“No, thanks, mom. It’s just that I made plans to stop in to see a friend tonight. I was wondering if I could slip out for a bit? Unless you plan on going back later to pick dad up.”
“Oh no. Natalie hired a car service to drive people home afterwards. I’ll be here if Luca needs anything.” She studied Brandy for a moment. “What friend are you going to see at this hour? I didn’t think you kept in touch with anyone anymore.”
Brandy knew that trying to hide the truth wouldn’t work with her mom. “I ran into Mark the other night after the rehearsal dinner, then he showed up again tonight. He wants to talk.”
Her mom didn’t say anything right away. Instead, she picked at the lint on her skirt. After a moment, she turned her eyes up to Brandy’s.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“No. I don’t. But he seemed so persistent that it felt useless to keep putting it off.” She sighed and sat across from her mom. “I told him about Luca.”
“Ah. That explains it. He wants to know about his son. That’s only natural.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“It seems as though you don’t have a choice. He’s a good man; I don’t think for a second that he would try to hurt Luca. Or you, either.”
Brandy raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I thought you didn’t like Mark.”
“The situation the two of you got into was inappropriate, but I never hated Mark. He was a good person in a bad situation. I don’t like that he wasn’t responsible enough to see that bringing you into it was a terrible decision, but we’ve all moved on. In fact, I still vote for him.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” She shook her head.
“I’m surprised you didn’t realize long ago that eventually Mark would become part of your life again. Family is a powerful thing. You can’t keep a boy from his father forever. Or vice versa. Go talk to Mark. Just remember to listen to your own voice inside you and not let your anger cloud your judgement. You have to create boundaries that will fit your life as well as his.”
“Thanks, mom,” she said, rising and coming around to give her mother a kiss on the cheek. Her mom pulled her into a hug.
“You’re a smart, beautiful adult now, and I’m very proud of you. Don’t let the past haunt you forever.” Brandy hugged her mom back, tears in her eyes, then turned and headed back out to her car.
*****
A short drive later, armed with her mother’s words in her head, Brandy walked up Mark’s driveway. The windows were mostly dark, save for a light coming from near the back of the house and Brandy knew he was still up waiting for her.
Steeling her nerves, she rang the bell and waited. When Mark answered the door, she kept her eyes trained on his face instead of running them over his body like she wanted to do. Mark smiled at her and stepped back, letting her pass through the door before he pulled it closed.
“Thanks for coming. This way,” he said, leading the way through to the living room and taking a seat in a well-worn, leather chair. Brandy chose its match across from him, separated by a small table. “Can I get you a drink?”
“No. I think its best we just get on with it.”
“Very well. Why don’t we start with why you left so suddenly?”
“I thought we were here to talk about Luca.”
“Luca,” he said, letting the name play on his tongue. “Like my middle name. Like my dad’s name.”
She shrugged. “It’s a nice name.”
“So he’s, what? Ten?”
“Almost. His birthday is next month.”
“Shit,” he said, raking his hand through his hair. “I’ve missed so much of his life. I should have tried harder to track you down after you left. I guess I always thought you would come back after things died down here.”
“I had no intention of facing everyone again. When I left, I left for good.”
“You never thought that I would like to meet him? That he would like to meet me?”
“No. I didn’t want him to share the guilt I have over how he came to be. He’s a happy kid. A good kid. I want him to hold his head high and be proud of who he is.”
“So you hate me?”
She played with the hem of her dress and admitted what she never intended to. “No. I’ve tried to hate you, Mark, but I don’t. I hate what we did, but not you.”
“I don’t hate what we did. It may not have been right, but the time we shared together was genuine. At the time, it was the only thing that felt real in my life and I would never take it back.”
“It felt real to me too, but I just can’t believe that something started on such a dishonorable premise could work.”
“I’m not the kind of guy who minces words, Brandy. I still want you and I think this can work if only you gave us another shot.”
Brandy stood and paced the room, coming to stand in front of a window looking into the darkened backyard. She needed time to figure out what she wanted. What Mark was talking about was something she had never considered. Ten years ago, she would have been elated to hear that he wanted to make a real go of their relationship, but so much time had passed that she didn’t know anymore. Her mother’s words rang out in her head. Listen to her voice inside. Don’t let anger affect her judgement. She was trying hard to listen to what her heart was saying, but her thoughts were too jumbled to make any sense out of it.
In the reflection of the glass, she saw Mark approach her. He stood behind her, not close enough to touch her, but enough that she could feel the heat of his body.
“I don’t have all the answers. All I know is when I close my eyes at night, all I can think about is you. You’re in my head all the time. After all this time, that has to mean something. When I saw you walk into the restaurant the other night, I had to keep myself from rushing to you. And I know you think it was all about sex, but it wasn’t. It was the fact that I felt free enough with you to act like myself when I had to put on an act around everybody else.
“It’s the way you hooked me the moment I met you. You had such a light, vibrant personality. I tried to be strong, but I couldn’t help falling for you. I love you.” Mark’s fingers started a slow trail up her arms, tingling the sensitive skin there. She shivered against his touch. Against his words. “And now you came back. And I have a son. We have a child together, a connection to each other that can never be broken.”
Mark’s body shifted closer, his chest brushing against her back. Brandy tried to fight for her strength, but the feel of him so close to her, his scent triggering dozens of memories that she kept hidden away, her resolve crumbled. Her heart began to pound in her ears. It was so loud, she was sure he could hear it too. She was terrified, afraid that her body would reveal the truth that she couldn’t admit out loud.
Mark’s breath was on the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine. His lips brushed over the exposed skin between her neck and shoulder, her body firing at the sensation. As his teeth grazed the spot, Brandy moved back into him. His arms encircled her, pulling her closer to him. She could feel her ass nestling into his growing erection; her body responded in kind and she could feel the wetness pooling between her legs.
His hands found their way to her hips and he turned her around to him. “I need to see you.”
Brandy reached a hesitant hand to his cheek, feeling his stubble. She brought her face closer to his and his lips began to caress her own, delicate, tender. As much as she wanted to deny the truth in what she was feeling, his arms felt too good wrapped around her, so that she was quickly losing the strength to deny him anymore. She ran her hands up and threaded her fingers through his hair, deepening the connection and committing to memory the way he tasted, the way he felt under her hands.
And then he broke their kiss and stared down at her. She could see his chest rising and falling, could hear his labored breathing. He was hesitating, holding back, and she knew it had everything to do with her reservations. Mark Hudson may have been a lot of things, but he had ne
ver taken advantage of her. What happened from there was all up to her.
She gathered her breath and laid her head against the strong beating of his heart. “Make love to me, Mark. I want to feel what it’s like being loved by you, and not just be the other woman.”
His hand came under her chin and tilted her head back. His lips pressed to hers, soft, supple. His hands slid down her body and under her ass, lifting her to his waist. Brandy wrapped her legs around him, linking her arms behind his neck. As he turned and carried them down the hall, she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his. Her eyes never left his as he turned into his room and gently laid her onto the bed.
Mark made quick work of removing his clothes before he crawled onto the bed, laying on his side next to her. The back of his hand caressed her cheek and down her neck. She shivered under his touch and he leaned in and kissed her lips as his hand continued its journey down her shoulder and to the curve of her breast. His knuckles brushed over one of the hardened peaks. Brandy inhaled a breath around his kisses, arching her back into his touch. The thin material of her dress did little to damper the feeling of his hands on her.
His right thigh covered her own and nudged her legs apart. It one, swift move, he angled his body above hers, breaking their kiss. His eyes drank in her body, his hands pushing the hem of her dress up. She raised her hips and let him pull her dress up her body and over her head. Brandy watched as Mark’s hands explored her nearly naked body, clad only in a scrap of ever-dampening silk, until they were on her breasts again. His head dipped and he captured one of her pert nipples between his lips. He swirled his tongue around the sensitive bud until she could no longer hold back a moan of pleasure, ripples radiating through her body and culminating at her core.
Her hands went to his hair, grasping at it and pressing her hips into his to staunch the ache that was radiating throughout her body. Or intensify it; she wasn’t sure anymore. All she knew was that his cock, which was gently bobbing against her slit with his every move, was driving her crazy. Her restless hands skimmed down his body, gabbing his firm ass. She sunk her fingers into his, urging him.
Mark seemed to understand her urgency and released her nipple with one, final lap. His hand snaked between their bodies and pulled the piece of silk down her legs. Straightening until he was hovering above her, he rested on his forearms and brushed her hair back from her face.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, then slowly sank his thick length into her.
She moaned at the sensation of him stretching her. His mouth came down on hers, swallowing her sounds. He moved inside her slowly and she could feel every inch, every movement in miniscule detail. She brought her hands to his shoulders, holding onto him as his lips travelled down her neck, her shoulder.
Brandy raised her legs and crossed them at the small of his back, opening herself up wider to him. She met his purposeful rocking motions with a grind of her hips, friction sparking on her clit. She held onto him as the edges of her vision became distorted, the coil beginning to tighten. Turning her head to his, Brandy caught his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged on it before she sucked it between her lips.
Mark growled, and his thrusts became more insistent. His hands gripped the mattress above them, gaining leverage, pumping into her with a powerful force. A sheen of sweat covered both of their bodies and the sound of their breathing echoed throughout the room. Brandy let her head fall back on the pillow, her eyes drifting closed.
“Look at me, Brandy,” Mark said, his voice thick with emotion. She raised her head and her eyes met his, connecting on a level she could barely understand. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, Mark,” she said, ending on a moan as a torrent of ecstasy shot through her. She bit her lip and tossed her head back on the bed. Her orgasm rippled through her body in waves, tensing in pleasure.
From above her, she could feel Mark tense. Her shuddering walls gripped and milked him through his release, the low rumble of his moan causing another wave of pleasure to wash over her.
He pulsed inside her until he had nothing left to give. Spent, Mark rolled onto his side and took her with him. His strong arms held her to his chest and she sidled into him, the thud of his heart matching her own.
They lay together, relishing their mutual bliss, neither one ready to figure out the next step. Brandy’s thoughts were a jumbled mess. She wasn’t ashamed of what she had done. To the contrary, she felt hopeful for what was to come. But she couldn’t base her life around words said in the heat of passion. She knew in her heart that telling Mark she loved him felt right, but she wasn’t willing to be played for a fool again.
Finally, her own thoughts drove her to break their silence.
“This doesn’t mean you win, you know.”
“Sure it does. I think tonight just proved my point that we belong together,” he said, his voice gravelly and sexy.
“We may still have that old attraction, but I’m not a naive girl anymore. I need more than lust to jump into a relationship,” she said, trying her best to sound firm.
“I already know we have more than lust. I love you, whether you believe me or not, but I’ll go along with you on this. You want to start slow, then slow it is. How about we start by letting me meet my son?”
“I think that’s doable. We can stop by tomorrow before we leave.”
“Leave? You’re not going anywhere. You’re finally back in my life; I’m not letting you go again.” As if to emphasize his point, Mark wrapped his arms tighter around her.
“I have to go back. I have an apartment; Luca has school on Monday.”
“There’s apartments here. Schools too.”
“And I have a job to go back to.”
“Then quit. You can come work for me.”
“I seem to recall that didn’t work out so well the first time.”
“I beg to differ,” he said, pulling her in close. “I think it worked out perfectly.”
*****
THE END
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BONUS MATERIAL
Her Ex
Jacqueline quietly closed the door to the guest room. Penelope’s room now, she corrected herself with a sigh. She walked down the stairs, back to the living room, picking up a forgotten sweater, Penelope’s discarded suitcase, a few paper plates that hadn’t been thrown away. The house was finally quiet after another draining day of mourners coming and going. Entering the kitchen, Jacqueline surveyed the disaster awaiting her there.
She shook off the exhaustion that was creeping in and started collecting the half empty glasses that littered the table. Hooking a glass in each finger, Jacqueline picked up four glasses in each hand and crossed the kitchen to the sink. Halfway there a glass slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor and splintering into tiny pieces on the tile. With a frustrated groan, Jacqueline set the rest on the counter and bent down and began to pick up the shards. It felt like this day was never going to end.
She reached for a piece that had skidded under the table only to pull back her hand in pain. She looked at the bright red blood erupting from a gash in her hand and felt her stomach start to roil. She hated blood. Jacqueline grabbed for the dish towel, only to see it covered in a sticky pink substance, remembering that Aunt Sylvia used it to clean up a jelly salad spill.
She pulled open the drawer where the clean ones were kept. It was empty. Jaqueline looked back to the pool of blood collecting in her hand, then back to the dirty towel. She recognized the feeling of tears gathering behind her eyes. The ones she’d repressed for days.
Jacqueline sank down to the floor, tears wetting her cheeks. Maybe it was the exhaustion of the past few days, or maybe it was burying her sister this afternoon, or maybe it was finding out that her niece was now her ward. Whatever it was, she couldn’t stop the tears from spilling out and began to shake with uncontrollable sobs.
She and her sister h
adn’t been close for years but Jacqueline mourned the loss of who her sister used to be. The sister she wanted to remember her as. She cried for her niece who lost her mother, and she cried for herself, left with one more of her sister’s messes to clean up.
Through the fog, the exhaustion, and the tears, Jacqueline heard the door. Someone else knocking. Someone else bringing a casserole, or flowers, or a half-hearted sympathetic smile. She didn’t want to talk to anyone else today. She didn’t want to hear one more person tell her how wonderful her sister was, all the while avoiding her eyes because they didn’t really believe what they were saying. Her sister was a junkie, and hadn’t been a wonderful person in years. There was no use hiding that fact. Lord knows her sister never did.
The knocking persisted, though, becoming louder, more obnoxious. As much as she wanted to just sit there and ignore whoever it was, she couldn’t tune out the sound. Jacqueline wiped her eyes on her sleeve and got up. She had forgotten about the cut on her hand, but was quickly reminded when she tried to use it to get up. Jacqueline winced and used her other hand to pull herself off the floor.
Irresistibly Mine: A Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 3
