The Wrong/Right Man

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  “We don’t.” Braxton rests his hand on my thigh. “We’re still waiting for them to look at the footage from the cameras in the building, and the police are running the prints they picked up off the package, but it might be a few days before we hear anything from that.”

  Jamie mumbles something I can’t understand as he scrubs his hands down his face, and then he runs his hands through his hair. “So, until then?”

  “We just have to wait.” I shrug. “I know it sucks, but there is nothing else we can do right now.”

  “Are you going to stay here with him or do you want to come stay with me at my apartment?” he asks, and Braxton stiffens, his hold on my thigh becoming almost painful.

  “I’m going to stay here.” I lower my voice when I have his attention then continue, “Please don’t be mad.” I don’t want to upset him or make him feel that I’m choosing Braxton over him, but I feel safe here. Even with everything going on, I’m not afraid, and I know that’s because of the man at my side.

  “I’m not upset. I get it. Besides, I think you’re safer here anyway.” He leans back to rest his ankle on his knee. “I’m gonna tell the guys what’s going on, and they might want to come check on you.”

  “They’re welcome here anytime,” Braxton says, and I cover his hand with mine, giving it a squeeze, hoping he understands how much that tiny gesture means to me. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Nothing, what’s up?” Jamie asks.

  “My parents are here, and we’re planning on going out to dinner. You can join us if you like.”

  “Please join us.” I hold my hands in the prayer position.

  Jamie smiles at me. “Yeah, all right,” he agrees, and I lean over and hug him. When I let him go, he stands, locking eyes with Braxton. “Since I’m here, why don’t you give me a tour of your pad?”

  Without a word, Braxton kisses the side of my head and gets up.

  I look between the two of them and fight the urge to roll my eyes. “You two do know I’m not an idiot, right? I know you’re going to go talk about me.” I wave them away. “Go on. Go make each other feel better.”

  Both men laugh as they walk off, and I smile to myself.

  I pick my cup of tea back up and take a sip, relieved that’s done and wondering what’s next and what will happen when this is over. Until yesterday, I didn’t know Braxton had a valid reason for his over-the-top behavior. I didn’t know there was a viable threat against me, a threat that was a catalyst for his overprotectiveness. I just wonder how much he will change when this situation is taken care of. A small part of me hopes he doesn’t change too much. I like that he’s protective and possessive. I like that he cares enough about me to worry. Then again, maybe I’m just as crazy as he is.

  Shutting the door on the dishwasher a little later, I hear the front door open right before Alisha and Bret appear carrying large black garbage bags that are leaving a trail of water across the floor.

  “Girl, if I find out who did that to your apartment, I’m going to shoot them,” Bret grumbles in my direction before taking the bag from Alisha and carrying it to where I know the laundry room is. I watch him go, wondering if I messed up. Maybe I should have stayed to clean up and not allowed them to help.

  “We saved a lot of your clothes. They just need to be washed,” Alisha tells me as I grab a towel to clean up the floor. “And I put all your underthings in a separate bag, since I didn’t know if you would want to keep them.”

  I meet her concerned gaze. “I really appreciate you doing that.”

  “You’re welcome.” She looks to where her husband just disappeared then whispers, “Bret isn’t mad at you; he’s just really worried about this situation. We both are.”

  I chew the inside of my cheek. I don’t want Braxton’s parents worrying because my presence could put their son in danger. Maybe I should go stay with Jamie for a few days, or just until things get cleared up.

  “I think I’m going to go stay with my brother,” I say, and she blinks at me. “He’s here now.” I look around then shake my head. “He and Braxton are talking somewhere. He’s going to come to dinner with us tonight, but I’ll go home with him after.”

  “Dakota, I don’t—”

  “Mom,” Braxton interrupts whatever she’s about to say, and we both turn our attention his way.

  “Hey, honey.” She seems to force a smile at him then looks at Jamie. “You must be Dakota’s brother.”

  “That’s me.” Jamie, ever the charmer, comes forward to shake her hand and kisses her cheek. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” She motions to Bret when he appears around the corner, and I watch the three of them make introductions.

  “Are you okay?” Braxton asks, lacing his fingers through mine, and I lick my lips as I look up at him.

  “Yeah.”

  His brows drag together as his eyes search mine. “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” My immediate response doesn’t seem to do anything but annoy him, judging by the look he gives me.

  “Dakota.”

  “I’m fine.” I take my hand from his and turn to rest my palms against his chest. “This is all just a lot.”

  His expression gentles and he rests his forehead on mine. “Trust me when I tell you it will be okay and that I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I do trust you.” I realize it’s not a lie; I do trust him. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the way, he proved that I could. I close my eyes and move my hands up to his shoulders then lift up to touch my mouth to his but stop when his phone rings. “I really hate that thing.”

  “Me too.” He sighs then lets me go to take the call. I go back to wiping up the floor as my brother and Braxton’s parents talk in the living room, and when I’m done, I head to the laundry room. I open one of the bags of wet clothes and start dumping handfuls of them into the washer.

  “Hey.” I glance over my shoulder at Jamie. “I’m going to head home. I’ll meet you guys at the restaurant tonight,” he says and I notice that he seems a little on edge.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to hang out here until then?” I ask, thinking it would be nice to have him here to take some of the pressure off me.

  “I have something I need to take care of,” he says, coming to give me a hug. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “See you tonight,” I reply, and he disappears. I start the machine, swearing I hear new voices in the living room, so I head that way and come to a stop when I see Samantha and Hanna standing in the middle of the room surrounded by shopping bags.

  Samantha is the first to spot me, and when she does, she rushes across the room and wraps me in a hug. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I assure her. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hanna called.” She lets me go and waves out toward the woman across the room. “She told me what happened then asked if I would help her pick you some stuff up.”

  I lock eyes with Hanna and smile softly. “Thank you.”

  “I’m so sorry, Dakota,” she says, and I look at the pink, black, white, and classic brown bags littering the floor. “Braxton asked me to pick you some stuff up, and I might have gone a little overboard. But who could blame me? It’s not often a woman is allowed to shop without a budget.” I hear the smile in her voice, but my eyes lock on the man who did this, the man who is constantly doing things to show me that he wants to take care of me. Maybe he’s right, maybe I need to put away my pride and allow him to take care of me. I also need him to understand that I do appreciate everything he’s done.

  I pull my eyes off his and take Samantha and Hanna’s hands. “Thank you both for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

  “It was fun.” Samantha laughs.

  “A lot of fun,” Hanna agrees. “And really, we were just glad we could help.”

  “Do you girls mind helping me get all this stuff put away?” Alisha asks, gathering up a handful of bags, and both the girls follo
w her lead and head toward Braxton’s room carrying everything with them.

  “Can I talk to you a second?” I ask Braxton, and he pushes off the couch and follows me around the corner, back into the laundry room. I stand back, holding the door open, and after he enters, I shut it.

  He walks to the opposite side of the room from me and crosses his arms over his chest. “Don’t be pissed I bought you stuff.”

  “Shut up.” I throw myself against him and press up on my tiptoes so I can cover his mouth with mine. I kiss him with everything I have and hope he understands just how much what he did means. As usual, he takes over. He lifts me off the ground, turning to press my back to the wall and thrusting his tongue into my mouth as I cling to him.

  “You’re welcome.” He rips his mouth from mine, and I smile. “Clean out a couple drawers and move whatever you need to in order to make room for your shit in my closet and bathroom.”

  “Braxton—”

  “Don’t argue with me, Dakota,” he cuts me off before I can tell him that’s not necessary and that I will be going back to my place as soon as I can. “Just do it.”

  “All right,” I give in when I see how determined he is. “Besides, I don’t think anyone needs a drawer for ties that all look the same.”

  “You don’t like my ties?”

  “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying they all look the same, black, gray, or navy. I think you should add some color. How do you feel about pink?”

  “No.”

  “No, you don’t like pink, or no, you won’t wear a pink tie?”

  “Both,” he says, and I grin. “What’s that grin about?”

  “Nothing.” I kiss him then attempt to wiggle out of his hold. I let my head fall back in exasperation when he doesn’t let me go. “I have stuff to do,” I remind him.

  He studies me for a moment then drops me to my feet but doesn’t release me completely. “I’ll be in the living room if there is anything you want me to help you try on.”

  I laugh and pat his chest. “I’ll make sure to let you know if I need your help.”

  I catch him adjusting himself as I leave, and then I head into his room and make room for myself in his closet, trying to figure out how I’m going to tell him that I won’t be staying with him.

  Dressed and ready for dinner in the body-hugging, long-sleeved black dress Hanna and Samantha picked up for me, I place my purse on the bed so I can pack it with the stuff I’ll need tonight and tomorrow morning. I haven’t had the courage to tell Braxton I will be going home with Jamie, and I didn’t tell Jamie, since he left after letting me know he’d meet us at the restaurant. I’m hoping that if I spring the news on him at the last minute with my brother present, he will be more accepting of the change of plans.

  I put my panties, a bra, and clothes for tomorrow in my bag then go to the bathroom to grab most of the toiletries Alisha put away earlier. With my hands full, I walk to the bed and drop the items. It’s going to take some work to make everything fit. As I’m attempting to play Tetris with the items, the bedroom door opens and I toss the end of the blanket over my purse.

  “Hey,” I squeak, taking a seat and trying to look as casual as possible as Braxton closes the door. The black dress shirt and gray slacks look as good on him as his jeans and T-shirt from earlier did. “I’m just about ready.”

  “What are you doing?” He eyes me then the bed, and I lean back to hide the lump behind me and lift my leg to touch my ankle.

  “Just stretching.” I drop my foot and raise my arms over my head. “I always stretch when I know I’m going to be wearing heels.” Wow, I sound like an idiot.

  “And what is it you are trying to hide behind your back?” He takes a step toward me, and I lean back farther.

  “I’m not hiding anything. Why would I be hiding something?” I ask, and just then my brand new bottle of conditioner rolls onto the floor, stopping at his feet. He bends and picks it up then flips it over in his hand to read the label. “Oh… I wonder how that got in here.” I reach up to take it from him, but when I do, he tosses the blanket back, exposing my bag.

  “Are you planning on going somewhere?”

  “Yes, we’re going to dinner, remember?” I cringe as he pulls the things from my bag. “You never know when you might need a change of clothes.” I bite my nail, and he rolls his eyes at me while grabbing hold of my wrist.

  “You’re a horrible liar.”

  “You would know, since you’re the best,” I snip, but he doesn’t react to my comment.

  “My mother just mentioned to me that you might have misinterpreted what she said to you earlier.”

  “What she said earlier?” I attempt to play stupid, and he glares at me.

  “About her and dad being worried, Dakota.”

  “Oh that,” I say as I start repacking my bag. “They have a reason to be worried, and there are no hard feelings on my part.” I frown as he takes the things out of my purse, but I otherwise don’t react. I just put them back in without looking at him while saying, “After thinking about it, I know me being here might put you in danger, and I don’t want that, so I’m going to go home with Jamie after dinner.”

  “So you’re going to go stay with Jamie and put him in danger?” He picks up my purse and tosses it toward the headboard.

  I look up at him as my nose scrunches in annoyance, because I didn’t think about that. “I’m going to stay in a hotel.”

  “You’re going to stay in a hotel.”

  “That’s what I just said.”

  “So you’re going to tell Jamie and my parents, who are all worried about your safety, that you’re going to get a hotel, alone.”

  “Your parents will be happy you’re not in danger, and Jamie will be okay once I explain to him why I’m going to stay in a hotel.”

  “My parents will be happy when they know I’m not in danger?”

  Even though his tone and the look he gives me are filled with warning, I still say, “Yeah.”

  He eyes me for a moment then shakes his head. “I don’t have time to deal with this right now. We have a reservation to get to.”

  “What?” I stand up and follow him through the bathroom and into the closet. When he doesn’t respond, I ask, “What does that mean?”

  He turns to face me as he slips on a suit jacket that matches his slacks. “It means I’m not going to waste my breath arguing with you, since one way or another, you will be coming home with me tonight.”

  “So you don’t care that your parents are worried about you?” I cross my arms over my chest and block the doorway when he takes a step toward me.

  “They aren’t worried about me. They’re worried about you.”

  My brows drag together. “They don’t know me enough to care about what happens to me.”

  “They know I’m falling in love with you, Dakota. They know that if something happens to you, it would kill me. So yes, they’re worried about me, but it’s because they are worried about something happening to you,” he growls, and then he stomps to me, grabbing my hand and glaring down at me. “Now we need to get to dinner.”

  I stumble, the words “I’m falling in love with you” dancing through my head and making me dizzy as he practically drags me from the room.

  “Is everything okay?” his mom asks, standing from the couch and glancing worriedly between us when we reach the living room.

  I don’t know about the man still holding my hand, but I’m so not okay right now. I feel lightheaded, nauseous, and if I don’t take a breath soon, I might pass out from lack of oxygen.

  “We’re fine,” Braxton states, and I catch his parents’ look at each other before he pulls me with him to the elevator. Once we are all inside and the doors are closed, the silence becomes uncomfortable, and I shift in my heels then look up at Braxton, watching the muscles in his jaw twitch.

  “You look nice, Dakota,” Alisha says, breaking into the silence, and I pull my attention off her son’s ticking jaw to look at her, noticing
she changed into a simple cream dress with a colorful shawl around her shoulders. Bret is now wearing a dress shirt and slacks. The two of them look like the proud parents of a well-established businessman.

  “Thanks, you both look nice too.” I force a smile, and Braxton squeezes my fingers still laced between his.

  When we reach the parking garage, we all go to his Benz and Braxton opens my door for me to get in. I hesitate and look up at him. There are hundreds of things I want to tell him, but when he drops his eyes to me, everything gets stuck on the tip of my tongue. With a quiet sigh, I climb into my seat and he slams my door closed.

  I watch him walk around the hood, then a moment later, he slides in behind the wheel, giving me a look that has me quickly putting on my seat belt. He starts the engine, and I reach over the console between us to rest my hand on his thigh, and when he covers my hand with his, I let out the breath I’ve been holding, wishing I was brave enough to tell him that I love him too.

  Chapter 15

  DAKOTA

  WITH BRAXTON AND his parents distracted, I look under the edge of the table and tap Braxton’s watch to see the time then shake my head. Jamie is now almost an hour late.

  “He’s probably caught in traffic.” Braxton’s words startle me, and I glance at him as he gives my thigh a gentle squeeze.

  “You’re probably right.” Worry and frustration fill the pit of my stomach. I wish I could say it’s not like Jamie to run late, but I don’t think he’s ever shown up for anything on time. I just thought he knew I needed him tonight.

  “He’ll be here.”

  “He better be,” I mutter back as I pick up my glass of wine. I swallow a huge gulp then look at Braxton’s parents, who are watching me, and set down my glass. All I need is for them to think I have an issue with alcohol on top of being a danger to their son’s life.

  “Dakota,” Bret calls, and I focus on him, my muscles getting tight when I see the look of concern in his eyes. “I think I need to apologize.” He clears his throat, and Alisha covers his hand with hers on the table. “I was upset earlier after seeing what was done to your apartment, but I wasn’t upset with you.”