Breaking Braydon

by MK Harkins

  “I gathered. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes?” He gave me a long, searching look. “You aren’t going to change your mind, are you?”

  “Not a chance.” I turned to make my way back into the ballroom. I knew it might be a little uncomfortable with the performance we just put on, but I didn’t care.

  I immediately located Colin just where I’d left him earlier. He hadn’t moved, but he was talking to an outrageously handsome man. I approached cautiously, not wanting to interrupt an important conversation, when he spotted me.

  “Jain! The star of the hour. When you decide to let loose, you really let go.” His smile was huge, his arms open. I went to hug him.

  “Oh, Colin, I’m mortified. Who saw us?” I cringed waiting for his answer.

  “Everyone.”

  Good grief.

  “Hey, let me introduce you to Charlie. His family is from Palm Springs.”

  Charlie turned to greet me. Over his shoulder, Colin’s eyes grew large, and he gave me a thumbs up. Well, well, well. It appeared good things were in store for both of us.

  I shook Charlie’s hand and said a polite, “Pleased to meet you.”

  He replied, “Likewise,” and smiled, revealing two adorable dimples which made his face even more handsome.

  This man was ideal for Colin. I sent up a silent prayer, hoping it would work out.

  “Colin,” I began. How would I word this? “I’m leaving with Braydon.” I decided I’d blurt it right out.

  “Jain, we need to talk for a few minutes. Can you excuse us?” He directed his question to Charlie.

  “No, Colin. I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He turned to Charlie. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He firmly grasped me by the arm and led me to a back alcove, out of hearing distance from the party.

  “Please tell me you know what you’re doing.”

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Don’t be a smartass. Have you talked with Braydon? Is this going to be one of his six-hour…Jain, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but you aren’t, I repeat, aren’t a six-hour type of girl.”

  “I’ll be okay, Colin. I promise. No matter what, I’m prepared for it. You told me to explore this.” I was interrupted by his groan.

  “I didn’t mean for you to become one of his…” He looked down.

  “I know, I promise I won’t let that happen. Something different is going on between us.” I gathered myself. “You were right.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Wait. Did someone announce the end of the world?”

  “Ha ha.”

  This was going to be hard to admit. “I’ve been fighting this, whatever it is, since day one. You know me. I’m not one to jump into things. I’ve thought about this – a lot. I have real feelings for him.” I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, “I need to see where this goes.”

  His eyes pleaded with me. “This is difficult for me to say, Jain, but I’m sure some of the other girls thought they were different, too.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him first. If it looks like it’s going in that direction, I’ll bail. I want to at least find out what he wants out of this. I don’t want to go around wondering what could have happened.”

  He looped his arm around my back and laid his head on mine. “Please be careful.”

  “I will,” I assured him. “Now go back to Charlie. By the way, he’s dreamy.”

  Colin gave me an affectionate push, and I pushed back.

  “Now, now, children. There’ll be no fighting.” It was her. The girl who had tried to wrap herself around Braydon. Why wouldn’t she just go away?

  “Jain, this is Angela. We went to high school together.” His smile slipped.

  “Oh,” was all I could muster. Angela was the horrible bitch Colin had told me about. The woman who’d had her sights set on Braydon for months. It wasn’t just tonight; she’d been planning for ages. No wonder she was so angry.

  “You’ll never keep a man like Braydon. I saw you making a fool out of yourself on the dance floor. He needs to be with someone like me, someone beautiful.” Her eyes scanned me from head to foot. “Not some scientist dressed in a glorified lab coat.” She smirked. “No, you’ll just be one of his six-hour girls then tossed aside.”

  Colin had had enough. “Angela, you were a bitch in high school, and you’re still a bitch. You’re just jealous because Braydon rejected you in front of hundreds of people. Everyone will know he preferred a ‘scientist’ over you. They’ll be laughing at you. You’re a fool, not Jain.”

  I don’t think I’d ever seen a person as angry as Angela was at that moment. Her face reddened, her hands clenched, and her body trembled.

  “You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.” She stormed off, heading right for Mommy and Daddy.

  “That was great! Thank you so much. I want to give you a high-five right now, but it might be a little obvious.” I snickered.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to stir the pot more than I already have.” He shook his head. “She’s a dangerous one. Watch your back. Okay?”

  “Got it.” I gave a mock salute. “Now, go back to Charlie. I have to meet Braydon in…” I looked at the wall clock. “As of three minutes ago.” I turned to leave then spun back around. “Almost forgot, would you feed Nancy?” Before he could respond, I gave him a quick hug and hurried toward the lobby.

  I found Braydon sitting on the bench, leaning over with his hands on his head. He was a sight to behold. Tie loosened, a few buttons undone, his hair a wavy mess around the most handsome face I’d ever seen. I would have stared a bit longer, but I noticed there was a slight crease between his brows.

  “Hey. You bored waiting for me?”

  Pure relief flooded his face. “I thought you changed your mind.” He stood up and pulled me to him. “We’re going too fast. I can slow this down.”

  “I was only three minutes late.” I wondered why he was so freaked out.

  “Those were the longest three minutes of my life.”

  I chuckled but noticed he wasn’t laughing with me. He was serious.

  “I want to do things differently with you. I want things to be different.”

  My stomach took a plunge. I wondered what he meant by that, but I was too afraid to ask.

  “Okay.” I was experiencing Braydon Brain Freeze. I couldn’t think when I gazed into those unusual silver eyes of his.

  “Let’s go.” He took my hand and led me out to a waiting car and driver. Fancy.

  An elderly man jumped out from the driver seat and greeted us.

  “Mr. Decker. Miss.”

  “Jain, this is Henry. Henry, Jain.” Braydon did the quick introductions. It was freezing outside. I knew he wanted to get into the warm car as fast as possible.

  Henry made an exaggerated bow. He reached over and took my hand. “I’m honored to meet you, Miss Jain.”

  A giggle escaped before I could stifle it. I wasn’t accustomed to the formality.

  “Mr. Decker, I have the car warmed up for you and your friend. Snow is in the forecast, so we best be getting along.”

  “Snow?” I asked. I’d lived in the Seattle area all my life, and snow was always a big event.

  “Yeah. I heard the forecast earlier. They said we were in for a few inches, but you know the way things go around here. They say it’ll snow, but it never does,” Braydon informed me.

  “You’re right.” I remembered many days growing up, hoping for snow that never appeared. I had a love/hate relationship with the meteorologists in the area. I loved all things weather related, but I was always disappointed when the forecast for snow was wrong.

  We slipped into the warm, cozy Lincoln Town Car. Braydon scooted next to me. “Cold?” he asked.

  “Just a little.” I rubbed my hands on his coat. “Do you mind?”

  He chuckled. “No, rub away.”

  The rubbing had the desired effect. I was curious if he was feeling the same electric<
br />
  attraction.

  “On second thought, you’d better stop.” He was breathing heavily. He checked on

  Henry to make sure his eyes were on the road then leaned into me, stopping right before his lips touched mine. My lips were tingling. What was he waiting for? His warm breath tickled my lips, resulting in a full body shiver. If he didn’t kiss me in about two seconds, I was going to grab him.

  The car came to a stop. That was fast. Braydon must live close to the Paramount. I looked up, and my breath stopped for a second. It was a hotel. Braydon brought me to a hotel. Why wasn’t I prepared for this? I knew this was possible, but I wasn’t prepared for the disappointment that filled my hopeful heart. Of course, he wouldn’t bring me to his condo, or wherever he lived. The hotel was probably his bachelor hang out. You are not one of his six-hour girls. Colin’s words came back to haunt me. He was right. I wasn’t. Sadness descended over me like fog on a Seattle morning – thick and heavy. Right now, though, it was snowing. My eyes lifted up, looking through the window as the large snowflakes whirled to the ground. That’s how I felt – whirling out of control. I wanted to get out of the car. Right now.

  Braydon stiffened next to me. He noticed where we’d stopped. “Henry.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Why did we stop here?” His tone was controlled, but I knew he was angry by his clipped words.

  “Oh, uh, I just assumed…”

  “Do I pay you to assume?” Now it was obvious. Braydon was angry. He practically yelled at his driver.

  “No, no, sir. I thought, since it was snowing, you’d want to go to the closest hotel for safety. It looks like we’re in for a significant snowfall,” he stuttered out.

  Good save, Henry, but I wasn’t buying it. Braydon wasn’t either. He leaned over and whispered, “I promise, I was never going to take you here.”

  “Yes, I know that now. I thought I was okay with everything until the reality of the hotel hit me. I’m so sorry, Braydon. I don’t think I can do this. I want to, but I’m just not experienced enough for this kind of thing.” I felt horrible. He must think the worst of me.

  He reached over and held my hand. “Look at me, Jain.” I didn’t want to, but he put his hand gently on my chin and tilted my head up so I could meet his eyes. “I want to take you to my home. I’m not going to lie. I want you. Badly. But I don’t want to rush this. We’ll wait until you’re ready. I can wait.”

  “Okay.” Why did I keep saying okay?

  He leaned into me and brushed his full lips against mine. One. Two. Three times. That did things to me, good things. I leaned in. I wanted more.

  He chuckled. “Slow. Remember?”

  “You’re not going to torture me, now, are you?” I asked.

  “Maybe a little.” His mouth pulled up in a grin.

  “Hey, Henry, let’s go before we get snowed in here,” he shouted to the front seat.

  “Your condo sir?” Henry asked.

  Braydon let out a sigh. “No, Henry. My house in Carnation.”

  Carnation? Were we going to Carnation? That’s out of the city, at least a forty-five minute drive on a good day.

  Henry was visibly surprised. He straightened and turned around to study Braydon. I thought he was trying to decipher if he was joking.

  “It might get a little dicey with the snowfall, and I doubt I’ll be able to transport Miss Jain back into town until it clears up.”

  “That’s okay,” Braydon answered.

  What? Was I staying? That would mean…I wouldn’t be a six-hour woman. The thrill started in my toes and worked its way throughout my entire body. Even though it was still a little chilly in the car, I felt flushed.

  “Sorry, Jain. Is that all right with you?”

  Hell yes!

  “Okay.” Now I was concerned about myself. I knew I had a good vocabulary. ‘Okay’ wasn’t the only response I knew. What was wrong with my brain?

  He chuckled. “Okay. Good.” He reached over and linked our hands together for the long drive to his house.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Braydon

  My heart was doing crazy, weird things. First, it was beating rapid fire. Then, the beats were skipping, jumping all over the place. I had Jain’s hand in mine, and I was taking her home – to my house. I’d never brought a woman, any woman, to my home before. I wasn’t going to sleep with her tonight, I already knew that. Still, I was excited beyond comprehension to have her with me. If the snow got deep enough, maybe I’d have her for days. What’s happening to me? I didn’t know, and I was shocked to discover I didn’t care.

  “Mr. Decker?” Henry’s voice shook me out of my introspection.

  “Yes, Henry?” I noticed the car had slowed, and we seemed to be stopping. We had at least two very long blocks to go.

  “I think we’ll need to stop here. There’s a tree down up ahead.”

  Sure enough, one of the old cedars that lined the road had come down. I glanced down at Jain’s shoes.

  “I’ll carry you,” I offered.

  She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, but thanks. I can manage.”

  “Miss Independent? You’ll be begging me after ten feet with those shoes.”

  Henry pulled the car over to the side of the road. I took Jain’s hand and helped her out. Six inches of snow had piled up in the hour it took to get here. This would be a very long and cold two blocks.

  Jain’s eyes grew large as the cold from the snow enveloped her daintily clad feet. I quirked an eyebrow. She quirked both eyebrows back at me. Stubborn.

  “Just let me know when you want to cry uncle,” I teased.

  “I’m good,” she responded.

  As she started walking, she looked like one of those Clydesdale horses from the beer commercials. I tried to contain my laughter. I didn’t want to make her angry. About one block in, I heard a loud groan.

  “I can’t feel my feet. Uncle!”

  Now I could let my laughter go.

  “Don’t laugh! You have no idea what these torture contraptions are like. Some guy by the name of Jimmy made them. He must hate women.” She huffed.

  Of course, that statement made me laugh harder. She was probably the only woman on the planet who didn’t know Jimmy Choo.

  “I’m sure he loves women. He wants their feet to be beautiful,” I assured her.

  “Someone needs to talk to him about practicality. Can you pick me up? I’m dying here.”

  I turned my back to her. “Jump on.”

  She hiked up her dress a little and hopped on so quickly, I almost lost my balance. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I grabbed her legs and helped her place them around my stomach for support. “Hang on. Here we go.”

  She tightened her grip, breathing into my ear. “Oh, this is nice.” She sighed.

  It was nice. I loved the feeling of her wrapped around my body. We were no more than ten feet when I felt her nibble on my ear.

  “Are you trying to torture me now?” I questioned.

  She giggled and replied, “What? Who me? I’m just trying to make sure your ears stay warm.”

  She proceeded to kiss my neck softly. Every inch of me became aware of her. Her legs around my waist. Her arms around my neck. Her body pressed close. Her warm breath on my neck. I couldn’t breathe properly. I couldn’t think – or balance. My foot caught on something hard, and we went down into a pile of snow.

  “Are you all right?” Feelings of concern tore through me until I heard her muffled laughter.

  “I wanted to distract you, but I didn’t think it would knock you off your feet!” She was lying on the snow, peals of laughter echoing through the cold, snowy night.

  I pinned both her arms on the ground next to her. “You will now be punished.”

  She stilled, licked her lips and waited. “Okay,” she answered, which made me laugh again. I loved it when she said that.

  I slowly lowered my lips close to hers, drawing out the anticipation. I stopped when they were just
a fraction above. Her breathing increased, and the pulse at her neck hammered away. Good. She had the same effect on me.

  Henry cleared his throat. “Um, Mr. Decker, are you all right? Did you take a spill?”

  Damn. “Yes we did. But we’re okay.” I jumped up and grabbed Jain’s hand.

  “That’s good. I locked up the car and retrieved all the emergency supplies. It should be secure until the weather clears.”

  “Thanks, Henry. You can stay in the apartment above the garage, as usual.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. I always love staying over.” Henry would frequently stay in the apartment overnight during the work week. It was easier than trying to commute to his home fifty miles away.

  Ten minutes later, a little colder and a lot wetter, we arrived at my house. I fumbled for my keys with stiff fingers. I heard a whoosh come from Jain, and then, “This is your house?”

  “Yes. That’s why we’re here.” I laughed.

  “I just didn’t…I didn’t expect something like this.”

  I surveyed my log home and imagined seeing it for the first time. “What did you expect?”

  “Contemporary, I think.”

  “Well, you have the opposite here.”

  “You don’t say?” she quipped.

  “Has anyone told you that you’re both stubborn and sarcastic?” I asked.

  She replied, “Yes to both,” and walked past me into my house.

  I followed and watched as she stopped in the middle of the large open room. The entire bottom floor was a great room with a spacious kitchen, large dining room, and a living area with a massive river rock fireplace.

  She turned in a circle, eyes huge. “This is magnificent. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  A sense of pride filled me upon hearing her words. I’d spent years picking out every detail, large to small. From what type of logs were used to the hardware on the kitchen cabinets.

  “Look at these windows. They must be thirty feet tall! Who cleans them?”

  “I have a service that comes every couple months. Come on, let me take your coat.”

  She shrugged it off, ignoring me, and continued to walk around taking everything in. She made her way into the kitchen and ran her hand over the counter.