by Anne, Melody
“We’re taking a smoke break in five minutes,” Brooke said as she watched Chloe walk away.
“We don’t smoke,” Chloe pointed out.
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Exactly! We should be rewarded with a smoke break like the rest of them because we’re healthier,” she said before Chloe disappeared.
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh, even though she hadn’t felt like laughing much in the past twenty-four hours. She’d left Brandon’s place the night before last, and she didn’t regret doing it, but she’d opened a floodgate that was now coming in way too strongly for her to be able to close it again. Chloe was in trouble. Every time the bell on her door signaled a new arrival, she was looking up with bated breath, and today especially, that door was opening every minute or so.
Chloe was exhausted. She didn’t even want to think about the disaster that was her restaurant. The floor was covered in crumbs, the walls most likely dotted with dirty fingerprints, and the tables were going to need a good scrubbing.
She’d hired a magician to wow the kids with Christmas magic, and the dang man had set off a confetti gun, making the children laugh and glittering her floor with an even bigger mess. She made a note to herself not to allow confetti guns ever again. Then she looked at the joy on the kids’ faces, and she amended that. It’d be worth it if these memories stayed with them long into their lives.
The doorbell chimed again, and this time Chloe didn’t look up, but she didn’t need to. Brandon had walked in. She couldn’t hear him, couldn’t smell him, couldn’t see him—she just knew without a doubt that he was there. And the joy that thought brought scared her to death.
Because she wanted to look so desperately, she purposely finished putting food on the Johnsons’ table before wishing them a merry Christmas and then turning to make her way to the back of the place, where she could hide.
She didn’t make it far.
“Impressive crowd,” Brandon whispered in her ear, his breath making her already-overheated body go into the hot flash of a lifetime.
“It’s like this every year. I’m going to be busy for hours,” she told him. “If you’re hungry, your best bet is to try to squeeze in at the front counter and hope to get someone’s attention.”
She said this all without turning. She was afraid the sight of him was going to be too much for her to take. Would she do something foolish like launch herself into his arms and kiss him right there in front of half the town?
“I bet you have a place in the back where it’s a little more quiet, and I can get serviced properly,” he told her in an erotic whisper that had her wanting to melt right there at his dang feet.
Chloe spun around to tell him he couldn’t speak to her that way in her place of business, but her words were lost at the sight of him in a red sweater and tight jeans. The man was too good looking to be unleashed on the public like this.
Judging by the gleam in his eyes, she could tell he knew exactly what she was thinking, and she had the urge to kick him in one of his perfectly shaped shins just to show him he didn’t affect her like he did. This tendency to want to resort to elementary school antics was enough to make her head spin even more.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her before bending down and lightly kissing her cheek.
Chloe couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like there was a hush in the restaurant. She was too embarrassed to look up and find out if everyone’s eyes were on her. Never before had a man kissed her there, and for Brandon to do so was an open invitation for the town to gossip.
“I guess our break’s off the table,” Brooke said as she gave Chloe a wink. “But that kiss just answered half the questions I had for you, anyway.”
“Brooke,” Brandon said before wrapping his arm around Chloe in a possessive hold she couldn’t shake off.
“Brandon,” her best friend said back. There was a suspicious light in Brooke’s eyes, but Chloe was surprised to see respect there, too. Was Brooke turning to the dark side and accepting Brandon as hers? That wasn’t good. Chloe needed Brooke to hate him so her friend could slap Chloe back into reality, even if he was Brooke’s brother-in-law.
But before she could voice any of this, Brandon was pulling her away from the crowd, and Chloe found herself going through the back of the restaurant and straight into the small office she spent too much time in. The door was shut, and then she was alone with Brandon, something she’d promised herself the night before last she wouldn’t do again.
“I need a real kiss,” he told her.
He backed up to her desk and pulled her into his arms, not giving her any more warning than that before his head descended and he was kissing her breath and her senses away. It was several moments before he released her, and Chloe found her head spinning. She wanted to lean back into him so they could continue what he’d started.
“I’ve decided I can make you a very happy woman,” he said as he sifted his fingers through her hair and smiled in a way that made her want to believe him.
“We can’t do this, Brandon,” she told him. But man did she really want to do just that. She wanted to fall into this make-believe world he was pulling her into, forget all about the reasons it was a bad idea, and just get lost in him over and over again.
“I think we can. I think you want to.”
Chloe did want to. She wanted him. But this wasn’t the time or the place for it.
There was a knock on the door, and Chloe let out a sigh of frustration and relief.
“This is one of our busiest weeks of the year for me. I can’t hide out in here,” she told him with reluctance.
“When do you get off?” he asked before leaning in and taking her bottom lip in his mouth, gently biting down, sending flames through her before releasing her mouth.
“I’m closing today at . . . uh . . . at two,” she managed to stutter. “I have to change out the tables for a big party tomorrow. Someone rented the entire place.”
“Good, I’ll be back then to get some coffee and a pastry and to help you clean,” he said.
Chloe was about to argue, but he didn’t give her the chance. He kissed her hard one more time, and then he was opening the door, where two employees stood wide eyed as they gazed at the beast of a man.
Brandon wished them a merry Christmas, then slipped quietly away, and Chloe had no choice but to focus on her work. Even the look she received from Brooke as her best friend tapped her foot outside the door wasn’t enough to shake her from her romance-induced semicoma.
Merry Christmas, she thought with a dreamy smile. She was in trouble . . . in big, big, big trouble.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Brandon was back at Chloe’s restaurant at 1:40 p.m. He wasn’t taking a chance of her closing earlier and slipping out the door. Never had he chased a woman like he’d been chasing Chloe, but right now he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
Every moment he was with her, he just wanted more. Every minute he was without her, he was in a hurry to get back. They needed to work on their project together, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. For now, all he could think about was this woman and how much he wanted to be with her.
He slipped past the hostess with a wink, not unaware of the blush that brightened her cheeks. A woman’s reaction to him had been something he’d never noticed before until it had been pointed out to him. He hadn’t wanted to play with women; he’d just always enjoyed flirting. He’d loved multiple women, just hadn’t wanted to be with one for any amount of time. Now, he was more cautious on how he spoke to them. They deserved his respect, as they weren’t toys there for his amusement.
Also, the older he got, the more he realized time was a precious commodity. He didn’t want to wake up one day and have regrets. He was beginning to think that meant he was going to want Chloe to be the last woman he was ever with.
When she slipped from the kitchen and found him sitting at the bar, he watched her face. She wasn’t as good as she thought at hiding how she was feeling. A blush sto
le over her cheeks, brighter than that of the hostess, and a sweet smile filled her lips.
“You didn’t need to come back. I really am busy, Brandon,” she told him in a husky voice that had him wanting to drop to his knees.
“If we let life pass us by, then we’ll have regrets,” he said as the bartender slid a cup of steaming coffee in front of him along with a gooey cinnamon roll. His mouth watered almost as much for the pastry as it did for Chloe.
“I like my life. I’m not worried about it passing by,” she assured him.
“As long as you etch out some time for me, then I’m all good,” he said as he took a bite of his roll and sighed. “Heaven.”
“That’s because it’s one of the rolls from my dad’s secret vault that he doesn’t share with the world. Enjoy it while you can,” she told him with a laugh. “Now, back to the subject at hand. Let’s just say I agree to go on some dates with you. What then?” she finished.
He wasn’t sure how to answer. He hadn’t been expecting her to say that. She’d pulled the rug out from under him. It was a good thing he recovered quickly.
“I’d say we’ll have a blast,” he said. He took another bite to keep himself from spouting out a bunch of other words that didn’t need to be said.
“Is that all?” she pushed.
“What am I supposed to say?” he asked. That was probably a much safer bet.
“What happens when it ends? Are we going to be awkward around each other?” she pushed. She leaned on the other side of the counter from him, giving him a delicious view of her perfect cleavage that was making it hard for him to think. But he shook his head and repeated her words in his head before he opened his mouth.
“Why does it have to end?” he questioned.
“Are you proposing?” she asked, an impish look in her eyes.
His gaze narrowed. “Are you trying to scare me away?” he asked, wondering if she was playing those games she’d said she hated. She’d accused him of doing just that, but it seemed she was the one holding the dice at the moment.
“I’m just asking logical questions,” she said with an innocent shake of her head.
“We’ll never know what’s going to happen if we let this feeling slip away from us,” he told her. He was surprised by how much he meant those words. He wanted to explore all he was feeling when it came to Chloe.
She tilted her head to the side, as if she was considering what he was saying. He liked that. Maybe this was the progress he so desperately wanted and needed. Before he could find out, the door chimed again, and he felt a chill travel down his spine. He turned around to find out why.
“Hello, Brandon.”
He froze, unsure of what was happening.
“Alexandra?” he questioned. She smiled, her perfectly painted red lips turned up in a fake smile that had once turned him on, her blonde hair perfectly straightened, and her three-thousand-dollar shoes clicking on the tile floor.
“Hey, lover.” She stopped in front of him and leaned in, placing a kiss on his stunned lips. He was so shocked he didn’t have time to stop her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. He hadn’t seen her in over a year. They’d had an incredibly hot weekend, but he’d known it was a mistake from the second he’d woken up with her at his side.
In his younger and more carefree days, she’d been the perfect woman. She hadn’t asked for much, and he had been able to walk away guilt-free. But after meeting Chloe, he’d discovered he wanted more than that. They’d parted, and he’d thought it would be the last he’d ever see of her.
“I just thought it was time you met your son,” she said.
The room went utterly silent. Brandon stared at her in horror before turning to see the devastated look on Chloe’s face. Before he could say a word to her, she was gone. His eyes narrowed as he turned back to face Alexandra. Fury washed through him.
“There isn’t a chance I have a son with you,” he said, his voice quiet but filled with rage. She didn’t so much as blink as she gazed back at him mockingly.
“Do you not understand how babies are made?” she said as she pushed a piece of her hair behind her shoulders. She barely moved. The woman was a robot. How had he not seen that before? How had he ever been attracted to it? Maybe it was because he’d put himself through hell after losing his mom.
“I understand clearly how they’re made, and we slept together once, and the condom didn’t break,” he said with steel in his voice.
Her eyes narrowed. “Accidents happen, Brandon. Do you want to meet your son? It’s time you step up and take some responsibility,” she said. That’s when he noticed the panic and fear in her eyes. She covered it quickly, but it was there.
“Let’s take a walk,” he said. This was the last place he wanted to have this conversation with a former fling. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to convince Chloe this was nothing more than a misunderstanding. That infuriated him more than anything else. He’d been making progress, and now this was going to take him right back to the starting line.
Alexandra followed him from the restaurant, and he kept several feet between them as they moved down the dreary street. It wasn’t raining, but it smelled as if it was going to start at any moment.
They made it to the park, where no one seemed to be around. “Explain what’s going on,” he said.
She lost some of her composure. But he was fascinated as she pulled herself back together again. She hadn’t had an easy time lately—that was for sure. Though he knew there was no chance he had a child with her, he had slept with her and owed her a few minutes of his time. Even if that meant he was going to have to do a lot of groveling with Chloe because of this.
“We have a child,” she insisted. “He’s two months old.”
“I can do math, and it’s been fourteen months since we were together, so unless you have the longest pregnancies ever, there’s even less of a chance it’s my son than before, and that was slim to none,” he said.
Her shoulders slumped. Maybe she hadn’t been expecting him to remember exactly when the two of them had been together. He might have been a bit of a dog, but he didn’t forget when he’d been with a woman.
“No, it wasn’t that long ago,” she insisted.
“Tell me what’s going on, Alexandra,” he said, his anger draining. She was obviously in trouble.
She broke down, her cool exterior evaporating as she looked at him with helpless eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slid onto the bench they were standing by. She leaned her head into her hands and wept. He didn’t want to touch this woman, but he was left with little choice. He sat next to her and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.
“I don’t know what to do. My father has disowned me. My son doesn’t have a father, and I’m all alone,” she gasped.
“And you thought I could make it all better,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“You were good to me, Brandon,” she said as she regained her composure. “And we were good together. We can be again.” She leaned into him, trying to connect their mouths.
He stopped her this time, placing a hand on her shoulder and holding her back. “I’m not interested, Alexandra. I’m with someone else now, and you know the two of us were never going to turn into a relationship, anyway. Go back to your father, and show him this side of you. Tell him you need him, and maybe he’ll soften. We all make mistakes in life, but that doesn’t have to define who we are or who we’re going to be in the future. Ask him for help with your son.”
“That’s not how it works in my family,” she told him with another sob.
“I’m sorry you’re going through this. I really am. But you can’t lie to me and tell me I have a child I don’t have and expect me to be your white knight. You’re stronger than you realize, and you’ll be okay,” he told her. “And sometimes you’d be surprised how a family reacts when you are completely vulnerable with them. I tried pushing my family away when I was hurting, and they didn’t allow me to go away.
”
“You don’t know my father.”
“You’re right. I don’t know your father because I don’t know you. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I took sex so callously before. I’m not the same guy I used to be. I’m also not the guy for you.”
She was quiet as her tears stopped. “You are different,” she said. “I wish it was because of me. One night with you wasn’t nearly enough.” The final words came out barely above a whisper.
“Go to your father. Tell him you’re scared. Tell him you need help, and tell him what your plan is to help yourself. I know most people respect you if you have a plan,” he assured her.
She didn’t reply. She simply sat next to him and cried. It took another hour for him to get away. By the time he’d made it back to the restaurant, Chloe was long gone. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, and it might do him good to give her a night to calm down before he tried explaining himself.
That also might bite him in the butt. He’d soon find out. But right now he was drained. He’d been callous and hadn’t once thought of the women he’d slept with before. That showed a flaw in his character he didn’t respect or like. He couldn’t change the past, but he could certainly be aware of how he acted in the present.
Sometimes it took a reality check to wake up. Sometimes it took looking in a mirror. And sometimes it took a blast from the past to make a person understand they didn’t ever want to take steps backward. He was only interested in taking steps toward the future—a future he could look into and have respect for. A future that would make his family be proud of him and see him as a man and not a class clown.
Was this all because of Chloe? He didn’t know for sure. He just knew he was a better person for knowing her. Maybe that was all it took to find the first stirrings of love. Maybe it really did begin with a whisper and not a bang.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A night of sleep hadn’t stopped the irritation Chloe had been feeling since one of Brandon’s exes had stumbled into her restaurant and demanded his attention. She hadn’t believed the woman’s story for a single second, but it did remind her of what a player the man had been his entire life.