Rebound (Washington Senators Book 1)

by Amber Lynn

  “This is a joke, right? I don’t feel you here at all.”

  The words stopped Brayden’s next breath. She’d admittedly not even looked at the photos on the mantle at his house, and she could tell he didn’t put any of him in the apartment? People who knew him for years hadn’t figured that out. Trevor even knew that he had someone else decorate the space but liked to comment on Brayden’s taste when it came to the place.

  His best friend found Brayden in the apartment, but a woman who’d only known him for a week could tell the truth. He didn’t know what to do with that information, which left him standing there like an idiot.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she returned to a spot next to Connor by the fish tank. “You brought us here to protect us, and I’m stuck staring around your place. Where do you want us?”

  Her voice returned to her quiet tone. She’d seemed upset at the revelation Brayden didn’t make the place feel like his home. It made no sense, but he’d heard the disappointment.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about.” He managed to say. His voice a little hoarse for some reason. “I’m just trying to figure out how you knew this isn’t the real me.”

  He knew his two choices for living arrangements were different, but that didn’t mean his house was the real thing. He cringed a little thinking the modern, stark open room around them could be a preference.

  “This doesn’t feel like a home,” she said matter-of-factly. “There’s no touch of nature here. It doesn’t even smell right. Your musk permeates your home. This place smells like cheap air fresheners.”

  That made Brayden come out of his stupor and laugh. He liked the idea of her picking up the smell of him, and potentially liking it if she preferred his house because of it.

  “When you get ten hockey players in here for a party, cheap air fresheners are the only way to clear out the stench when they leave.”

  It had been a while since he’d had anyone over, but he couldn’t deny spraying the place thoroughly after they left. It wasn’t like they sat around having farting competitions or anything. A wrestling match or extreme video game playing usually happened, and those tended to lead to a whole lot of sweating.

  “I see.”

  Brayden raised his brow at the simple response. She looked down to Connor, and apparently the conversation was over.

  Okay. Did she have to be so confusing? He usually had no clue about interrupting a woman, but Willow seemed to be in a class of her own.

  “They won’t come over while you’re here.”

  He tried to reassure her. He didn’t know if the idea was what had turned her almost solemn, but he wanted to make sure her protection was his number one priority.

  She glanced over and smiled. Her lips so rarely curved up that his breath once again stuttered. She was going to kill him, and he was certain she had no idea.

  “It’s your place, Brayden. If you need to have your friends over, we’ll make ourselves scarce.”

  Connor’s eyes went wide as he looked up at Willow and darted his eyes to Brayden. Brayden could see the fear for what it was. For some reason the kid appeared to think staying with Brayden was the best idea. Brayden liked the way he thought, even if he couldn’t tell for sure he really did.

  “What we need to focus on is next steps. You guys can’t live on the run.”

  She didn’t seem ready to talk to a lawyer, but there had to be other things they could do to protect them. She’d already changed her hair color. Maybe some more temporary physical changes would give them some time. Willow would never admit it, but she was exhausted, and it showed in her eyes. Even knowing that, without some assurance their location was safe, he knew chances were she’d make plans to leave.

  “I’ve been thinking about getting some colored contacts. I haven’t had the money and have been too scared to approach anyone about it, but maybe if I have them, I can cut some of this hair off. I haven’t cut it yet because I think my eyes are my most recognizable feature and hiding them behind my hair is all I’ve got.”

  The thought of her cutting her long hair made Brayden want to groan, but he had to admit it was smart. And, it was nice to hear they were thinking along the same lines as far as appearance changes.

  “What about Connor?” The boy perked up hearing his name. “You’ve changed your hair since the camera caught you guys, but he looks the same, doesn’t he?”

  The whole newscast had been about Willow, and Brayden’s focus hadn’t strayed far from her. While her kidnappers couldn’t be happy about her escaping, she had taken their child.

  Willow nodded. “I didn’t think it was important before. His parents couldn’t tell you what he looks like. His mom hasn’t been down to the basement more than a few times since her treatments, and his dad was always too focused on me.”

  The idea of the creep focusing on Willow made Brayden bristle. He told himself she’d insinuated that he hadn’t touched her, not like that. If she could qualify that, it meant she probably did have a small clue about the kiss she’d talked about wanting. Which was exactly where his mind didn’t need to go.

  Brayden walked across the room to them, slowly to make sure the closeness didn’t startle either of them. Even slower, he reached out his hand to cup her face when he got to them. He could only think of a couple of times her eyes met his, and it was no surprise they were looking off to the side when he tried to get her to look at him.

  “Willow,” he said softly, hoping she’d look. She didn’t, so he continued. “I know we don’t know each other, but I promise you that neither one of you will ever be at the mercy of that a…” His word choice wasn’t the right one with Connor next to them, so he quickly adjusted. “Jerk.”

  Her lips curved up again as he caught himself. He spent too much time with the guys and on the ice trying to rile opponents. He was fairly good around Noah, but he slipped up more times than he wanted to admit.

  The thought escaped his mind as tentative lips briefly pressed against his. If he blinked, he would have missed the movement. That’s not to say he’d not realize he’d just been kissed. No, that fact made itself evident as fire raced from his lips to his groin.

  What the hell was that? The kiss was as innocent as his mom or sister greeting him. Granted, they didn’t go for the lips, but it wasn’t like Willow even opened her mouth. It was a peck and then gone. And yet, it made his mind go completely blank.

  Chapter 21

  Willow wanted to clap herself on the back. She’d get to that right after she started breathing again.

  Something had changed in the way Brayden looked at her. It was subtle, but it felt like before he knew about her there was something warmer in his eyes. Now, they seemed to take a protective-nature that hid what she’d started to think was desire.

  Emotions had never been her easy for her, neither hers or others. Everything she knew she’d learned from absorbing what she could from the people around her and the television she watched. It didn’t make her an expert, but she felt around Brayden, something she wanted to do more. If the kiss was any proof, along with all the other sensations she’d felt around him, he was the key to unlocking something inside of her.

  “Did I do it right?” she asked after waiting several seconds for him to say or do anything.

  His wide-eyed confusion didn’t bode well. She knew men and women often turned kissing into an event that seemed like each participant was trying to eat the other’s face, but the soft kiss was definitely more appropriate for her unknown exploration.

  Or at least she thought it had been. Since he still said nothing, she wondered if she should have gone for it all. Should she try again?

  As she stood on her tiptoes to see if she could get it right, his arm that had fallen from her face reached out to grab her shoulder. His brown eyes lightened a little from the almost black they’d turned, and he looked at her. She forgot to look away as his eyes caught her.

  “Tell me you didn’t do that because you think I expect it for helping
you.”

  His voice caused a shiver to run up her spine. It was gruff and quiet, like he had trouble getting the words out.

  She immediately shook her head. He’d said a couple of times that he didn’t expect anything from her. If she thought he did, she wouldn’t have let him help her. It would be a change for her, being used for her body instead of mind, but she was tired of being used.

  “I thought we talked about this in the car,” she said, letting the confusion show on her face and in her voice. “You touched me, and my body went warm. All I could think about was kissing you. I’m sorry if I did it wrong.”

  The idea that she just completely sucked at kissing was easy to get behind. She’d thought it was nice, but she needed more practice. Once she practiced enough at something, she could master it. She just needed some more time.

  Brayden let out a breath and shook his head. His arm was still on her shoulder, holding her firmly about six inches from him. Willow took in a deep breath and smelled the scents of nature the apartment was missing. Something about the place felt off to her.

  She figured it was the bright white walls compared to the warm brown ones of his house. The open floorplan was also odd. Even with a fireplace, the room didn’t feel cozy at all. Not that the fireplace was lit. She didn’t think it’d change the coldness the room made her feel. At least the coldness she’d felt before Brayden touched her.

  “There is no wrong when it comes to kissing, Willow. It’s just not something we should be doing.”

  He stressed the we of the sentence. She sighed in frustration. His words said one thing, but the heat she’d seen in his eyes before he could hide it said something else. She may be completely dumb when it comes to kissing a guy, but even she saw he wasn’t totally unaffected.

  She looked down at Connor, whose attention was more interested in the fish than the adults in the room. Willow wondered if Brayden’s issue with the kiss had to do with the boy. She thought she remembered her parents hiding intimate actions from her and her sister. She couldn’t remember a time she witnessed a kiss between them. Not even a peck on the cheek. The idea brought a smile to her face as she looked back up to Brayden.

  His assessing look wasn’t one of scorn or disgust. It made her feel like he just didn’t know what to do with her, and she couldn’t help feeling the same.

  “Maybe we can talk about it later tonight,” she suggested.

  She nodded her head to accentuate what she thought was a great idea. When Connor went to sleep, Brayden could explain things to her and maybe show her the eating faces way of kissing. Her whole body warmed just thinking about it. His lips touching hers. She licked hers to moisten them.

  Brayden groaned, making her dart her tongue back in her mouth. She’d looked back in his direction, but not at his eyes. She hazarded a quick look and saw they were edging towards black again. She looked around the room quickly to see if there was something messing with the lighting, but the sun hadn’t moved in the sky in the last five minutes, nor had any lights magically turned on.

  “Why do your eyes keep doing that?” she asked as she looked back to him.

  His brow furrowed as he took in a slow breath. He didn’t seem happy, which felt odd to Willow. She hadn’t been happy for years and was terrified of people. For some reason, though, she felt safe with Brayden and didn’t want to run from the attraction she felt.

  It made absolutely no sense. She knew not all the naiveté had surprisingly fled after being locked up for so long, but she didn’t think she was being naïve about this. She’d studied magnetism between two objects, and she felt a strong pull in his direction.

  It terrified her. Both the fact she thought she understood it and the fact that she didn’t want to run from it. Yes, she’d been ready to run from him as soon as she got enough money and after seeing herself on television. Her thoughts were scattering all over the place and keeping track was becoming problematic.

  “What are my eyes doing, Willow?”

  She liked hearing her real name on his lips, especially in the deeper voice. He seemed to say it more often than he’d said her fake name. It made her wonder if he was doing it to remember she wasn’t really Laura. He’d thought she was an abused wife or something on the run. Had his opinion of her changed knowing the truth? Was that why his eyes seemed to hide his feelings?

  “They keep turning black. I think it means your mood or emotions in general keep changing, but I don’t know what that means.”

  “You are too perceptive for your own good.”

  Well, that wasn’t news to Willow. She hated the fact that she noticed every little thing sometimes. Somethings could hold her attention without her even realizing it. When she was younger, she lost time often because of it. Her kidnapper used to shout and scream when he’d find her lost staring at the centrifuge as it separated blood or other liquids she put in it for her research.

  It was one of the reasons she tried not to look anyone in the eyes, especially not close to them. There was so much going on in an iris. The colors and flecks were too unique not to stop and marvel at.

  “I imagine I am, but anyone would see the change in your eyes. Are you mad about what I did?”

  She hadn’t really considered he’d be angry about the kiss. He’d mentioned his body reacted to her in the car. She thought that meant he liked her. The confusion started to muddle her thoughts.

  “No,” he said harshly, before his expression turned lighter. “I’m not mad. I just don’t know what you understand, and I don’t want to take advantage of you. Like you said, we can talk about that later. Let me show you to your room, so you can get settled. Then I’ll pull out the delivery menus I’ve got, and we can decide what we want for dinner.”

  That sounded like a good enough plan, and she supposed explanation. She’d told him her story, but they didn’t know each other. She only knew that he seemed to calm some of her fears. Plus, people would be looking for her and Connor alone. No one would expect to find her with someone like Brayden. Maybe that was part of the reason she didn’t fear being with him.

  He moved to lead them down a hall she’d noticed by the kitchen. The group made it only a few steps before pounding echoed through the room. Willow froze, and she felt Connor attach to her leg.

  Okay, maybe she wasn’t feeling as protected as she thought. Her heart sunk at the thought that they’d already been found. They’d only been on the run anew for a few hours.

  “Brayden,” a female voice shouted. “I know you’ve come back to the city and there are no gates here. You’re going to have to explain to me why the fuck I’m hearing about you moving some slut into what should be my house. Just because we’re taking a break, doesn’t mean you can parade a whore around. They’re saying she has your kid.”

  Like her, Brayden had stiffened at the knock. Once he heard the voice, his back tensed, and Willow could feel anger radiate off him. Her question of whether he was mad earlier seemed laugh-worthy. When Brayden got mad, you could feel it in the air.

  Willow recognized the voice. The mention of the gate only solidified her recollection. It was the crazy woman from Hedgesville, and apparently she had a claim on Brayden.

  “Ignore her,” he whispered as he continued forward.

  As if hearing his words, another bang came from the door. “I know you’re in there, Brayden. You can’t ignore me.”

  Brayden’s head shook, and Willow caught a glimpse of an eye roll as he made it to a door. He didn’t say anything as he stepped out of sight. Willow had been caught as she tried to figure out what in the world was going on. She hurried to catch up, dragging Connor along with her.

  The pounding out the door quieted as she stepped around the corner. It could still be heard, but it was more of a dull tapping.

  “Who is she?” Willow asked.

  Part of her didn’t want to know. Something inside of her tightened as soon as the woman mentioned a break. Maybe Willow hadn’t read Brayden right. There could be another reason he did
n’t want to kiss her.

  “A very confused woman, who has completely lost her marbles if she thinks I’d ever get back with her.”

  He squatted down on the floor and held out a hand to Connor. Willow’s chest felt like the elephant on it moved so not all of its weight sat directly on top of her.

  “Come here, buddy.”

  Connor had let Brayden hold him before, so it shouldn’t have shocked Willow to see Connor stepping forward and falling into Brayden’s arms. She wished she could do the same but stood back to watch the scene. Brayden’s eyes focused on hers.

  “We were engaged, but I found out she has the compassion of a rock. We haven’t spoken or seen each other for over six months. Apparently, she found out about you and is regretting it. Or at least pretending to. Not that it makes any difference to me.”

  “The fact that she’s pounding on your door and trying to get into both your home and apartment doesn’t make a difference to you?”

  He shrugged as he picked Connor up and propped him on his side. After the signs of pure anger, he acted like nothing was off. Willow’s initial terror at the intrusion seemed long ago, even though it was only minutes. Her strange emotions made her feel like she was in the front seat of a roller coaster. She’d only been on one once, and her stomach felt the same.

  That was why she didn’t do real emotions. They were so confusing.

  “Only in the fact that it scared the two of you. I didn’t say we shouldn’t kiss because of her, if that’s what you’re worried about. My statement has nothing to do with another woman.”

  “Oh,” she said quietly.

  “I think we should talk about it later. After this little guy goes to sleep,” he added as he ran a hand through Connor’s short hair.

  It was too short to really dishevel, but it caused Connor to laugh. Willow felt her world tilt on the axis as the sound hit her ears. She’d heard him laugh before, but there was something lighter about this one. The hair mussing switched to tickling, pushing the laughs even louder.