Surrender My Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens): Cole Braden

by Melissa Foster

  Sam’s bidding ended at five hundred dollars, and the blonde who won a date with him ran up to the stage wearing the tiniest miniskirt Cole had ever seen, a tank top, and a smile as wide as Texas. She dragged Sam away by a belt loop, accompanied by a loud round of applause.

  “Lucky bastard,” Jon said as Ace called his name.

  Jon took off his shirt and spun it around over his head before tossing it into the crowd. He immediately began posing, as if he were in a bodybuilding competition.

  “There’s no shyness here, ladies. This is Dr. Jon Butterscotch’s fifth auction. Jon is…” Ace consulted the paper again and furrowed his brow. “Who writes this stuff? Dr. Butterscotch is into medicine, fitness, and late-night fun.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Jon said, laughing as he pointed to the women in the crowd. “Come on, ladies, bid me up!”

  Cole spotted Leesa walking out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food. He lost sight of her again as the women in the crowd moved closer to the front, waving money and hollering out their bids.

  “And we have a winner, for six hundred and fifty dollars!” Ace clapped as a brunette Cole recognized as having gone to school with Nate ran up to Jon and pulled him toward her table.

  His father auctioned off two of the other guys, and by the time he got to Cole, Cole was stressing out. He hadn’t imagined that bidding would go so high, and he’d only given Leesa six hundred bucks. He stepped up to the front, and the women screamed his name and crowded in around him. Cole stepped back, trying to put space between him and the handsy women, while eagerly searching the crowd for Leesa.

  “For the first time ever, my eldest son is on the auction box, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Ace smiled at Cole.

  “Me either,” Cole mumbled. He recognized most of the women who were waving cash and reaching for him, and although they were attractive, none of them held a candle to Leesa. He finally spotted her standing by Shannon and Tempe, rubbing her hand over the pocket where she’d stowed the cash he’d given her. He silently pled for her to do as he’d asked.

  Ace consulted the paper and began reading. “Dr. Braden enjoys sailing, reading, and—”

  “Two hundred dollars!” a woman Cole couldn’t see yelled from the back of the restaurant, but her voice sent a shiver of memory down his spine. Kenna.

  He saw Shannon and Tempe both whip their heads in the direction of the voice, and Shannon’s narrowing eyes told him he was right.

  Another woman yelled, “Two fifty!”

  Kenna pushed through the crowd, heading directly for the front, eyes locked on Cole. “Four hundred.”

  She was just as beautiful as she’d always been, with long auburn hair and big green eyes. Cole’s gut ached, because he knew all too well what lay beneath that pretty exterior. A soul that knew nothing about love and loyalty. He searched for Leesa and saw her talking with Tegan.

  “Four fifty!” another woman called out.

  “Five hundred and fifty dollars.” Kenna narrowed her eyes, and the right side of her crimson lips lifted in a smirk that would probably make another man fill with anticipation. It made Cole want to walk off the stage.

  Shannon and Tempe pushed to the front of the crowd, looking at him with a question in their eyes. He knew they’d bid on him if he gave them a nod, but there was only one woman he wanted to win this auction, and she was still leaning over the table talking with Tegan and the other girls.

  Cole needed to get her attention, and he knew of one sure way to do it. He gripped his shirt just beneath the collar and tore it off, sending buttons flying into the crowd and causing a ruckus of squeals and lewd comments that couldn’t be ignored.

  Perfect.

  Leesa whipped her head around, and Cole grinned at the awestruck look in her eyes. He’d never had to resort to using his body to get a woman’s attention, but hell if he wasn’t about to do whatever it took. She walked nervously along the edge of the crowd. Cole’s pulse kicked up with every step. God, she was gorgeous. She outshined every woman in the place, and she didn’t even have to try, but apparently he did. He wasn’t the posing type and couldn’t stifle laughing at himself as he flexed his biceps and made his pecs dance. He kept his eyes locked on Leesa, so no other woman could mistake who he was posing for.

  Leesa, now standing beside Shannon, gripped Shannon’s arm, as if she needed to stabilize herself, and when she spoke, her voice was shaky. “Seven hundred and seventy-five dollars.”

  Kenna turned a venomous stare on Leesa and said, “Eight. Hundred. Dollars.”

  ***

  LEESA’S EYES FLICKED to Cole, standing before the group of hungry women with his Greek-god body on display, a face that should be on the cover of People’s Sexiest Man Alive issue, and a look of hope in his eyes meant just for her. Jewel had clued her in on his ex-girlfriend, Mackenna Klein, a few minutes earlier. She didn’t know all the details about their long-term relationship or why they’d broken up, but she said there was no way in hell Cole would want to be won by that woman. When Cole had asked Leesa to bid on him, she hadn’t been sure she would actually follow through, but after watching him up there in front of all those women and feeling his eyes on her, looking at her like she was the only woman in the room, she could hardly breathe. She hated the idea of not going out with him almost as much as she hated the idea of seeing his happiness deflate when she revealed her past, which she’d have to do if they went out. She couldn’t keep something like that from him.

  “I have two hundred,” Shannon said.

  “I’ve got the same,” Tempe said.

  The murmurs of the crowd filled her ears, and her heart raced like it never had before. She loved the way his sisters rallied and came to his rescue and quickly debated her next move. If she won him, everyone here would expect her to go out with him. Oh, how she wanted to!

  She glanced at his ex-girlfriend, who was sending silent hate messages her way, then to Cole’s father, whose thick dark brows were knitted, his hands clenched tightly around the paper he was holding, and finally, she shifted her gaze to Cole. The look in his eyes made her warm all over, pulling words she never expected from her lungs.

  “One thousand dollars.”

  The other woman’s jaw dropped open, and there was a collective gasp among the crowd.

  “For charity,” Leesa added with a nervous smile.

  Every muscle in Cole’s body flexed, but it was the way his smile reached all the way to his eyes that made her heart flip in her chest as his father announced, “And we have a winner!”

  Ace took Leesa’s hand and pulled her toward Cole. She nearly tripped over her feet as Cole gripped her hand in his and pulled her into his strong arms.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much,” he said before pressing his lips to hers.

  When he kissed her with those soft, warm lips, she had a feeling it took him by surprise as much as it surprised her. It was only a few hot, perfect seconds, but it was enough to make her entire body ignite, not to mention short-circuit her brain. It had been so long since she’d had anything wonderful happen in her life, and this one moment, being cocooned in Cole’s arms, feeling his lips against hers, his heart beating as strong and fast as hers, was absolutely marvelous.

  When their lips parted, Cole gazed into her eyes, holding her tightly against him. It took a moment for her brain to kick into gear and for her to realize that everyone in the place was clapping and whistling and calling out congratulations. Everyone except his ex-girlfriend, who stormed out the front door.

  Holy shit. She’d just bid a thousand dollars to win a date with this man.

  And after that one perfect kiss, she knew she’d do it again, and again, and again.

  Chapter Five

  THERE WASN’T A chance in hell that Cole was going to let go of Leesa’s hand. He laced his fingers with hers and held their clasped hands up between them, taking a bow and bringing Leesa with him before pulling her trembling body against him and leading her over to the side of the
room.

  “You’re shaking. Is that from the kiss or nerves from being in front of the crowd?”

  “Both.” The sweet, nervous smile he’d seen earlier reappeared. “I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing, but Jewel said…and your sisters…”

  It felt natural to pull her in by her hips and hold her against him. Oh, those incredibly sexy hips! He finally got to touch them, and the way they filled his palms was even better than he’d imagined. She felt so right in his arms, her softness against his hard muscles, and that kiss…Her lips were supple and moist and so delicious that it had taken all his restraint not to deepen the kiss right there on the stage. But he’d been lost in it for too many luxurious seconds as it was, risking her embarrassment, and he knew he needed to release her.

  “You did the absolute right thing. Thank you again. Come on, I’ll get your cash.” He took a step toward the hallway where the ATM machine was located, and she stood stock-still.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I wanted to bid. Your sisters offered me money, too, and…No. This was my bid. I’m paying for it.”

  “Leesa, I’m not going to let you spend four hundred dollars to go on a date with me.”

  “It’s for charity.” She searched his eyes, and he didn’t know what she thought she’d find, but he hoped she saw how much what she’d said had touched him.

  “You’re not only beautiful, but you’re generous, too. That’s an appealing combination.”

  Leesa’s eyes darted nervously around them. “Oh gosh, I need to get back to work. I…I’m sorry.” She unlinked their hands and took a step away.

  He reached for her. “Wait. What about our date?” He noticed his mother heading their way. Leesa must have thought she was coming to ask her to get back to work, but Cole knew by the smile on his mother’s face that that wasn’t the case.

  “We’ll figure it out. I have to get back to work.” She disappeared into the crowd just as his mother arrived by his side.

  “Wow, honey. A thousand dollars?” His mother touched his cheek the way she had since he was a little boy when she was happy for him. “I didn’t even know you knew Leesa.”

  “We just met yesterday.” He spotted Leesa taking an order from a table a few feet away. The auction was still going on, and women cheered and clapped as the final bachelor was brought up to the front. When Leesa was done taking the order, her eyes darted right to Cole, and he felt the attraction simmering through his veins.

  “Uh-huh,” his mother said with a knowing look. “There’s only one thing a look like that tells a person.”

  “What’s that, Mom?” Cole slid an arm around his mother’s shoulder.

  She patted his bare stomach. “That my boy is growing up.”

  “I thought that’s what I’ve spent the last ten years doing.”

  “Honey, see Sammy over there flirting with the tableful of girls? And see Jon entertaining all those young women who are eyeing him like he’s the cat’s meow?”

  Cole laughed. “That’s because he and Sammy are the cat’s meow in our little town.”

  “No, honey. It’s because Sammy and Jon haven’t found their forever person yet, so they expend all their energy searching, reaching, entertaining, hoping. Oh, they’ll never admit it, but one day, you’ll see.” She turned so they were facing Nate and Jewel, snuggled together in a booth, sitting with Shannon and Tempe.

  “See Nate?” she said, ignoring the auction sounding off around them. “He grew up when he was in the military, but it wasn’t until he finally let himself fall fully in love with Jewel that he really took that final leap into manhood. They’re so perfect together. She pushes him in all the ways he needs, and she doesn’t let him get away with hiding one single emotion. And he helps her remember how brave she really is. They’re so well suited for each other. Your father and I knew it years before either one admitted it.”

  “I’m thrilled for them. I’ve never seen Nate so happy.” His brother had loved Jewel from afar for many years, and after his best friend, Jewel’s older brother, Rick, died, Cole worried that Nate might never tell Jewel how he felt about her.

  “And I’ve never seen your smile look so…full.” She leaned over and kissed Cole’s cheek. “It’s a nice look on you.”

  “I’ve got to admit, it feels good, too.”

  ***

  BY THE TIME the restaurant cleared out, it was nearly midnight and Leesa was second-guessing herself for bidding all that money for a date with Cole in front of the whole town while she was trying to remain invisible. Truth be known, she’d been jealous—wicked jealous—of his ex, who had been eyeing her like she’d eat her alive. Leesa had never been one to cower before a challenge, but now that she’d had time to think about what she’d done—and had been congratulated by just about every person in the place—she worried that she looked desperate for a date.

  Since winning the auction, she’d been given more information about Cole from strangers than she’d ever hoped to know about a man before their first date. She knew he’d dated Kenna for two years and there was speculation as to why they broke up, though no one was sure. Rumors seemed to range from Kenna cheating on him with a handful of men to Cole not wanting to be tied down.

  Leesa signed her time card and leaned on the counter in the kitchen for a moment before heading out. She breathed deeply, thinking about all the money she’d blown in one moment of jealousy.

  A warm hand touched her back, startling her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Ace took a step back. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, sorry. I’ll get out of your way.” She’d already told them about what had happened in Baltimore, and they’d been kind enough to still hire her. The last thing she wanted was to make them think she wasn’t okay.

  “Leesa, you’re not in our way, and after spending a thousand dollars to win my son, I’d think that if you were in my way, well, I just might let it slide.” Ace flashed that warm smile of his, which looked so much like Cole’s. “How are things going for you here in Peaceful Harbor? Are you managing okay? I know this came on the heels of a difficult time, and if there’s anything we can do to make it easier, Maisy and I are here for you.”

  “Thank you. That’s really kind of you to offer. I’m managing okay.” She was surprised that the owner of a microbrewery would be so kind to a new employee. Then again, she’d seen Ace with customers. He was sincere and warm with everyone.

  “I know it’s only been a short time, but in times of need, families are important. You must miss yours.”

  “I don’t really have any family to speak of.” Her heart squeezed with the ache of missing her father.

  He cocked his head to the side. “No family? Why, everyone has family.”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t had family for a while now.” She walked to the lockers and pulled out her purse. “Tonight was fun. Thank you for letting me work this shift. I’d never been to an auction like that before.”

  His dark eyes held hers as he slid a hand into his slacks pocket, just as she’d seen Cole do earlier in the evening. “Why don’t you stick around and have a drink with me and Maisy and the kids?”

  “Oh, I don’t want to impose.”

  He offered her his arm, as if they were walking down an aisle. Ace Braden was the type of man whose large frame and gentle voice contrasted, creating a sense of safety about him. Leesa had been without her father for only two years, but he’d been such a big part of her life, her biggest supporter in everything she did, that it felt like much longer, and she was drawn to Ace’s comfort.

  “There’s no such thing as an imposition among friends and family.” He pushed open the door that led to the restaurant. “And you’re part of Mr. B’s family now.”

  His words wrapped around her like an embrace, and even though she probably shouldn’t allow herself to, she soaked them in like flowers soaked up the sun.

  “Thank you.” She glanced at the round table in the back of the roo
m where his family sat. What a sight they were, all smiles and laughter and love so thick it practically created a bubble around them.

  Cole rose to his feet, sporting a T-shirt with a Mr. B’s logo on it, and nudged Sam, who was sitting beside him. Sam moved to the chair across the table, freeing the seat beside Cole for her.

  “Hi,” Cole said softly.

  “Hi. Your father invited me to have a drink with your family. I hope you don’t mind.”

  He placed a hand on her hip as he’d done earlier, and a streak of heat raced through her so fiercely, she was sure everyone else could feel it, too.

  “If he hadn’t asked you, I would have.”

  He pulled out the chair, and when she sat, he draped an arm across the back of her chair. She glanced around the table quickly, once again enjoying and worrying about his overtly possessive touch.

  “So, you paid a thousand bucks for our big brother,” Sammy said. “Leesa…what’s your last name?”

  Leesa swallowed the fear that clutched her and hoped no one would say, Wait! I’ve heard of you! You’re that teacher who touched a boy!

  “Avalon,” she finally answered.

  “Beautiful name,” Cole said quietly.

  “Leesa Avalon, sounds like an actress’s name,” Sam said. “I haven’t seen you around town before.”

  “I just moved here recently. My best friend lives on Second Street.”

  “Who’s your best friend?” Shannon asked.

  “Tegan Fine. Do you know her? She was here tonight.”

  Tempe and Shannon shook their heads.

  “I’ve heard of her. I think she went to South High,” Shannon said. “We went to Peaceful Harbor High.”

  “She’s friends with Chelsea,” Jewel said. “Tegan works for her sister’s photography company and also makes clothing accessories for Chelsea’s Boutique. Tempe went to school with Chelsea,” she explained to Leesa.

  “Six degrees of separation,” Nate said.

  “What a crazy night,” Maisy said. “Between the auction, profits that we’re putting toward the charity, and the raffle Daddy held, we made a lot of money for the homeless. I’m proud of you all for doing your share.” She held Cole’s gaze, and Leesa wondered if there was something more behind her motherly smile.