Brodie's Wish (Cottonwood Falls Book 10)

by Aliyah Burke

  “Sure thing, this is for his father.” Shea barely looked at him but approached his dad and hugged him. “Are you ready?”

  Noah nodded.

  She grinned at him. “Great. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  They all went to the copter and loaded in. Shea and his father were in the front while he sat in the back with her dad. Headphones on, they waited while she started it up. She peered back at the two of them and he held her gaze for a moment, putting what he could into a look. Whether it worked or not, he wasn’t sure. “Shea?” Brodie asked over the comms.

  She didn’t turn back but she at least replied with a, “What?”

  “You and I are having dinner after this.”

  “I have things to do.”

  Her father stared at him, expression serious, but then he jerked his head toward his daughter as if encouraging him to try again.

  “You missed our date the other night. I want to take you to lunch as a thank you for this.”

  “I don’t need your thanks for it. I’m more than happy to take your father up.”

  “You can tell me that over our meal.” He sat back and crossed his arms. “…Shea.” He hid his smirk at the slight shudder that ran through her body.

  Chapter Seven

  Shea swore. Repeatedly. It wasn’t fair how what was supposed to be a nice flight for Noah Wallace had turned into sexual thoughts about his son. The way Brodie allowed her name to fall from his lips like that, all deep and almost purring. While to the others, it may have been nothing but it happened to be that exact timbre he’d used to call her name in her ear as he fucked her to paradise and far beyond.

  Now, I have to fly with damp panties.

  She would have dinner with him, defend her position, and go from there. Right now, however, she had to conduct a flight. “I’m sorry this isn’t a Duce,” she said to Noah, but it’s the best I could do.”

  The old man beside her reached over and squeezed her hand. “This is perfect,” he said as they lifted away from the ground. “Thank you so much.”

  It was entirely her pleasure. The flight went nice and easy with the snow falling around them, increasing as the trip went on. They went over ranches, decorated towns, countryside and more.

  At the end of the flight, she hopped out and ran around to assist Noah in getting out.

  He didn’t need any. He hugged her tight. “Thank you so much for this, Shea.”

  “Merry Christmas, Mr. Wallace.”

  “I’ll take him to our house; you take Brodie to your car and meet us there,” her father said as he walked off before they could argue. Or rather, before she could argue.

  Then Brodie seemed just fine with those arrangements as he stepped up to the door.

  “This doesn’t change anything,” she said in the mic as she got them back up in the air.

  “Sure it does.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Because we’re not in a store with an old busybody trying to get some gossip. I’m not letting this or you go, Shea. You can’t deny there was something…is something between us and I don’t want to end it, because I was an ass and behaved poorly.”

  She flexed her fingers around the stick and struggled with the urge to send them in a dive just to freak him out. Or see if she could.

  The entire flight back he made comments about the time they’d spent together. The things they’d done. And how much he’d enjoyed them.

  Hellfire, those damp panties are now damn near soaked.

  Also, he did it all in that voice of his that had her wanting to tear off said damp panties and throw them away.

  She continued focusing on the flight and when she got them back to the place she borrowed it from, he reached for her thigh and set his hand there. He didn’t move it anywhere—she wasn’t sure if it made her happy or pissed off—but he squeezed it lightly.

  After talking to the man who owned helicopter, she and Brodie headed off to her car. Snow had picked up a bit now, but this was still nothing for her to worry about. She unlocked the car and hesitated a moment before slipping inside.

  Brodie had already buckled up by the time she climbed in. “Thank you again, for what you did for my father. I don’t think I’d ever seen that much happiness in him before.”

  “It was the least I could do. I’m glad it made him happy.”

  “I think he loves you more than me now,” he teased without any anger.

  She smiled and started the car.

  “But I’m beginning to see you have that effect on people. Men, especially.”

  “Not intentional.”

  “I know but that’s why it happens, you don’t plan on having people fall for you. You just have it happen.” He slipped his hand over hers from where it sat on the gearshift. “I’m in love with you, Shea. Yes, it was fast. Yes, we don’t know each other that well, but I can’t change how I feel.”

  The car swerved a bit on the road until she got over the shock of what he just said. Finding a spot along the stretch of blacktop to pull off, she did and put the car in neutral before facing him. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I’m not yours to lose or win, Brodie. That’s another one of those games I don’t play.” Her heart disagreed with her and thundered within her chest.

  “Yes you are,” he stated with conviction.

  “No, I’m not.”

  He reached across to cup her cheek, his thumb skimming along her lower lip.

  Shea had to work hard, in order to contain the whimper of need something as simple as his touch created within her.

  “Tell me then. Right now. Right here, that you don’t feel anything for me. That what we had didn’t go beyond the physical.”

  “Waxing poetic, Brodie?”

  He didn’t smile or laugh. Instead, he gripped her chin tighter, so she couldn’t pull away. “I’m not joking, Shea.”

  Yeah, I can see that. She swallowed a few times, solely to get moisture back in her mouth. “I can’t tell you that, Brodie. Not without lying.”

  He arched an eyebrow and let go of her face.

  “However,” she continued. “That still doesn’t change that there’s nothing more between us.”

  “I wish you could see what I do when I look at you, Shea.” He captured her hand. “I wish you could see the joy you bring into my life. The hope. The light.”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t want to be that. That’s too much responsibility on me.”

  “No, it was and that is my mistake. How you make me feel, how you make me believe in the future, shouldn’t ever be a burden to you. And I don’t want it to be. Ever.” He threaded their fingers together. “Give us a chance, Shea. Let me show you. Please.”

  God help her, she wanted to do just that. “You have until after Christmas.”

  “Two days. Not a problem, this is the time of year for miracles.” He tugged her closer. “Am I allowed to kiss you now?”

  Every cell in her body called for it. “Yes.”

  As his lips covered hers, she sighed. This was what she needed in her life. How she wanted to feel. If this time with him could prove to her that it could work, she felt ready to try.

  Touching his tongue with her own, he growled and she smiled. He wasn’t a weak man; he was controlled and contained. This wasn’t a fix it all thing but there was definite promise for the future. For their future. And she could live with that.

  αβ

  “Shea. Shea!”

  She stirred and pulled the blanket down from over her head at her mother’s cry. Seriously, that’s like ungodly. And on Christmas morning too. “What?” she yelled out three seconds before she yanked the covers back over her.

  “You have a visitor.”

  It was Christmas morning. Early in the morning. Like before even the small kids are rolling out of bed. Plus, we have a blizzard happening, who would be out to come see me? “If it’s not Sarah, I’m not available.”

&
nbsp; Not for another few hours. She’d just gotten to bed a short time ago. Or that’s what her body felt like. This blizzard had been unexpected. The snow, yes. The amount that had fallen already, not even close. And more still fell. The town was snowed in. Only way in or out was through the air, and unless she was mistaken, she didn’t have that helicopter in her back pocket.

  Rolling over, she grunted and burrowed back down. Why is it that you can’t ever get back to that perfect spot of warmth you had before someone wakes you up?

  Yes, it was Christmas day but it wasn’t time to eat yet. Breakfast wasn’t finished and she knew that because the house didn’t smell like her mama’s cooking. She could smell the coffee and that was it. And today, coffee wasn’t enough to get her ass out of bed before six in the morning.

  The creak of a floorboard was her alert that her mother ignored her cry and sent her visitor up to her.

  I’ll just pretend to be asleep.

  The door opened and she shut her eyes fully, doing her damnedest to appear as if she were completely sleeping once more. It didn’t do any good, the bed dipped and the double mattress offered her up to the intruder. As she rolled into a firm thigh, the scent of the man attached to it hit her nose and she caught her breath before opening her eyes.

  Brodie.

  He smoothed some hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear prior to smoothing his hand along her cheek and down to her bared shoulder. “If I’d known you slept naked away from me, I would have come by sooner. And I think I’m jealous of this Sarah.”

  Stretching languidly, Shea cracked open her eyes to find the light on and Brodie staring down at her like she’d handed him the moon. Never had a man gazed at her with such emotion. He punched through the ice barrier around her heart with such ease, it almost scared her. Correction, it didn’t just scare her, it freaked her the fuck out.

  “Just because my shoulder is bare, doesn’t mean I’m naked under here. It’s cold out there, you know.”

  He tugged on the corner of the blanket. “Let me take a peek.”

  She smacked his hand. “No, stop it, Brodie.” Still, she had no heat in her tone with the admonishment. She sat up and chuckled at his expression.

  “Naked. Clothed. It doesn’t matter, you’re still hot as fuck. But I came up here to give you this.” Brodie withdrew a small gift from his pocket and placed it in the palm of her hand.

  “What is it?”

  “Typically, one opens a gift first,” he teased leaning forward to nibble on her neck.

  His touch made her crave more. Her fingers trembled a bit while she unwrapped the bow on the small wooden box. Lifting the lid, she peered inside and her breath caught. Settled upon a silver velvet square was a hand carved raven. His wings were outstretched and the detail present blew her away. “Oh my God,” she breathed, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “Brodie, did you make this?”

  “I did.”

  “For me?”

  “Yes, for you.”

  “Oh, it’s stunning.” Reluctantly, she released his hand and withdrew the wood. Completely smooth, she brought it closer and checked out each detail.

  The feathering was done so accurately, there was even some below the back part of the beak to the throat that he’d added. The black had a shimmer to it, with a purple and blue hue. It looked real, as if he’d captured a real one then shrank it down. Putting it back in the box, she turned to him and jumped in his arms. “I love it!” She kissed him repeatedly. “Thank you.” Kiss. “Thank you.”

  He curved one arm around her and pulled her fully onto his lap. “Merry Christmas.”

  “I don’t have anything for you.” Shame swept her.

  “You gave me mine already by being you and doing what you did for my father.”

  “Are you staying for breakfast?”

  “Yes. Apparently, our parents planned this already. I guess they know more than we do.”

  Yes, parents typically did. She swung from his lap and got to her feet, searching instantly for her slippers to shove her feet into. As the sheepskin covered her tootsies, she sighed. So much better.

  Brodie walked up behind her and curved his arms around her waist. His chin on her shoulder, they stood by the window and stared out at a snowed in Apple Valley.

  A feeling of peace settled over her and while she had no desire to be released and away from his touch, she needed to get dressed or the one thing she vowed never to do in her parents’ house would be happening.

  αβ

  Brodie thrust into the woman on her hands and knees before him, on his bed.

  Shea arched her back as a low moan of pleasure, slid free from her mouth. He reached around her and sought her clit, stroking her to another plane of pleasure.

  His father was hanging out with her parents, so he’d brought Shea with him to check on the trailer and make sure nothing was busted from the cold. The blizzard had dropped a huge amount of snow on them and the trip over had been dangerous and slow going. Not that there were others on the road.

  “Brodie!” Her cry pushed him over the cliff with her.

  With a final drive forward, he came hard, bending over her back and struggling to catch his own breath.

  Shea shuddered and collapsed on the bed.

  He began getting off her but stopped when she grunted and reached back to grab his ass cheek.

  “Stay.” The word came out muffled but she got her point across.

  He reached around them and yanked the edge of the blanket to help battle the chill he knew would set in the moment their high began to fade. “When do you have to go back?” he asked into her neck as he readjusted, so she didn’t have to support his entire weight, also removing the used condom and disposing of it.

  “I was going to leave as soon as I could but with you and this blizzard, I may hang around a bit longer.”

  “So I’ve been forgiven for my stupid ass comments?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you stay for another week?”

  She opened her eyes and met his waiting gaze. “Why?”

  He cupped her face in his hand. “I want to spoil you for a week, just so you know what you’re missing when you leave.”

  “I’m aware of what I’ll be missing.”

  “Not like you will. Woman, I’m going to spoil you something fierce, so you’ll never want to go.” He didn’t miss that hesitation before she smiled. Brodie knew she felt for him, she merely had to move the walls she’d built around her to see it.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her pussy against him. “Maybe I’ll do the same to you.”

  His cock stiffened and pushed against her. When she wrapped her fingers around him, he groaned with pleasure. He made sure to hold her gaze. “I already don’t want you to go.” His finger traced over her lips as he continued, “I understand the Corps is your first priority right now. But I want to put my hat in that arena when the Corps is done.”

  “I don’t do good with relationships, Brodie. You do remember what happened between us earlier, right?”

  “I remember everything between us. And let me tell you something. There isn’t a perfect one. I’m sure you recall your parents fighting. Hell, my mom cheated on her vows and ran off with that man she cheated with.” After all these years, he still refused to mention Dresken’s father by name. “All I can tell you is that you have to work at it. If you’re willing to give us…this shot and be honest about your feelings, we’ll be fine.”

  She released his cock and mimicked his touch on her face. “I want to. I feel something strong for you, Brodie. Such that it frightens me, I won’t lie about that.”

  “Then we have a good foundation. Let’s go forward from here.”

  The chaste kiss wasn’t at all what he expected from her. Yet, it was perfect.

  “We’ll see how well this next week goes. After that raven you gave me, you’ve got big shoes to fill now that my expectations are so high.”

  He laughed at the smirk on her face
and rolled them, so he was on top of her once more. “Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  Their phones rang at the same time and with another kiss, they parted to take their calls.

  As he watched her dress, she blew him a kiss. While listening to his father, Brodie thought about what he would do for her over the next seven days. It would go as planned. After all, it was Christmas and it was Brodie’s Wish.

  About the Author:

  Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can follow her on her Amazon Author page, Book Bub author page, or at Goodreads.

  She is married to a career military man. They are owned by four Borzoi. She spends her days sharing time between work, writing, and dog training.

  I hope you enjoyed reading, Brodie’s Wish. If you could help others to find and enjoy this book as well, I would appreciate that act of kindness. You can do this by recommending it to your friends and/or reader’s groups. Also by reviewing it to let others know you liked it, even only a line or two—and why—on Amazon, even if it’s nothing more than a line or two. Every bit helps, makes all the difference and is absolutely appreciated.

  Thank you so much for your support!!

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  Additional books by Aliyah Burke:

  Sensual Romance Publishing

  If You Dare

  Holiday Surprise: Unwrapped

  His Purrfect Mate

  Raw Exposure

  A Knight’s Vow

  Lion of Midnight

  Megalodon Team

  Kincade’s Rose

  Harrier’s Healer

  Connelly’s Flame

  Greeley’s Spyce

  Vittano’s Willow