Claiming Her_A Romance Collection

by R. R. Banks

  “What's wrong?” he asks. “What happened, Amanda?”

  “Did you fuck her?”

  He looks like I slapped him across the face – something I'm sorely tempted to do.

  “What are you talking about, darlin'?” he asks.

  “Don't even give me that darlin' shit, Brady,” I snap. “Did. You. Fuck. Her?”

  He shakes his head. “Honey, I have no idea what you're talking about. Who?”

  Reaching into the car, I pull out the file Tiffany had given to me and hand it to him. He looks at me for a moment and then opens the folder, thumbing through the pictures. As he looks at them, an inscrutable expression crosses his face and he starts to laugh.

  “That evil, conniving bitch,” he says. “I take it you got these from Tiffany?”

  “Let me ask you again, one more time,” I say, my voice cold. “Did you fuck her?”

  “Darlin', I did not fuck her,” he says.

  He looks me square in the eye and I want to believe him. Want to believe that he's sincere and isn't lying to me. But my head is so twisted, I can't even think straight at the moment.

  “Then why are you kissing her in that picture?” I ask.

  He sighs. “Let's go inside and talk about this?”

  I shake my head. “Answer my question, Brady,” I say. “Why did you kiss her?”

  He looks at me for a long moment before speaking. “She kissed me, Amanda. Just out of nowhere,” he says. “If Tiffany had bothered to give you the pictures of what came after this, they'd show me pushing her off of me.”

  “I want to believe you, Brady.”

  “Then believe me, darlin',” he says. “I've never lied to you.”

  “Then why didn't you bother telling me Nicholas' mother was in town?”

  He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. “Because honestly, I didn't think it mattered,” he says. “I figured she was just going to blow town again. She's flaky, Amanda.”

  I look at him and although he looks sincere, I just can't be sure. I don't trust my instincts at the moment. Not when it comes to Brady.

  “Why was she here?” I ask. “What was she doing in town?”

  “Apparently, to help Tiffany set me up,” he says. “I should have known her running into me after my meeting with Tiffany wasn't a coincidence. She asked me to have a drink with her because she wanted to talk about being a part of Nicholas' life. Wanted me to grant her visitation or something.”

  “And you didn't think that was a big enough deal to even bother mentioning it to me?”

  “No, because I told her it was never going to happen,” he says. “Ever.”

  “I can't believe you didn't even mention it to me, Brady,” I say. “It's kind of a big deal.”

  “It's really not,” he replies. “She walked out on us – end of story. I'm not going to let her worm her way back into my life, not to mention Nicholas' life, only to have her walk out again. It would destroy him. And I will not stand for that. I won't let that happen.”

  I stare at him, look deeply into his eyes and try to see the truth of the matter. The problem is, I can't. I can't see anything other than my feelings of hurt and betrayal in that moment. I can't differentiate the truth from the lies.

  Brady steps forward and reaches out to take my hand but I recoil and step away from him. He looks at me with an expression of pure pain upon his face.

  “Amanda, I'm telling you, nothing happened,” he says. “I did not do what Tiffany is trying to make it look like I did. I love you, darlin'. I'm going to marry you.”

  I shake my head. Marry me. Marriage is about the last thing I even want to think about right then and there. I can't marry somebody I don't trust. And in that moment, I don't know that I can trust him – and I hate Tiffany for making me question that.

  “I don't know if I can marry you, Brady,” I say.

  “What? Amanda, please –”

  “And given what's happened between us – I can't go back to having this be a business arrangement either,” I say. “I – I don't know if I can do this.”

  He shakes his head. “This is crazy, Amanda,” he says. “This is Tiffany trying to –”

  I hold up my hand to silence him and he stops talking. I look into his eyes and I lay my hand on his cheek.

  “I love you, Brady,” I say. “I didn't expect to, but I do. And right now, I just don't know what to think about any of this.”

  “What are you saying, Amanda?”

  “I – I'm saying I need some time,” I say. “And I need some space.”

  “How much time do you need?”

  “I don't know, Brady,” I scream. “I don't fucking know. Just – leave me alone for a while. Don't call me, don't text me – just let me have some space.”

  Without waiting for him to respond, I jump back into the car and slam the door. Starting the engine, I pull out of his driveway, racing away down the street. Tears are rolling down my cheeks and my body is shaking as I head back for the only place I can find some peace in that moment – my old apartment.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Brady

  It's been a week since Amanda left me standing in my driveway as she raced off into the night. I know exactly where she is. Have since she left. But I've wanted to respect her request for some time and space, so I haven't tried to contact her.

  But it's killing me. It's flat out killing me.

  After finding out what Tiffany had done, I talked to Kendrick. I want to stick it to her and really hurt her for pulling a stunt like that. But my hands are tied on that front too. My father's estate guarantees her a monthly stipend in perpetuity. He said he'd look into any potential legal challenges to the estate, but to not get my hopes up.

  I sigh and take a long drink of my beer. I'm sitting on the back deck sulking. Since Nicholas is off at an overnight camp, I'm alone in the house and figure I might as well drink myself blind.

  “Brooding doesn't suit you.”

  I turn and give Miss Delia a half smile. She sets a fresh beer down on the table for me and puts the empties in the trash bag she's carrying.

  “Brooding is about all I have at the moment.”

  “That doesn't sound like the Brady Keating I know,” she says. “The Brady Keating I know is a man of action. He wouldn't take getting kicked in the sensitive bits and lay down. He'd stand up and fight.”

  My grin is rueful. “Unfortunately, I have nothing to fight with,” I say. “I can't do anything to punish Tiffany for torpedoing my relationship. And I can't contact Amanda because she asked for some space and time to sort things out.”

  She nods. “Sometimes a woman who says she wants time and space is really asking for you to fight for her,” she says. “To show her that she matters enough for you to humble yourself before her.”

  “I don't know that this is one of those situations.”

  “You don't know that it's not.”

  I take a long pull of my beer and set the bottle back down on the table.

  “No, she made it pretty clear that she wanted me to stay away from her for a while.”

  Miss Delia shrugs. “Tiffany did something terrible, no question about it,” she says. “But I would suggest that you have an opportunity to show Amanda that you're not going to take that laying down and that she means the world to you.”

  “And how am I going to do that when she won't talk to me?”

  “Have you tried calling her?”

  I open my mouth to reply, but then close it again. I shake my head.

  “No, I haven't,” I admit. “Because she asked me not to.”

  “Maybe she was actually hoping that you would step up and fight, Brady.”

  I sigh and shake my head. “Maybe. I just don't know,” I say. “This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I look at Miss Delia and decide to lay it all out. I don't know why, but I feel compelled to be honest with her. So, I tell her everything about my business
deal with Amanda and how that – changed. When I'm done talking, she laughs heartily.

  “Glad you find some humor in it.”

  “I do,” she says. “I find it hilarious, actually.”

  I take a drink of my beer, watching her until her laughter finally fades. “And what do you find hilarious?”

  “Because this was never about some sham marriage with you, Brady,” she says. “The way you talked about her, from the very first time I heard her name come out of your mouth, I knew that there was something different about her. Something special. And maybe you didn't realize it at the time, but you were falling for her long before you ever said those words to her.”

  “I don't know about that –”

  “I do,” she says. “I've known you your entire life. I've seen you go through women like men go through clean underwear. And never once, did I ever hear you talk about any of them the way you talked about her. And that first night I met her? I could see that she was as in love with you as you were with her. The problem was, you two were just too scared to acknowledge it.”

  I sigh and take another drink. I think back over the months and try to recall the exact point I knew I was in love with Amanda and couldn't do it. I don't know when it was. Everything just felt so natural with her from day one. Maybe Miss Delia was right.

  But then, I guess it doesn't matter now – now that Tiffany had blown everything up.

  The doorbell rings and Miss Delia looks at me, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I'm waiting for a package, so I'll get that, but call her, Brady,” she says. “The odds are, she's sitting there waiting for you to reach out. Don't let your pride prevent you from marrying that girl – she's the best thing that's ever happened to you and Nicholas.”

  The doorbell rings again and she gives me a smile. She turns and walks away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I hear murmured voices inside, but don't pay attention to them. Instead, I take a long pull from my beer and stare out at the backyard, trying to organize my thoughts and feelings. Trying to work up the nerve to call Amanda.

  “Doing a little day-drinking today, huh?”

  My heart falls into my boots at the sound of Amanda's voice. I turn to her, my mind and body awash in a mix of emotions. She gives me a small smile and then takes the seat across from me at the table. I want to reach out and take her hand, want to feel the reassuring warmth of her skin on mine. But, I don't do any of that. Instead, I wrap both of my hands around my bottle to keep them occupied.

  I notice that she's not wearing the engagement ring and my heart sinks even further than before. That can't be a good sign.

  “How are you?” I ask hesitantly.

  She shrugs. “I'm doing – okay,” she says. “Good, actually.”

  I nod. “I'm glad to hear that, darl – Amanda.”

  “We're still going to have to work on that,” she says, giving me the first genuine smile I've seen from her in what feels like a million years.

  “We?” I ask. “There's still a we?”

  Amanda's smile falters slightly, but she recovers it quickly and nods. “There is,” she says. “There's still a we if you'll have me.”

  I reach across the table and take her hand, pulling it to my lips and kissing her knuckles softly. “Of course, I will,” I say. “I've been going crazy without you.”

  “And I've been going crazy without you, Brady.”

  I hold on to her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “What changed?”

  She grabs my beer bottle and drains the last of it. “Well, after brooding for a week, I got sick and tired of feeling sorry for myself, so I decided to do something about it.”

  “And that was?”

  “I tracked down one Angie Willows,” she said. “I had a very long, interesting conversation with her over coffee one day.”

  The knot in my stomach tightens a bit at the mention of Angie's name. “And?”

  “And, it turns out that Tiffany was blackmailing her,” she says. “Angie refused to tell me what Tiffany had on her, but she forced her to run into you that day and told her that she had to kiss you because she was taking pictures. Seems like she was relying on fear to keep Angie in line. She's got a husband and a new kid to think about.”

  “Fear of what?”

  She shakes her head. “I don't know.”

  “Then why did she talk to you and admit everything?”

  Amanda shrugs. “She honestly felt bad about doing that to you,” she says. “And she told me that she talked things out with her husband – discussed whatever leverage Tiffany has on her – and they're working to resolve that on her end so nobody can ever use it against her again.”

  I nod and feel better than I have in a week.

  “So – are we okay?” I ask tentatively.

  She smiles. “Yeah,” she says. “We're good. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Brady. Please forgive me.”

  I stand up and pull her into a tight embrace. It feels wonderful to have Amanda in my arms again – it feels right and perfect.

  And for the first time in my life, I feel complete.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I clink my champagne glass against hers and smile. “Cheers, Mrs. Keating.”

  Amanda smiles and holds her glass against mine. “And cheers to you, my dear husband.”

  We're standing on the patio of our private villa in Bali. I look out at the ocean, admiring the crystal-clear blue and green of it. The waves crash against the shoreline with a sound like thunder and the birds overhead wail plaintively. It's – amazing.

  When we first started to plan our wedding, we had planned on an extravagant affair. We wanted to make it big – or at least, I did. Amanda had scaled it back some, but it was still going to be a spectacle. After everything that happened though, we decided a small affair, attended only by our closest friends would be a much better idea.

  So, our ceremony was held in a stunningly beautiful park filled with flowers and gorgeous greenery. Only our nearest and dearest were invited to come – and Nicholas charmed all in attendance in his role as our ring bearer.

  Shortly after taking our vows, we boarded the company's private jet and took off for our honeymoon in Bali. It's one place I've never been and I have to say, it exceeds my every expectation.

  We spent the first couple of days exploring this tropical paradise, hiking for hours on end, soaking it in, and savoring every moment of the culture – and each other. Our honeymoon – like Bali itself – has definitely exceeded my every expectation as well.

  The sun is slipping toward the horizon, setting the sky on fire in brilliant shades of red and orange. As pretty as I think it is in Texas, a sunset in Bali is out of this world amazing. We sip our champagne, enjoying the sound of the ocean.

  “What do you want to do tonight, darlin'?”

  She gives me a flirty smile. “How about tonight, we order some room service?”

  I pull her to me and smile back. “I think that sounds like a fantastic idea.”

  I lean down and kiss her gently, running my hands through her hair. I feel her body responding as our tongues swirl around one another in her mouth. Being so near to her, kissing her so intensely – it still makes my pulse race. She grinds her body against me, running her hands down my back.

  Reaching behind her, I untie her bikini top and let it fall to the deck. I take her breasts in my hands, gently kneading them. As our kiss grows more passionate, I give her stiff nipples a pinch, making her shudder beneath my touch.

  I feel her hand rubbing my cock through my shorts. She reaches into my swim trunks and grips my thick shaft and I feel it growing even harder in her hand. Amanda moves her hand up and down, stroking my cock, drawing a gasp from me. With her other hand, she unties my trunks and lets them fall to the deck, pooling around my feet. I step out of them as I reach down and slide her bikini bottom down her legs.

  She kicks them to the side and then we're both standing naked on the deck, our bodies pressed together in an intimate embrace.
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  “I need you inside of me, Brady.”

  “Soon, darlin',” I say.

  I slide my hand down her stomach and slip it between her thighs, feeling how wet she is for me already. Her breath catches in her throat when I slip a finger deep inside of her. I smile as I take it out of her pussy and lick her juices off of it. The look of raw hunger in her eyes deepens.

  Pushing her back against the railing of the deck, I slip my hand back down between her legs and slide two fingers into her. I start moving them in and out, fingering her hard and fast as we kiss. Amanda is moaning and grinding her pussy down on my hand as I bang her. She claws at my back and then bites my neck as I keep driving my fingers in and out of her.

  She leans forward and bites my shoulder as I feel her body tensing up. Thrusting my fingers as deep inside of her as they'll go, she explodes. Her body shuddering, crying out, Amanda comes all over my hand.

  “Oh Jesus, baby,” she whispers. “That was so good.”

  “Just wait,” I say and give her a wink. “It gets better.”

  I pick her up and set her on the deck railing. I step forward and she wraps her legs around my waist. I kiss her deeply as I slide the head of my cock into her tight, wet opening. Amanda grabs my ass and pulls me forward, desperate to have me inside of her. I oblige her and thrust my cock into her.

  She gasps as I bury myself deep in her pussy.

  “Fuck me, Brady,” she cries. “Fuck me, baby. Don't be gentle with me tonight.”

  I give her a grin. “Yes, ma'am.”

  I grab her ass and pulled her toward me as I start to thrust my hips, driving myself into her hard and fast. The sound of our skin slapping together blends with the sound of the waves crashing, creating a beautiful music I'll never tire of.

  She pushes me back and climbs down from the railing. Turning around, she bends over the rail and looks back at me, a devilish little grin upon her lips.

  “I want it from behind, baby,” she purrs. “Give it to me.”