“Do you want to dance?” She startled at his question, but then smiled brightly.
“I’d love to.”
He knew it was a mistake, but the reasons why escaped him at the moment. The second he pulled her into his arms, nothing mattered but her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she twined her arms around his neck as they swayed slowly to the music. Their bodies touched from shoulder to toe, and there was no way she was missing his erection pressing against her stomach.
When she spoke, her words brushed across his neck. “If I asked you a question would you answer me honestly?”
“Mmm,” he answered ambiguously, but she didn’t seem the least bit put off.
“Why don’t you look at me as if I’m a woman?”
That surprised a bark of laughter from him. “How very stupid you are.”
She pulled back in affront, but he covered her mouth with his, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. She melted into his touch, opening for him immediately. She was everything he ever dreamed she would be. She moaned into his mouth, and he felt a catch somewhere in the center of his chest. When he pulled away, she stared up at him with a shocked expression. He pushed her head back into the crook of his neck. “Like I said; stupid.”
Flower lay on the bed watching Bradley as he pulled the covers off the second bed. Sometime in the past few years he acquired a tattoo of a snake. The head began right below his collarbone and it wrapped around his chest and back until its tail came to rest across his hipbone. It was incredibly sexy since it stretched across a very muscular body. He was right. She was so very, very stupid. All her life she searched for Mr. Right, and all along he was right here. All the way back to the room they talked about nonsense, ignoring what was happening between them. She wasn’t sure why she shied away from reaching out to him, but imagined it was mostly fear. She was afraid of what would happen if things didn’t go well. He was her only friend in the world, and if he decided to leave she would be completely alone. He, at least, had family. They weren’t much. There were two older sisters he could see on the holidays, and they called him on his birthday. She had no one. Millie passed away two years earlier leaving her completely without any ties to the world whatsoever.
Bradley pulled the blackout curtains closed and flicked off the lights. He could hear the creak of Flower’s bed as she tried finding a comfortable spot. It was too dark for him to see anything except her outline. His own bed was so hard he already gave up the dream of getting any sleep. When he heard her bed creak once more he said, “I’d ask why you didn’t see me as a man, but that would be ridiculous.”
A snicker sounded from the other side of the room making him smile into the dark. Turning on his side, he used his arm as a pillow while he watched Flower’s silhouette. “What do you want to do tomorrow?”
There was a moment of thoughtful silence. “Let’s go to the zoo.”
He was surprised by her answer. “I expected you to say mall.”
“I can go to the mall anytime, plus I’ve never been to the zoo.”
“Never,” he asked, disbelief coursing through his veins. Everybody had been to the zoo.
“Millie said she didn’t want me going to the zoo because it might bring out my inner activist, and then I’d be lost, just like my parents.”
Bradley snorted at her words, but inside he was seething. Crazy Millie kept Flower from doing so many things because she feared she’d turn out like her parents. Bradley was surprised Flower managed not to turn into a nut job. Flower always thought the world of Millie since she took her in when her parents died, but Bradley saw Millie through the eyes of someone who wasn’t obligated to her, and he knew the truth; Millie had been crazy as a loon.
“If I knew you wanted to go, I would’ve taken you years ago.”
“You’ve been busy with your own life.”
The sadness in her words made Bradley pause. “I’ve never been too busy for you. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I was.”
“When did you get your tattoo? I know you’ve had it for a while, but it never occurred to me to ask.” He accepted her change of subject since he knew how much she hated to talk about herself.
“It was about two years after I went away to college,” he admitted. “You know I was there on a scholarship, and both my sisters were constantly nagging about how we were poor so I should be getting my degree in something that would make lots of money. It was always things like, have you decided what you’re going to do with your life yet. Don’t you realize you’re being given a free ride? Why are you throwing away your life? Finally, one day, while I was listening to yet another lecture on how I didn’t deserve to be the one going to college, this random thought went through my mind that there should be something on the outside of me that shows how I really feel on the inside. That night I found a tattoo artist and hired him to design the snake for me.”
“Slowly squeezing the life out of you.” she finished for him, and that was one of the biggest reasons he loved her. She got him like nobody else did.
“Hmm, I wonder what my tattoo should be?” she asked when he remained silent. She snapped her fingers. “I know, what if I did a tiny portrait of the Virgin Mary, then maybe everyone would flock to see it.”
“Good Lord,” he said on a laugh. “Everybody is flocking to see it now. I think you should narrow it down to something that would be for me alone,” he snapped his teeth closed, nearly biting his own tongue, in an attempt to draw back the words as soon as they left his mouth. She laughed, easing his worry.
“If it’s just for you, then I’ll have to think about it and get back to you. I want to think up the perfect thing; after all, I’ll be stuck with it forever.”
Forever, he liked the sound of that.
CHAPTER SIX
Aunt Millie should have never worried that the zoo would bring out her inner activist. It was entirely too much work. It was hot, didn’t smell very good, and all she could think about was how it felt like everything was located up a very steep hill that she was forced to climb, then once she got there she missed seeing all the animals because they were sleeping in the shade out of sight. The only reprieve was the reptile house, which was kind of cool, not to mention air-conditioned. They ended up at the mall after all. It was an outdoor outlet mall, but you got the relief of a blast of cold air as you entered each store so the heat wasn’t as much of an issue.
“I’m guessing the little theme park they have is out of the question since you didn’t enjoy the zoo.”
“Yeah, that’s probably out, but I didn’t hate the zoo—it just wasn’t my thing. I think we should start heading home tomorrow anyway. I have a bunch of work waiting.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Flower felt disappointed. This was her last day with Bradley before real life set back in, and Bradley went back to being Brandy. Flower was really starting to hate that bitch, but she wasn’t like one of Bradley’s sisters. She understood he wasn’t like everyone else, and that didn’t make him wrong, only different. She hated the thought that there was a time in his life he felt as if the life was being squeezed out of him and he didn’t feel as if he could come to her. Didn’t he realize there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him? That included beating the shit out of two sisters that didn’t deserve him. His love was a precious thing, and if they couldn’t see that, she hoped they would rot in hell. She knew she was feeling a bit bloodthirsty over the whole thing, but she always felt very protective of Bradley, even though he didn’t really need her anymore.
“If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. What do you want to do on your last night in Baton Rouge?”
She linked her fingers through his, thinking it over before coming up with her ideal night. “I know this is going to sound rather mundane since we’re kind of on vacation, but how about we get a pizza and rent a movie? We could relax and have a night in. How does that sound?”
“Does our room have a DVD player? I didn’
t even look.”
“Yep, I saw it this morning. That’s what made me think of it.”
“Let me figure out where we parked, and we’ll go find one those boxes you rent from.”
He glanced around, and the sun glinted off his dark blue eyes. Her breath caught at the sight. She lifted her hand to her stomach trying to quell the butterflies fluttering there.
He caught the motion. “Are you okay?”
“Just hungry,” she answered, thinking it wasn’t a complete lie. He held her gaze, and she wondered for a moment how much of what she was feeling showed on her face.
There was a moment when Bradley thought he saw something in Flower’s expression that gave him hope, but she reverted to being the old Flower on their way back to the room. They ate the pizza right away, but Flower opted to take a shower before they started the movie, and now he couldn’t even remember the title of what he was watching. She came out of the bathroom with her wet hair hanging loose down her back, and wearing nothing but a long t-shirt. He assumed there were panties under, but he couldn’t be sure, and he knew she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra. The sight was a huge distraction, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t look away. When the final credits began to roll across the screen, he sprang from the chair as if he were being stung and ran for the shower as if the hounds of hell were chasing him. If she noticed anything out of the ordinary she didn’t say a word, but he stayed under the stream of cold water for so long he thought he felt gills beginning to form.
The light from the bathroom was the only light in the room when he opened the door. Flower was tucked snugly beneath the covers of her bed. He switched off the light, fumbling around in the dark until he found a pair of boxers, but he froze before putting them on at the sound of her voice. “I decided what I want my tattoo to be.”
“What’s that?”
“A road map so you’ll always find your way home to me.”
The bedside lamp lit up next to her. He turned to her in disbelief as she let the sheet slip away from her body leaving him staring at perfection. He stared at her nude form for so long she reached for the sheet as if she was going to cover herself again, but he was on top of her before she could move.
Bradley stood unmoved for so long her courage almost fled. She listened to the shower running and the idea popped into her head, but the fear of his rejection almost kept her silent as he moved around the room in the dark. Now that his bare skin was brushing hers, she was never happier that she wasn’t one to back down. He tasted like mint from his toothpaste, and his skin smelled like some sort of musky men’s soap. He was still slightly damp from his shower, and she couldn’t get enough of it all. She wanted to taste every inch of him. She wanted to dig her fingernails into his skin just so she could be a half an inch closer to him. She was desperate to own him in every way, but when he slowly began pushing inside of her, she felt completely calm as if all was finally right with the world. Bradley stared down into her eyes until he was fully inside, then he leaned down, brushing her lips with his own.
Her heart swelled with love at the sweetness of their kiss. This is what she feared the most she realized with some shock. He was the only person in the world she couldn’t live without, and if he took his love away she would never survive the loss. With the roll of his hips, all her worries and coherent thoughts were tossed to the wind. He pulled out slightly, his moan making her nipples harden further. She gasped into his mouth. He moved his lips to just below her ear whispering, “Tell me if I do something you don’t like.” At the same time, he ground down on her in a way that made her see stars.
“Oh God,” she groaned. “Do that again.”
He chuckled but did as she asked. She tightened up her inner muscles and his laughter died away. His attention to detail was amazing, as he missed not a single detail of pleasuring her. When her orgasm hit, it ripped a scream from her throat, but he didn’t allow himself the same pleasure until he made her do it again.
His breathing was ragged as he kissed her over and over again, telling how beautiful she was, and still he couldn’t get enough. It would never be enough. He waited so long. He wanted for so long that now she was in his arms, now that he sampled a taste, he wouldn’t be able to back away again. He was going to be forced to tell her the truth, and when she found out, she would hate him forever. He didn’t have a single doubt about it. There was no hope for a different outcome. No one could be told so many lies for so many years and stick around afterwards; even Flower, but there was tonight before reality set in, and he intended to take full advantage of it. Rolling onto his back, he pulled her with him covering his body with hers. Her breasts pressed flat against his chest, and he brushed his fingers along the edge of her body until he was cupping her ass and pressing her closer. She lifted up slightly, taking him back inside her, and he closed his eyes breathing in slowly through his nose trying to control his need to control the situation. He opened his eyes to find her staring down at him. “Let me know if I do something you don’t like.”
“Impossible,” he breathed out on a hiss.
“We’ll see.”
Flower turned her face into the stream of water. She could hear Bradley moving around inside the bathroom before she felt his arms encircling her. She leaned back into his touch and he touched his lips to the nape of her neck. She twisted in his arms, twining her arms around his neck and pulling his face to hers. He nibbled on her bottom lip before allowing her the kiss she was demanding. He took a step forward, forcing her backwards until her back came up against the shower wall. He lifted her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he used the wall as leverage, entering her in one swift motion. Her head fell back against the wall, and she watched him through half closed lids. His face was taut with lust, making him the most beautiful thing in the world. Words fell from her lips just like a million times before. “I love you Bradley,” she said, except this time she meant them more than ever before.
Bradley was quiet for the rest of the drive home, and she wondered briefly if she had worn him out. Several times she offered to drive, but he only smiled in response before falling back into his own thoughts. He glanced over at her a few times as if he was going to say something, but he always looked away just as swiftly, and she found herself hoping against hope that she wasn’t about to get, “The Speech.” Everybody universally knows the "we’re better off as friend’s speech." The, I love you, but I’m not in love with you. The, it’s not you it’s me. Call it whatever you want, it all ended the same. It ended.
She unlocked the door to her boutique. Bradley, carrying her bags, followed closely on her heels as she made her way to her apartment above. The light on her answering machine was blinking and she hit play, freezing at the sound of Shannon’s voice. “Hey, Flower. This is Shannon. I’m going to be in Abernathy for the next two weeks covering the security on some sort of homeless drive The Queen of Diamonds is having. I’m guessing they liked our work on the gala and they’ve decided to hire us for this job as well. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to go do something while I’m in town. Give me a call. You should have my cell number, but in case you’ve lost it,” Flower listened to the rest of the message with only half an ear. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Bradley watching her, but she didn’t dare turn and look at him since the subject of Shannon was an uncomfortable one now. The next message was from her assistant Betsy. “Hey Flower. It’s Betsy. I don’t know if you’ve heard yet or not, but Chad has been arrested on some really nasty charges. I heard a rumor that The Queen of Diamonds was using their drive for the homeless as a ploy to draw in underage homeless boys in some sort of sex ring. Can you believe it?” Flower skipped the rest of the message moving onto the next with a growing sense of horror. “Hey Flower, did you hear about Chad?” Skip. “Hey Flower. It’s Chad. Don’t believe a word you hear about me.” Skip. “Hey. It’s Shannon again. So apparently, The Queen of Diamonds is being shut down and I’m temporarily between jobs. The
re was something about its owner and some sex charges. Anyways, I’m sure you know all about it. I’m still going to stay in town for the next two weeks and bid on some jobs around here, so I’m still game to get together, if you are.”
The machine clicked off, and she turned to Bradley in confusion. “Bradley, did you know that Chad owned The Queen of Diamonds?”
“It’s Brad.”
“What?”
“My name, I don’t really like Bradley. I go by Brad.”
“Okay,” she drawled out, unsure of why he sounded so angry with her.
“Fuck!” He said loudly running both hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end. He paced the room for a second, coming to a stop directly in front her. Digging into his pocket, Bradley pulled out a small square of paper and a SIM card before throwing it down on the counter and storming out, making sure to slam the door closed behind him. Flower stared down at the paper unsure of what just happened. She reached for it, noticing absently that her hands were shaking as she unfolded it.
I’ve never seen a more beautiful flower than you. There was an
Emergency with one of my workers, but I’ll be back as soon as I
get things straightened out. If you need me before then you can reach me on my cell 555-4698, Shannon
Flower’s eyes fell closed as she realized what she was reading. He left her a note, and she didn’t get it. He left her a note, and Bradley took it, and he took her SIM card disabling her phone. Cramming it down into her pocket, she stalked out the door in pursuit of Bradley, but his car was already gone. She wanted to call Shannon right then and set things straight, because she hated that she was the one that snuck away, but she wanted to find Bradley first. He was the more important of the two.
Secured Undercover Page 4
