Seducing Bran

by Jules Barnard

  She sent him a soft smile he felt in his chest. “It was fun. So don’t judge, because this sort of thing gets me excited.”

  “Believe me, I’m not judging.” He pulled her hips against his thighs. “Right now, I’m excited.”

  “I can feel it.”

  “Don’t distract me,” he said.

  “You’re the one plastering me to your—”

  “Don’t say it or I’ll be forced to toss you on the desk and show you how grateful I am.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a threat. That sounds like something I’d enjoy.”

  He kissed the corner of her mouth and the bottom of her full lip. “Don’t seduce me right now. I may have slacked on the rules when it comes to you, but I can’t throw all responsibility aside.” Bran painfully peeled himself away. “Go, before I make good on the desk promise.”

  Ireland pouted. “Fine. But now that you’ve mentioned thanking me, I’m going to hold you to your ‘threats.’”

  He stared at her ass as she exited the office, wondering what he’d gotten himself into. Ireland had him behaving in ways he hadn’t since he was a kid, carefree and careless.

  Hopefully, not too careless.

  Which reminded him… He picked up his phone and called one of the cooks in charge of his restaurant.

  “Hello, Cindy?” he said. “It’s Bran. I’m checking to make sure you received an order I placed through the online ordering portal.” Bran described the food. He’d seen the evidence in the database, but there was nothing like verbal confirmation.

  “Got it right here,” she said. “Is the system running again?”

  Bran closed his eyes. His girlfriend was a genius. How had he ever doubted her? “Looks that way.”

  Bran called the rest of the managers, and anyone else who needed to know the system was running, including the Tech Banquet CEO.

  The man praised Ireland and asked to have James briefed by her on the updates she’d made to resolve the issue.

  Thrilled his restaurants were back online and would soon be running smoothly again, Bran grabbed his keys and went to find Ireland.

  She was sitting at Prime bar, drinking a soda.

  “How did you do it?” he asked

  “Oh,” she said, “that was easy. I scrapped James’s program and rewrote the back end. Way faster than trying to fix the labyrinth he’d created.”

  Bran scratched the side of his head. Knowing how arrogant James was, the guy wouldn’t be pleased, but whatever. Not Bran’s problem. As far as Bran was concerned, Ireland was the better woman for the job. Tech Banquet should hire her and fire James. “You know what this means?”

  “What?” she said as he leaned over to kiss her cheek and stealthily squeeze her ass. “Celebration time. The system’s up and running. And I have free time on my hands. Though I should probably call Levi and Emily. I also need to make sure the restaurant staff has someone checking numbers and orders to ensure everything is running okay—you know, just in case. Not that I doubt you,” he added quickly. “I just don’t trust software after what I’ve been through. I need to make sure there aren’t any glitches.”

  She smiled. “I understand. You’re smart to keep an eye on things. Glitches happen. Though if they do, I’m certain I can fix them quickly. So basically, what you’re saying is I won’t see you until next week, with all the things you have to square away.”

  His gaze dropped to her breasts, primly contained in another one of her buttoned-up blouses. “Two hours. Give me two hours, and I’ll be by to pick you up.”

  “But it’s after ten p.m.”

  He walked out of the restaurant backward. “Booty call!”

  Thankfully, the restaurant was nearly empty, or everyone would know exactly what was on Bran’s mind. He was ecstatic at getting the new ordering system up and running, and horny. He was damn horny after he’d kept his girlfriend up late working for Club Tahoe for days and unable to soothe his sudden insatiable appetite for her.

  Thank God the dry spell was about to end.

  Chapter 21

  After Bran left to make sure all the restaurants were on board with the software back and running, Ireland waited for a to-go order from Prime. She grabbed her food then made her way to her car, walking on a cloud. Nothing was more fulfilling than solving a problem that helped hundreds of people. Except solving a problem that helped thousands, or tens of thousands of people. God, she loved her job. And she was finally working with good colleagues.

  She grinned as she relived the look on Bran’s face as he left Prime with promises of picking her up later. She didn’t need another night of little sleep—and there wouldn’t be any sleeping with Bran—but she’d missed him. Her body jittered, amped and anticipating their midnight rendezvous.

  She pulled the keys from her purse and pressed the fob, the lights on her car blinking a few feet away.

  “You messed with the wrong man.”

  Ireland frowned, then spun. And lurched back. James stood not three feet away. “What?”

  He stepped closer, inches away now, his twisted gaze bearing down on her. “I go away for a few days, and you come in with your” —he scanned her body— “whorish wiles and convince the billionaire to allow you to fuck with my software. Have you lost your mind?”

  Ireland glanced around. The parking lot wasn’t entirely dark, but no one was there, and she felt isolated.

  Chills ran down her spine. James had always reminded her of the assholes she’d put up with at her old job, but tonight he truly frightened her.

  She wanted to sink back, to run. Her breath caught, and she choked on any words she could have said.

  “Dumb as a rock, aren’t you? I’d like to see Bran’s face when the program crashes.”

  James could make fun of her looks, but she was the best at what she did. And she wasn’t allowing some jerk to talk to her like that ever again.

  She straightened her back. “The program won’t crash, and no, I haven’t lost my mind. I rewrote the back end, and I did it in a few days. How long did you spend trying to solve the problem? Weeks?”

  “You what?” His jaw shifted, eyes dark. “Did you fuck him? Is that how you convinced him to let you rewrite it?”

  She shook her head slowly, reaching in her purse for her phone. “Leave, or I’m calling the police.”

  He grabbed her arm. “And tell them what? That you stole proprietary software and called it your own? That you slept with the boss to get ahead?”

  She had slept with Bran. But their attraction to each other started long before she began freelancing for Club Tahoe.

  Ireland yanked her arm, but James wouldn’t let go. “My relationship with Bran has nothing to do with this.”

  “So you did fuck him. If I fuck you, what will I get?”

  “You asshole!” She was pulling and shoving and trying with all her strength to get loose, but for an average-sized guy, he was strong. Stronger than her.

  Dammit, she didn’t want to be that helpless woman. She’d been weak and outnumbered for most of her career, and self-doubt washed over her now, suffocating her. “Let me go!”

  Ireland couldn’t reach her phone, not with James holding on to her.

  “You’re not petite, but you’re about as strong as a child. Aw, did I hurt your feelings?” He leaned closer, his sour breath coating her skin. “Get used to it, because I plan to hurt you more before—”

  One moment James was in her face threatening her, and the next, he was on the ground rolling around with what looked like a linebacker.

  “Bran?” Ireland said.

  Bran climbed on top of James and punched him in the face.

  “Stop!” Ireland yelled, scrambling for her phone.

  James held up his hands, blocking Bran, then sucker punched Bran in the throat.

  “No!” Ireland said. “Get him, Bran!”

  Bran rolled off James, coughing. And then he was on top of James again. “Don’t you ever touch her, do you hear me?”

&
nbsp; “Why? You the only one allowed to fuck the bitch?”

  Bran jerked James to his feet and wrenched his arms behind his back. He slammed James against the nearest car and pinned him there. “Ireland,” he said. “Call the police.”

  Ireland fumbled with her phone and kept hitting the wrong numbers, dammit! She finally dialed nine-one-one.

  Everything happened so fast. Bran fighting with James, the police showing up.

  “I want to press charges!” James screeched. “This man attacked me.”

  Bran stood calmly near the police officer. “I pulled him off a woman he was attacking at my resort.”

  “He hit me!” James said.

  “’Bout to do it again,” Bran mumbled, but Ireland heard, and so did the cop.

  The policemen asked if she wanted to press charges, and her mind went blank. James had threatened her. He’d grabbed her and hurt her arms. But the real fight took place between Bran and James. Though if Bran hadn’t come when he did… “I-I don’t know. I just want him to stay away from me.”

  Bran rested his hand on her lower back. The touch warmed her, sending strength throughout her body. “You can press charges tomorrow.”

  The policeman turned to James. “You heard the lady. We all good here?”

  James nodded curtly, not looking at her.

  “Escort him off my property,” Bran said to the policeman. “And James?” Bran sent James a steely glare. “Don’t come back. You can bet your boss will hear about tonight. I’ll be surprised if you still have a job tomorrow.”

  James stormed to his car and the police vehicle followed his sleek sedan closely out of the resort.

  Bran wrapped his arms around Ireland and tucked his head near her ear. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He inched back and studied her face. “Really?”

  “I will be.”

  “He was hurting you.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I was making the rounds at the restaurants and took a shortcut. Your hair caught my eye.”

  She huffed out a pained laugh. “I guess it’s good for something.” Tears welled in her eyes. Tonight had been rough. It had started out great, and now... But Bran was here. He’d protected her. Though she wished she hadn’t needed it.

  He pulled her close and stroked the back of her head. “Your hair is beautiful. I’m just glad I came when I did. I wanted to strangle him.” The stroking turned unsteady at his last words.

  “He’s like the others, all bark and no bite. But tonight he scared me.”

  Bran pulled back, holding her shoulders gently. “What others?”

  Not many people knew what she put up with at her old job. She’d never told her family—her brothers would have gone ballistic. But Bran was different. He’d seen how easily intimidated she was by guys like James. “James and his type run rampant in my industry. The men I worked with in Silicon Valley were bullies. Less physical than James tonight, but that almost made them worse. My life was a living hell at my old job.”

  “James won’t work anywhere near Lake Tahoe again by the time I’m done with him.”

  Considering the way James had botched the Tech Banquet software, that wasn’t a bad idea, even if he hadn’t threatened her.

  Bran cupped her face with his warm, strong palms. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  No. She thought she’d escaped this thing, but maybe the problem was with her. Maybe it wasn’t the place she worked, but some flaw in her that made her a target for men like James.

  She smiled, not wanting Bran to worry. “I will be.”

  Chapter 22

  Bran could have killed James for hurting Ireland, and that wasn’t like him. He didn’t get involved. He didn’t let a woman go to his head. But clearly all that had changed.

  “I’ll drive you to Jaeg’s,” he said to Ireland after the police had escorted James off the premises. “If you’d rather stay with your cousin, I’ll understand, but I’d really like to hold you tonight.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “I want to be with you.”

  Bran’s chest warmed at her words. He’d forgotten what it was like to have a woman need him. Actually, had he ever been a woman’s source of solace? No, never. He’d been young and self-involved, or older and not interested in anything permanent. Being able to provide what Ireland needed made him feel strong, happy.

  Bran drove Ireland’s car to Jaeg’s and waited outside while she packed a few things.

  She closed the front door quietly and walked to the car. “They’re watching TV. Cali flipped out when I told her what happened. The only reason she let me leave is because I said I was staying with you.”

  Bran should feel uneasy about holding her safety in his hands. He might have with anyone else. But not with Ireland. He wanted to protect her—to be the man she came to for help. He opened the passenger door of her car to let her in, and put her overnight pack in the back seat before making his way to the driver’s side.

  Ireland watched as he pulled on his seatbelt. “I’m so ashamed of everything that occurred tonight.”

  He twisted toward her. “What happened wasn’t your fault. James was a jerk before you ever came on board. He’s a bully.”

  “I seem to attract bullies.”

  He pulled her close and held her, kissing her forehead. “It’s not about you. Some guys are just dicks. But I want you to be safe.” Bran had this sudden fear of something happening to her. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting Ireland. “Will you consider taking a self-defense class?”

  She touched his hand near a fresh, raw scratch. “So I can fight like you?”

  He pulled back. “So you can injure any piece of shit who tries to hurt you, and run. I don’t want you fighting, but I don’t want you vulnerable, either. This town is beautiful, but it has its share of deadbeats. You have to be careful.”

  Thinking about what could have happened to Ireland if he hadn’t gotten there in time made him edgy. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Ireland shook as Bran drove down the long drive to his house, latent adrenaline coursing through her body.

  He glanced over, a frown on his face. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, the touch grounding her somehow. Weeks ago, she couldn’t have imagined the sense of peace he gave her. It was as though she’d never known him at all. As though he’d been hiding his true self.

  A small part of her worried the old Bran would come back, and the last few weeks would all be a dream.

  They pulled up to his house, and Bran grabbed her bag from the back seat. He led her to the front door, and they walked inside. Bran flipped on the lights.

  For some reason, Ireland hadn’t noticed how bare his house was the first time she’d visited. Possibly because they’d been on a mission to find condoms. And then too busy putting them to use. Her face heated.

  Bran scratched the side of his head. “It’s not much, is it?”

  “No, it’s nice. The walls and flooring look brand new.”

  “That’s because they are. But I never got around to furnishing the place.”

  “Your bed is pretty,” she said, smiling.

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Priorities.”

  Ireland wrapped her arms around his waist. “You prioritize well.”

  He pulled her in front of him so that their thighs and bellies pressed together. “I do, don’t I?” He grinned lewdly, and she laughed.

  She’d felt like crap when they first arrived, and now she was laughing. Bran was a big old softy deep down. And she loved being the one to see that side of him. He was sweet and caring, and she didn’t know how she got so lucky to have him in her life.

  Bran glanced around. “Seriously, though, it’s time to furnish this place. We couldn’t even watch a movie if we wanted.”

  Ireland looked at the old recliner in front of a massive TV—the only two items in the living room. “A couch might help. But is watching a movie what you want to do right now
?”

  He ran his hands down her arms. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “After the high of fixing the software, and the low of James…I’m drained. I’d like to take you up on that offer to hold me.”

  “Done.”

  They made their way upstairs to the second floor that must also be new, because the bathroom had shiny finishes and the bedroom walls and flooring appeared new as well. There also weren’t any window coverings or furniture aside from Bran’s bed, which she was acquainted with.

  He grabbed clothes lying on the end of the bed and tossed them in a walk-in closet, then he set her bag near the bed. “I’ll grab something to drink. Are you hungry?”

  She’d bought food hours ago and never eaten it. Her stomach was tense. A large meal didn’t sound good, but she needed to eat something. “Maybe a snack.”

  Ireland changed into shorts and a T-shirt while Bran ran downstairs. She was sitting on the bed thinking about tonight when he got back.

  She must have had a sour look on her face, because Bran said, “How do you feel?”

  “Upset.”

  He walked over with a tray of crackers and cheese. “That’s understandable.” He shook his head. “I should have walked you to your car. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  She reached for his hand. “You can’t protect me all the time. And until recently, you wouldn’t have protected me at all.”

  “Of course, I would have.”

  “You didn’t like me in the beginning.”

  A rueful smile played on his lips. “We’ve already discussed how much I liked you. That was the problem.”

  She harrumphed. “Well, you did a good job hiding your feelings.”

  “I’ll prove how much I like and want you, but not tonight. You need rest.”

  “Okay, boss,” she said. And ruined it with a yawn, because, dammit, he was right.

  They ate the entire plate of cheese and crackers, and then Ireland found herself slowly slumping into a horizontal position on the bed. Her body felt weighed down by sandbags, and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.