by Linda Kage
“Everyone at the scene said she was conscious and alert after the wreck. They knew she’d hurt her head. It was bleeding. But she talked and walked around like she was fine. She even helped pull a few injured people from their cars. As soon as the ambulances and police arrived, she collapsed. She didn’t wake up again for three weeks.”
Squeezing Lenna’s hand, he said, “I don’t think she could take the guilt of what she’d done. Her brain just shut down and refused to open again until she’d reinvented herself as someone else.”
Lenna looked pale and shaken as she once again reached for him. “Wow. But seriously, I’d probably flip out too if I knew I was responsible for so much death and destruction.”
Braxton nodded. He buried his face against her neck. Letting out a soft laugh. “I always thought she was a brat. A big pain in the butt. But you have no idea what I’d give right now to have the old Savannah back.”
Lenna’s arms tightened.
“Every time I see her,” he choked out, “I just...I don’t know. I fall to pieces. It’s so hard. She isn’t the girl I grew up with. The sister I knew died in that accident.”
Managing to keep the tears at bay this time, he wiped at his face. But, damn it, how embarrassing to lose it in front of Lenna.
“I don’t know how my parents do it every day. They refuse to send her to an institution. They think they can help her, like they can eventually draw out the old Savannah. But, I don’t know. I can tell it’s starting to wear on them.”
He clenched his teeth, trying to hold himself stiff. Then he looked at Lenna. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I am so sorry to unload on you like this. I—”
But she covered his mouth with her fingers.
“Shh,” she said. “Anytime.”
Braxton took her invitation to heart.
Anytime. For the rest of his life, he wanted to be able to turn to her any time and find her by his side. He cherished her supportiveness.
Smiling, he leaned in to kiss her. When she purred, he set his hand on her thigh. She still wore the same short, sexy skirt from the night before.
Just seeing it and remembering what was under there had him going hard.
“Lenna,” he murmured, his voice husky and full of heat.
She moaned and clasped his head in her hands. Taking that as invitation enough, he slid his fingers up. When he encountered her panties, he removed them.
“How do you always make me want you?” she asked, her voice full of wonder.
Braxton couldn’t answer. The force of his attraction to her amazed him too.
She grasped the zipper on his jeans, and he grabbed her hips, lifted her onto his lap. “Ride me.”
A slight smile lit her lips as she opened his jeans and pulled him into her hand. “My, aren’t we bossy all of the sudden.” Braxton threw back his head and groaned when she stroked him.
“Now,” he said hoarsely.
She laughed. He knew it wasn’t the ‘please’ she’d been expecting, but at the moment, she didn’t seem to care. She rose and then came down over him, sheathing him snugly. They each sucked in a surprised breath. She was tight, so tight his vision went blurry.
God, she was as wet as a mouth. No foreplay, and he’d entered her without a bit of trouble.
“Oh, oh!” she gasped and lifted again, clenching around him as she glided out, almost to the point of pulling all the way off. Then she came back down in a rush, making them both cry out.
Braxton reached blindly and fisted his hands in her hair.
“Lenna,” he gasped. “Damn. You feel good.”
The woman was trying to kill him. He was absolutely dying here, a slow, frustrating, amazing death. All he wanted was speed and she was going slower than ketchup. He wanted that fast, sweaty slap of bodies and she was...
“Oh, holy hell.” He groaned, gripping her even tighter. This had to be the worst kind of torture ever.
“This is fun,” Lenna said, making him jerk his eyes to hers in disbelief.
She actually liked driving him out of his mind?
But, no. When Braxton took in her features, she looked too blissfully content to have any intentions of torment.
“I think I like being in charge,” she added, grinning as she continued with her slow, agonizing plunges.
Braxton wanted to tell her to pick it up. He wanted to grab her hips and take over. But he couldn’t nab the control from her. Besides, she looked too good, too satisfied, with the reins in her hands.
He let out an ironic laugh, thinking it funny he was so happy about suffering. And then it happened. One second he was chuckling, the next an orgasm wrenched a choked cry from his lungs without warning.
Completely blindsided, he hadn’t seen it coming, but there it was. Before he knew it, he was clutching Lenna’s waist and grinding her against him, losing himself inside her. Gritting out a string of curses, he filled her.
As the last swell shuddered through him, his muscles relaxed, and he sank onto the cushions of the couch. When he opened his eyes, Lenna rose above him, staring at him with a startled expression.
His parted his dry lips. “Sorry. Oh, God, Lenna. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know I was that close. I didn’t mean to lose it like that. I just—”
She set a finger over his mouth to hush him, her eyes twinkling in delight. “I like making you lose it.” She shivered. “It makes me feel...potent.”
Potent was a good word.
Still...he swallowed, guilty he’d had all the glory. “Let me finish you,” he pleaded and started to lift her off him, anxious to give his tongue a workout.
But she clamped her thighs around him and resisted. “No. Please. Will you stay inside me, just a little longer?”
She could’ve asked for the moon, and he would’ve found a way to get it for her. Letting go of her waist, he drew her shirt over her head so he could see her completely.
While Lenna started to move on him again, Braxton undid her bra and tugged a breast into his mouth. She murmured her pleasure, so he moved to the other nipple.
“Braxton?”
Her voice sounded so cautious he lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. But...aren’t you supposed to, you know, get softer after you’re done? Not harder.”
He looked down and watched the way he disappeared inside her with every pump of her thighs. It had him going even more rigid.
“Yeah,” he answered. “Guess I’m not done yet either?”
He swallowed and ran his hands up her sides, trying not to think about how he wanted her to hurry yet again.
Lenna’s lips were dewy, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes glazed. “Is this even possible?” she asked, moving a little faster now.
“It’s happening,” was the only answer he could give. And, boy, was it happening.
He closed his eyes so he couldn’t see how glorious she looked. He couldn’t go off before she did. Not again. He grabbed a hold of the couch cushions and tried not to think about that sexy little catch in her breathing.
But if she didn’t get her cute butt into gear... “Lenna,” he gasped. “Damn it. Faster.”
Finally, the woman had mercy on him, and this time, when he came, she was right there with him.
Afterward, when she draped herself limply over him, he realized they’d gone without protection. Not wanting to freak her out, he remained silent, but for a guilty second he hoped maybe they’d just created a reason her father would probably demand they stay together.
CHAPTER 12
Well, he’d done it now. Braxton stared around the meeting room at the shocked expressions on his employees’ faces.
“I know Farris usually deals with aftermarket equipment,” he said. “But recently, we’ve coaxed a few domestic companies like GM and Chrysler to put Farris parts on stock for a few of their luxury models. And, as I’m sure most of you’ve heard around the gossip bin, I’ve been considering going international with that endeavor.”
Everyone discreet
ly lowered their gazes.
“I’ve been researching international trade, the price of shipping, and permits, and so forth. And I know—if everyone at Farris exerts the effort—we can make this work. You are perfectly able to handle this. I’ve seen you in action. I’m well aware of your potential.”
Letting out a small puff of air, Braxton smiled. “That’s why I had a contract drafted for Renault, in France, and will be going to Paris next weekend to attend a seminar and arrange a meeting with a representative from that company. We’re going international, folks.”
The silence that followed about made him pass out. They were going to kill him. His employees were going to string him up by his toes and give him Chinese water torture. He knew this was a risky venture. The price of international trading taxes alone could sink them if his idea fell through. But Braxton was honestly confident it wouldn’t.
Obviously, his staff didn’t agree. They stared at him as if the news were coming as a complete surprise, which made no sense at all. Tom had already unwittingly warned him everyone suspected the possibility.
Charlie Fairbanks pushed to his feet. Braxton met his gaze and waited for the man to go off, calling him every name in the book for putting their jobs in peril.
But then Fairbanks shocked the shit out of him when he grinned and clapped. Others followed. In seconds, everyone was on their feet, applauding the news. His secretary even whistled and sent him the thumbs up.
Not sure how to respond, Braxton’s mouth fell open. Oh God, they actually liked his idea. He couldn’t believe it. Clamping his lips back together, he smiled and nodded professionally, though inside he was jumping backflips.
“Okay,” he called, unable to control his beaming expression. “Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Now, quit standing around here, clapping, and get back to work. We’re going to have a lot to discuss once I get back from France.”
His cheerfully-given demand was followed by a room full of laughter. As they began to file out of the conference room, numerous employees stopped to slap Braxton on the back and tell him he was doing the right thing.
He couldn’t believe how supportive everyone acted. It was too good to be true.
Tom Davenport, however, lingered at the rear.
Smile faltering, Braxton glanced away for a moment and waited for Tom to reveal his true thoughts about the company’s new plan of action.
In the past month he’d been seeing Lenna on the sly, Braxton had become proficient at meeting Tom’s gaze without flinching. He could even converse with Lenna’s dad without wondering if Davenport could see inside his head and know what he’d been doing with the man’s little girl.
Braxton had been bending over backwards to please him. Other employees had noticed, realizing if they needed a favor from Braxton, they could go to Tom first and have him approach the Boss Boy to get it. But Tom hadn’t softened toward Braxton. He’d stopped the outright obstinacy, sure, but he remained annoyingly gruff.
Meeting Davenport’s gaze head on, Braxton frowned when Tom pulled cash from his pocket.
“Uh...” Tom started, making Braxton even more perplexed when the older man blushed. “I was wondering, since you’re going to be in Paris anyway, you know, for business.” He faltered. “Well, it’s just that my daughter, Lenna, has always been fascinated with stuff from France. She took French classes all the way through high school and into college. I just thought...”
He stalled, kicking his foot at the carpet. “I thought it would be nice if you could, you know, find something for me while you’re there. Nothing big. Just...” He shrugged.
Braxton nodded, already reaching for the money. “Sure,” he said. “I can get you a memento for her. No problem.”
But as he took the bills, Braxton’s mind was already buzzing. So, Lenna was fascinated with France, huh? Well now, he might have to do something about that.
He spent the rest of his afternoon planning. As soon as he stepped from the office after work that evening, he slid open his phone and dialed Lenna’s number. She wasn’t scheduled to clock in at Renneys for another hour, so he knew he had a couple minutes to persuade.
She answered his call on the second ring.
* * * *
“Hey, beautiful.” Braxton’s voice was friendly, and yet it held a steamy pitch that caused Lenna to shiver in delight.
“Hey, yourself,” she returned, grinning. She wasn’t sure how, but just hearing him made her glow. But he didn’t say anything for a moment, and her brow wrinkled. “Braxton?”
“Yeah?”
She laughed. “Was there something you wanted? Or did you just call to say hey?”
“Oh. Sorry. I...” She could hear him blow out a breath. “Yes, I called for a reason. I just...” He fell quiet again.
“Is something wrong?” Her mind automatically went to her father. Had Tom found out about them?
“No. Nothing’s wrong. I just...I wanted to ask you something.”
She rolled her eyes. “Then ask.” It was cute, yet exasperating, when he turned bashful like this.
He chuckled. “Okay, then. I wanted to know if you’d go somewhere with me.”
Now if that didn’t sound outright secretive, she didn’t know what would. Growing suspicious, Lenna squinted her eyes. “Go where?”
Instead of answering, Braxton added, “Just for a couple of days.”
Lenna paused. Ooh...How romantic. He wanted to take her on a getaway vacation. She grinned, picturing a long, cozy weekend at a remote cabin in the mountains away from the rest of civilization, where they’d spend the entire trip in bed, curled around each other and drinking wine in front of a toasty fire.
“Go where?” she asked again, getting excited.
He didn’t speak immediately, and when he finally did, he was completely evasive. “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” she repeated.
She must’ve sounded leery because he quickly replied, “Trust me. I know you’ll love it.”
“Well...” Hmm. Her curiosity kicked into high gear. “When do you want to go? Or am I not allowed to know that either?”
She could practically hear him wince. “That’s the bad part. We’d have to leave Thursday afternoon and we wouldn’t return until Sunday. So, I’m sure you’d have to take off work a couple of days if you went, but if you don’t want—”
“Have to leave,” Lenna said, interrupting him. “Why would we have to leave then?”
“Well, uh, funny thing about that,” Braxton answered. “I...I kind of already booked the reservations.”
“You what?”
“Please don’t take that to imply you’re duty-bound to go; you can back out at any time. I’m sorry, I just kind of lost my head and made these spur of the moment plans. By the time I’d already...well, by then it was, like, ‘Oh hell, maybe I should’ve asked her first, huh?’ But you’re not obligated at all. It’s not that important. I’ll be going for business anyway. So, if you can’t get off work, or...or even if you don’t want to—”
“Actually, it sounds like fun,” Lenna cut in.
Braxton drew in a breath and then, in a stunned voice, said, “Really?”
She rolled her eyes again even as she grinned. He could be the sweetest man when he was in shy-and-insecure mode. “Sure. I’ve worked for some people in the past, and they owe me one, so I’m positive I can get someone to take my place at Renneys. I love the idea of going to a surprise, mystery place with you. Besides, I’m sure I can coax the secret out of you before we leave.”
Braxton sounded more like his confident self when he answered, “Oh, we’ll just see about that.”
CHAPTER 13
As Thursday approached, Lenna grew increasingly energized about her mystery weekend with Braxton. He called at least once a day to make sure she hadn’t backed out of their plans. Then he threw in a tidbit of advice on what to pack, which only added more intrigue. By Thursday, she had concluded they were not headed toward a remote cabin in the mountains.
But on his next call, he recommended she bring along a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Trying to get a bead on their destination, she asked if she should pack for a warm or cool climate. Maybe they were going to Florida. But Braxton had been clueless as to what the weather would be like there, so he told her to prepare for both extremes.
By the time he arrived to pick her up Thursday afternoon, she still didn’t know their destination. And when he drove them into the airport, she was even more perplexed.
She sent him a confused smile. “We’re not driving?”
“Nope,” was his smug answer. Then he froze. “Oh, God. You’re not afraid of flying, are you?”
Lenna flashed her dimple. She was tempted to tease him and tell him she was terrified. But at the moment, she couldn’t lie; she was too energized. “I love flying.”
They were flying!
“So, where’re we headed?” she asked calmly.
Braxton shook his head, his blue eyes glittering with mischief.
“Oh, come on. We’re at the airport. It’s not like I’m going to find out in a couple of minutes anyway. I mean, I’ll need a ticket to board the plane and that will definitively name where—”
“You won’t be getting a ticket,” Braxton said, cutting her off smoothly. He sent her a cocky grin. “We’re taking the company jet.”
Lenna’s mouth dropped open. “A private jet?”
Holy cow. She had no idea where she was going, but she was definitely going to get there in style.
Braxton pulled up to the main front door and found an attendant to load their luggage onto a cart. As he stood by, overseeing the ordeal, Lenna sidled next to him and crossed her arms. “We’ll it’s not like we’re leaving the country. I mean, I’d need my passport if we were exiting the states.” Then she paused with a thoughtful frown. “Wouldn’t I?”
Braxton flashed her another smirk, lifting one eyebrow. “And you think it would be impossible for me to sneak your passport out of your top desk drawer in your apartment, huh?”