Brynley watched Reed’s eyes beam with delight. His laughter was infectious! Reed allowed Brynley to read what Skylar had texted back. Praise Jesus, dude! So glad you got your girl back! Can’t wait to see the two of you back together. I’ll see you at the bowling alley. Brynley laughed at Skylar’s excited expressions.
They had two hours before meeting Kendra and Skylar at the bowling alley, and Reed wanted to celebrate that they were together again. He wanted to take her somewhere really nice. He didn’t want to take her to his dad’s restaurant because he didn’t want her to think that he didn’t want to spend money. So, he decided to take her to an elegant restaurant called The Yardsman. It was a very good seafood restaurant. Luckily, it wasn’t very busy, and they only had to wait ten minutes for a table. They both ordered the King’s feast. It was a little of everything, and it was delicious. Their conversation was the best part about the dinner, though.
“Let’s talk about us. As I recall, I asked you to be my girlfriend; and you agreed. Now, I consider this a binding contract, which means that you can’t renege on me. What I would like to do is discuss the rules of this endeavor. I thought that we could combine our thoughts and create a bond or pact that we can both agree upon.” Reed was in complete lawyer mode and being super cute about it. Brynley couldn’t help but to giggle over his profound and serious gestures. “So, our first order of business to discuss is the communication and trust factor of this negotiation. My suggestion is that we both agree to always to keep an open line of communication with one another, regardless of subject or emotional concerns. Basically, I am saying that no matter the subject, problem, or fear; we will always trust one another, to be truthful and forthcoming of conversation that needs to occur. We will be patient and understanding with one another, and we will be honest at all times. Our goal will always be to work together to keep us together. Do you agree with this term?” With a beaming smile, Brynley shook her head in agreement. She didn’t want to interrupt him while he was on a role.
“Fine, fine. Then the second point of order to negotiate on this contract will be concerning territorial rights. Your incredibly handsome, powerfully strong, and overly intelligent boyfriend reserves all rights regarding your attention, physical attributes, emotional needs, passions, desires, and lusts. If any other party has damaged or has partaken of these territorial rights that belong to either party involved in this contract, then the perpetrator who has caused the offense must die a cruel and painful death! Agreed?” She wasn’t one hundred percent sure what all he was alluding to, but she was going with it. He was just too cute to stop. Brynley nodded my head in agreement.
“Excellent! Our third point of contingency in this contract is obeying and honoring each other.” Brynley raised a brow at him. ‘obeying; really?’ She let him continue in his banter because she was curious where this was going. “Party A, that’s me, requires and expects that Party B, that’s you, to obey and honor pretty much everything that Party A says.” Now, both of her eyebrows were raised. “Let me expand upon the expectancy of this particular point. If Party A, me, make any suggestion or demands to Party B, you; then, according to this contract's legal binding, Party B must fulfill this contract to the complete expectancy of this agreement. Most expectancies will include, but not a complete list: commands or suggestions regarding protection, love, and emotional commitments, future planning, and any other extenuating situation that Party A cannot think of at this time. It is imperative also to note, that Party B is never allowed to deceive, trick, bamboozle, or leave Party A, ever! This is considered a permanent and concrete commitment that is binding throughout eternity. This document must be signed in blood to be considered valid. I rest my case.” Brynley was laughing so hard at Reed. His cute behavior was endearing, and his orneriness was charming.
“So, let me get this right. You’re basically saying that whatever Party A (you) wants, Party A gets from Party B (me)?” Reed’s eyes grew wide, and he shook his head vehemently in agreement. She started chuckling at his narcissistic sense of entitlement concerning this relationship. A typical man answers.
“Yes, essentially, Party A rules the relationship world.” His mischievous grin is what took the cake. He worked so hard on this whole scenario that she decided not to let him down.
“Agreed! Where’s the knife; so I can cut my finger and get this baby signed?” Brynley started to pretend to look around for this fictitious knife. He was laughing.
“Hold on, partner. I have to have this document drafted and legally stamped; so that it’s binding in a court of relationship law. My people will contact your people when the day of signing is ready.” He wiggled his perfectly arched brows at her, and she giggled at his roguish and playful character. This boy was going to be a handful!
The two of them became conscious that the waiter was impatiently waiting to collect payment for the bill that was due for our dinner. Reed pulled out a card and handed it to the waiter. “Looks like we’re going to have to continue this important conversation in another location. It seems that we have outstayed our welcome.” Brynley flashed Reed the cutest smile that she could produce. It must have worked; because he bent his head towards her and gave her a small sampling of what she expected to be many more kisses to come later on, this evening. This boy was assuredly, the best kisser that she had ever known.
The waiter returned the card, and Reed signed the bill. Like the gentleman he was, he stood and offered a hand to help her stand. He continued to hold her hand as they exited out of the restaurant. As luck would have it, they passed Tabitha and her date as they were leaving. If looks could kill, Brynley would be dead. Reed dropped her hand; so that he could put his arm around her instead. Brynley believes, that Reed saw Tabitha’s reaction to her, and his arm was to shield Tabitha from Brynley. Brynley was appreciative, for sure.
Reed and Brynley entered his car, and they started driving towards the bowling alley. Oddly enough, Reed and Brynley pulled in at the exact same time that Kendra and Skylar did. Skylar came over and hugged Reed. “Congratulations, dude! This is the happiest I’ve seen you in a long while!” Reed looked slightly embarrassed. Brynley walked ahead with Kendra.
“Wow, you’ve got to tell me everything tonight.” Brynley just beamed her a smile; She had already planned on doing just that. Brynley noticed that the boys were lingering slightly behind, seemingly deep in conversation. She was curious but wouldn’t dare try to invade on their privacy.
Kendra walked inside the bowling alley first. It was pretty busy. There seemed to be a lot of kids their age here tonight. Kendra and Brynley were ordering their shoes when Skylar and Reed walked in. In no time, girls and guys were flanking them from every direction. Brynley believed that Kendra felt the same jealousy that she was currently feeling. It was important not to show it, though. Guys didn’t get into jealous girls. Brynley didn’t want Reed to think that she didn’t have any confidence in herself. Kendra and Brynley decided to put their shoes on and find their bowling balls; the girls pretended that they weren’t upset, with all the girls surrounding the boys. As Kendra and Brynley started looking around, two guys approached them. Not even two point two seconds passed when their two hulking boyfriends were staking their claims.
The girls wanted to laugh, but they thought it would be inappropriate. “Boys, I can understand that you are enjoying these two lovely ladies. However, it is in your best interest that I inform you that if you don’t stay away from them, my friend and I are going to put a serious hurting on you both.” Skylar was very calm, but his eyes bespoke something much more dangerous than his voice suggested. Reed’s stance insinuated that he was ready to pounce and annihilate. The intimidating look on his face was terrifying alone. Needless to say, the two boys apologized and left very quickly.
Kendra looked to Skylar and said, “Why did you do that for? They were just introducing themselves to us. We are new here, Skylar; we will have to meet new people.” Poor Skylar looked frustrated. Brynley looked from Skylar to Reed. Reed
’s eyes were boring into Brynley’s, and his expression had not changed.
Reed’s hand reached out and gently pulled her to him. His head bent down; so that he didn’t have to speak loudly above the noise. His hand tilted her chin up; so that she was looking him in the eye. His jaw was tight, and his face was stern. “I don’t have a problem with you having friends, but you need to understand that I am going to be very careful and selective on who I let around you. You’re not just some random girl that I’m hanging around with, Brynley. I’m deeply interested in you, and I’m taking no chances in letting that get screwed up. I need you to understand that and accept it; because there are no exceptions with me on this subject. I think you’ve seen just how jealous I can get over you and just how much damage I can do over my possessiveness of you. You need to make sure you understand that I am possessive over you, and that can make me very dangerous to someone else. I will harm anyone that I find threatening to you and me. Please, don’t ever forget that. When I’m jealous, I don’t think well. I think I have already proven that point.” His voice was low and gentle but still held a hint of disturbing alarm. The moment was so dark and solemn that all Brynley could do was shake her head in agreement with Reed. He bent his head and kissed her, It was a possessive kiss. She felt all of his energy and frustration in this kiss. His handheld the back of her head, and his mouth mashed against hers. She felt his light beard prickle her delicate skin. He wasn’t going to let her lips escape his. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as his tongue fought to entangle with hers. This kiss was definitely going to gain the attention of others in the building. With that sobering thought, Brynley gently pushed Reed back away. He relented but didn’t care what others thought. She was his, and everyone needed to know it!
The next few seconds were slightly awkward. Kendra and Skylar were staring at Brynley and Reed. Skylar was smiling and shaking his head in agreement with Reed’s words and actions. Reed still looked menacing. His hand gently guided Brynley to an area to help her find a ball for her to use. Skylar followed suit.
Everyone retreated to their section and changed shoes. Skylar was going to bowl first, he was really good. He knocked down eight pins and then a spare. Kendra was up, second. She hit seven pins on the first try and then knocked another two down. Reed was next, and he bowled a strike. Brynley was last. She took a deep breath, she wasn’t very good at bowling. She tossed the ball and knocked down three pins on the left. As she turned around to get her ball, she noticed Reed smiling at her and then wink. She picked her ball up and tried again. This time she knocked down three more pins. She scowled as she went to sit back down next to Reed. He just sat there and stared at her face for a few seconds. She smiled back. “I suck at bowling.” She frowned for a special effect.
Reed’s grin grew wider. His hand tipped her chin up, and he gave her a sweet kiss. “Those pouty lips of yours literally undo me, woman!” His voice was a little raspy. He sounded very sexy, actually. Brynley wanted to encourage his attention; so, she pouted even harder this time. She puckered those babies up, and she heard a slight, guttural moan from Reed. His eyes were fixated on her lips. Yup, that got her another kiss, She had a new tool to work with, pouting!
Needless to say, Reed won, and Skylar came in second. Guess who was last; yup, this girl! Brynley pouted after the game, and she got another kiss. She pouted up to the shoe counter, and she got another kiss. She pouted to the car, and she got another kiss. She was just going to pout all night!
Reed invited Skylar and Kendra back to his house again, his dad was still out of town. They followed Reed back. When they got inside, Reed said to Skylar, “I’m going to take Brynley to my room for a little while; you two make yourself comfortable.” ‘Oh Lawd, I can’t go to his room.’ Brynley was thinking about how she was going to manage this. Kendra gave her that ‘Stay strong, girl’ look.
Reed’s hand pulled her up the stairs. When they entered into his bedroom, Brynley turned to him and said, “Reed, I really like you, but I can’t be intimate with you. I still don’t know you that well.” Reed smiled.
“You don’t need to worry, Brynley. I didn’t bring you up here, to bed you tonight. I just brought you up here for some privacy. I’ll be a gentleman, I promise.” Brynley heard herself release air that she had been holding. Reed walked her over to a small couch that sat in front of a fireplace. She sat down and watched him start a fire. It was cozy. He sat next to Brynley and then pulled her closer to him. “I cannot express the pleasure I have had, being with you today. I cannot express the joy I felt, knowing that you forgave me after my stupidity. Thank you.” He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled. Brynley’s head rested against his shoulder. “I want to learn more about you. I want to know everything. I want to talk about school and us.” Brynely sat up and looked at him. He was intent on knowing more about her, and she felt a thrill from that.
“What do you want to know? I’m really not that interesting. I’ve been sheltered for most of my life. My father has been a strict authoritarian, and I haven’t done much. I only went out with Kendra or Todd.” When Brynley said Todd’s name, she watched Reed’s demeanor change. He went from smiling to grimacing very quickly.
“I want to know more about Todd. How long did you date? Were the two of you very intimate? Why did the two of you separate?” The questions were coming quickly. He finally silenced, to allow her time to answer.
“Well, the two of us dated for two years. I started dating him mid-tenth grade year. We went to school together, and that’s how I met him. He was on the swim team, and we would travel together for swim meets. Things were great for a long time. I could tell that he really adored me, and I did him. To me, he was perfect.” Reed’s eyes quickly changed. His brows slanted inward, causing a crease between them. His chin jutted forward, and his jaws clenched together. His eyes had a thunderous look. Brynley could tell that Reed teetered between being annoyed and angry with her description of Todd; however, she continued.
“The problem was, Todd liked to touch me a lot. I didn’t mind some things, but I couldn’t allow myself to lose my virginity to him. It’s just a personal commitment that I have. Someday, I would like to give my husband a special present; me. Not many girls can say that nowadays.” Reed’s expression was becoming more foreboding than before. “Like most guys, Todd was becoming frustrated with my lack of intimacy that he wanted. We started arguing over it. He kept telling me that if I loved him, I would give myself completely to him. I tried to convince him that I cared deeply for him; I just wanted to honor this promise that I made to myself and God. I told him that if we were to marry, he would be glad that I had something special to share with him on our honeymoon night.” Reed’s jaws were pulsating. “Anyway, he didn’t understand or accept my concerns and desires. Todd was a really handsome and popular guy, and a lot of girls wanted him. One night, a girl caught his attention; and wanted to give him the thing that he desired. I found out about four months ago, and I broke up with him.” Brynley fell silent. Reed was looking at her intently. Brynley could tell there was something else he wanted to know, but she wasn’t sure what to say.
“Did he just let you go, with no fight?” She was a little caught off guard with his question. She was wondering why it mattered; however, she answered to appease him.
“No. He begged me to forgive him. He made so many promises to me, but I just couldn’t look at him the same way that I used to. In my mind, he betrayed me for sex. His carnal desire was more important to satisfy than to be satisfied with me, and that hurt.” Brynley let out a heavy sigh.
“Did he finally leave you alone?” Reed’s voice was firm and demanding. She blinked a couple of times at the severity of his tone.
“No, not really. He still texts me every so often. I thought with me moving, he would give up; but surprisingly, it hasn’t deterred him. School will start soon, and I’m sure he’ll find himself someone else that will make him happy. I’ll be forgotten soon.” Reed did not look satisfied. Right on cue
, her phone dinged. She ignored it; Reed did not.
“Is that him now?” His voice sounded a little harsh this time. He held his hand out and asked for her phone. She was nervous but realized that he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. Brynley pulled her phone out of her back pocket and handed it to Reed. Not many people texted her. Only Kendra, her parents, her aunt, or Todd would text her. She knew it wasn’t Kendra.
Reed opened her phone, and she watched his expression turn cold; it was Todd. Reed stood and walked over to the fireplace. Brynley didn’t dare move or request her phone back; He was determined and unyielding. In a small way, she was thankful that Reed wanted to shield her from Todd. Brynley was growing tired of arguing with him. As Reed stood amid the firelight, she was admiring his profile. He was immensely large, both in stature and muscle. He was an intimidating man if provoked, she watched his fingers type quickly. His jaw clenched tighter and pulsated faster. He was angry. Several minutes passed by. Finally, Reed returned to sit beside Brynley. Her curiosity needed to be satisfied.
“I’m assuming that was Todd.” Reed was leaning on his knees, staring into the fire. Her phone was still nestled protectively between his large hands. He didn’t look at her; he just nodded his head ‘yes.’ He continued to stare into the fire. She placed her hand on his chin to move his face to look at her.
“What’s wrong? Are you upset with me?” She didn’t do it on purpose, but her lips pouted. She was trying not to cry because she was afraid Reed was upset with her.
He sat up and kissed her. That was good. If he kissed her, then he still liked her. “I’m not angry with you, angel. However, I do want to slaughter this guy. I’m just trying to calm down.”
“May I ask what he said?” Reed looked back to the fire. It took a few moments before he answered her.
“I’ll let you read it; just don’t be upset with me on how I responded. You need to remember that you are my girlfriend, and I have every right to protect us. Do you understand?” She shook her head ‘yes.’ She was not going to argue with the devil.
Pride and Passion Page 13
