by Jaci Burton
"I don't have the right equipment, Mom."
She rolled her eyes and climbed up to sit on a stool at the center island to sip her wine while he grabbed another beer out of the fridge.
"You know what I'm talking about. A wife. A family of your own."
"Don't you have your hands full with the new grandson on the way?"
"I have enough love in my heart for a house full of grandchildren. And you're dodging the inevitable conversation."
He took a long swallow of beer. "What conversation is that?"
"You and Tori."
"What about me and Tori?"
"Are you serious about her?"
"I don't know. Things are progressing."
His mom took a sip of wine, then laid her glass down. "Brody, you know I love you like you're my own son."
"Ha, ha, Mom."
She winked at him. "Seriously, I love Tori like she's family, too. And I don't want her to get hurt."
"But it's okay if I do?"
She frowned. "You think she's going to hurt you?"
"I don't know." He looked around. They were alone in the kitchen. "I'm not used to relationships."
"Obviously, since you've been manwhoring your way through nearly every woman in town since you were seventeen."
"Jesus, Mom."
"It's the truth, isn't it? I don't live under a rock, you know. You've never had a steady relationship with a woman."
"I've been busy with the company."
"That's an excuse to avoid commitment."
"And you watch too much Dr. Phil."
"Actually, I'm into Dr. Oz now, but that's beside the point. You might want to blow me off as not knowing what I'm talking about, but I've been married to your father for thirty-seven years. And we've had our rough patches. He's hurt me and I've hurt him, but we have a strength in our love that's binded us."
Brody sucked in a breath. He knew the reason he and his brothers were solid was because of his parents, the upbringing they had. "I know love and marriage isn't easy. Except for you and Dad, of course."
His mom laughed. "Before your dad and I met and fell in love, I had my heart broken a few times by guys who couldn't commit, and despite me being deliriously happy with your father, I know the pain of having my heart broken. It's a pain you don't ever forget, so don't stand here and insult me by insinuating that I don't have personal experience in matters of love and heartbreak."
He'd never had this kind of conversation with his mother. "Okay. I'm sorry, Mom."
She scooted off the stool and came over to him and laid her hand in his. "I love you. Above all, I will always love you, no matter what. But I love Tori, too, and that girl has been through hell and back in her life. She looks at your father and I as family. She looks at Ethan and Wyatt as her brothers. But she has never once looked at you as family."
"No?"
"No. That girl has been in love with you since she was a teenager. Open your eyes, Brody, and be careful not to hurt her. Or if you realize she's not the one for you and you know you're going to hurt her, then let her down gently, and don't alienate her from the family she loves and who love her."
Fuck. "Yeah. Okay. I understand."
"Good. Then I'll butt out from now on. I love you, son." She reached up, grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss on his cheek. "I need to go ogle the cute baby gifts and take a few hundred more pictures."
After she left the kitchen, he downed the rest of his beer and grabbed another.
Talk about a Come to Jesus meeting. His mother had read him the riot act and had done it in her most gentle, sweetest voice, just like she always had done when they were kids. She'd never had to raise her voice to them. Calm reason had them dropping their chins to their chests and confessing their sins before they knew what was up.
Now he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do about what she'd told him.
It was one thing to have fun with Tori, to have a relationship with her because it wasn't complicated, and because it was what the two of them wanted.
It was another thing entirely to have the entire town and his family eagle-eyeing his every move.
"There you are."
He turned around as Tori entered the kitchen.
"I wondered where you'd disappeared to. Too much baby blue for you?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah. Way heavy on baby land out there."
She laughed. "I think they're set for Baby Boy Kent's first couple years after that shower."
"It seems that way."
She tucked herself under his arm. "Things are wrapping up out there if you want to make your escape."
That was the nice thing about Tori. She always gave him an out and wasn't the clingy type. "Are you hanging here for a while?"
She nodded. "I'll help clean up the disaster after everyone leaves. I don't want to leave that for your mom or Calliope to deal with."
And she was generous, always thinking of others before herself. "Then I'll stay and help, too."
"Are you sure? We can handle it."
He bent and brushed his lips across hers, loving the way she yielded against him.
Maybe it was time he stopped thinking and worrying about what other people thought and focused only on what he felt. "If you can handle it, then so can I. Later, you and I can make our escape."
Her eyes sparkled with promise. "I love the sound of that."
*
Exhausted and giddy from the baby shower, Tori was more than a little thrilled when Brody had asked her to follow him to his place after.
He'd spent the evening looking like a miserable cornered deer. She knew it wouldn't be his kind of venue, but he'd been a trooper about it. She supposed that's what family did for each other, at least family that cared about each other, another reason she loved all the Kents. They stood up for each other and by each other, even during the uncomfortable events. Even Brody's dad had showed up and dutifully showed enthusiasm over every baby item that had been unveiled.
Now she was exhausted and more than ready to kick off her uncomfortable shoes, so when she pulled into Brody's driveway, he came to meet her at her car.
"Pull into the garage. It looks like rain tonight."
She laughed. "My car has more golf-ball-sized hail dings on it than I can count. I don't think a little rain will hurt it."
"Pull it into the garage, Tori."
She shrugged. "Okay."
It seemed weird to park her car next to his truck. Silly perhaps, but it made them look like a couple and she hadn't yet reconciled them to that place yet.
He waited for her to get out, then held the door for her as she walked in from the garage.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Very. But it was a nice baby shower, and I'm glad it went well, both for Riley and for your mom, who was stressed about the details."
"And now it's over."
She kicked off her shoes inside the door. "Yes. Thank God. Now it's over."
"Would you like something to drink?"
"A giant glass of ice water would be great." She'd had a couple glasses of wine and a few beers throughout the night but plenty of food, so fortunately she wasn't buzzed, just tired. When Brody handed her the water, she took several swallows.
Brody swept his hand over her hair. "You look tired."
She lifted her gaze to his. "That's a euphemism for I look like hell, right?"
He laughed. "No, it means there are dark circles under your eyes like you need some sleep. Let's go to bed."
She couldn't argue with him. "That sounds good. I am tired."
They went upstairs and she realized how comfortable she'd grown undressing and climbing into bed with him. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, then kissed the top of her head.
She closed her eyes, relaxing into his body, smoothing her hand over his chest, drifting across his abs, then even lower. She could never get enough of touching him. Every moment they had together was precious to her, because she never kne
w when it would end.
"You keep touching me like that you're not going to get to sleep."
She lifted her head, searching his face in the darkness as she wrapped her hand around the hot, thick, oh-so-hard part of him. "I'm not that tired, you know."
He shifted her underneath him. "Is that right?"
"Yes."
"I have ways of exhausting you."
"Yeah? Show me."
His mouth met hers in a tangle of lips and tongues. She sensed a desperate passion in Brody tonight, and she met it with wild abandon. He smoothed his hand over her hip and down her thigh, lifting her leg as he put a condom on in record time and entered her with a quick thrust. She gasped as he moved within her, teasing her with slow, deliberate movements that made her climax so quickly it shocked her into a surprised cry.
But he wasn't finished with her yet, because he rolled her onto her knees and took her from behind, teasing her nipples and breasts and reaching between her legs as he rocked hard and fast into her. He was relentless and ever patient, and when she came again, he stayed with her, giving her the strokes she needed to catapult her into oblivion.
And still, he only shifted her over onto her side, letting her catch her breath by kissing her, stroking her hip and raising her leg over his so he could thrust slow and easy.
"Brody," she whispered, staring up into a face she'd grown to love so deeply it hurt. "What are you doing to me?"
"We have all night," he said, brushing her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. She grabbed his thumb and sucked it between her lips, rewarded with his harsh groan of pleasure. He replaced his thumb with his mouth, shattering her with the intimacy of the gesture. She fought for breath as he took her right to the edge again, refusing to let go until she did.
She didn't think she could, until he rolled her on top of him, giving her the control. He grasped her hips and held her while she rolled back and forth and he lifted up into her, burying himself deep. He cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs over her nipples, searing her with the deepest pleasure until she arched against him, giving him everything he'd asked for, baring herself to him down to her soul. And when she came, this time he thrust, then groaned, his fingers digging into her hips as he roared out his climax and fell with her.
She collapsed on top of him, utterly spent. She vaguely registered Brody moving her off him, leaving her for a few minutes and coming back to the bed to cuddle up behind her. She only recalled his strong arms wrapping around her as he pulled the covers over them both.
Then she let sleep take her.
Chapter Eleven
The out-of-town job had been going smoothly, and plans for the new supermarket were well underway. Brody had a handle on everything, and even his personal life seemed to be going well for a change.
He and Tori had settled into seeing each other fairly regularly, which he liked. It was new territory for him, this whole relationship thing, but it sure beat the hell out of coming home to an empty house every night.
He wasn't even freaked out that, little by little, her things were starting to take up residence at his place.
First it was a toothbrush, because she spent the night frequently. Then it was shower things and a few clothes for overnight stays. And he had to make closet and drawer space for her to put her things. He had plenty of room, so no big deal, right?
She was even cooking for him, and what guy would mind that? She sure as hell was a better cook than he was.
He had to admit he liked having her at his place rather than that hellhole of an apartment she lived in.
Which begged the question of why he didn't just ask her to move in with him. It wasn't like they were strangers to each other. He'd known her for years. They got along great. The sex was fantastic and they enjoyed each other's company.
It was that next step dilemma that kept him from pulling the trigger. They were having fun. It was light and simple and easy between them. She didn't ask for anything or tie any strings to him. He could pretend he was still the carefree bachelor he'd always been, because, technically, Tori wasn't living there.
But she was a part of his life, and he didn't like to think about her going back to her place and the two of them living separate lives. He didn't want to think about his life without her in it. He didn't want to think about her possibly finding someone else and leaving him.
Was that love? Did he love her? That was his problem. He had no idea what love was. He'd seen it, been surrounded by it with his parents and Wyatt and Calliope and Ethan and Riley. He knew it from the outside, but he'd never been in love with a woman before, so he didn't have a freakin' clue.
All he knew was he liked the way things were. Wasn't that enough for now? Did it have to be defined?
He didn't want to think about the deep shit anymore. All he knew was having her at the house made it easier for her to plan the company Christmas party, which she'd done a fantastic job of putting together. She'd made arrangements for caterers and the band and the booze and those outside heater things, and there was even someone coming to move furniture and bring in tables and a dance floor.
Whatever. He was kind of oblivious to it all because he had his work to do, but on the nights they were together she'd discuss it with him. He had to admit he liked the end of the day rehash they always did when she stayed over.
He was toying with the idea of asking her to stay at his place when he had to be out of town, though he couldn't yet figure out how to make that work.
Why would she need to be at his place when he wasn't there? It wasn't like he had a dog that needed watching or anything.
Maybe he should get a dog.
"Brody. Brody!"
He snapped to attention at Wyatt's sharp tone, realizing he'd been so deep in thought he hadn't even realized his brother had been talking. "What?"
Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Were you even listening?"
"Uh...no. What were you saying?"
"I've just spent the better part of ten minutes going over inventory for the jobsites. Where were you?"
Brody dragged his fingers through his hair and stood, pacing the office conference room. "I don't know. Somewhere else. Sorry."
"Is it a job, or is it something else on your mind?"
"Oh. A job."
"Okay." Wyatt closed his laptop. "Let's talk about it. Which job is giving you hell? We'll talk about it and fix it."
Shit. Every single job he managed was going smoothly right now. He couldn't manufacture a problem if he tried. "Okay, it's not a job."
"Then it's Tori. Did you fuck something up?"
He rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't fuck anything up. Things are fine."
"Then what's got your head so far up your ass that you daydreamed away ten minutes of our conversation?"
He shot Wyatt a smirk. "Maybe you're boring."
"Screw you. Inventory might be boring, but I am never boring. Just ask my wife."
"No, thanks. I'd rather not hear the gory details of your sex life."
"Man, you're missing out. They're epic. Okay, then tell me about yours."
"Perv. I'm not telling you anything about mine."
"Not your sex life. Tell me what's going on with you and Tori."
"Nothing. We're dating. Things are going fine."
Wyatt cocked a brow. "Now that's boring. Calliope and I are more exciting than that, and we're married."
"Correction. You're newly married. You should still be exciting. If you're not still rocking her world every night, then she should trade you in for a newer model."
"Again...screw you. And you're changing the subject so you don't have to talk about you and Tori."
"Noticed that, did you? And still, you're not grabbing a clue. See, I always knew you were a moron."
"So is it getting serious?"
"What is it with my family and Tori? If I was having a relationship with Rita Melner of Hair Raising's salon, no one would say boo to me about it. But since it's Tori, everyone has to be all up in my busines
s about it."
"That's true," Ethan said as he walked into the conference room and shut the door. "But you're not dating Rita Melner. Zack Dorman is."
"Our foreman on the upcoming supermarket job?" Brody asked.
"Yeah." Ethan set his laptop down. "Riley told me when she went to get a pedicure yesterday that Rita's been seeing Zack for about a month now."
"Huh," Wyatt said. "Interesting. But not as interesting as Brody and Tori."
Dammit. He was so sure they'd start gossiping about Rita and Zack and he'd be off the hook.
"There's nothing interesting going on with the two of us. We're dating. Subject's closed."
"And things are going well I assume?" Ethan asked.
"Why? Did Mom ask for a report?"
Ethan snorted. "No. I just care about Tori."
Brody rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to talk to the two of you about Tori. Not now, not ever. Not again."
"You know, I do like to give you shit about this," Wyatt said. "But we care about you, too. This is a good relationship for you, Brody. For God's sake, it's the first one you've been in since high school. She's good for you."
"Wyatt's right, man. Make this one stick," Ethan said.
Brody had nothing to say to that. He just wanted to be able to see Tori on his own terms without his damn family interfering every step of the way.
What would be with the two of them would be. And no amount of family interference would alter the outcome.
He looked outside the conference room where Tori sat at her desk, busy on the phone. Her gorgeous hair was piled up on top of her head, two pencils stuck in it to hold it up. Pieces of it rained down her long neck and all he could think about was sneaking up behind her and taking a nibble.
He was getting hard just thinking about it.
"Do you think he's even aware we're talking about him?" Ethan asked.
"I spent ten minutes going over inventory and he was daydreaming."
"I hear the both of you," he said, focusing his attention away from Tori, but only briefly, because she came to the door, her eyes wide with worry.
"Ethan. Is your phone off?"
"Uh...no. It's never off." He pulled it out of his pocket. "Shit. I must have hit the button."
"Riley called. Her water broke and contractions have started."
Ethan paled. "Oh, shit." He stood, and started shuffling papers into his bag.
"Just go, man," Wyatt said. "Leave that stuff here. And call us."
"Yeah. You're right." He looked at all of them and grinned. "I'm going to have another baby."
