by Dorlana Vann
“Brenda. Brenda!” Neal held her hands. “Take a breath. I’m not Rocky, not even close. Okay, so my motives weren’t exactly innocent, but they had nothing to do with that. I promise.”
Brenda stared into Neal’s eyes, and he’d never seen her so vulnerable. It was like he was seeing her for the first time.
A deep warmth ran through his body. “But if I’m going to be honest, I’ve wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You’re beautiful, intelligent, and strong. That’s why I want to be with you. But I would never trick you into bed. Like I said last night, I like you, and I would never hurt you.”
“I like you too.”
He shrugged his shoulders, a little afraid to come completely clean, but since he was already there . . . “I do want to have a relationship. I would like to see where this goes. You fascinate me.” He whispered, “You make my heart beat faster.”
Brenda nodded and bit her lower lip. “Okay.” She smiled.
“Okay.” He tilted his head. “So can we eat?”
“Yeah.” He wrapped his arms around her, snuggling her close, and gave her a squeeze. Brenda hummed a little sigh that made him realized she felt comfortable there, and he couldn’t ask for more.
Chapter 19
Brenda opened her eyes and frowned. Sunshine streamed in from the window, spotlighting the fact that she had woken up in Neal’s bed. She wasn’t sure what she thought about that.
Neal’s bed . . . Larry’s bed. The one she’d bought for Larry, for them. Last night had been the first time she’d slept in it, and it hadn’t been with Larry. “Huh,” she said after a moment, after the old feelings of hurt and disappointment didn’t appear.
Neal snored steadily beside her, his back to her. She smiled. He was quite the man. The night had been unexpected. Well, she had known all along how much she wanted Neal, she just hadn’t wanted the power struggle. But after being with him, she realized it wasn’t a power struggle at all. It was more of an equality that she had never experienced. He didn’t want to control her, but she knew she couldn’t control him either . . . and she didn’t particularly want to. That would take some getting used to.
He had said he wanted a relationship. Last night that had been the most wonderful thing she’d heard in a long time. But now, after a night’s sleep, she wasn’t so sure how that would work out.
She imagined him at one of her office parties. He would have nothing in common with anyone. And some people might even make thug remarks because of his tattoos. But who cared what the older generation at her office would say? The younger crowd would get it. The women would drool, and the men would be envious . . . until they talked to him. Perhaps she could keep him hidden until after he had finished culinary school. That way when they asked what he did for a living, which would be their first question, he could say chef . . . not student.
But she was getting ahead of herself. She still wanted to take this slow and be cautious. Why the hell was she even thinking about introducing him at office parties as her boyfriend? They hadn’t even been on a real date.
Neal stopped snoring and became quiet. He brought his hand behind him and started patting around on the bed until he found her.
She giggled. “I’m still here.”
“Good,” he said and rolled over to face her.
He looked adorable, all sleepy-faced with a little crease on his cheek indicating a sound sleep. “Good morning,” he growled.
“Good morning.” Brenda rubbed Neal’s chest and then traced her finger along his arm. “What’s up with all the tattoos?”
“You don’t like them?”
“I . . . don’t know. I guess they’re interesting.”
He smiled. “Interesting? Is that right? Well, I won’t say all, but most of them have a special memory associated with them.”
“Really? Even this scorpion? Wait, don’t tell me. You almost died in the desert from a scorpion bite.”
Neal licked his lips and frowned slightly, his mood obviously turned to somber.
“Something like that. I’ve got to get up. The plumber is coming by in an hour.” He went to sit up and Brenda held his arm.
“Oh no you don’t. Let’s hear it. What’s the secret meaning?”
He exhaled and dropped back down to the pillow, looking up at the ceiling. “No secret meaning.” He turned toward her and leaned on his elbow. “It’s Alexandria’s sign, Scorpio.”
“Did she at least appreciate it?”
“She never saw it. I had it done after she was out of my life. It’s a reminder: don’t get stung.”
“I see. Well, that’s depressing. I hope at least a few of them hold good memories.”
“Hmm, oh yeah . . .” He bounced his eyebrows up and down. “Do you want me to tell you about this one?” He pointed to the back of his shoulder where Brenda remembered seeing a pin-up-style big-breasted woman in a superhero outfit.
She playfully shoved at him. “I think I’ve heard enough for the day.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “Let me know if you change your mind. It’s quite a story.”
“I’m sure it is. Hey, weren’t you in a hurry to get dressed?”
Neal picked up his phone from the nightstand. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He kissed her again and then climbed out of bed.
She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he moved like a body builder to the bathroom. Strong shoulders tapered down to his waist and then to a nice, tight little butt. He was gorgeous. The most gorgeous, manliest man she’d ever been to bed with or had a relationship with for that matter. Larry was his own kind of handsome, but Neal, well, he was scrumptious, and he made her feel scrumptious. She sighed.
Suddenly, guilt for all the work he was going to have to do crept into her mind. She couldn’t put a halt to it now, but she could help. It might be kind of fun working together on a project. As soon as she kicked Zadora out, they would have the entire house to themselves. She smiled. She was so . . . happy. What a concept. But that was exactly how she felt. It had been such a long time, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like.
Brenda slipped out of bed as soon as she heard the shower and tiptoed into the bathroom. She yanked open the shower curtain.
Neal didn’t flinch. He had his face in the water. “It’s about time.” He held out his hand and directed her in front of him, under the hot water.
“Whoa,” Neal said as the water drenched her hair and face. “You have no idea how you’ve made my fantasies come true.” He pulled her close and kissed her, running his hands over her wet body, exploring her with vigor, like they had never been intimate before.
At that moment, she didn’t care what the world thought, and that both excited her and scared her to death.
Chapter 20
Neal assigned Marvin, the plumber, to Brenda’s shower first. Marvin spent the entire day working, banging, and destroying the bathroom.
Brenda spent the day cleaning out her apartment. She packed everything into trash bags and threw them out in the hall for Neal to take down to the Salvation Army donation center.
Neal spent the day overseeing the plumber, hauling large loads of stuff to his truck and then to the Salvation Army, and scheduling the drywall guys, who wouldn’t be there until Friday, and trying to keep Brenda from confronting Zadora.
The situation, especially now, was tricky, and he needed time to think things through. He knew he had to talk to Zadora soon, but it was going to be difficult because he felt like a traitor, like he’d switched sides. There had to be a way that they could all coexist. He just hadn’t thought of it yet.
All he could do was hope Brenda would keep her word that she would hold off as he headed off to work. But the image of Brenda bursting into Zadora’s apartment and kicking her out kept entering his mind. He finally gave in to his
anxiety and texted Zadora with a quick ‘Is everything okay? We will talk soon.” And she’d responded “Fine, OK.”
After work, he found Brenda still working in the apartment, vacuuming. Neal didn’t have much trouble persuading her to stay with him again, her apartment was now a construction zone. But they were both exhausted and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
The next morning, Neal woke and quietly left Brenda asleep. By the time she came stumbling into the kitchen, searching for coffee, he had food ready and packed into a cooler. “I don’t have money to take you on a proper date,” Neal said, “but I would like to show you my favorite spot in the park. I packed us a lunch.”
She stared at him, all sexy in her pink nighty, and scratched her head. “Picnic? You want to take me on a picnic?”
“I guess you could call it that.”
“Are we going eat outside in a park?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. Hermann Park.”
“That’s a picnic. Wait, what about the house?”
He walked up to her and put his arms around her, the silkiness of her gown gliding coolly across his chest. “It will be here when we get back. I want to spend some time with you. I want to get to know you.”
She stepped up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re so cute. How can someone so big and brawny be such a romantic?”
“I’m not,” he insisted. “I just want to show you my spot, and I’m hungry.”
She nodded and broke free. “You know what? That actually sounds wonderful. I’ll go change and meet you outside in thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes? What are you going to do?”
She shook her head at him. “A romantic that has no clue about women.”
He shrugged.
“I have to go get dressed before I go out in public.”
He pointed to himself. “Just put on some shorts and flip-flops.”
“Thirty minutes, Neal. I’ll be ready in thirty minutes. And I hope you packed some coffee.”
Thirty minutes later, Neal leaned on his truck in front of the multiplex. Brenda stepped outside, fresh and pretty in a light strappy dress and sandals. The wind breezed back her hair. Her face was bright with color on her lips, and little earrings sparkled in the sun. Sunglasses sat on top of her head.
“I’m not riding in there,” she said, and kept walking past the truck down the sidewalk to the side of the house toward where her car was parked.
“Hey,” Neal called after her, “I’ve already got the ice chest in the back. My picnic, my truck.”
She stopped and stood with her back to him, and her shoulders went up and down in a huff. But then she turned around, a smile on her face. “Fine, but your seats better not have grease all over them.”
“Why would they have grease on them?” he asked as he opened the passenger door for her. “I assure you, Your Highness, I take care of this truck better than most men take care of their women.”
“Is that so?” she asked, accepting his hand as she climbed inside. “Should I be jealous?”
He slammed the door shut, because even though it was clean, it still had a few hiccups. “I said most men,” he said through the half-rolled down window and gave her a wink. He loved the way she responded with a somewhat shy smile and flirty eyes.
He jumped in, started the truck, and they were on their way. Neal glanced over at Brenda every once in a while and felt happy and content. The last couple of days had been awesome, but he had these feelings for Brenda that he tried not to be afraid of. She was like an alien from a different planet. One that she would be going back to soon. One that he was sure he didn’t fit into. But at the moment, it felt right. It was nice having her there beside him in his truck, casual but still with enough tension to make it exciting. He had to work to be with her; that was certain. And he was sure she was worth it.
“Why do I feel so comfortable around you?” she said suddenly. “You make me feel like I can be myself.”
“Because you can.”
“I’m so used to having to fill in the awkward silences, or they don’t stop asking me questions, or asking if I’m okay.”
“I figured if you’re not, you would tell me.”
“Well, that’s the truth.”
Neal heard what sounded like distant thunder. He’d been afraid it would be too hot and humid to eat outside, but now this would be worse. He glanced over to Brenda, who stared out the side window and didn’t seem to have heard anything, so he hoped it was nothing.
He found a spot by a parking meter and parked. After they got out, he fed the meter, then he lugged the ice chest, and handed the blanket to Brenda to carry. They headed toward the Houston Zoo. Since it was a weekday, there weren’t gobs of people, just a nice scattering of families.
They crossed the parking lot to the pond where the ducks swam, and he spread the blanket on the ground. Brenda sat down on her knees, and Neal opened the ice chest.
“It looks like rain,” she said, leaning back and looking up at the overcast sky.
“I don’t have coffee, but I do have mimosas.” He popped open the bottle of sparkling wine, not letting Brenda see the brand, and set it back in the ice chest while he poured the orange juice into red cups. He then topped it with the wine. He handed one to Brenda.
A breeze broke the heat for a second, but he ignored it as held out his cup to her. “To us.”
“To us. A couple of scared crows who finally found some nerve.”
Neal leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll drink to that.” He took a drink, not taking his eyes away from Brenda’s stare.
Brenda took a sip and hummed. “What else do you have in your bag of tricks?”
At that moment, huge drops of rain plopped inside Neal’s cup. “Shit.”
“That doesn’t sound very appetizing,” Brenda teased as she raised her hands over her head, trying to shield the rain.
“Come on,” he said, pouring out his drink and grabbing the ice chest.
A few seconds later, they were sprinting back to the truck. Brenda had the blanket over her head. By the time they were inside the truck, they were both pretty wet, especially Neal.
Brenda laughed and wiped Neal with the blanket.
“I’m sorry,” Neal said, shaking his head. “This did not turn out the way it was supposed to.”
“It’s fine.” She removed a hair tie from around her wrist and pulled all her hair back, revealing a pleasant smile on her makeup-smeared face.
She wasn’t all disgusted that she’d gotten a little wet. He felt kind of bad, though, for being surprised at her reaction.
“Okay,” he said, the rain feeling less of an enemy now and kind of soothing as it drummed on the truck.
Brenda pulled down the visor and examined herself in the mirror, using the blanket now to touch up her face. “I do appreciate this, but I have an idea. I promise, I’m not trying to one-up you.” She shut the visor and snuggled in the blanket. “I want to treat you to lunch. And before you say anything, hear me out. I have this friend . . . okay a business acquaintance, who has given me an open invitation to dine at his restaurant’s kitchen table whenever I want.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
“That was easy.”
“You owe me one,” he said, keeping the excitement of the idea inside. He leaned over and kissed her before starting the truck. “But I’m not dressed for one of your fancy restaurants.”
“Don’t worry. Your attire is perfect.”
Chapter 21
“Are you sure this is it?” Neal asked, eyeing a rather old house with the sign in front that read ANTONIO’S KITCHEN.
“Yeah, why?”
“It doesn’t look . . . fancy.”
“It doesn’t have to be expensive
to be spectacular food. Good food is good food.”
“Okay.” He stared at her, his eyes dancing.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I thought you said you were hungry.” She pushed hard on the door, opening it and climbed out.
Neal was by her side a few seconds later, shutting her door and putting his arm over her shoulder.
Brenda held her breath. In that instant, she felt like his girl. Like she belonged to Neal. And he would keep her safe. Don’t mess with me, because I’m his girl, and he’ll kick your ass. It brought back memories of being in high school and seeing the couples walk around in their ‘we’re a couple’ arm wrap, hands in back pockets. It had been a long time since she’d thought about how she’d envied those girls and wished she had a guy who was proud to show the world that she was his.
She put her arm around his waist and they teased and laughed all the way to the door. Neal opened the door, they went inside and were greeted by a friendly face.
“Brenda!” Antonio’s wife, whose name Brenda tried but couldn’t recall, cried. She hugged her and kissed her on the cheek like she was a long-lost friend. “It’s so good to see you. Who is your friend?”
“This is Neal.”
“Neal,” the woman said and wrapped her arms around him. After she pulled away, she yelled, “Antonio!” and walked away, leaving them standing by the front door.
They shrugged their shoulders at one another and then a minute later, Antonio appeared with open arms, giving Brenda the same greeting as his wife had and extending a hand to Neal.
