Brant

by D. B. James

“I’m scared, Ace,” I whisper.

  “Me, too, Cherry, but we’re in this together. You hear me?”

  “Loud and clear,” I concede, the fight in me gone. To be honest, it was gone the moment he grabbed my elbow downstairs. “I’ve missed you, if that counts for anything.”

  “It counts, sweetness.” He releases me, pushes me back a few inches, and stares deeply into my eyes. “What the fuck were you thinking? I know I already asked once, but what possessed you to leave Rhys’s protection?”

  “He wasn’t protecting me well if Mick was able to walk freely into the house, was he? Because let’s take a moment to think about it: Rhys was there the whole time, never left my side. He was like one of those helicopter parents, always hovering, and Mick was still able to get close. He followed us from frickin’ Michigan.” Stopping, I take a deep breath in, releasing it quickly. “Av was put in danger again, this time because of me, and she’s pregnant. The best thing I could do for her was to leave. Therefore, I left. Whether it was a logical thing to do or not, I left.”

  “Okay.”

  Ugh, now he’s the one with the single-word answers, and it’s enough to drive me up the wall. I eye him, giving him a look conveying that I’m not happy with his answer.

  “Stop giving me the stink eye, I’m processing.”

  Sighing, I pull firmly out of his embrace and walk farther into the suite. I’m hungry, badly in need of a shower, and dog-tired.

  “While you’re ‘processing’, I’m going to hop in the shower. Will you check the mini bar and see if there’s anything worth spending a mini fortune on? I’m starving.”

  Stepping out of my shoes, I leave them near the island passing for a kitchen, and my toes sink into the soft plush carpet. It’s a nice change from the sand and tile of the beach house. It doesn’t take me long in the shower as I quickly rinse off the salt water, sand, sunshine, and stress. It’s bliss. By the time I make it back into the bedroom, Brant has stripped down to his boxer briefs and is talking on the phone, to who I can only assume is Rhys or Justin.

  “She’s safe for the night. I’ll call everyone in the morning. Oh, hey, since it was Rhys contacting you while I was mid-flight, did you have the APB extended to include Florida?” he asks. Must be Justin. “Okay, yeah, man, thanks. Night.” He looks up and catches me staring at him.

  “What? You’re sort of beautiful, can’t fault a girl for staring.”

  “I’m beautiful? Have you looked in the mirror in, say, ever?”

  “Several times a day in fact. Did you find anything in the mini bar?”

  “Yep. A few choices: seven dollars for one dollar’s worth of almonds, or”—he wiggles his eyebrows up and down—“if you actually want to spend the big bucks, a twelve-dollar bag of Doritos.”

  “You’re not serious, are you?”

  “As a heart attack.”

  “And it’s after midnight, so I’m guessing no room service. I don’t want to leave, and I’m sure you don’t want to. Expensive Doritos it is.” Desperate times and all.

  My stomach growls before I’m able to grab the bag, alerting him to how hungry I am.

  “Didn’t you stop to eat, Cherry?”

  “Nah. I grabbed a water or coffee each time I stopped for gas, but never got any food. My nerves were too jumpy to eat. Since you’re here with me now, my appetite seems to have returned.”

  There’s an easy explanation for it: I feel safe. His presence brings me peace.

  “I get it, I do, but you shouldn’t have starved yourself.”

  “If I promise to never do it again, will you drop the subject?” I ask.

  “Hm, I’ll have to get back to you on that. Somehow, I think you’ll break the promise,” he teases. He’s not entirely off base—I probably will break it.

  “Fine, can I at least munch in peace?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to hop in the shower myself, clear my mind a bit. I really want to kiss you, bury myself inside of you, but I’ll restrain myself for tonight because you’re clearly as exhausted as I am.”

  “A kiss wouldn’t have to lead to sex,” I say.

  “We both know if I do more than peck your lips, I’ll end up balls deep within minutes. We’re safer tonight if I only hold you.”

  “Fiiine. Go shower, smelly.”

  Maybe I’ll sneak attack him when he gets out of the shower.

  Yeah, I’m totally going to do it.

  Except all my plans go up in smoke as I pass out before I can eat one Dorito.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brant

  Walking into the hotel tonight and seeing her instantly put me at ease. The driver of the cab I took from the airport probably thought I was insane with the way I was issuing new orders every few minutes. Go here—no, go there. Oh, nope, here instead.

  The whole time I was in his cab, she was making stops. Come to find out from the cab ride, it was from the hellishly long traffic lights. She’d be stuck at one upward of ten minutes, and the GPS system thought she had stopped.

  I wasn’t in the air yet once Rhys called with the first update on her whereabouts. She’d crossed the Alabama-Florida state line, like I assumed she would, only I didn’t peg her as coming as far as Orlando—not during the first day on the run anyway. She had to have sped the whole way here.

  Stepping out of the shower, I dry off quickly, hoping to be able to talk to her a bit before she falls asleep. I’m not so lucky. She’s passed out on top of the duvet covering the bed, bag of unopened Doritos in her hand.

  Grabbing my phone, I snap a picture. She’s stunning awake, and she’s gorgeous in her sleep, too. My Cherry. Lying down next to her, it’s not long before sleep pulls me under, too.

  I’m woken up the next morning by a warm mouth covering my dick.

  What a way to wake up.

  Her mouth glides up and down my shaft. A moan escapes my lips, and she knows I’m awake. My hands reach for her hair, guiding her up and down.

  It’s not long before the sensation starts to crawl up from my toes, up my spine. Tapping her on the shoulder, I let her know without using my words that I’m coming. Her moan in response is enough for me to shoot my load down her throat. She swallows every last drop.

  My cock slides from her mouth with an audible pop.

  “Mm, Cherry, best wake-up call ever.”

  My hands guide her head up to meet my ravenous mouth. Kissing her, I can taste myself on her tongue, and it turns me on even more. I’ve yet to go soft, so I move one hand from her silky tresses and pull her up over my body, lining up her sweet spot with my aching cock. With a thrust up, I’m sheathed by her warm, wet canal.

  The sounds of our bodies connecting is the only sound I hear, the slick sounds of my dick pounding into her again and again. Her breathing grows shallow, and I know she’s close. Pressing my thumb to her clit, I rub circles around it until her moans become audible gasps.

  “Ye—oh—mm—I’m—” Her words are broken, and she bites down on my shoulder when her climax hits. The unexpected feeling causes me to go off again.

  She falls on top of my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Neither of us can convey our thoughts in words. Her breathing turns smooth and steady, her weight feeling heavier on top of me. She’s asleep.

  Glancing at the bedside alarm, I see it’s barely 9 a.m.; we can rest for a while yet. I’m joining her in sleep within seconds.

  “Shit, shit, shit. Shit, wake up, Brant. It’s past checkout, and I don’t want to spend another five hundred dollars to stay here for the night.”

  “For future reference, I’d much rather be woken up the other way.” It takes a minute for her comment to sink in. Five hundred dollars? “Wait, you spent how much money on this room?”

  “You heard correctly. I’ve already called downstairs, and they’ve given us an extra half-hour to check out. I figured you’d like to wake up a bit before driving, not to mention having to be on the lookout for Mick.”

  She’s no
t wrong.

  “Okay, I’m awake. Thank you. Did you unpack anything last night?” I ask.

  “Nope, all I did was strip and hop in the shower. The hotel provided the robe. As you can see, I’m all dressed and ready to go. If you want me to drive for a bit, I can.”

  No way in hell. The real question here is where we’re going now. I want to fly her back to Michigan, or fuck, even California, anywhere as long as she’s with me so I can keep her safe.

  “How about we make a plan first? Right now, we don’t have one, and I’d rather not be driving around aimlessly. Why don’t we check out, grab some breakfast, and make plans?”

  “Sure. I’m starving.”

  “You could always eat the expensive Doritos,” I tease.

  “Heck no, those are going back to the minibar.” She reaches for me, grabs my hand, and attempts to pull me up. “Ugh, you’re solid. Get up, let’s go.”

  “I’m a man, one who works out on a regular basis, and I’m good to go after I use the restroom.” Grabbing her hand, I place a kiss on her palm and get up.

  “I think I just swooned,” she calls after me.

  Me, too, Cherry. Me, too.

  TESSA

  Pulling in at the first restaurant we see, I’m opening my door, about to sprint for the entrance when Ace stops me.

  “Not so fast. We need to be sure we haven’t been followed. Give me a minute or two to check things over before getting out.”

  Oh, yeah, I forgot.

  I’m on the run.

  From my crazy ex-husband.

  How is this my life?

  All I want to do is gorge myself on some French toast, but I have to wait. Damn you, Mick.

  “It looks great, let’s go.”

  At his words, I spring into action. The faster I’m inside, the sooner I’ll be enjoying coffee and breakfast.

  “I could eat a whole pig’s worth of bacon. I’m hungry, bordering on hangry, and my belly is screaming, ‘Feed me!’” I say as Ace opens the door for me to enter.

  “If you want five plates of bacon, get five plates of bacon,” he replies.

  “Two?” the greeter asks, and at first I think she’s referring to plates of bacon.

  “Yes,” we say in unison.

  “Right this way,” she says before leading us to a table near a window in the front. “This okay?”

  “Perfect,” Brant says.

  “Can I start you two off with anything to drink?”

  “Coffee for both of us,” I reply, knowing he’ll want the nectar of the gods to start off with.

  “Great, I’ll be back with it momentarily. Your server’s name is Rod, he’ll be over in a minute. Enjoy your meal.”

  After she leaves, I begin to look over the menu, searching for French toast and bacon. They’re simple enough items, so they should have it. A mug of steaming coffee is placed in front of me, causing me to look up from my perusal.

  “Hey, y’all, I’m Rod. Are you ready to order?”

  “Do you have French toast?” I ask.

  “Sure do. Do you want it with syrup or powdered sugar?” Rod asks.

  “Both please. I’d also like two sides of bacon.” My order makes Ace laugh, but it shouldn’t. He knew what I was going to order before we walked in the door.

  “I’ll take the same, thanks.”

  “Sounds great. Two orders of loaded French toast and four sides of bacon, coming right up. If you need more coffee, let me know. Cream and sugar are on the table.” With our orders taken, he leaves.

  “I’ve yet to fill you in on Martinelli. We’ve barely spoken since I found you last night. It feels like a lifetime since I’ve held you.”

  “You held me all night,” I counter. At least I think he did. When I woke up, his arms were around me, and it was hard untangling myself to wake him with my mouth. Afterward, I passed out on him.

  “It’s never enough, Cherry.”

  “I know the feeling. Ace, I missed you so much. It’s strange how much I missed you. I’m not used to missing anyone. Maybe I miss Av or Rhys, but it’s a different kind of feeling, you know? You’ve become vital to me in these last few weeks. You don’t know how hard it is for me to admit that. I didn’t want to fall in love again, but here I am, all sappy and in love.”

  “No, I understand it. I fought my feelings for a long time when it came to you because I didn’t want to bring you into this craziness. It figures I’d give in and that would bring your psycho ex back into your life. Just when I think things are starting to look up for me, another thing comes crashing down, but…we’re this close to it all being behind us. Trust me when I say, Mick will not get to you. I’ll take care of him first.”

  His words are spoken with such confidence, one can’t help but believe him.

  “Maybe the police will find him before he ever finds us,” I whisper.

  He shrugs as Rod starts walking back toward our table, a tray holding our food in hand. Dropping the subject for now, I wait until Rod’s gone before shoveling a gigantic bite into my mouth.

  “Yes, so much yes,” I say with a full mouth.

  “You’re a goof, but you’re my goof. I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

  My heart melts on the spot.

  A smirk breaks out across my face, but I continue chewing. His goof—I could get used to him calling me his anything. In no time, I demolish my French toast and am well into my second helping of bacon when his phone rings. He’s not using a burner? My first thought is that Mick could find us by using the location on his phone. My second is wondering who’s on the other end of the call. Instead of politely waiting for him to finish his conversation, I interrupt.

  “Why aren’t you using a burner?” I blurt out.

  “Hold on, Justin,” he says into the phone. Well, I guess my next question is answered. “Because I’m banking on Mick finding us, that’s why.” After dropping that bomb, he proceeds to go back to his phone call as if I’d be okay with him wanting Mick to show up out of the blue, to what, say hello?

  “Hang up and call him back,” I order. The glare I’m giving him speaks volumes: I’m pissed.

  “I’ll call you back in a minute,” he says into the phone before placing it on the table in between us. “You couldn’t wait a few minutes for me to finish my conversation before grilling me?”

  “Oh, I’m ‘grilling’ you now, am I? That’s rich.” He must be going for boyfriend of the year. “Excuse me for worrying about Mick. You dropped a bomb on me and went back to your conversation with Justin like it was nothing. ‘Oh, hey, by the way, I’m using my regular phone in hopes that your crazy ex finds us, just eat your breakfast like a good little lamb.’ Well, guess what? I’m not a fucking lamb. I’m a lion—I eat lamb for dinner.”

  Sighing, he runs his fingers through his hair impatiently. My normally well-mannered guy is irked. Join the club, buddy.

  “I wasn’t keeping information from you. I was merely letting us eat breakfast first. Trust me, I know you’re a lion. I’m not placating you. I’m with you one hundred percent. You’re my partner, Cherry, not some sidepiece I’m going to mistreat—which, by the way, I’d never do to anyone. I’m not a damn monster. I planned on discussing the phone issue once we were done eating. Justin just happened to call before we were done, is all. I’m sorry.”

  Oh…well…maybe it’s okay then.

  “Maybe I overreacted a bit, but my argument is still valid. I don’t want him to be able to show up here while I’m munching on bacon and sipping my coffee. You could’ve at least told me about the phone.”

  He reaches across the table for my hand, and I let him take it willingly. He gently squeezes it, the touch soothing, relaxing me.

  “I’m sorry. Forgive me?” he asks.

  “You’re forgiven. I’m done eating if you are. If the plan is to bring him to us, why don’t we bring him somewhere more populated?”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Depends. Are you thinking lots of shopping,
free parking, and mouse ears?” I ask.

  “Disney Springs,” he says.

  Nodding, I let him know it’s exactly where I was thinking. Since we’re in town, I may as well go spend a fortune on my godchild. She’ll be born before we know it.

  “Okay, mouse ears and shopping it is.” Reaching for his wallet, he thumbs out a couple of twenties and leaves them on the table. As we walk by Rod, Brant informs him the money is on the table. Once we’re out to the truck, I let him help me into the passenger side.

  Here goes nothing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brant

  Nearly three hours later, we’re sitting near the water at Disney Springs. I’m shopped out, but I fear Cherry’s only beginning. When we decided to come here, I stupidly hoped Mick was in the nearby area and we’d be at the airport by now booking a flight home. Instead, he’s yet to make an appearance, and my arms are bogged down by a million bags. How will I be able to protect her with all of this shit in my hands?

  Hopefully, it’s a question I don’t have to figure out. She’s sitting next to me, enjoying an ice cream cone while I make hotel arrangements on my phone. I’m choosing a Disney resort merely for the fact that all of these purchases can be sent to the hotel room and my hands will become blessedly free.

  “Which resort did you want to stay at again?” I ask, because she’s given me a ton of options. I’ll have to bring her back to Orlando to visit all the parks once this is over.

  “Um, it doesn’t matter. I’d like one on Animal Kingdom property, if you can book it. Otherwise, I’m cool with anything.”

  Her answer is an obvious one. Animal Kingdom—I should’ve known. My girl does love animals.

  “Sounds great. Animal Kingdom it is.” I don’t care how much the room costs, I’ll book it. She paid an absurd amount for the room last night, and I’ll pay whatever is necessary for tonight. She’s worth it. “While we’re sitting here, I’ll fill you in on what I can about Martinelli, if you like. It’s as golden a time as any.”