The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield

by Ninya Tippett

  He smiled softly and kissed me softly on the lips. “For me too.”

  We got him changed into dry clothes but since the thunderstorm still kept roaring outside, we had no choice but to get into our sleeping bag and cuddle, munching on some trail mix and talking.

  “As much as I love how rustic this feels, I wish we could be somewhere a little warmer and more comfortable,” I finally said, my words muffled slightly by Brandon’s chest which I was pressed up against.

  “We could be,” he answered. “I was just starting to wonder whether we should just give up the idea of the tent because the storm doesn’t seem to be letting up at all.”

  “And where we would we go? Sleep in the car? Check into a hotel?”

  “Actually, I do have a little cabin not too far away from here,” he said.

  “You do?” I demanded, pulling away from him so I could look at his face. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  He sighed and lifted an arm under his head. “Because it didn’t quite fit the whole idea of taking you to a real camping trip. I was worried you’d complain that I’ve made it too fancy.”

  “I’d take fancy right now if we could be sleeping somewhere that didn’t showcase the raw topography of the earth,” I quipped. “I might just sleep standing up in an outhouse right now.”

  A laugh rumbled out of Brandon’s chest. “I doubt you could be that uncomfortable right now to prefer an outhouse.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him. “How far away is the cabin?”

  “A little less than ten minutes. But it’ll be fifteen minutes or more to take down the tent, if we’re really lucky, and get our stuff back into the car. And we’d be soaked.”

  I scrambled to sit up and kicked the sleeping bag open. “Does the cabin have some towels and a shower? Or at least some running water?”

  “Yes. It definitely has a toilet and a shower with hot water.”

  Cheered up by the prospect, I reached for my army-green utility jacket which I’d worn over my tank top earlier, and shrugged it on. “Then we’re good. Even if we do get drenched for fifteen or twenty minutes, we can drive there in no time and jump into the shower. We’d be fine.”

  “Should we wait a little in case the rain stops coming down in torrents?”

  I grabbed my black combat boots. “We might be waiting a while and I’d like us to get to the cabin before it becomes completely dark. Come on, let’s get moving.”

  We were absolutely soaked by the time we got everything into the car and drove away.

  The drive to the cabin wasn’t the easiest either. It was raining so hard visibility was an issue. We couldn’t even tell whether or not there were street lights along the road.

  I could make out some houses that were lit as we passed them but we kept going deeper into a darker and more tree-shrouded stretch of road.

  Brandon finally pulled into a tiny back alley, roughly paved and full of currently-wet sand, and stopped in front of a gate.

  He hurried out and unlocked it, punching a code into the pin-pad sheltered inside a metal box by one of the concrete columns that held the gate together.

  He jumped back into the car and steered it up the driveweay, stopping under a covered car pad behind the dark silhouette of a house that I couldn’t quite make out in the rain.

  “Let’s grab our duffel bags and the cooler chest,” Brandon instructed as we climbed out of the car and rounded our way to the trunk. “We’ll come back for the rest later.”

  I grabbed a couple of our bags and headed for the house.

  A flash of lightning streaked through the sky, illuminating the outline of the cabin.

  I stopped in the middle of the short path, looking up and blinking through the rain at the humungous structure in front of me.

  If this is a cabin, then my house is a mouse hole.

  I saved my questions though and hurried up the back deck with Brandon following closely behind me, hauling up the cooler chest and one of our bags.

  He rushed past me and flipped open what looked like a switch panel on the side of the house. After yanking on a couple of levers, the house came to life. I could see the lights flicker on inside, shining against the windows. I could hear the furnace start humming.

  Brandon pushed the door open and we stumbled into the stone-tiled floor of what looked like a mudroom.

  I dropped the bags and gazed around the space.

  “Little cabin, huh?”

  Brandon dropped his load on the floor as well, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt. “I told you I thought you’d find it too fancy.”

  I looked at him in disbelief. “It’s a freaking mansion!”

  Lighting flashed outside again, and I saw the stretch of ocean ahead through the large front windows that practically filled the entire wall of the high-ceilinged living room across from where we stood.

  “It’s more of a beach house than a cabin, I guess,” he said as he came up behind me, wrapping his bare arms around my body, his heat seeping through the cold dampness of my clothes. “But consider it our home in the next few days.”

  “I can do that,” I murmured, closing my eyes as Brandon’s warm lips trailed along the curve of my neck. “I’m cold, Brand.”

  “Let’s get you into the shower,” he said as he scooped me up in his arms and carried me down a hall to our right.

  He flung open a door to what looked like a massive bedroom that still appeared cozy and inviting with the white paint, vintage nautical-inspired furniture, cool tones of light blue and green, and the low lighting from a couple of large lamps.

  He set me down the moment we got into the bathroom, cranking on the shower before returning to my side to help me out of my wet clothes.

  He threw them into the jet tub, continuing to undress me until I was just in my bra and panties.

  Even though I was cold from the rain, a different kind of heat bloomed on my skin as Brandon’s dark hazel eyes focused on me, trailing a path down my body.

  Emboldened by the desire in his eyes and my own gnawing want, I unclasped my bra and flung it aside, moving my arms away from my chest and to my sides to grasp the waistband of my lace panties.

  “Charlotte,” Brandon breathed in a thick voice as he stood back and helplessly watched me slide my panties down and kick them off with my feet.

  I took a step closer to him, resting my hand on his bare stomach for a moment before moving it down to where his belt was.

  Moving with increasing desperation, we fumbled with his belt and fly until his shorts were off, leaving him in dark gray boxer briefs.

  “Shower with me,” I whispered to him before pulling his head down for a kiss, my hands slipping under the waistband of his boxer briefs and cupping his firm butt.

  A soft groan escaped him as he pulled down his briefs and lifted me up in his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist. I could feel him hot and hard between my legs as he carried me into the spacious shower stall.

  We said nothing as we washed each other—our heated kisses and frantic touches filling the space with a heat that burned hotter than the steam.

  He grabbed a large, fluffy white towel from the rack on the wall and hastily dried our bodies with swift and deft hands.

  “Charlotte, I want you,” he growled lightly against my ear as he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom. “Please, baby.”

  He gently dropped me on the bed, quickly covering me with his large, hard body as he took my mouth with a fierce kiss. His intention was hard to miss with his erection pressed against my belly.

  “I’m yours, Brand,” I rasped, sliding my fingers through his damp hair and wrapping my legs around his hips, lifting my own to press him closer to my womb. “Please. Make me yours.”

  I cried out when his mouth captured my nipple, his tongue teasing the hardened tip with relentless intent.

  His hand followed the slope of my body down to the spot between my legs where I ached for some kind of relief, his fingers finding that empty
space I needed him to fill.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he feathered a kiss along my brow, his fingers exploring my moist, secret space where I was craving him. “I’ve waited to have you like this for so long.”

  “I would rather you get to it than spend the next ten minutes telling me how long you’ve waited to do this,” I told him dryly, gazing at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

  A deep, rich laugh broke out of him. “Hmm, I can see that you’re just as patient as I am.”

  Whatever I had for a retort disintegrated in my brain when Brandon took my mouth for another wild, wanting kiss, his fingers abandoning me. Before I could protest the loss, I felt something much larger and harder press against my entrance.

  “Hang on, love,” he murmured in a strained voice. “Give me a second. I don’t want to lose control and take you roughly. I don't want to hurt you.”

  A tender ache shot through my body and heart at his endearment and his self-restraint.

  “I won’t break, Brand,” I assured him, squeezing my legs around his hips to encourage him to continue.

  His breaths were coming in quick, short gasps. “I have to... find something first. To protect you.”

  “Taken care of,” I told him, nipping along his jaw. “I went on the pill. Went to the doc the next day after we danced on your desk. I want this. I want all of it.”

  “Oh, God. Charlotte.” The sound of his low growl thrummed down my spine and I gasped when his hands grabbed each side of my hips, spreading me even wider.

  “Baby, I want... Oh, God!”

  We both cried out when he thrust into me.

  I winced at the quick sting but promptly forgot about it when Brandon kissed me deeply, slightly pulling back his hot, hard length out of me. The next time he nudged himself back in, there was a lot less resistance and discomfort. Knowing he wasn’t all the way in, I clamped my legs around his hips and lifted myself up, pulling him in deeper until he could be no closer to me than my own skin.

  What followed was a slow yet frantic build of the most sensually overwhelming sensations I’ve ever felt in my entire life.

  Brandon was both tender and demanding, coaxing me to my own release before he roared out his own.

  We were both breathless and panting as we collapsed in bed together, his arms encircling me and holding me possessively against his trembling body.

  I thought that we should say something after the life-altering experience we just shared together but I couldn’t come up with any words.

  All I managed was a sleepy smile and the soft murmur of Brandon’s name as I drifted into the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in years, the sound of our matching heartbeats drowning out the thunderstorm that continued to rage way late into the night.

  ***

  “This is perfect.” I couldn’t help grin as Brandon came into the room, handing me one of two large mugs full of steaming hot chocolate topped with mini-marshmallows. “Thank you.”

  He set down an overnight bag he’d grabbed when he went into the kitchen to fix us a hot drink. He took a sip of his hot chocolate before setting it down on the night stand on his side of the bed.

  It was several hours later, just a little past ten at night, after we’d stirred awake and made love again.

  The second time was considerably slower and sweeter but no less mind-blowing.

  Brandon really took his time, acquainting himself with every part of my body with his hands, mouth and tongue. I was a quick study, trying some things that brought out some of his more savage reactions. Our sex life was in no danger of being dull.

  We’d finished showering a second time but only dressed in cotton robes we’d found in the closet along with an assortment of linen.

  “I hope the weather clears up tomorrow,” he said as he climbed back into bed and pulled me into his arms. “I want to show you the beach. The ocean is no match for your beautiful blue-green eyes but it’s pretty enough. We could go for a walk. Make love by the beach.”

  I grinned. “Even though I’m now officially a vixen, I’m not sure I want to scandalize the neighbors just yet.”

  Brandon’s eyes glinted with amusement. “You can run around naked and no one would see you. It’s rare around here but I managed to keep this area private. I bought the land around it as well so no one else would build next to it. It’s also quite a bit further away from the more populated stretch of the bay.”

  “When did you buy this place?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

  “About eight years ago,” he said. “It was the first piece of property I bought for myself—even before I bought the penthouse. I love the beach, and my family has a property here on the other end of the bay but it wasn’t as solitary as I’d like it to be. I wanted to be able to come out here and have some peace and quiet.”

  I flashed him a teasing smile. “I think you just ruined that plan by bringing me here.”

  His arms tightened around me. “No, I didn’t. While I did find my peace and quiet out here, I also found it lonely sometimes. Having you here is the farthest thing from being lonely.”

  “Were you lonely a lot, Brand?” I asked gently.

  He picked up his own cup of hot chocolate and took a sip, lowering it to his lap as he took a moment to answer my question.

  “Sometimes,” he said. “I love my family. I loved Evelyn when she came into mine and Dad’s lives but I always felt that I was separate from their new family, especially when they had my sisters and Mattie. They never did anything to intentionally make me feel that way but it was just how I felt sometimes.”

  While I didn’t know exactly why he felt that way, I understood how it was to be completely alone in one’s family.

  “At first, I thought it was because I had a different mother, and that to stay true to her memory, I had to always remember that Evelyn would never replace her,” Brandon continued. “I loved my Mom. I only have good memories of her when she was alive. Looking at it as an adult now, Evelyn may have not been my biological mother but she had been a good parent to me, and I have to give her that credit.”

  “Oh, Brand.” I reached for his free hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure that your mother’s just happy to know that you had Evelyn to step in and take care of you the way she would’ve wanted you to be taken care of. I don’t believe she'd resent your fondness for Evelyn.”

  He smiled at me. “I know. It’s funny how we start with an idea and realize a completely different thing much later on.”

  I don’t think he’s just talking about his mother now. I think he’s talking about the two of us. After tonight, I don’t know how we’ll ever go back.

  “Thank you for being here with me, Charlotte,” he said, gazing at me with a tender expression on his face. “Thank you for giving me tonight. I don’t remember being any happier than I am right now.”

  I bit my lip in an effort not to grin stupidly at him. “Me too, Brand.”

  He gave me a rakish smile. “You know that this is only the beginning, right? I plan to make love to you at home and take you away to many more romantic getaways. We’ll plan it all out so we can go anywhere you want to go.”

  “I’m happy just to stay here or at home with you.”

  He shook his head. “No. The trip to this house was a back-up plan. You deserve a lot more than that. Give me a sec. I’ll show you something.”

  He set down his mug and reached for the overnight bag. He rummaged through it, taking out a black leather journal.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Just my notebook where I scribble some ideas on,” he answered, flipping the notebook open and slipping out a folded sheet which he handed to me. I set aside my hot chocolate and unfolded the paper, my curiosity growing.

  “Why are you giving me a map?” I stared at all the purple dots scattered across the map of the world, trying to make sense of what they meant. “What are all these dots for?”

  Brandon returned to my side and held up one corner of the
map. “They mark all the destinations I plan to take you to—Venice, London, Maldives, Hong Kong, Madrid... Paris, of course.”

  My eyes widened as I studied all the different marked locations on the map. It went all the way to South Africa. “Um, there over a hundred locations here. Unless you plan to go every couple of days, there won’t be enough days in the year to complete this list.”

  “Who said all we’ve got is a year?”

  My hands jerked in surprise but I managed to lower the map before lifting my eyes to Brandon. He was gazing at me with a determined glint in his piercing hazel eyes, as if challenging me to dispute what he just said.

  Who said all we’ve got is a year? Well, there was you and me and a legal contract.

  I swallowed hard. “What are you trying to tell me, Brand?”

  His expression softened as he took my hand and brought it to his lips. “I want you to stay, Charlotte. When the year is over, I want you to stay with me as my wife.”

  I’m either running a fever or Brandon really just asked me to stay married to him even when the contract is over.

  “Why?” I blurted out and I nearly punched myself in the face.

  Why are you questioning this? Isn’t this what you wanted?

  I stiffened my spine, ready for some practical explanation that I was certain was the only reason Brandon had for asking me to stay.

  Why? Because you need more than a practical purpose for this marriage, Charlotte. Because you know you owe it to both of yourselves to marry for the right reasons. Because you know you’ll let him go if that was what he needed to be happy.

  As much as I knew it would hurt, I knew it was true. There wouldn’t be much to my happiness if Brandon wasn’t happy.

  “Because I’m in love with you.”

  I. Literally. Felt. My. Heart. Stop.

  I gasped in a breath, pressing a hand on my chest, desperately trying to pump my heart back to life. “W-what?”

  Brandon smiled, removed the map from my reach and cupped the sides of my face. “I love you, Charlotte. I didn’t see it coming but I have absolutely no doubt about it.”