by Lexi Blake
He kissed her forehead. “It’s more complicated than rights, baby. That world that I lived in, it was all about choices, and none of them good. Despite everything that had happened to me, I was still an idealist.”
“Mandy died?”
His arms tightened a bit and she realized he was using her for comfort. It was a good thing to be used for. “I crawled to her after they were gone. I had a broken leg, both arms, and some fractured ribs. She hit her head and apparently died almost instantly. I was with her for two days before someone found us.”
He’d lain there with evidence of his own failure. He’d probably wanted to die himself. He’d been so young and alone and in pain. “Baby, none of this was your fault. None of it. You were a child.”
“We were all children. We all did what we thought was best to survive and there’s no going back. I don’t think I understood that until very recently. We’ve tried to re-create this home our parents built but we have to build something new. I want to build something with you.” He looked down at her, tears in his eyes. “Tell me I have a chance. Tell me I didn’t wait too long.”
She realized one thing. She would never leave this man. “I love you. I’m going to marry you someday, Brandon.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ll go with you. If you want to go back to Florida, I’ll be there.”
She suddenly knew there would be no going back. Forward. She’d thought she wanted out, but now with Bran here the future seemed more open, the possibilities endless. Why should she settle? She didn’t have to be tired of the fight anymore. She didn’t have to be Patricia’s good employee or keep her head down and try to get through.
It was time to figure out how tough she was.
“I’m going to Austin with you, but we’re going to build something, Bran. You and me. We’re going to build an empire.”
A brilliant smile flashed on his face. “Your smarts. My support. I don’t think we can go wrong. It doesn’t hurt that we have a hundred million dollars in the bank.”
No, it did not. She went up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together, Bran. You and me. Nothing’s going to take me away from you. Do you understand?”
He kissed her again, harder this time. His mouth pressed to hers and his hands found her hair, tugging her head back. “You and me.”
His tongue plunged deep, taking her mouth in a pleasant show of dominance. She let him take over. He’d given so much of himself tonight that she wanted to give back to him, to give him anything he wanted from her. It was easy. She didn’t have to be worried that Bran would take and not give. They were together and that meant something to him. He wasn’t looking to move up in the world or to use her to get someplace.
She was Bran’s destination. She could be his safe place.
She let her hands drift up his chest, warm skin under her palms. He kissed her over and over, letting her body heat up. Her weariness was gone and in its place was pure arousal.
“We can leave in the morning,” he whispered. “I fully intend to fuck you on the plane. I like fucking you on private jets. The 4L jet makes Patricia’s look like a bucket of bolts. We’re going to have so much fun, baby.”
He nipped her ear as he went to work on her dress. His hands found the zipper at her back and he dragged it down. He twisted the clasp of her bra until she was standing in front of him wearing nothing but her undies. Her skin tingled as he looked at her, almost anticipating the first touch of his hand.
Carly thought he was forgetting a few other differences between the two jets, though. They were important differences. “Yes, the 4L jet will also be full of your family.”
Soon to be her family, so they probably didn’t need to see her naked.
His hands found the flesh of her back and drifted down to cup her ass. He pulled her forward so the only thing between them was the denim of his jeans and the thin fabric of her underwear. “But they’ll be plotting something. They’re always plotting something. They won’t even notice when we slip away to the bedroom and spend a few hours there.”
“There’s a bedroom?”
“Oh, baby, big brother travels in style,” he assured her. “If the bedroom is too staid for you, I’ll sneak you into the office and fuck you right on the desk. It doesn’t matter to me as long as I get inside you as much as possible. You should get used to it. Now that I don’t have to deal with that woman, I can be where I want to be. On top of you.”
He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her again. Bran started moving back to the bedroom they’d shared while they’d been here in California.
“I want to get our own place,” she said as he carried her to the bed. He lived with his brother and Hatch and she was certain it was a gorgeous place, but they needed to be by themselves. They needed to learn everything about each other, to bond and nest together.
“Then we’ll have fun shopping for a place.” He settled her on her feet again and stared down at her seriously. “Anything you want. I meant what I said, Carly. I love you. That means you come first. Above my family. Above myself.”
Bran would put very little above his family, but that was what marriage would mean to him. He wouldn’t treat it lightly. If he married her it would be because he wanted to be with her forever. God knew she wanted to be with him.
“You come first for me, too, Bran.” For so long she’d put her sister’s needs above her own, but Meri would not only understand, she would jump up and cheer and ask how many brothers Bran had when she met him.
“Take off the panties for me.” He stepped back.
Well, she knew he liked to watch. As she intended to be the only stripper in his world from now on, she wanted to get good at it. Maybe she would take one of those stripper cardio classes. She felt like going a little wild. He brought that out in her.
And she brought him stability and peace. It was the perfect combination.
She turned around very slowly, bent over, and placed her hands flat on the mattress. “Do you want a show, Bran?”
He chuckled, the sound low and sexy. “I always like a show, baby.”
Then she would give him one.
She flattened her back, spreading her legs wide. What Bran loved the most was watching her pleasure. She’d figured that out very quickly. Bran truly got off on giving her pleasure.
“You know, I think I understand why my brother-in-law is so obsessed with spanking my sister. Jeez, I just realized that sounded creepy. I’m only saying Case is into some kinky shit and I’m suddenly not averse to it.” He moved in behind her and she felt his hand on her ass. He cupped her. “This is a damn work of art.”
“I thought you wanted a show.” She was willing to explore, but tonight she wasn’t sure they would last too long. She needed him inside her too badly.
“Then show me.” He stepped back, but not too far.
She let the world around her fall away. This was all about her and Bran and how they could make each other feel. Sensation. That was all that mattered now. It began with the emotion she felt for him, but it flowed out through her, making her skin sing. Her body was suddenly alive, more alive than it had ever been. She let her breasts brush against the soft cotton of the comforter. It made her nipples peak. Everywhere it touched felt like a caress. Carly moved up until she was standing again, cool air brushing her skin. She let her fingers skim down her torso to her hips. Very slowly, she pushed her undies down, revealing the cheeks of her ass. She thought her backside was too big, not anything sexy at all, but Bran made her think differently. When he touched her there, he took his time. He ran his hands across her curves and made her love them, too.
She kicked the undies out of the way and let her hands run up along her legs and to her hips and up to her hair. She’d put her hair up in a staid bun. That had to go. Pulling the pin that held her hair up, s
he sighed as it flowed down her back, completely wild. Like her.
She turned and leaned back against the bed. “You wanted my undies off. What do you think you’re going to do now?”
His eyes flared. “I’m going to do anything I want.”
She was okay with that because all he wanted to do was bring her pleasure. But not yet. “First, you’re going to watch. You’re going to watch me touch my breasts.”
She ran her hands up and cupped her breasts, flicking her thumbs over her nipples. They hardened and she rolled them between her thumbs and forefingers. “I love it when you suck my nipples. When your tongue runs over me. I can feel it right now. The sensation starts in my breast and then it races through me. It makes my pussy warm and wet for you. Only for you.”
His jeans were tenting nicely. “Then maybe you should let me have you.”
Certainly he would, but she was having fun now. “Not until the show is over.”
She backed up, her backside finding the edge of the bed. She eased up. There was a definite art to teasing her man. Bran was watching her, leaning back against the dresser where their clothes were neatly folded and side by side. She loved the fact that her underwear and bras were in a drawer next to Bran’s.
Of course, she also loved the fact that he’d done the laundry because she’d been too busy with the caterers. He hadn’t even been prompted. He’d thrown them all together and she’d caught him folding them hours later.
Yes, that man deserved a show.
“Do you know what else I love about you, Bran?” She backed up until she felt the headboard of the bed at her back. Very slowly, she let her legs fall apart. It left her pussy on display for Bran’s attention. The fact that the air was cool didn’t matter now. She was hot.
He stared at her, his hands going to the fly of his jeans. “Tell me.”
She let her fingertips brush down her torso, skimming over her breast and the belly that always seemed too curved to be sexy. Not now. She felt her power. Bran had given this to her and she intended to revel in it. For the first time in her life she felt sexy and lovable. And she definitely felt like teasing her man. “You have the most talented tongue in the world, Brandon Lawless. You eat pussy like a god.”
“Yes, when something tastes as good as you do, I think you’ll find I never get tired of eating it,” he growled her way. He shoved his jeans down, dragging his boxers with them and freeing his cock. That was the single most beautiful cock in the world. Long and thick. She loved to watch him, too. He strode to the edge of the bed, towering over her. “Maybe you should let me have a taste now.”
“But the show’s not over.” She circled her clitoris with one well-manicured finger. “I haven’t told you all the things I love about you.”
“It’s okay. I’m lovable. I get that. Now let’s fuck.”
She was in charge of this game for now. “Not yet. I think you need to hear these things, Bran. And I think you need to stroke yourself. I wouldn’t want you to not be ready for me.”
His hand gripped his already rock-hard dick. “I’m always ready for you, but please, continue. Tell me what you love about me, but understand, revenge could be very frustrating for you later on.”
Carly was absolutely sure it would be. He liked to make it last and he was definitely good at making her beg. She envisioned long hours of being held on the edge before her husband finally relented and sent her over. So she wasn’t passing this opportunity by. “I love your cock. I love how hard it is when I’m close and how good I feel when you fill me up.”
She watched as he squeezed his own cock. Every line and plane of his body was pure perfection. So masculine and yet still beautiful. She rubbed her clit, imagining her finger was the flat of his tongue the whole time. When he kissed her there, he went all in. His mouth would cover her mound, engulfing her in pure heat and making her feel utterly devoured in the sweetest way possible.
She locked eyes with him and realized this was a race. The minute she came, he would be on her and there would be nothing she could do about it. Intent was right there in his eyes. He would have her over and over again tonight. He was letting her set the pace for now but the minute she went over the edge, he would be back in control again.
And that was where she wanted him to be.
She couldn’t make it last. All the dirty talk and the heat in his eyes were sending her over the edge. She pressed down in just the right way and she couldn’t help herself. The orgasm bloomed over her skin, making her flush and happy.
He was on her in an instant. Bran moved his big body with predatory grace, climbing on the bed and pressing her legs wide. Before she could take a deep breath, his mouth hovered above her pussy. “This is mine.”
She was his and it was all right to belong to him because he damn straight belonged to her. “Yours.”
He lowered his head and proved he was every bit as good as she’d said he was. He didn’t hold back. He licked and sucked and loved every part of her feminine flesh. His tongue delved inside, fucking her as surely as his cock would. She reached up and held on to the headboard, fighting to stop herself from pushing against him. Every cell in her body was blossoming open, her whole being focused on the way he gave her pleasure. Bran gave her everything he had. He groaned against her, the sound vibrating into her skin.
He speared her with his tongue, his thumb running over her clit.
She shouldn’t be feeling this. Not again. Not so soon. Somehow he dragged it out of her. She responded to this man in ways she couldn’t imagine. It didn’t matter that she’d come a few minutes before. She was right there on the verge again. It shimmered just out of her reach, teasing and taunting her.
When she thought she would go over the edge, he reared back.
“Not without me. Not this time. I’ll let you come ten times before I give in tomorrow, but tonight I need you too much.” He dragged himself up, showing off that amazingly cut body of his.
She could do nothing but watch him, enjoying the way he moved. Her Bran. He was fucking gorgeous and she couldn’t blame other women for looking at him. As long as they didn’t touch. He was hers. Only hers.
He settled himself against her core and she let her hands run along the muscles of his torso.
“I’m going to be a possessive girl, Bran,” she vowed. He should know what he was getting into.
His eyes blazed with fire as he looked down at her. “I’m yours. I don’t want anyone else and you should know I’m never going to want anyone else. You’re everything to me. Everything I’ve been through, I’m okay with it because it brought me to you. I wish I could have saved Mandy, but other than that, as long as I have you, it was worth it. Do you understand me?”
It was the deepest vow he could make. She definitely understood that. All the pain he’d suffered and he would take it again for her. She wouldn’t change a thing. Everything she’d been through brought her to this moment and this man. The right man.
“I love you, Bran. I love everything about you. The good, the bad, the light, and the dark. I want you any way I can have you.” She realized that now. She wouldn’t have left him.
He kissed her forehead, the moment almost somber. “But I love you, so you get the best of me. I won’t give you less. Take me.”
He pressed in, his cock pushing inside and filling her in a way she’d never been filled before. Only Bran could do this to her. He was the only man who could make her feel like she was something more than herself when he was inside her.
He lowered himself down, giving her his full weight as he kissed her lips. He held himself still as though wanting more than anything to make the moment last. It didn’t matter that they didn’t have a piece of paper between them. They would be man and wife. The wedding was simply a celebration of the fact. They’d made the decision tonight.
She was his and he was hers and they would build a family. It was
all she could ever want and yet it seemed so simple. She wrapped herself around him because there was nothing simple in the world. The world was harsh and filled with complexity, but if they always had this to come back to they would make it through.
Life was a series of choices that had led her to Bran and her final choice. Him. Always and forever it would be him.
He moved against her, his body making it plain that he was with her. His choice was the same as hers. He would be with her, growing with her, choosing her all of their lives.
His hips thrust, his cock going deep. She pressed up so he went as far as he could go. That was what she wanted. As much connection as possible, as deep as they could go.
He thrust in and pulled out, fighting her hold on him. It was a sweet struggle. She tightened her legs, wanting to keep him close as she pressed up. His pelvis rocked against her clit and her whole body responded, orgasm racing through her again.
She called out his name as he stiffened and came inside her. She loved the feeling as he came, the hot wash rushing through her. One day it would mean something different. It would mean more love for them, but for today, she was content that there was nothing between them.
She fell back, her whole body exhausted.
When he eased down on top of her, she knew the night was far from over.
—
Bran watched as Carly slipped out of bed. He was a little surprised she could move. He’d taken her three times and it was freaking late as hell. He couldn’t help it. He needed to imprint himself on her. The urge was insane. Now that he knew she would stand beside him, he wanted all of the world to know. He wanted a ring on her finger and all the paperwork done.
He had to acknowledge that he might always be looking for a way to cage her in, to keep her.
She strode toward where he’d cast off his shirt long before she’d actually come home. Her backside was a thing of true perfection. He watched as she picked up his shirt and draped it around her.
“You know you don’t need that,” he said. He rather liked keeping her naked nearly all the time. She didn’t need those clothes. She was pretty enough in her own skin. “You can stay the way you are. I don’t mind.”
