In the middle of my living room, Brayden took off my jeans, and he removed his. His legs were thick as tree trunks—that body of his certainly hadn’t been earned by sitting behind his desk back in Florida. He worked hard for everything he had. He earned what he wanted. I was well aware that he was using those same tactics on me.
And it was working.
Damn him, it was seriously working.
I pulled my shirt off and stood before him in my bra, panties, and socks. None of it matched. My socks were varying shades of purple stripes, my panties were red, and my bra was beige. Nothing about it was sexy. If anything, it was childish. Juvenile.
He was my polar opposite in his skin-tight black boxers that left nothing to the imagination as his cock swelled against them, drawing my gaze downward. My mouth started to water, and I wished I had more self-control when I was around him.
Brayden stepped toward me, the muscles in his thighs shifting, and he ran a hand from my wrist to my shoulder. “Nice socks,” he whispered, his perfect lips curling.
“They’re stupid,” I said, my voice hitching in my throat. “I didn’t expect to be doing this again with you.”
“They’re not stupid,” he said. “I like them. They’re strangely endearing.”
The empty space between us disappeared as he stepped forward, reached out, and ran his fingertips gently over the swell of the top of my breasts. His touch was like the tickle of a feather, and I succumbed to him with dripping desperation.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His kiss was equally as hungry. The warmth of his skin pressing against mine was heavenly, but I needed more.
I reached behind my back and unclipped my bra. As soon as it fell to the floor, his hands were on my breasts, massaging and squeezing. He paused to tease me by flicking his thumb over my nipples. I giggled and he went down to his knees before me, kissing the length of my body as he went until his lips were on my hips. He hooked his thumbs in my panties and worked them down my legs, pausing to kiss my thighs and my knees as he went.
I had never experienced something like this before. This was more than just a hookup to him. It had to be. I felt… worshipped.
Brayden ran his fingers up the inside of my right leg until he reached my center. He looked up at me, a coy smile playing on his lips. “Spread your legs.”
I did as I was told and fought the way my knees trembled with anticipation.
He held my gaze as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to my mound. As he began suckling my clit, it became difficult to stay on my feet. I sank my hands into this thick dark hair and stared down at him as he worked magic with his tongue on my clit.
I came faster than I should have.
Brayden held me in place with his arms around my thighs, and the way his muscles shifted against me made the moment even sexier. I knew if he didn’t fill me soon, I was going to start begging, and I didn’t want to beg. At least, I didn’t want to beg this soon. I had to hold out a bit longer.
I tried to encourage him by rotating my hips. He ran a finger over my slit, and my whole body stiffened. He seemed to sense how badly I wanted him inside me because he chuckled against my wetness and pulled my clit firmly between his lips.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, giving in as I came again. My legs shook, and my breathing grew hoarse, and just when I thought I couldn’t bear how sensitive I was, he eased a finger inside me, releasing the heat that had been burning inside me and sending it scattering in waves of white hot pleasure.
He thrust his fingers in and out of me until I nearly crumpled in his arms. Then he pulled me down and laid me flat on my stomach on my carpet.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.
He pulled his pants over to him and grabbed a condom from the pocket. He tore it open with his teeth and rolled it on, then climbed on top of me, his knees on either side of my thighs. “I’m going to fuck you, baby. Unless you don’t want me to.”
I tucked my chin behind my shoulder so he couldn’t see me smile. “I want you to.”
He planted his hands on each side of me, right by my shoulders, and lowered his hips until I felt his cock slip between the backs of my thighs. Then he was sliding into my wetness and pushing me open with one long stroke until I held all of him deep inside my pussy.
I pressed my forehead to the carpet and let out a soft moan that I wouldn’t have been able to contain, no matter how hard I tried. Having him inside me was pure bliss.
He rocked back and forth, his hips and thighs moving against my ass as he worked himself in and out.
Brayden bent his elbows so that he could press his lips to my shoulder blade. His kisses started out soft, but as he worked to a faster momentum with his hips, his kisses turned into nibbles. Soon, he was pinching the skin on my shoulder with his teeth, and I liked it.
No, I fucking loved it.
I moaned, and his thrusts pushed my chest harder into the carpet. I lifted my ass so he could get even deeper. He wrapped one arm under mine so he could hold my neck in his hand. He didn’t squeeze hard, but he applied enough pressure for me to feel like the only thing that existed in the world besides me was him.
I whimpered as my third climax approached. Brayden kissed my neck and my cheek and held me firmly in place as his hips bucked against my ass. Our skin slapped together, and I could hear how wet I was with each and every thrust.
My nails sank into the carpet, and I cried out his name. Brayden shuddered above me and released my throat as his orgasm took hold of him at the same time. We both rode out our ecstasy together, and he slowed to a gentler rhythm before pulling out and falling to the carpet beside me.
I laid my chin on my hands and looked over at him as he lay on his back with his eyes closed.
The words I knew I was about to say could very likely put me in hot water, but I was willing to take the risk now. “Can you stay here tonight?”
I didn’t want to spend the night alone again after having sex with him. I resented how empty I had felt the last time, and I longed to feel his warmth beside me as I slept. I at least wanted to know I wasn’t alone.
He opened his eyes and turned his head to me. “I can’t. Bella and my mother…” he trailed off as his brows drew together. “I want to.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “It’s okay. I understand.”
His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “Why don’t you just come back with me?”
I lifted my chin from my hands and cocked my head to the side. “Won’t that look a little—I don’t know—obvious?”
Brayden chuckled. “If my mother hasn’t already put two and two together, I’d be shocked.”
“She does seem to have a sixth sense about things.”
“I know.” Brayden rolled to his side and propped himself up on one elbow. “Come on. What do you say? Come back to the house with me and spend the night. We can all have breakfast in the morning.”
“Where will I sleep?” Brayden’s mother’s house was small. I knew Bella was in the spare room, which meant Brayden had to be sleeping on the sofa.
“Uh. Good question.” Brayden stroked his stubble-covered chin thoughtfully. “We could take all the pillows off the sofa and sleep on the floor.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. “Seriously?”
“What? You too good for that or something?”
“No,” I said defensively.
“Then what’s the problem?”
I studied him. I knew that I wanted to wake up in the morning beside him. Was it really all that weird to sleep on the floor with him? We had done weirder things in our youth. “All right. But no funny business. I’m not fooling around in your mom’s house.”
Brayden chuckled and rolled to his knees. “So bossy.”
I stood up and gathered my clothes from the floor. “Go clean up. I’m going to pack an overnight bag.”
Brayden got to his feet and slapped my bare ass as he walked by me to the bathro
om. He paused in the doorway and turned back to me as I searched for my bra. “I’m glad you kept the socks on.” He winked and then closed the bathroom door.
I was smiling to myself as I finished gathering my clothes and started getting dressed.
***
Back at Arlene’s house, Brayden and I removed all the sofa cushions and piled them up on the floor to create a lumpy mattress. I had memories of us doing this when we were kids. It was just as silly now as it had been then, but the reward tasted so much sweeter.
We both laid on our backs when it was done, and I snuggled into his side and rested my cheek on his chest. I listened to his heart beating in his chest, steady and true. He had one arm wrapped around me and was aimlessly tracing circles on my shoulder while our breathing synchronized.
The serene moment didn’t last long.
My heart started hammering in my chest as I considered the inevitable end to this thing he and I were doing. He would go back to Florida at some point. I had no idea how much time he had left here and what quality it would be, but I knew for certain it was temporary.
Arlene wasn’t doing well.
I felt selfish lying beside him as I found myself hoping she wouldn’t succumb to her cancer soon. I wanted him to stay. I wanted to have more time.
I nuzzled tighter against his side to hide the tears welling in my eyes, and I realized that Arlene probably wished she had more time too.
Chapter 21
Brayden
Two Weeks Later
Bella hovered behind me as I crouched in front of the fridge to put away groceries. We had just come back from running errands, and our hopes of my mother being out of bed when we got home had just been shattered. It had been three days now, and she hadn’t left her room.
I stood and turned to Bella, who watched me with sad, wide eyes. “Isn’t Grandma going to come have lunch with us?”
“I don’t think she’s hungry, kiddo.” I patted her head as I passed her to put some canned green beans in the cupboard above the sink. “Let’s put everything away. Maybe we can bring her a cup of tea or something.”
“Okay,” Bella said, moving to stand beside me so she could pass me a box of cereal she had taken out of one of the bags. “If she doesn’t want tea?”
“Then she doesn’t have to drink it. She’s not feeling well. We can only do so much to help. She knows we’re here if she needs anything.”
Having these kinds of conversations with Bella was hard, but she was a clever girl. I wasn’t going to be the sort of father who lied to her about what life had in store. When she started asking questions about her mother just over six months ago, I had been open and honest, and I firmly believed that was the reason she was so well adjusted. There was no use in lying, only to have her find out the truth in a few years when she started asking even harder questions.
I was going to have to do the same thing when my mother was no longer around.
I started boiling the kettle and asked Bella if she was hungry. I whipped her up a sandwich and poured her a glass of milk, which she carried into the living room to eat while her cartoons played. I was thankful that there was something to keep her occupied as I carried a cup of hot tea to my mother’s room.
I knocked gently on the door and pushed it open to see my mother propped up in bed. She had her glasses on, and an open book rested in her lap. She was looking out the window as I let myself into the room. She turned her head slowly to me as I crossed the plush carpet to sit at the chair beside her bed. I leaned over to place the mug of tea on her nightstand.
“How are you feeling, Mom?”
She looked from the tea to me and pulled her glasses off. She closed her book and placed it beside her before gently resting her glasses atop it. “I’ve felt better.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. This isn’t something we can control. It is what it is.” She sighed deeply and reached for her tea. She wrapped her frail fingers around the mug and sipped delicately. “I’m happy you’re here, Brayden. Thank you.”
“I’m happy I’m here too.”
She smiled. “Now that is something I never thought I would hear you say. Happy to be in Valdez? What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m happy to be with you. The town has nothing to do with it.”
“Does it have more to do with the pretty, raven-haired girl who happens to live in it?”
“Okay, Nancy Drew, calm down.”
My mother chuckled as she put her tea back on the nightstand. “I know you haven’t seen her in a few days. Bella’s been talking about her, and I know you miss her. Go visit Rein. I’d like to rest anyway.”
I considered telling her no. Maybe a week or two ago, I would have. But she was telling the truth. She was tired, exhausted really, and I believed her when she said she wanted to rest.
I stood and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Call me if you need me, okay? I’ll be back before dinner. Can I get you anything while I’m out?”
“No, I’m all right. Just say hello to Rein for me.”
“Okay, Mom.” I kissed the top of her head, and she closed her hand over mine on her shoulder for a brief moment. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
***
Bella was restless as I knocked on the art gallery door. I heard Rein holler for us to come in, and I pushed the door open. Bella bolted around my legs and hurried down the steps to find Rein in front of one of the new paintings she had started. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be, but I had watched her working on it a couple times. Every stroke of her brush was intentional. She knew what she was doing.
I hoped I was around long enough to see it take shape.
Bella threw her arms around Rein’s legs, and Rein let out a burst of bubbly laughter.
“Hey, you!” she said, patting Bella on the head and messing up her hair. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Bella said.
I went down the steps to join the girls. Rein looked up at me and her expression softened. She looked back down at Bella. “I got something for you. Come over here.”
Bella and I followed Rein to the corner of her gallery where a small easel was set up, holding a canvas. Some paints had been set out on a tiny table beside it, which were accompanied by three paint brushes.
“I thought you might come by soon. How would you like to paint something?”
Bella’s eyes lit up. “Can I?”
Rein nodded. “Of course you can. I’ll get you a cup of water and put the paints out for you, and you can paint whatever you want.”
Bella clapped her hands together and spun to face me. “I get to paint something, Daddy!”
“So I hear,” I said as Rein disappeared to get more supplies. “What are you going to paint?”
Bella pursed her lips. “I don’t know.”
When Rein returned, she set everything out for Bella. Then she tied a mini-sized, floral print apron around her. “You look like a true artist now, Bella!”
It took only seconds before Bella had dipped the biggest brush into purple paint and swiped it across the canvas. Rein and I encouraged her. Then Rein took my hand. “Can we step out for a second?”
“Sure,” I said. “Bella, we’ll be right outside the door. Don’t get the paint on anything but the canvas, all right?”
“Okay!”
Rein led me by the hand from the gallery floor, up the steps, and out into the hall. She turned to face me and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you okay, Brayden?”
“What?” I tucked my hands into my jean pockets. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
I could see her chewing the inside of her lip as she studied me. Her dark brows pulled together, and she frowned before reaching out to take the front of my shirt in both hands. She was incredibly close. I could smell her perfume as she looked up at me. “You don’t have to be.”
I took her hands and forced her to let go of my shirt. This kind of intimacy was almost foreign to me.
Being comforted forced me to face my problems head on, and I wasn’t ready for that.
“Brayden,” she whispered. “You can talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. My mom is dying, and I can’t do a damn thing to change it. I can’t take her pain away.” I broke away from her intense gaze. “All I can fucking do is make her tea.”
Rein wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her cheek on my chest. “It might seem like you’re not doing anything to help her, but trust me, you are.”
I sighed. Somehow, her embrace made me feel lighter. I felt like I wasn’t in this alone. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on top of her head.
“Thank you.”
She gave me a squeeze around the middle and pulled back to look up at me. “I can come stay over again tonight if you want? Keep you company, sit with your mom for a bit?”
“I’d like that.”
“Good,” she said as she stretched up to her tiptoes to give me a short kiss.
“Do you need me to come pick you up?”
“No, I had Mikey fix my car. I can drive over.”
“All right.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose.
“Come on, Casanova. Let’s see how Bella’s painting is turning out.” Rein tried to leave.
I grabbed Rein’s hand and tugged her gently back to me. “She’s a perfectionist. She’ll be busy on it for another half hour or so. No point in rushing her.” I needed a distraction. I needed five minutes where I could immerse myself in the beautiful woman sharing the empty hallway with me.
“Oh?” Rein arched a dark eyebrow. “And what are we going to do in the meantime?”
“I can think of a couple things.”
“No,” Rein said firmly, but she was smiling.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“It’s not hard to figure out. You’re predictable, Brayden Hennie.” She tried to turn away from me, but I stopped her by putting my hands on her waist and drawing her to me.
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