She laughs. “What did you give her?”
“Oatmeal with some strawberries and some toast.”
“Ahhh. When I make her oatmeal, I use maple syrup and make a little Mickey Mouse head on the top. She likes her Mickey oatmeal and it sweetens it up a bit. That plain oatmeal you buy is bland.”
“Are you serious?” I pick up the bowl, picking the strawberries off the top. I toss them into the trash and grab the syrup. “I was hoping you’d still be here this morning,” I say as I draw Mickey on the oatmeal.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak out, but I didn’t want my parents to worry.”
I hand Milly the bowl. She smiles and grabs the spoon to eat. “That worked. She’s eating.”
Brennan giggles sweetly. “Works every time.”
“You’ve spoiled my child and turned her against me,” I tease.
“Hey, it’s not my fault she likes me better,” she jokes with a laugh.
“Will you come over tonight? I’ll make dinner,” I offer. “I think we have some things to talk about.”
She’s quiet for a moment. “Okay,” she finally agrees.
“Seven good for you?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you tonight.” She hangs up without another word, but my heart is hammering away in my chest.
Milly and I spend the day playing in the living room, and we go to the store to grab something for dinner. I give her a bath early and feed her the dinosaur chicken nuggets she demanded before tucking her in for the night. When she’s down and sound asleep, I get busy with preparing dinner for Brennan.
It’s only a little after seven when she walks in. “Hey. Milly already in bed? I was hoping to see her.” She sets her purse down on the counter.
“She is. We had a big day,” I say, turning and leaning against the counter to look at her.
She’s wearing a tight pair of skinny jeans with riding boots that come up to her knees. Her black T-shirt is formfitting, hugging all of my favorite curves, and her strawberry blonde hair is curled and hanging down around her.
“Why are you staring?” she asks, blushing under my gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” I breathe out, trying to hold back a smile.
The smile she was already wearing widens. “Thank you.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the opposite counter.
I push myself up and take a step. Her eyes follow me as I move closer. She looks up at me and her lips part. Moving my hand to her jaw, I slowly lean in and press my mouth to hers. Her hand fists in my shirt, yanking me closer until my chest presses to hers. Her tongue dances with mine for one a moment.
“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispers against my lips.
I nod.
“I’m not hungry for food.” I can see the hungry look in her eyes. If she’s not hungry for food, she’s hungry for me. I almost growl as I pick her up and place her on the counter. Her arms snake around my neck, pulling me closer as I ravage her body with my mouth. I kiss her lips, her chin, her jaw, down her neck. I pull her shirt off and make my way down her chest. Her breathing picks up, and small gasps and moans escape. Her hands are just as greedy, pushing my shirt up my stomach and chest, running her fingers over every muscle. A fire lights on my skin, trailing behind her hands. I don’t know how she’s managed to put this spell on me, but I hope it never breaks.
Fourteen
Brennan
I need more of him, more of his touches, his kisses, his body. I just need more. There’s an ache between my legs that won’t let up. It’s been there since I walked away from him last night. Just thinking about the things we’d done, it causes the fire in my belly to burn brighter, hotter. Seeing him again, that fire turned into an explosion. I need him now. It doesn’t matter that my body is still sore. It’s a good soreness. I welcome it if it means I can have more of him.
With his mouth on mine, he picks me up against him and carries me to the bedroom. He kicks the door closed with his foot, and we fall onto the bed, tangled in a mess of clothes and body parts. His hands are stuck behind my back, trying desperately to unclasp my bra. However, it must be difficult because I’m lying on my back.
“Fuck this thing,” he growls, moving his hands to my chest and ripping my bra in half between the cups. I suck in a large gulp of air at his roughness and giggle.
“Much better,” he says around a smile, sucking my nipple into his hot mouth. “Fuck, Brennan, your tits are perfect,” he says against my skin as his hands massage them both.
Slowly, he descends my body, peppering my skin with soft kisses as he goes. He sits back on his knees and looks me in the eye as his hands work on freeing me of my jeans. “Are you sure you want to do this? I know you must be sore.” He pulls them down my legs and tosses them into the floor.
I smile and nod my head. “It’s a good sore. With every step I take, I’m reminded of last night, of you.”
“I want to take you out. I don’t want you to think that this is all I want from you.” His fingers wrap around the band of my panties, and he tugs them down, exposing all of me to him.
“That sounds nice,” I agree.
Now that he’s got me stripped of all my clothing, he pushes his jeans down his hips, and I can’t help but to take in his glorious body. Fuck, he’s like a male model. Everything from his tanned skin to his defined pecs and six pack, all the way down to that V between his hips and his massive length. I’ve only ever been with him, but I know he’s ruined me for everyone else. Nobody could possibly fill his shoes—er, boxers.
Gazing at him as he rolls on the condom, I watch as he grins.
“Why are you staring?”
I blush and giggle. “Are they all as big as yours?” I lock my gaze on his manhood.
He lets out a deep laugh as he covers my body with his. “My body was made for you, baby.” With a roll of his hips, he’s sliding into home… right where he’s meant to be.
Since Colton works Monday through Friday, I’m usually home all weekend long. But since Colton and I have been seeing one another after-hours, I’ve been with him and Milly. Sunday morning rolls around, and as I’m getting dressed to leave, he invites me to join him and Milly at the carnival that’s made its way into town.
“That sounds fun. I’d love to go. What do you think, Milly?” I look over to see her picking up her toys—something Colton told her she had to do if she wanted to go.
“Yea! Bre go wib us!”
We load up in his truck and he drives us through town. With Milly in the back seat, he reaches over and takes my hand in his. His thumb gently sweeps back and forth across the back of my hand. I never would have thought that he could be this gentle before. It’s nice getting to see the softer side of him.
On the drive, I can’t help but to think of us. I’d like to say I’m not the kind of girl that always tries to find the meaning behind everything, but the truth is, I am. We’ve slept together twice now. I’ve stayed over and slept next to him; he held me to his chest all night. Am I just some kind of Band-Aid for him or does this mean something? What does it mean to me exactly? I can’t say that it doesn’t mean nothing. If he called things off tomorrow, I would be upset. But it also doesn’t mean that I love him or see us spending the rest of our lives together yet either. I never thought I’d be the girl to have casual sex, but maybe that’s what I am now.
I feel a headache start to form from all of the overthinking, so I push all thoughts away, deciding to just spend the day with him and Milly and have fun. When we get to the carnival, we get Milly’s wrist band and watch as she goes on ride after ride. Since she’s small, there isn’t much she can do, but everything she can do, she has to do at least ten times. Colton and I take turns watching her as the other goes in search of drinks, carnival food, and ice cream.
As I’m walking to the cotton candy booth, I see Nate hanging out with a group of people. This strikes me as odd. I didn’t realize he ever left the farm long enough to make friends in town. It doesn’t really surpr
ise me though. He was the social butterfly type in school. He always had to go to the best parties and hang out with the most popular people there. I turn my head and hope he doesn’t notice me.
I bounce from foot to foot as I wait in line. Finally, it’s my turn and I order Milly the biggest bag of cotton candy they have. I hand over the money, and when I turn around, I bump square into Nate’s hard chest.
He smiles down at me sweetly. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming here. You should’ve said something and we could’ve come together.”
I offer up a smile, not wanting the confrontation. “Oh, it wasn’t planned.” I hold up the bag of cotton candy. “I need to get this back before I have an upset two-year-old on my hands.” I step around him and start back in the direction I came from.
“Oh, you came with the kid you watch? Cool. Care if I meet her?” he asks, keeping pace with me.
I’m in no mood to deal with Colton and Nate at the same time. I know from the one time they met that Colton has it out for Nate. We don’t need anything going down in the middle of a crowded carnival that’s crawling with children. I stop abruptly. “Actually, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?’” His brow wrinkles. “I love kids, and they usually love me.”
“Nate, this isn’t my child. I can’t just march strangers around her,” I point out.
He seems offended. “I’m not a stranger. I’m your—”
“You’re not my boyfriend, Nate. We broke up months ago. You just don’t seem to get the hint.” I take a step forward, but he grabs my arm and holds me back.
His dark eyes are filled with anger, and two wrinkles form between his drawn together brows. “What do you want from me, Brennan? I’m doing everything to get you back. I’ve quit drinking. I’m giving you your space. Hell, I’m living above stinking ass horses just to be close to you.”
“There a problem here?” Colton asks as he walks up with Milly in his arms.
Nate immediately lets go of my arm and takes a step back.
Colton hands Milly over to me and puts himself between me and Nate. Colton towers over him.
I step around Colton, putting my hand on his arm that’s tensed at his side. His hands are already drawn into tight fists. “Colton, let’s just go. Nate was just leaving.”
Nate looks from me to Colton and back. His jaw is clenched, back straight, and chin held high. “I hope he’s paying you hooker rates and not nanny wages for all those late nights you’re working.”
I see Colton start to pull his fist back to drill him, but I tighten my hold on his arm. “Don’t. Not here. Not in front of Milly. Let’s just go.”
He looks at me, at Nate, and then at Milly. Her worried eyes are watching him. She doesn’t understand the situation, but she can sense the tension surrounding her father.
He looks back at Nate. “You better not let me catch you with your hands on her again. Next time, you won’t walk away.” He turns in my direction and we walk away together.
We take Milly and put her on the car ride that goes around in circles. We stand on the outside of the gate, leaning against it and watching. I can tell how pissed off he still is. Every muscle is hard and stiff. The carefree look that’s been on his face all day is gone, now replaced with anger.
“Don’t let him get to you. Have fun…for Milly,” I tell him, bumping his shoulder with mine.
He hangs his head. “How many times do I have to watch him grab ahold of you without doing something about it?”
“It’s fine. He didn’t hurt me.”
“It’s not fine.” He stands up and turns his body toward mine. “I don’t ever want to see another man’s hands on you.” He steps closer, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “My hands are the only hands that are allowed to touch you. And I promise it won’t ever be in anger.” His head dips forward and he softly presses his lips to mine. For a split second, I forget where we are. I can’t think of anything but his words and the soft kiss we’re sharing. But it feels like everyone is looking at us, staring at us.
I break the kiss and take his hand in mine. “He didn’t hurt me,” I assure him.
He stares into my eyes, but the ride comes to a stop. He turns and walks inside the gate to get Milly.
It still feels like I’m being stared at. I wrap my arms around myself, needing to be shielded from prying eyes. I glance around but don’t see anyone even looking my way. I chalk it up to running into Nate and the anger rolling off of Colton.
The sun is starting to set, and Milly is overstimulated and getting cranky, so we head back to the truck in the parking lot. We walk across the grassy field, Milly in my arms and falling asleep on my shoulder. I’m not paying attention to anything but her, trying not to jostle her awake as I walk across the uneven grass.
“What the fuck?” Colton says, rushing ahead of me.
My eyes quickly move in his direction. His truck has been vandalized. On the side, spray-painted in white on his black truck are the two words, Nanny Fucker.
Fifteen
Colton
RAGE floods my body when I catch sight of my truck. I’m going to kill that motherfucker. The worst part, I have to keep my cool. I don’t want to scare Milly or Brennan. I tighten my fists at my side, hoping I run into him soon. Instead of screaming, cussing, or hitting something, I push my anger down and open the passenger side door and then the back door. She hands me Milly and climbs in. I buckle Milly up and close both their doors.
On the ride home, I don’t talk. I can’t. I don’t trust myself not to say something I’ll regret later. I know Brennan can sense how pissed I am, but she doesn’t try to make it better. She accepts it and leaves it alone. When we get to the house, I walk them both in. Brennan takes Milly to bed and she’s back a few minutes later.
“I know it’s your night off, but would you care to sit here while I take my truck to the shop and get that shit off? I really don’t want the whole town seeing it if it can be avoided.”
She nods. “Of course. Take as long as you need. I’ll be here.”
I quickly lean in and give her a quick kiss before turning and leaving. As I drive through town, I’m thankful it’s dark. It’s a small town and many people aren’t out after dark. Tonight, they all just happen to be at the carnival. I manage to get to the shop without running into anyone on the street. I hit the garage door opener and the door moves upward. When it’s up completely, I drive inside and close the door.
I’m lucky in this situation because I’m a car guy and own a fucking garage. This dumbass thought I was going to be stuck with this shit on my truck for days until I could get it in somewhere. Being a mechanic and an auto body shop, I have exactly what I’ll need to remove it on hand. This is a pretty typical situation, and I’ve done it many times over the years.
Thanks to carnauba wax, it doesn’t take long before the side of my black truck is cleared of all the white spray paint. I’m still too angry to go home and face Brennan though. I head back to my office and sit at my desk. Pulling open the bottom drawer, I find my bottle of whiskey. I uncap it and take a long drink from the bottle. The liquid burns going down, but it helps to cool the red hot anger boiling in my blood.
As I drink, I can’t do anything but picture myself beating the brains out of this guy. I should’ve done it that night at the bar—the first time I saw him put his hands on her. I don’t know who the fuck he thinks he is, but he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can touch what’s mine.
I spend too much time at the shop. I drink entirely too much. By the time I’m getting home, it’s going on midnight and I’m drunk as shit, thankfully I can walk home just fine. I stumble through the dark house, stripping my clothes off as I go. By the time I reach my bed, I’m only in my boxers. I crawl beneath the blankets and curl up with Brennan. I slide my right arm under her pillow and put my left arm around her stomach, pulling her back to my chest. I breathe her scent in deeply.
I know I shouldn’t get used to this, bu
t it’s hard not to. She’s so fucking perfect in every sense of the word. Being with her is easy. She makes my life better. I haven’t been this happy in years, maybe ever. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy with Ashley, but this isn’t the life we had. We didn’t have Milly yet. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer during her pregnancy. We were lucky she was able to carry Milly to term. The plan was to fight the cancer after the birth. However, the cancer had other plans. It seemed as though the pregnancy encouraged the cancer to grow at a faster rate. By the time Milly was born, it was too late.
This is the first time that I have my daughter and a woman I love at the same time. A woman I love? Where did that come from? I can’t love Brennan yet. It’s too soon. We’ve only just gotten together. That part doesn’t matter. I fell in love with her the second my eyes landed on hers. Spending more time together has only intensified that feeling.
Without being able to think about anything else, I let sleep take me and pull me under into a black abyss.
I wake with Brennan shaking me. “Wake up, Colton. I have to get home. It’s my dad’s birthday.” I’ve already told her she can take the day off.
I open my eyes and roll over onto my back. My eyes lock on hers as she stands over me. I offer up a smile as I take in her beauty. I grab her hand and pull her down to the bed. Once she’s in my arms, I roll until she’s beneath me.
“Good morning,” I say, moving in for a kiss.
She kisses me softly for a moment. “Good morning, but I have to go.” She pushes against my chest until I move off of her with a groan.
“Milly has already been fed breakfast. She’s in the living room playing.” She pulls her purse onto her shoulder.
“Alright,” I mumble, forcing myself to sit up.
She quickly rushes over and presses her lips to mine. “I’ll call you later.” Without another word, she rushes out the door. I use the bathroom quickly and pull on some sweatpants before moving out into the living room to find Milly playing in the corner, Mickey Mouse on the TV.
The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection Page 30
