“I….Shit.” he didn’t know what to say. His heart was breaking.
“I need to get back out there.” She said, heading for the door.
He had no idea what came over him, but he stopped her. He pushed her against the wall and kissed her with everything that he had. She surprised him by kissing him back without slapping him. Before he knew it, he picked her up, slid her dress to her waist, and he was inside of her.
“Fuck!” he moaned. She felt exactly the same. Different from any other woman he’d been with. He wanted to savor her, take his time, but his body wouldn’t let him. He was so close and he didn’t want to be. Not yet. But when she bit her lip and threw her head back on a whimper, he knew that she was already there, her hot tightness milking him dry.
Without a word, she straightened herself out. She checked herself out in the mirror, reapplied her makeup, and ran a brush through her hair. When she was done, he opened the door and held it open for her. As they approached the table, everyone stopped talking and stared at them.
“Are you alright?” Andrew stood up and walked over to Brianna. She looked pale and a little sick. Watching the scene between his brother and his lover pissed him off.
She nodded and leaned into him. “We just needed to straighten out a few things.” She said, looking in his direction. “But, it’s over. For good.” He swallowed hard at her words.
That’s what she thinks.
Twenty Two
She didn’t feel right about going out with Andrew, but he’d insisted that they talk. He’d picked her up in a beautiful Bugatti and they were speeding out of the city. The speed was exhilarating and when they hit a back road, she stuck her head and half her body out of the open top and let the warm wind hit her in the face.
Ever since her encounter with Lucian in the restaurant’s bathroom, she felt like a raging slut. She was with both brothers on the exact same day. Within hours of each other. She definitely didn’t mean to, but when Lucian touched her, her body automatically reacted. It wasn’t something that she could help.
The car slowed for a turn and then they were on a dirt road surrounded by trees. A few minutes later, they parked in a clearing where a helicopter was waiting.
Rich men and their toys.
A man opened her door and helped her out of the car before Andrew took her hand and led her to the helicopter. He helped her buckle in before settling into his own seat. Then he motioned for the pilot to take off.
“Where are we going? I thought we were just going to have dinner.” She said.
“We are.” He smiled. “I know this quaint little place in Virginia and I want to introduce you to some people.”
She grinned. He seemed so excited to take her somewhere. He was like a little school boy despite the hip hugging black jeans and black t-shirt he was wearing that made him look like a dark angel.
When they landed in Virginia, she fully expected for them to head to a restaurant. Instead, the driver pulled into someone’s driveway. The house wasn’t big or fancy at all. It looked like a regular house in a regular neighborhood full of regular people.
The door opened and a little African American girl ran outside and straight into Andrew’s arms.
“Uncle Drew!” she screamed and laughed when he growled and surrounded her sweet little face with kisses.
A beautiful dark skinned woman with long black hair and a body to kill for stepped out of the house along with a tall, regal looking man who looked like he belonged just with her. They were a gorgeous couple with a gorgeous little girl. Looking at them brought back the conversation from the previous day with Lucian. He wanted a child with her, and she was a little disappointed in that moment that she wasn’t pregnant.
She swallowed hard and smiled at the couple approaching them.
“Brianna Michaels, I want to introduce you to some very good friends of mine.” Andrew said. “This is D’Shawn Edwards and his beautiful wife, Nakeisha. And this lovely creature in my arms is my Goddaughter, Alicia.”
“So nice to meet you.” She said.
“I’ve known Shawn and Nikki since college. D’Shawn was my roommate, and Nikki was mine first.” He winked at her.
“She wasn’t yours.” Shawn corrected. “You just saw her first. The man with the smoothest moves won.”
Everyone started laughing and Nikki looped her arm through hers. “They will go on like this all day. Come inside and sit down. Dinner will be ready in a little while.” She said, practically pulling her towards the house.
Inside the kitchen, Nikki pushed Brianna down into a stool at the island and started chopping vegetables.
“Can I help with something?” she asked. Nikki gave her a surprised look and then handed her a knife and an onion.
“I didn’t take you for a cook. Andrew’s taste in women are the type who have chefs to prepare their meals for them.” Nikki tossed some veggies into a sauce pan and stirred.
“I’ve known Andrew for a month, but he knows nothing about me.” She shrugged. “I’m from Colorado. I don’t come from money. I’m used to eating Ramen noodles six days a week.”
“Really?” This seemed to intrigue Nikki. She gave her another, longer look. “You’re definitely his type as far as looks go, but you’re real. You seem to be street smart, and Drew says you work together so you have to be book smart as well. You’re dangerous, girl.”
Bree laughed. She didn’t think she was that dangerous. Except to herself. She liked Andrew a lot, but she had a connection to Lucian that confused the hell out of her. But Lucian was engaged and she never wanted to see him again. She was moving forward, though she wasn’t sure she should be moving forward with Lucian’s older brother.
Neither brother knew about her past, and she wanted to keep it that way. She was still a minor when everything happened with James and it was one of her biggest regrets in life. If it weren’t for Jon, she didn’t know where she’d be.
She sighed, missing Jon so badly that her heart physically hurt. He was the only man in her life that was always with her through everything and never asked for anything in return. They were best friends and she hated that he was touring the country when she needed him the most. She kept making mistake after mistake and her heart couldn’t take much more.
Making a vow to call John in the morning, she pushed everything out of her head and decided to enjoy the rest of her evening. She chopped the onion, made the rice, and helped with the dessert. All the while, she and Nikki were talking about mundane things like Alicia’s preschool, Shawn’s job as a government contractor, and what she planned to do when she graduated from college.
During dinner, Shawn and Andrew mostly talked about business. Brianna couldn’t help but notice that he had Alicia in his lap the entire time. It was actually endearing to watch, and she couldn’t help but to wonder what kind of father he would be. She shook her head and tried to breathe. She was much too young to be thinking about things like that. She hadn’t even finished college yet.
After dinner, Shawn and Nikki hugged them goodbye and Andrew made them promise to come to New York soon. And when her parents weren’t looking, Adrian pulled out all the cash in his wallet and handed it to Alicia, telling her to run and stuff it in her piggy bank and not to tell her parents. When they were in the car, Brianna couldn’t help but laugh.
“Her parents don’t know she has all that money, do they?” she laughed.
“Nor do they know about the other half a million dollars in her piggy bank.” He shrugged.
“Half a million dollars!” she shrieked.
“Some of it is for her college fund. Some of it is for a car when she turns sixteen. But most of it is for toys, though she usually gets everything she wants for Christmas and birthdays.” He grinned.
“You really love her, don’t you?” she sighed.
“Like she’s my own. He said.
The helicopter ride back to New York was exhausting. She fell asleep in Andrew’s lap and somehow didn’t come awake until they
pulled up in front of their apartment building. He kissed her lightly and she opened her eyes when he pressed his forehead to hers.
“I wasn’t sure, and I’m still unsure, but I think I want to make you mine.” He said.
“Maybe I’d like that.” She grinned.
“Until then, I think we’d better not risk walking inside together. When I want New York to know about you, they’ll know.” He said.
She rubbed her hand up his thigh and looked into his eyes. “Does that mean I’m sleeping alone tonight?” she pouted.
He gave her a lingering kiss and then nodded. “Tonight, yes. We have some things to talk about, and then we’ll go from there.”
After another kiss, the driver opened the door and helped her out of the car. She nodded to the doorman and headed up to her apartment. Dropping her purse by the door, she headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water before bed. She found a note from Ellie saying that she was spending the night with Kevin and his roommate, Aiden.
She immediately started stripping out of her dress. She was reaching up for her bra when she walked into her bedroom and froze.
“Now, that’s the way a man should be greeted at night.” James smiled.
She swore, her heart stopped beating.
Twenty Three
Samantha was in full bridal mode. She dragged Kelsey with her to some bridal shop to shop for dresses, and she spent all night talking about invitations and venues. He could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him that she wanted to know what happened between him and Brianna in the restaurant. He wanted to tell her just to get the guilt off of his chest, but at the same time, it was a private moment between the two of them.
He knew that he was going to go along with this wedding, especially now that he knew that he wasn’t going to be a father. There was nothing at all holding him back. The instant chemistry he had with Brianna wasn’t something he had to worry about anymore. He was just going to hang that up and forget about her.
That’s what he told himself while he was on his walk, trying to clear his head. He somehow ended up outside of his brother’s building where he knew Brianna was as well. Then he saw his brother’s car pull up and his driver open the door. He wanted to ask his brother what his deal was with Brianna, but stopped cold.
Bree stepped out of the car and headed for the building. He wondered why she was in his brother’s car alone. It’s not like they were dating. They barely knew one another. Besides, if it were a date, his brother would be walking with her, his arms around her, smelling that sweet lemon and coconut smell of her beautiful bronzed skin.
Damn, he just wanted to taste her one more time.
A moment later, his brother stepped out of the car and Lucian lost his shit. He didn’t understand the rage and jealousy he felt at that moment, but he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What the hell, Drew?” he demanded. His brother looked taken aback for a moment before a wicked grin crossed his face. “Why are you dropping off Kelsey’s friend?”
“You mean, Brianna? Lovely, isn’t she?” Drew stared off into the lobby of his building where Brianna disappeared a few minutes earlier.
“A little young for your tastes, isn’t she?” he snorted.
Drew looked at him and smiled. “I like her. She’s sweet. I have a feeling about her.” His brother headed inside of the building, and he followed.
“You don’t know anything about her! You don’t know where she’s from, what she’s been into until she met Kelsey. Do you know that I had to have my security dispose of an exboyfriend of hers? And that exboyfriend is bad news. Dangerous for Kelsey.” He said.
His brother stopped walking and frowned at him. “How dangerous?” he said, his face deadly serious.
“Dangerous enough that Brianna spent a week with me towards the end of spring because he found out where she lived and she was terrified.” He said.
Drew nodded and approached the elevator. “I’ll talk to her.” He said as he waited for the car to approach.
For some reason that didn’t satisfy him. He wanted his brother to stop talking to Brianna at all. He knew what he was about to do was wrong, but his mouth worked faster than his mind and the words were out before he could stop them.
“Bree and I were sleeping together. As a matter of fact, that’s what happened last night after our talk. She’s not what you think, Drew. She’s just looking for a hand up.” He said.
His brother said nothing. The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw something dark and calculating in his brother’s eyes as the door closed in front of him.
“Shit!” he spat the curse and practically ran out of the building.
What the hell was he thinking?
Twenty Four
James waited for her in the living room while she quickly changed into sweats and a baggy t-shirt. She took out her contacts and put on her glasses and pulled her hair up into a messy knot on top of her head before joining him in the living room. She was sure to pull out her cell phone and dial Jonathan, placing her phone casually on the bookshelf behind James before sitting down on the chair opposite him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’ve missed you.” He said. She snorted and stared at him, waiting for more. “You were my girl, Bree. My number one. You’re all I thought about while I was locked up.”
“How did you find me?” she demanded.
“Aren’t you going to offer me some sort of….. Refreshment?” James leaned forward and stared at her, a familiar heat behind his eyes. She was suddenly so uncomfortable that she stood up and headed for the kitchen. She pulled out a single serve bottle of orange juice and resisted the urge to throw it at his head.
“Answer me.” She said, handing him the bottle.
“I’ve missed you.” He said seriously.
“You tried to sell me.” She snorted.
“A misunderstanding.” He countered.
She cocked an eyebrow at him. He looked exactly as she remembered, only harder. Half Cuban and half Caucasian, his brown eyes were still so deep that they pierced her soul. His brown hair was longer than she’d remembered, touching the collar of his tight white t-shirt. His hip hugging jeans would have brought the old Brianna to her knees, but the new Brianna was pissed off at the man sitting on her couch.
“How did you find me, James?” she asked again.
“You’re not hard to find, Little Bit.” He said. She shuddered at the old nickname he’d given her years ago. “My Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sarah were bragging about you going to the University of Colorado, and UC was practically bragging in a newsletter about your internship in New York. Congrats, by the way.”
“Thanks.” She murmured.
He stared at her, making her shift in her seat. “You look beautiful, Little Bit. All grown up.” He said.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“We need to clear up a few things.” He said.
“Like?”
“Like the money you owe me.” He told her.
She stared at him, shocked. “I don’t owe you a damn thing, James!” she yelled.
“On the contrary, Little Bit. You cost me a sale. A very important sale.” He said. “I was going to get a cool six figures for Laura, and triple if I threw you into the deal.”
“So?”
“So, I loved you, babe. I wasn’t going to sell you. That was just a misunderstanding thanks to Jon’s eavesdropping. But since he’s on tour, and you blocked the sale, having me locked away simply because you were pissed at me, I figure you owe me.” He finished his juice and stared at her.
“You figured wrong.” She said.
“Babe, you have two choices. You can either ask your rich exboyfriend for it, or you can come work it off with me. Either option works for me.” He said.
She was fired up. She wanted to kill him, but she didn’t want to ruin everything she’d worked for. Instead, she stood and headed for her front door. She
held it open to him.
“I need you to leave.” She said. “Please.”
He stood and walked over to her. He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek and she had to resist the urge to step away or flinch. “I’ll expect to hear from you soon.” He said and walked away.
She shut the door and bolted it. She prayed that Eleanor stayed at Kevin’s and didn’t change her mind and come back. She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone.
Walking back to her room, a sound caught her attention. She glanced at her phone and nearly tripped, diving for it.
“Hello? Hello? Bree? Answer me, Bree. Damn it!” Jon was yelling into the phone.
“Jon?” she croaked.
“Bree, sweetheart, are you okay?” he asked.
“Did… Did you hear him?” she was almost in tears.
“I heard him, baby.” He said. “I need you to get out of the house. Is there anyone you can call there? Didn’t you email me that your roommate is also in New York?”
She nodded like he could see her. “Yeah.” She said.
“Good.” He exhaled loudly into the phone. “I’m in Chicago. I will be there in a few hours.”
“No, Jon.” She sighed. “I’ll be fine.”
“Baby, you come first. Always.” He said. She heard something rustling in the background before a woman’s voice sounded over the speaker. “Who’s that, Jonny?” she asked.
“I don’t want to interrupt anything, Jon.” She rubbed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Just, promise me that you’ll be open when you come to town. Three more weeks, right?”
“Right, babe. I miss you.” He murmured.
“I miss you too.” She ended the phone call before he could insist on coming to see her.
She let out a shaky sigh and looked around the room. She hated the sudden bad feeling she got being in a place that she loved, but what was she supposed to do? She wanted to go upstairs and spend the night with Drew, but she didn’t want to drag him into her problems with James. She was almost tempted to call Lucian, but the thought of him cuddled up with Samantha made her stomach turn.
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