Then he realized that it wasn’t that big of a deal because…it just wasn’t. His behavior had changed and people were noticing so…where was the harm in that? It wasn’t like he was doing anything nefarious; he was simply dating a beautiful woman who made him happy.
By the time he climbed into his car and was pulling away from the office, he felt all the tension leave his body and he glanced at the clock and realized he would be seeing Leanna in two hours. Just knowing that put a smile on his face. Tonight they were staying in at her place and she was making them dinner. It was a Tuesday night and they now had a bit of a pattern–one night a week they ate in, two nights a week they went out, and on all of those nights he stayed at her place so they could make love for hours and he could sleep with her in his arms.
Funny how he never knew how appealing that could be.
Over the last several weeks, things had become…good. Really good. Brody couldn’t remember the last time he had been in a relationship but he knew it had never been like this. Because of the busy schedules they both kept, those three nights a week that they spent together meant more. He didn’t mind working late as a habit, but now he used it as a way to pass the time when he couldn’t be with her.
Leanna’s schedule was crazier than he ever realized. On the weeks when they had big events, she was busy baking and dealing with clients fourteen hours a day. When she had a day off or just on the nights they got to see each other, he tended to dote on her because he knew she never did anything for herself. There were lots of foot massages as well as full-body ones which were really just an excuse for him to get his hands on her.
Not that she minded.
They’d gone to see musicals at the theaters in both Raleigh and Durham, a hockey game, and out to several movies. He’d invited her to come and workout with him during his training sessions but she’d turned him down flat.
“If you ever see me running, it means someone’s chasing me. And not for anything good,” she’d told him and while he would have loved having her with him at the gym–and seeing her in spandex–he respected her wishes and didn’t push her on it. By the same token, she was constantly talking about cakes and cupcakes and never pushed him on trying them.
Balance. They had a good balance and a healthy respect for each other. He genuinely liked Leanna, respected her, and more than anything, he trusted her.
And he didn’t trust anyone.
That was why tonight was going to be a big deal. He was going to ask Leanna something that he’d never asked another woman and…just thinking about it made him a bit nervous.
There was a slight chance she’d turn him down, but he didn’t think she would.
He just needed to word it perfectly so she would be excited about it and not look at him as if he were crazy.
Okay, maybe he was overthinking it. After all, it wasn’t as if he were asking her to move in with him; he was simply going to ask her to come and spend the weekend at his place. So far, they had spent all their time at her place and that was something he made sure of–especially after their first date when she mildly freaked out over their differences. For the life of him, he didn’t know how she could stand living someplace so small. It was a little suffocating at times and he was a man who enjoyed his breathing room. But just as he’d told her that night, she was more than where she lived and he wanted to do everything he could to make her relax.
Plus, his home was a bit intimidating.
The idea came to him the other night when they were on the phone. It was late and Leanna was working on some fondant in her kitchen at home and even though she tried so hard not to complain, she was clearly frustrated with all the constraints. He thought about his own kitchen which literally never got used and realized if anyone was going to christen it, it should be Lea. Why? Because he loved seeing her happy and smiling.
Plus, he knew he would be greatly rewarded in the sexiest of ways when she was done.
He’d gladly pass on any of the sweet treats she baked, but he’d never turn down an opportunity to get her naked and screaming his name.
The plan was to offer to whisk her away for a staycation at his place for the weekend. She had no events that she had to bake for and according to her, at noon on Friday, she was officially off the clock until Monday morning.
And Brody made sure he cleared his schedule so he was off for the same amount of time.
His assistant practically needed oxygen when he told her, but then she must have realized she’d be free of him for half a day and immediately cheered up and felt better.
If he were a lesser man, he’d take offense to her reaction, but he was feeling too good about his life to do it.
So for now he was heading home to work out for an hour before showering and heading over to Leanna’s. His triathlon was a little more than a month away and he was feeling like he was in the best shape of his life. Perhaps adding a little sexual activity to his workouts had kicked things up a notch or maybe it was because he finally had a little joy in his life and wasn’t solely focused on King Hospitality and training. Either way, he was pleased with the progress he’d made and so was his trainer.
He pulled into his driveway and turned off the car but didn’t get out. Instead, he called Lea.
“Hey, you,” she said when she answered and he wished he’d thought to video chat because he could practically hear her smiling and now he wanted to see her face.
“Hey,” he replied smoothly. “How’s your day going? We still good for six?”
“Absolutely! I went shopping earlier and Patricia is helping me prep everything so I won’t have to do as much when I get home.”
“You shouldn’t have to do anything after working all day. I can still pick up some takeout on my way over. Just say the word and…”
“Nonsense! I enjoy cooking. Not as much as baking, but I still enjoy it. And I think you’re really going to love this dish.”
“Oh, really? You still haven’t told me what it is,” he teased.
“I didn’t? Hmm…well it’s Argentinian-style churrasco skewers with chimichurri sauce. That’s our main course. But we’re staring out with mozzarella spiedini.”
“Um…”
“And for dessert, I totally planned it with only you in mind–grilled fruit kabobs with yogurt and honey. Doesn’t that all sound amazing? I’m so excited for you to try it!”
“Okay, I’m sure I’m going to sound like a complete idiot but…none of that made sense. The only thing I understood was the dessert.”
“That’s because you have a weird obsession with fruit,” she deadpanned.
“Lea…”
“Okay, okay, okay…our entrée is basically marinated steak kabobs with squash, cherry tomatoes, and eggplant with a chimichurri sauce.”
“Wow, that actually does sound fantastic! And what was the appetizer?”
“Fresh mozzarella with cherry tomatoes on toasted rosemary branches and served with a warm baguette and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.”
“And that sounds equally delicious!” he said, suddenly starving. “But it sounds like you’re doing far too much. I would have been happy with a pizza.”
“I told you I wanted to cook…”
“Then I would have been happy with some spaghetti or a grilled cheese sandwich. I hate to think of you putting in all this work for me. You’re spoiling me.”
“Well, maybe I think you deserve to be spoiled,” she replied sweetly. “I think for someone who grew up with everything you could ever want, it seems like no one has gone out of their way to personally spoil you. So I’ve appointed myself to be that person.”
“You have, huh?”
“Absolutely! Just wait till you see what I’ll be wearing while I’m cooking all this.”
He groaned. “You are killing me. Are you sure you can’t leave work now? I can meet you at your place in fifteen minutes.”
“No can do. But I promise it will all be worth it.”
“I know it w
ill, beautiful. I know it will.” He paused. “Well since I have to wait, I guess I’ll go and burn off this frustration on the treadmill.”
“Poor baby. Don’t work too hard and I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, you will.” And when he hung up, her words stayed with him.
No one had ever accused him of lacking anything, but his parents always made it seem like they refused to spoil them. Their wealth meant they could have whatever they wanted, but it was everything in moderation and there had to be a reason for the things they received.
The way Leanna spoiled him was completely different.
It was personal.
It was affectionate.
And it was becoming everything to him.
Chapter 10
Good things come to those who bake.
Dinner was delicious.
Dessert was delectable.
But neither came close to the absolute satisfaction Leanna felt as she lay breathless and a little sweaty on top of Brody.
“I promise to buy you another French maid costume,” he said as his hand gently skimmed up and down her spine.
Yeah, she’d decided to be a little naughty and bought the costume just to see what he thought.
Considering he’d lifted her off her feet as soon as he arrived and made love to her furiously against the door told her he liked it.
Then there was round two on the kitchen counter while she was trying to get dessert ready.
By the time they finally made it to the bedroom, the costume was practically shredded and it was the best fifty bucks she had ever spent.
“You don’t have to do that,” she told him, placing a kiss on his chest. “I was thinking of maybe going with a sexy nurse or something next time.”
He chuckled softly. “You want to play doctor?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Every Halloween you hear guys talking about how they want their girlfriends to dress up as sexy nurses. I figured it was a thing.”
“Sweetheart, men always want their girlfriends to dress in sexy costumes. Any sexy costume.”
Lifting her head, she looked down at him. “What’s your preference?”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever given it much thought, but off the top of my head I’d have to say…sexy baker.”
Leanna rolled her eyes as she went to move off of him, but his strong arms held her steady. “Be serious.”
“I am! What would you like me to say? Should I go for the cliches of sexy cheerleader? Sexy Catholic schoolgirl? Or maybe Wonder Woman? I mean, come on. Think about it.”
“Whatever,” she said with a small laugh as she tried to roll off of him. “And there’s no such costume as a sexy baker.”
One strong hand reached up and anchored into her hair. “Sweetheart, if you stood in the kitchen wearing anything at all, you’re a sexy baker.”
“Brody…”
“But I wouldn’t say no to you maybe baking something while wearing an apron and nothing else.” Then he tugged her down for a rough kiss before he finally allowed her to move away.
“You’re ridiculous. That would be a serious health code violation.” Snuggling up beside him, she rested her head on his chest.
“Maybe, but…how about we test it out this weekend.”
She raised her head again. “What do you mean?”
Rolling onto his side to face her, he almost looked…nervous.
Interesting…
“I know we said we were going to talk about what we wanted to do this weekend since you’re off, but I thought that…maybe…you might want to spend it with me at my place.”
She felt her eyes go wide and thought it was a silly reaction, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. “Your place? Like…your house?”
He nodded. “It’s not nearly as big as my parents’ home, but I like it.”
Over the course of the last month, he had told her a lot about his house and all of the work he’d put into it over the last several years. She’d never seen it, but in her mind it sounded fantastic.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” she asked. “I mean…I know your home is your refuge–the place you go to so you can be alone and escape from everything. I certainly don’t want to go and mess that up for you.”
“Leanna?”
“Hmm?”
“If I didn’t want you there, I wouldn’t have invited you. I just thought it might be nice for you to get away for a few days–even if it’s just fifteen minutes away in the same city. Sometimes a change of scenery is nice and I happen to have some amazing scenery on my property. It’s very private.”
Curiosity had been gnawing at her for weeks because she wanted to see his home but didn’t dare ask because he had mentioned–more than once–how much his privacy meant to him. But since he was issuing an invitation, perhaps she should take advantage of it.
Play it cool, Lea. Don’t seem too anxious…
“Well,” she said after a moment, “if you’re sure. I suppose a change of scenery would be nice…”
He looked shocked by her response and it almost made her laugh. “Was there someplace else you wanted to go?”
“I guess I never really thought about it. I just figured we’d hang out like usual–maybe hit the farmers market or take a drive to the coast or something–and then come back here and chill.”
“And here I was considering whisking you off on a private jet to New Orleans for the weekend,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “Then I thought staying at my place would be way more romantic and you seem bored at the prospect.”
“Romantic? A minute ago you wanted me baking in the kitchen without panties. That’s hardly romantic.”
“Says you,” he teased, pulling her close. “In my mind, it’s very romantic. There would be wine, and a fire in the fireplace, soft music…”
“And no panties.”
“That’s the best part.”
“Such a guy…”
“It is part of my charm.” He kissed her before their banter could continue and she was more than happy to give in. Brody was definitely a skilled kisser and she could spend hours like this and be perfectly content.
When they broke apart a few minutes later, he kept her close beside him with her head on his shoulder. “I meant what I said, Lea. If you’d rather do something else…”
“I just want to be with you,” she softly replied. “It’s not very often that I get an almost three-day weekend and knowing we can spend it together makes it even better.”
He kissed the top of her head. “For me too.”
A month ago, she never would have dreamed of hearing him say things like this, and now that he had, it sealed the deal for her.
She was in love.
The words were ready to burst out of her mouth, but she knew it was too soon and Brody certainly wasn’t in the same place yet. So for now she would keep it to herself and just do everything she could to show him how she felt.
Snuggling closer and tangling her legs with his, she rested her hand on his chest. “So what’s the plan? What should I bring?”
“Bring whatever you want,” he said, his voice soft and a little sleepy. “We can still go out and do whatever you’d like so it’s not as if you have to think of everything you’ll need because you can’t leave.”
“I don’t know…there’s something wildly appealing about walking through the doors and locking the rest of the world out. I’m planning on turning off my phone and not checking email all weekend.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
She was beginning to feel like one of those Whac-A-Mole games because her head popped up again. “We? That’s what we’ll do?”
Nodding, Brody gave her a relaxed smile. “Yeah. Why?”
“I guess I’m just a little surprised that you’re willing to disconnect for the whole weekend too. You certainly don’t have to. I understand that you always have a lot going on at work and I don’t want to be the reason you’re not doing something that might ne
ed to be done.”
Once again, he guided her head back down to his shoulder. “Let me explain something to you,” he began quietly. “On average, I used to work sixty to seventy hours a week. I love negotiating and making deals and I’m very good at what I do. Right now, I’m one of the vice presidents of King Hospitality. My goal is to become one of the senior VPs.”
“Seriously? There’s more than one level to the vice presidency?”
His laugh was soft as he placed another kiss on the top of her head. “Every level of management has sub-levels. It’s exhausting.”
“And so you want to move up to the next level.”
“Exactly.”
“What’s stopping you from getting the promotion?”
Brody let out a long breath as his hand reached up and played with Leanna’s hair. “Mostly myself,” he admitted. “Remember how everyone was mad at me about Travis and Charlene’s engagement party?”
She nodded.
“That was pretty much just another example of how things normally are. I’m confident and opinionated and most of the time I have no filter.” He paused and yawned. “My father constantly reminds me how I need to learn to tone things down if I want to take the next step up the corporate ladder.”
There wasn’t anything she could say to that because she was mildly offended for him. Was he a little rough around the edges? Sometimes. Was he good at what he did? Apparently. Why didn’t parents realize how hurtful their words can be even when they think they’re helping?
“It doesn’t seem to matter how much money I make for the company or how many hours I put in; my father is looking for me to be the mirror image of him and…that’s just not who I am.”
“And you shouldn’t have to be,” she quietly replied. “You are who you are and maybe if he wasn’t trying to put you in a box or…or…force you into his image, you’d flourish and do even more great things.”
Brody’s arms tightened around her. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being the only person who believes in me without giving me a list of reasons why I need to change.”
With This Cake: A Meet Me At The Altar Novel Page 13