by Paris Hansen
While she brushed her teeth, Andi watched as Braeden stripped off his t-shirt and jeans. Standing there in just his boxer briefs was almost enough to distract her from what he’d just said. Once her mouth wasn’t full of toothpaste, she turned to face him.
“I’m sorry. You’re doing what?” she asked, not sure if she’d heard him right.
Getting a pedicure. Just because its winter doesn’t mean I should let myself go. I’m not sure why you’re so surprised. You seem to appreciate my well tended to feet while we’re tangled up in the sheets,” he pointed out.
“Huh…,” she said slightly bewildered, although she had to admit it made a bit of sense. “I just didn’t realize you got pedicures. That’s not something a lot of men do.”
“Yeah well, anyone, man or woman, not getting one doesn’t know what they’re missing. Meghan and I go every month or so. You can join us if you want. I’m sure we could get you added to our appointment.”
“No that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your girl time,” Andi said with a smile.
“Hey…”
“Sorry,” she said as she held her hands up in surrender. “I couldn’t help it. Maybe I can join you guys next time. I told Brooklyn I’d be over in the morning to hang out with her and the boys.”
“Absolutely. I would love to spend time with my two favorite girls getting pampered while we gossip. Well crap, that does sound a lot like girl time.”
“It’s okay. We all need a bit of girl time every now and then.”
“Oh come on…” Braeden said a blush showing through the scruff on his cheeks. “Enough of that. Strip and get in bed.”
“I thought we weren’t having sex.”
“We aren’t. I’m going to take care of you. Now, I need you on that bed on your stomach. I’ve got to go get the massage oil.”
Andi nearly melted just at the thought of getting a massage. She knew she’d end up a puddle of goo once the rub down actually started. She quickly undressed, piling her dirty clothes on top of her overnight bag. Lying face down on the bed, she felt anticipation roll through her. It had been too damn long since she’d gotten a massage. The fact she was naked in her boyfriend’s bed, and he was about to put his hands all over her made her press her legs together to stop the ache between them. She might not have the energy for sex, but she sure as hell was feeling hot and bothered by the prospect of what was going to happen next.
Closing her eyes, Andi relaxed into the bed, her head resting on her arms. She felt the bed dip as Braeden joined her. He straddled her legs, the cotton of his underwear brushing against her bare skin. The sound of a cap popping open filled the room, followed by the faint scent of strawberries. A moan escaped her lips when Braeden finally put his hands on her. Starting with her lower back, he rubbed gently before applying more pressure to her sore muscles.
He worked on her lower back until she was nearly a melted puddle of goo. Eventually, he worked his way up her spine to her shoulders. The tension of the work week slowly melting away with each swipe of his thumb and slide of his deft fingers.
“How does that feel? Is the pressure too much?” Braeden quietly asked as he found a knot behind her shoulder blade.
“It feels incredible. Don’t stop…” Andi answered, a moan interrupting her praise.
Braeden continued to work his magic on her upper back. The minute the knot dissolved, she let out an embarrassingly long moan that sounded a hell of a lot more sexual in nature than she’d intended it to. Andi couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so relaxed yet wickedly on edge. She nearly whimpered when she felt Braeden leave the bed. When she felt a towel placed gently over her back, she realized he wasn’t finished; he was only moving lower.
When his big hands picked up one of her feet, she nearly jumped. Her feet were extremely ticklish, and he knew it. She braced herself for that irritating sensation but was pleasantly surprised when he rubbed a thumb against her arch. The pressure was hard enough and deep enough not to send chills up her spine. She sighed as even more tension left her body.
“I could get used to this,” she said softly.
“You should get used to this. I want to spend every day taking care of you, Andi. I want to show you how much I love you every moment we’re together, and every moment we’re apart. You give me your heart, and I’ll give you all the massages you can handle and a hell of a lot more. That’s the deal.”
Andi was glad she was lying down. Her boyfriend tended to say some of the most swoonworthy things that made her weak in the knees. Although she loved it, she knew it was going to take some getting used to. Romance hadn’t been a part of her life in eighteen years. Now that she had it back, she wasn’t sure how she’d lived without it for so long.
“Sounds like a great deal to me,” she said as he moved to her other foot.
As her muscles relaxed, she felt like she was sinking further into the bed. Her body vibrated with need yet her limbs felt like limp noodles. She’d never been so turned on by a massage before. She was fairly certain she’d never be able to get one by a professional ever again. Her brain would always conjure up this moment and the sensual sweep of Braeden’s hands up her calves. He was starting to apply less pressure as he moved further up her legs. Instead, it felt like his sole purpose was to make her squirm.
Before she knew it, he was palming her ass, his thumbs moving seductively against her. During his journey up her legs, Braeden had moved in between them, making it impossible for her to squeeze them together to relieve the ache his touch was creating. Arousal pooled at the juncture of her thighs as he moved his hands down the globes of her ass to her core.
A moan escaped her lips as he swiped a finger through the wetness down to her clit. She hadn’t expected the massage to end in anything sexual, but with as turned on as she was, she couldn’t be mad about it. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Andi kept her eyes closed as she wiggled her butt. She needed more than the teasing he was giving her. She needed him to push her over the edge into the blissful oblivion he was so good at delivering.
“Patience baby. I’m going to take care of you, don’t worry,” Braeden told her as his thumbs rubbed along the crease of her thighs.
He was so damn close to the promised land. She was nearly jumping out of her skin with every brush of his hands against her. Braeden continued to tease her for what felt like hours. When his fingers slipped inside of her, she groaned in relief.
“Someone’s a little worked up,” he murmured as he leaned over her, his lips brushing against her ear.
“Make me come, Braeden. Please,” she said, not the least bit ashamed she sounded like she was begging for it.
“Your wish is my command, beautiful.”
Braeden removed his weight from on top of her before going to work on her pussy. His fingers pumped in and out of her, each thrust brushing against the spot that drove her wild. She felt the familiar tingle course through her body but felt like she couldn’t quite reach the release she was craving. Not until Braeden rubbed a thumb against her oversensitized clit. Her body tensed, her core clenching around his fingers, as the orgasm roared through her.
It wasn’t until she was limp and completely spent that Braeden stopped touching her. She knew she needed to roll over and take care of the hard-on he was most definitely packing, but she could barely feel her legs. He would understand if she needed a moment to recover before taking care of him.
“I’ll be right back,” Braeden said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
She tried to open her eyes so she could watch him but was far too relaxed to get her body to do anything even that simple. A minute later, the towel over her back was gone and quickly replaced by a warm washcloth being rubbed over body. The slow brush of the cloth over her sensitive skin made her sigh loudly. Once he finished cleaning her off, Braeden crawled into bed, pulling the covers over them. She still hadn’t moved, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Go to sleep, baby,” he whispered as he pulled h
er into his arms.
“But what about you?” she asked her words almost slurred in her relaxed state.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head before pulling her in tighter against him.
“I’m fine. Tonight was all about you. Get some sleep. We can take care of me tomorrow. Maybe some hot morning sex before we start our day?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Yeah, it does.”
Andi relaxed against Braeden’s big body, her mind racing with thoughts about the future. Morning sex did sound like the perfect way to start a day. In fact, it sounded like the perfect way to start every day. It was hard not to get used to falling asleep in Braeden’s arms every night and waking up to his beautiful smile every morning. She knew if she told Braeden, he would tell her she should get used to it and they could easily make it happen. Andi didn’t know why she kept trying to fight the inevitable, especially when she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Maybe it was finally time to admit Braeden wasn’t the only one dreaming about the future. With a smile on her face, Andi felt herself start to drift off, visions of their future floating through her head.
Chapter 11
Braeden
It wasn’t surprising that they had to wait ten minutes even though they had an appointment. The nail salon that Braeden and Meghan frequented was always busy, especially on a Saturday morning. For a moment, he’d thought about canceling on Meghan so he could spend the morning in bed with Andi, but he didn’t want to be one of those people that dropped their friends once they were in a relationship. Plus, even if did sound like girl time, he was looking forward to the pampering and the gossip.
He loved spending time with Meghan. She was the only one who really seemed to get him. It didn’t take her long to see through his facade and to call bullshit on the manwhore persona he’d cultivated throughout the years. He never admitted it to anyone else, but it felt good to have someone recognize the lie he’d been living and call him out on it. He could always count on Meghan to keep it real.
When they were finally called back for their appointment, they were led to the last two chairs in the shop. He liked being as far away from the door as possible; it was usually quieter and a bit more private. Instead of listening to Karen and Susan talk shit about the other soccer moms in the neighborhood, he could enjoy the massage chair and his friend’s company.
As soon as he had his feet in the water, Braeden started cycling through the options on the remote. He had to make sure that whatever massaging motion he chose wouldn’t be disruptive or cause him pain. A full body shiver rolled through him as he remembered one of the first salons they’d gone to. The chair he’d sat in had a weird piece that moved through the seat of the chair. He wasn’t sure what the point of it was, but when it came up and punched him in the junk, he knew he’d never go back to that shop again.
“You look happy,” Meghan said once they were settled in their chairs.
Braeden rolled his head to the side so he could look at his friend. The smile plastered on her face was big making her look a tad bit crazy, but he loved it. He wondered what it was about him that made her think he was happy. Was he putting off some kind of vibe? Was he smiling like an idiot and didn’t even realize it? Did it even matter? He was ridiculously, out of control happy and he’d shout it from the rooftops if given the chance.
“I’ve never been happier,” he told her, their gazes meeting briefly before he turned back to face straight ahead.
“I am so freaking excited for you, Braeden. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved,” Meghan shouted causing nearly everyone in the salon to look in their direction.
Braeden shook his head at his friend’s exuberance. He knew Meghan would be happy for him, but he hadn’t expected her to declare her happiness to the entire place. There was something he was dying to tell her, but he wasn’t sure if he should wait until they were leaving. He didn’t feel like having his business announced to strangers. On the flip side, he wasn’t sure he could hold it in any longer, and Meghan was the only one he could trust with the news.
“Ugh,” he groaned, not realizing he’d made the noise out loud until Meghan asked him what was wrong. Apparently, he’d lost control of his inner voice for a moment, and now he had to explain why. If he didn’t, Meghan would badger him until he did. She was relentless when she wanted to know something.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you something, but you can’t tell anyone, not even Oliver. And please don’t squeal or scream or do anything that draws more attention to us. I don’t need to be the subject of Karen and Susan’s gossip.”
“Who the hell are Karen and Susan?”
“The soccer moms over there bitching about the other soccer moms, duh. Now focus, Meghan. Can I trust you to behave?”
Meghan sighed dramatically. Braeden knew from the familiar sound what she was going to say next. She hated keeping things from Oliver, so she was going to ask for permission to tell him. Thankfully, Oliver was good at keeping secrets, so he would, of course, give her what she wanted. He just liked to make her work for it.
“Are you sure I can’t tell Oliver? You know he won’t say anything. And you know if this is as juicy as you’re making it seem, I won’t be able to keep it from him. He’ll read me like a book the minute I walk into the house and hound me until I give in.”
Turning to look at his friend again, he gave her a knowing look. She was so full of shit, but he loved how hard she tried to fool him.
“Come on now, Meg, you know how this will really go. You’ll go home ridiculously excited about my news, and you’ll try to get Oliver to guess what it is so you won’t really be spilling the beans if he guesses right. It’s okay though. You have my blessing to tell Oliver my news. I’m sure he expects it anyway.”
Meghan stuck her tongue out at him before clapping her hands together. “Okay, tell me everything. I’m dying to know what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”
Once again Meghan’s exuberance was a little much. He rolled his eyes, then dodged the smack to the arm that he usually got whenever he responded to her that way. Luckily this time she couldn’t chase him around the room since they were both stuck in their chairs.
“You know that I bought Andi a ring back when we were in high school. It wasn’t much cause I was only eighteen, but I thought it was the perfect ring for her, and I couldn’t wait to give it to her,” Braeden paused so he could check himself before moving on.
Braeden hated remembering the fact that there was a time he and Andi weren’t together. He hated remembering how she’d broken his heart on the biggest day of his young life. Every time he looked at the ring in his drawer he thought about what he’d lost. At some point, he realized he’d been far more devastated by losing Andi than he’d ever been about his mom walking out on him.
It always surprised him that he hadn’t become as dark and twisty as a character from that one doctor show on TV. Every woman he’d ever loved had left him behind at some point in his life. Of course, he’d end up turning into a manwhore that didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone else’s feelings. That was the perfect character arc for someone who’d been abandoned as often as he had.
“As you know that story didn’t end well, but I held on to the ring all these years because I knew someday I’d give it to her. I just didn’t know when. Well now I can afford something a bit better, so I’m having the jeweler take the tiny ass diamond out of the old ring and put it into the new ring. I want the ring to represent our past and our future, and I think that’s the best way to make it happen.”
“Oh sweet jeezus, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” the technician filing his nails said suddenly, causing both him and Meghan to laugh.
“She’s not wrong. It is pretty freaking romantic. I always knew you had it in you. Figured you just needed to meet the right girl. If I’d known you already had the right girl, I would’ve spent a lot more time pushing you guys together.”
&nbs
p; “Meddling wouldn’t have done you any good,” Braeden laughed.
He didn’t doubt that Meghan would have gotten right in the middle of his relationship with Andi if she’d known about them. It was probably a good thing for all of them that she’d been clueless.
“You underestimate my skill, dear friend. I am a master meddler. Andi would’ve been putty in your hands if you’d let me in on your secret sooner.”
Braeden laughed again. His friend was crazy, and he loved her something fierce. He knew Meghan had his back in all things. She would’ve done everything she could to get Andi to see the error of her ways. If there’d been anything other than Andi’s family standing in their way, she might’ve actually succeeded too.
“I think you underestimate the power of family, Meg. Andi wasn’t going to do anything until she was sure her family didn’t need her anymore.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure about that? I heard a little story about you two and an encounter you had the night you and Gabriel celebrated joining AQA. Or what about Oliver’s birthday party? I have it on good authority that there were at least two times in the last ten years where things could’ve changed between you two, but you messed it up.”
Throwing his head back against his chair, Braeden groaned. Of course, Andi blabbed about those two very stupid nights to the girls. There wasn’t a whole lot the group kept from each other and talking about their guys was one of their favorite pastimes — that and talking about the latest Hollywood hotties.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise that I haven’t always been the wise man I am now. We all make mistakes. Those two are the most regrettable of all of mine. Anyway, I’m finally doing something about it. As soon as I get the ring back from the jeweler, I’m putting that thing on her finger and locking her down.”
“Eh...your choice of words there is cutting into the points you earned earlier with your very romantic idea.”
“Shut it, brat. You know you wish your husband was as romantic as I am.”