“Thank you for coming tonight,” he whispered.
She smiled back at him. “I haven’t come yet.”
“Oh, is that so?” His brows lifted just a bit. “We should fix that...”
“We should.”
Jayden pressed his knee between her thighs, then cupped her mound. For some reason, his tendency to stare deep into her eyes instead of at her breasts or somewhere else always got to her. Her insides felt as if they were quaking, all because of his steady stare that peeled back layers she’d have rather left alone. He was a man who wanted all parts of her, those freely given and those she wanted to hold back. He needed it all.
She’d never trusted a man with everything before.
A finger slid through her folds.
She arched her back and held her breath. Her mind went quiet and all she could do was feel.
He thrust inside of her.
Brandi gasped and gripped his shoulders while Jayden kissed down her neck.
“Oh—Jayden.” She blew out air, but couldn’t catch her breath. He wasn’t giving her the chance to. She groaned and let her eyes close.
“Does that feel good?”
“Yes. God, yes.” She let her head fall back against the glass.
At this point, he could do whatever he wanted.
“Fuck.” Jayden froze. “Dinner—”
She dug her nails in. There was no way he was getting out of this shower. “Took it out of the oven.”
The tension drained out of his shoulders and she felt a tender kiss at the dip of her waist. “In that case, I can take my time.”
She opened her eyes just a little. “I don’t know about that. Dinner smelled divine.”
He looked at her with so much heat in his gaze. How was it he didn’t burn up? “I think you could stand to have more of an appetite.”
Brandi wanted to fire back, but her words wouldn’t come.
Jayden sank to the ground, kneeling before her. Her sex-starved brain was too slow on the uptake. By the time she realized she should probably say something, Jayden was already pushing her leg over his shoulder.
“J-Jayden?” was all she got out before he licked her.
Brandi gasped and held on tight, all while the world around her felt as though it were dipping and spinning.
“Oh, God. Oh my God,” she chanted as his tongue delved into her.
It wasn’t that a man hadn’t gone down on her. Most took way too much convincing for the act to be enjoyable. But this?
Her stomach knotted and fluttered somewhere just under her collar bone. The sensation wasn’t that dissimilar from riding a roller coaster.
But no amusement park ride was quite so good.
He slid in and out of her. She wasn’t sure if it was tongue or fingers and she didn’t care. He set a fast, steady pace, as if he knew she needed that release. She shifted her hips until he rubbed against her clit.
She gasped. “Fuck, right there.”
Jayden never broke pace. He was steady, dependable, constant.
God, what would it be like to have him in her life? Permanently? Would he always be like this? Or would he grow tired of her?
Her back arched as a sudden and intense orgasm rolled through her. A strangled cry escaped her lips, echoing off the tile as her body shuddered and spasmed under his attentions.
Here she’d thought scaring him off was so easy. How did she even begin to try to make this work? Did she dare hope to believe him? Or was he another man with pretty words?
JAYDEN TOOK DEEP, MEASURED breaths of the humid air. He clutched Brandi to his chest, certain he was about to crush her, but she hadn’t protested yet. Sometimes it felt that the only thing he could do to keep her close was to hold her tight. And still, he knew she could slip through his fingers without a backward glance.
Brandi had a direction for herself. Goals. And if she didn’t think he fit, he knew she’d cut him out of her life.
How was it she could mean so much to him in such a short amount of time?
He gathered the wet mass of her hair into a single, soaked tail down her back.
“You are far too good to me,” she muttered.
He smiled, but on the inside he’d begun to worry.
This was supposed to be casual. She couldn’t expend effort on a relationship. Not when she was trying to build one with her father and perhaps mend things with her grandparents and sisters. He got that in the grand scheme. Right now he couldn’t be a priority for her.
Similarly, Jayden had to find his brother. Everything with Brandi had to fit around that. But soon he hoped she could be his priority. Maybe he could win her over when she wasn’t looking? Was it possible for her to fall in love with him and not realize it? Could a guy hope?
Brandi stretched her arms up over her head, pressing her breasts against him in the process. She peered up at him through her lashes, looking both content and up to no good. How was it she could look like sleepy trouble and sex all in one?
She grasped his hand and backed up. “We’re going to run out of hot water soon. Better make good use of it while we have it.”
He let her pull him under the spray. He’d technically finished his shower before her arrival. But this was one place where his brothers wouldn’t bother him, so he’d stalled for time and hoped Axl would leave on his own.
Brandi sighed. “You’re oozing stress again.”
“Not right now I’m not.”
She leaned in closer and smiled. “You’re so good at fooling yourself. Let’s see if I can relax you instead?”
“No need for that, B.”
Her hand trailed lower on his chest.
His dick twitched.
While that part of his anatomy would take whatever release he could get, the rest of him wanted something more than her hand or mouth. Momentary gratification wasn’t what he was after. But how did he tell that to her?
Jayden grasped her wrist gently.
Brandi leaned back and stuck out her lower lip.
He’d realized early on that sex meant two different things to them.
To Jayden, he only had sex with someone he wanted to cultivate intimacy with.
Brandi treated sex more akin to an itch that needed scratching.
Right now, he wanted to feel close to her. Connected.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, dropping the act.
He lifted a shoulder. “Just—long couple of days.”
“It has been, hasn’t it?” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Done in here?”
“Yeah.”
Jayden closed his eyes and his soul felt as though it exhaled. That simple question, digging deeper, it released the pressure that had been inside of him. He didn’t need to air all the details. She knew enough, but her simple act of asking helped.
“What do you need?” Brandi whispered.
He squeezed her a little tighter. “Having you here is enough.”
Brandi lifted up on tip toe and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss.
In the two short weeks he’d known her, he’d seen so many sides of her. And each of them were authentically Brandi. With each new facet of her personality, he grew to care for her more. Not everyone had such a strong sense of self. Hell, even he could learn a few things from her.
Jayden allowed himself to sink into the kiss, drawing her warmth and comfort in.
He was falling in love with her.
She was nothing like he’d imagined his perfect woman might be, and that made it better. She was unexpected. Challenging. She had a strength about her that he envied. Neon pink spandex and all.
“Do that and I’m going to get ideas,” she said against his lips.
Jayden kissed her greedily.
Her little nails bit into his skin and she pushed up on tip-toe to get closer.
He wrapped his arms around her and lifted. Automatically, her limbs twined around him.
Jayden groaned into the kiss.
He was supposed to be getting them out of the show
er, not staying in it longer.
There was one saving grace, though.
He pressed her back to the tile wall and rest his forehead against hers.
“Gotta cool off.” He chuckled.
“Why?” She shifted her hips, but he was in control here.
“Condoms are still in my overnight bag.”
There, perfectly logical reason.
Brandi studied him. There was no quick come back, no suggestion to satisfy him another way, just a cool, assessing gaze.
What was she thinking? What did she feel about him? Them as a couple?
“Then let’s not use a condom.” Her tone was light, but her words slow, as though she were measuring each one.
“You want to have sex without a condom?” He wasn’t sure what to think about that or what it meant. Was this her speaking practically? Or could it mean something?
She smirked at him. “Well, we had that whole talk, and I did tell you I’ve been on the pill since I was fifteen. So long as I’m the only person you’re sleeping with, it should be fine, right?”
Jayden leaned in and kissed her, buying himself a moment to think.
She spoke so matter-of-factly, but her pacing gave her away.
This relationship mattered.
To her. To him.
This wasn’t the easiest moment to start a relationship, but he wasn’t going to pass up a good thing when it landed in his lap. Or in her case, answered the door.
And he’d stepped through.
The first step was over. Now the work began.
He was going to love her with everything he had, and maybe she’d love him back someday. One of them had to be first. There was no shame in love. Not this kind.
Jayden tangled his fingers in her hair, needing to deepen the kiss. She yielded to him, her soft body cradling his in every way.
He reached between them, sliding his slick fingers through her wet heat.
He pressed his cock to her entrance and her hold on him relaxed just a little. He flexed his hips, thrusting gently. Almost in unison, they both gasped. Every sensation was heightened. Including the feel of skin on skin. There was a delicious resistance despite her arousal that changed everything.
Brandi stared at him with wide eyes. The black of her irises was so blown out all he could see were flecks of blue and gold. Her mouth hung open while the tendons on either side of her neck stood out.
Ever so carefully, he clutched her close and withdrew. Not all the way, only a little. Then he eased her back down, thrusting in time with the motion.
“Oh my God,” she said in a rush.
He couldn’t form words. Hers would have to serve both of them. Instead, he crashed his mouth into hers. She kissed him back with as much need as he poured into her.
She was giving him something special. Something that wasn’t as casual as she made it sound. It wasn’t just his head wanting that to be true, he knew it from the way she spoke, how she wouldn’t meet his gaze, her feigned matter-of-fact nature.
Was she doing this because they weren’t ready for words yet? Did she know what it meant to him?
He had to assume she did. Brandi saw him clearly, even the parts he didn’t entirely like about himself. But she was still there.
She bit down on his lower lip. Not hard, but he tensed for a moment while she sucked on his skin. She let go, her chest heaving as she panted.
“Wow,” she muttered.
He wanted to know if that was a good wow or bad, but he couldn’t make his mouth work.
Jayden leaned into her, using the wall to brace and hold her at the perfect height. His nose bumped hers, but he didn’t kiss her, only looked deep into her eyes.
He withdrew from the tight vise of her body.
She blew out a breath, but didn’t look away. No part of her shied from sharing what she felt, her enjoyment.
Jayden loved that he didn’t have to figure her out. She told him what she thought, what she wanted and where the boundary was. He knew she liked to be in control, but she’d also let him take it. In fact, she seemed to revel in it.
Brandi jabbed her heel into his upper thigh. He took the hint and thrust, only this time he didn’t pause.
Here and now, what mattered was her. Not the outside world. Not any of his stressors. Just her and their pleasure. He held tight to her ass, glad she wasn’t a delicate flower. She was a woman he could handle without fear.
“Oh—Jayden. Fuck,” she groaned as the sound of their bodies joining echoed through the room.
He bent his head and gently bit her shoulder.
She dug her nails in and moaned.
He licked the spot as he drove back into her.
“Yes!” Her voice hit a new note toward the end.
Was she close? Again?
He prayed she was.
Jayden lifted his head, dug one hand into her hair and kissed her.
Almost at once her pussy tightened. He groaned as all thought ceased and he became a creature of feeling. Every movement was bitter bliss.
He lifted her higher then thrust. She cried out, her moans seducing him as her body stroked him.
So close. So damn close.
“Oh, fuck. Jayden, yes,” she panted.
He lift then thrust again and again, losing himself in the feel of her wrapped around him and the sweetness of her kisses.
All at once, it changed. He didn’t just feel the tingle at the base of his spine, no. It was everywhere.
Jayden cried out, his motions rougher as he struggled to hold it together as bitter bliss turned into the sweetest pleasure.
Jayden clutched her to him and buried his face in her hair. It was that or shout his feelings, and he didn’t think now was the time for that. Then again, he wasn’t sure he had the power to speak.
He loved her, and he had no idea what came next.
Right now, they were each other’s safe haven. The person they turned to when everything else was too much or too chaotic. He was happy being where he was and hopeful for the future.
“You’re just taking care of all my needs tonight, aren’t you?” Brandi muttered.
“That is my specialty.”
Jayden kissed her cheek and offered up a silent prayer that they’d figure it out.
They untangled themselves and after a quick rinse off, he bundled her up in his robe and a towel for her hair.
“Hey—wait. Jayden!” Brandi let out one of those annoyed sighs as he picked her up. “What exactly are you doing?”
He smiled back at her. “Taking my duty very seriously.”
Wearing nothing more than clean boxers, he carried her to the kitchen and set her down on the stool.
Dinner was perfectly warm, thanks to Brandi having accidentally set the dish on the burner with the warmer function. He must have left it on after melting the butter, so all happy accidents worked out just fine.
As he pushed her place across the counter to Brandi, he had to wonder, would there be more nights like this in their future?
Day 17: Wednesday
Brandi stared at the three big boxes the delivery men had just left.
She knew exactly what those boxes were. But why were they here?
The other two women she shared the front office with were clustered around the coffee pot, whispering. There was now a clear line between Brandi and the other two women ever since Mr. Rice had issued the memo about her transition on Monday. She hadn’t thought the others would react with jealousy and sniping.
The front door opened and Mr. Rice stepped in, phone pressed to his ear.
Brandi blindly grabbed for her notebook and followed after him as he headed toward his office muttering, “Yeah,” and, “Okay,” to whoever he was speaking with.
She closed the office door behind her, then turned and watched the man pace the width of his office. He kind of waved at her, so she took that to mean wait.
And she waited.
For a good fifteen minutes.
The moment he lowered t
he phone from his face, she practically jumped on him.
Brandi pointed at the door. “What is that desk doing here?”
Mr. Rice blinked at her and his shoulders slumped. He looked like a kid who hadn’t gotten his most anticipated Christmas toy. “They delivered it already?”
“Already? Why are they delivering it at all?”
Mr. Rice shrugged out of his sport coat. “It seemed like the best thing to do.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Because Nina and Marti are acting like you’re the favorite child. I came in yesterday and they’d already decided that Nina was getting what should be your new desk and Marti would get the monitor.” Mr. Rice shook his head. “I said rehiring them would cause problems.”
“So you decided to fix it by getting me a desk?”
“A desk you picked out.” He grinned at her, almost like a kid. “If you plan on working and going to school, you need a bigger desk.”
Brandi turned in a circle. “Where is it going to go? That thing is huge.”
Mr. Rice had a twinkle in his eye. It was often easy to forget that he held the title of prankster between his brothers. All of the Rice brothers had mellowed with age. “Because we aren’t staying here.”
“What? What are you talking about?” She shook her head, exasperated to no end with this day.
“We need more space. We need more people. You might not get to set up the new desk today, but soon. We’re looking at some options that will allow us to all have elbow room. And this way I can have you in an office next door that you’ll grow into.”
Brandi blinked at him.
Someday she was going to strangle this man with his own tie.
“When were you going to share this information with your current Office Manager?” she practically growled.
Mr. Rice held up his hands. “We decided it over the weekend and I thought—hey, surprise?”
Brandi’s phone vibrated in her pocket. With it being Wednesday and Nicole possibly hitting on information, Brandi had opted to keep her phone on her.
She pulled the device out and sighed when she saw Nicole’s name.
“I’ve got to answer this, but you!” Brandi pointed at Mr. Rice. “We are going to talk about keeping secrets and unapproved purchases later, understood?”
The Wrong Perfect Match (Fullilove in the House Book 1) Page 24
