot of married friends. I guess it comes with the thirtysomething territory.”
She sent him a silly look. “You mean the almost-forty territory?”
He laughed, rolled his eyes. “Easy for you to say, Ms. Twenty-Five and Hardly Been Kissed.”
“I never said I’d hardly been kissed. I just said that I only had one boyfriend and that he didn’t matter as much as he should have. But I’m never going to describe you as someone who didn’t matter.” He mattered far too much. “You’ll be the one who gave me amazing sex.”
He grinned. “Now that works for my ego.” As his grin faded, he asked, “Who was the other guy? Will you tell me something about him?”
She considered what to say and how much to share. Then she realized she didn’t have anything to hide, at least not where her former boyfriend was concerned. “His name was Jim, and he was the assistant manager at the bakery where I worked in Oklahoma.”
“So what was it about him that didn’t matter as much as it should have?”
“I just didn’t feel as strongly for him as I should have. He was nice and easy to be around. But something was missing between us.”
“Where is he now?”
“He still works at the same bakery. He’s not an overly ambitious guy. The last I heard, he was dating someone new.”
“And now you are, too.” He spoke softly. “You and me and the amazing sex.”
She thought about the different positions he’d had her in, bending and shaping her to his will. She thought about the romantic way he’d held her afterward, too. “I’m glad you asked me to spend the weekend with you.”
“Me, too. Do you want to see my other house tomorrow? We can bring Cline and let him run around. There’s lots of acreage for him to play on.”
“I’d love to see it.” She wanted to make the most of her time with him.
“We can stay there tomorrow instead of coming back here. This might sound odd, but I’ve never spent the night with anyone at that house. Of course, I rarely stay there myself. The master suite has a huge four-poster bed. My decorator picked it out.” He adopted a dastardly expression. “I could totally tie you up in it.”
She kicked him under the covers. She assumed he was kidding. Or hoped he was. “That’s not funny.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
“I’m not.” She was smiling like an idiot who didn’t know any better. “It’s just weird that I inspire bad things in you.”
“I think we should do something bad right now.”
Her pulse zoomed straight to the V between her legs. “Like what?”
He sat up and reached for his clothes. “Go out for ice cream. There’s a fast-food joint nearby that makes the best milkshakes.”
Mary leaned on her side to watch him to put his Trust me, I’m a Lawyer T-shirt back on. “That was sneaky.”
He zipped his jeans, smiling all the while. “So sue me.”
Her mind whirred back to when she and Alice had hoped to sue his father. But this wasn’t a good time to think about that.
She hastily said, “I do like milkshakes. Strawberry is my favorite.”
“Then get dressed, and let’s go.”
She obliged him, and they left the loft.
They stepped into the elevator and the door closed, but he didn’t push the button that would take them to the bottom floor. He pressed her against the wall instead, kissing her senseless.
* * *
While they kissed, while everything inside Brandon went rough and hot, he roamed his hands all over Mary, eager to make his elevator fantasy come true.
When he tore his mouth away from hers, he said, “You can leave your dress on. But you need to take off your panties.”
She removed her undies and tucked them into his pants’ pocket. “Does this mean we’re not going out for ice cream?”
He laughed at her fake innocence. She was turning him on but good. Her panties were burning a hole in his pocket. He just might keep them as a trophy from their affair. “We can still get the milkshakes when we’re done.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “Done with what?”
“As if you don’t know.” In his other pocket he had a condom. He’d stashed it there while she’d been getting dressed. He undid his jeans. He was already hard. He handed her the packet. “Do you want to do the honors?”
She fumbled with the package. “I’ve never actually been the one to...”
Now her innocence seemed real. Or her inexperience or whatever. Brandon was too damned aroused to wait it out. “No worries. I’ll do it.” He took it from her.
He donned the protection, yanked up her dress and thrust into her. She gasped and pulled him closer.
They went mad, frenzied and wild, groping through their clothes and kissing. Because he was so much taller, he had to bend his knees and lift her into a position that gave him deeper access.
She moaned, so hot, so vocal.
He liked that she was wearing the same dress from before. He liked how sweet and wholesome it looked on her. Even while they were having lust-driven sex, she still seemed sweet.
Her cookie dough scent was driving him crazy, too.
She clung to him, and he stroked her with his fingers, making her wetter.
“Come with me.” He needed a release so damned badly, but he wanted her to have one, too.
She dug her nails into his shoulders, pressing them into his shirt. She’d scratched his skin earlier, and he’d loved every feral second of it.
“Come with me,” he said again, nearly growling the words into her ear.
She dug her nails deeper and harder. “I am. I will.”
Damn straight, he thought. He felt a shiver rising up in her body and taking over.
Her orgasm triggered his, giv
ing him the release he’d been waiting for, sensation slamming into sensation, pressure building into pressure.
Cripes, it was good.
When it was over, he put his forehead against hers, and they both sucked air into their lungs.
“Where have you been all of my life?” he asked, teasing her with a clichéd line.
She retrieved her panties from his pocket. “When you were twenty, I was eleven, maybe twelve. So for most of your life, I was a kid. And when you were a kid, I wasn’t even born yet.”
“Listen to you, being so literal.” So much for him keeping her underwear. She was already putting her panties back on. He glanced down at himself. He had the condom to deal with. But it was what it was. He removed the rubber and tied it off.
“Elevator safety,” she said.
He raised his eyebrows. “Are you making a safe sex joke?”
“After what we just did? Can you blame me?”
“No, I can’t say that I do.” He pushed the button, and the elevator descended.
Once they were in the parking structure, he tossed the condom into a nearby trash can.
They got into his car, and he asked, “Will you come to Texas with me in August, to Matt and Libby’s wedding?” He knew it was a random question, but now that they were lovers, he didn’t want to attend the festivities alone.
She buckled her seat belt. “You want to bring me to something like that, with all of your family there?” She sounded panicked.
“My family isn’t going to rip you apart. We’re not a pack of wolves.”
She didn’t look as if she believed him.
Damn, he thought. She was a tough case. He sighed and said, “Just think about it, okay?”
She stared out the windshield. “It’s just a lot for me to take in right now.”
He fired up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. “We agreed to give this a shot, Mary. To continue dating and seeing each other.”
“I know. But I didn’t think that it would include your brother’s wedding.”
He didn’t see what the big deal was. He’d brought a date to Tommy’s wedding, too. “I just want us to dance, to sip champagne, to have a little fun.”
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