Gifts of Love

by Natalie Ann

  She was done assuming things in her life. Sometimes she was right on target, other times so far off that her heart broke and she cursed herself for being so stupid.

  She was done being stupid too.

  Brendan had the door open before she made it there, Reese running right past her to greet his sister, the two of them taking off for the back of the house like a gang of cats were chasing them.

  “I guess Reese has decided to make himself right at home,” she said. “Hope that is okay.”

  “More than okay. It is his sister’s house,” he said, tweaking her hair, then wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her in to shut the cold November air out. His lips lowered to hers, nibbled a bit, deepened, then let her go. That warmed her up more than any fireplace could.

  She took her jacket off and handed it over, then went to the back of the house with him. For such a large place it did seem homey. Comfortable. Warm even. She’d never noticed that before.

  When they got to the back, the fireplace was on, the two dogs chasing balls around the large area. Neither was bumping into any furniture, but having a grand old time.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for and pulled out all the takeout menus.”

  “I could eat anything. We could do pizza again if you want?”

  “I eat just about anything. And there is everything you can imagine here. When we have our team sessions, food is flying and everyone has different tastes. I’m often ordering from several places.”

  “That’s very generous of you,” she said. Most people probably wouldn’t go to the effort to please everyone and she had to remind herself that he wasn’t as selfish as maybe she first thought he might have been.

  “It’s just food,” he said, grinning at her.

  She looked over the menus. “And money.”

  He laughed this time. “I’m sure you are aware I have plenty of it.”

  How could she forget? “That doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “I know. That is what I like about you.”

  “Just that?” she asked, turning to put her arms around him and pull him in closer. She realized that she hadn’t made a move toward him once. That he’d done it all and maybe it was time to show she could be a bit bold.

  “More than that,” he said.

  She moved her arms up and put them around his neck, her fingers going through his hair, her mouth attacking him. “What I’m really in the mood for has nothing to do with food.”

  “Even better,” he said, swinging her up in his arms.

  He carried her toward the front of the house, then up the stairs, his mouth nibbling on hers. She didn’t have a chance to look at the surroundings and wasn’t interested in any of that anyway.

  All she was interested in was the big strong firm hold that Brendan had on her body, his mouth on hers, and the thoughts of what his hands were going to do when they got in his room.

  He didn’t leave her waiting, putting her on her feet when they entered the double doors. His hands went to the bottom of the sweater she was wearing and pulled it over her head, then he grinned at the tank top she had on under it.

  “You like layers, I see,” he said, reaching for that too.

  “In the cooler months, yes.”

  “Just more I have to remove from you.”

  “Let me help,” she said, reaching for his shirt and pulling it over his head. Holy cow, she didn’t expect this. Not his toned and chiseled pecks. Or the scar in the center of his chest. He’d said he had heart issues, but she’d never asked what.

  “Just ignore it,” he said. He obviously knew she was looking at his scar. It wasn’t horrible. Just a straight line down the center, but it was there and it was big and it was...a little heartbreaking too.

  “I’ve got other things to focus on,” she said.

  “That’s what I want to hear.” His hands went to her bra, undid it, and then let it drop to the floor. “You’ve got more than I thought.”

  She snorted. She always thought she was kind of average, but hid what she had most of the time anyway. She wasn’t a flashy person by any means and showing cleavage had never been her priority in life.

  “It’s not what you have but what someone does with it,” she said, causing him to chuckle. She was trying to shock him a bit, but the truth was she was dying to see what he was going to do.

  Something told her he knew what he was about and she was going to be one happy girl tonight.

  “I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Are you going to let me have free rein?”

  “What do you mean by free rein? I’m not into anything kinky.”

  “Kinky has its place and there are all sorts of levels, but that is a conversation for another time.”

  “I’m done talking,” she said, reaching for the button on his jeans, hoping he got the hint.

  He did, his hands returning the favor until both of them were left standing there naked. His eyes were taking in as much as hers. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to put her hands or mouth on first and it seemed he was feeling the same way.

  Before she could say or do anything, she was in his arms and then on the bed, his body coming down on top of her. Hot and hard was all she could think of. Soft and silky mixed in and the combination of it was driving her insane...and he hadn’t even done anything yet.

  But he didn’t keep her waiting, his mouth going to her breast, pulling her hardened nipple into his mouth, latching on with a suction to rival a hoover. Her hips lifted up, pressing against the steel hardness of his body that she was hoping to get her hands on.

  That wasn’t going to happen, it seemed, when he threaded their fingers together and put her hands over her head. It was a bit of a helpless feeling since he was so much bigger than her, but surprisingly she was turned on even more by it.

  His mouth was moving from one side to the other, licking her, nipping her, sucking on her tender flesh. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take and wanted to tell him to get a move on.

  He must have sensed what she was looking for because he released her hands, then moved down her torso, kissing her waist, her hips, and then going below to the sweet spot of her body. The one that felt the most and needed immediate relief.

  He didn’t leave her waiting or even wanting. Just going in for the kill. His tongue came out, he licked the length of her and the shiver covered her body. “Oh God,” she said, letting out a moan.

  Must have been enough reaction for him, so he did it again and a few more times making her feel like she was a Popsicle on a hot summer day. With the heat in her body and the sweat building on her brow, it sure the hell felt like a hundred-degree August day on the lake.

  Then he zeroed in on her swollen nub and started to treat that the same as her nipples. Sucking, licking, nipping and the heat was building to the point she was a volcano ready to burst, letting loose everything coiled up tight.

  A scream was ripped from her lips, her hips went up and her hands dug into his head to keep him in place.

  When she felt there wasn’t one more shudder that could be released, her arms flopped to her side while she sucked in deep gulps of air.

  The bed shifted as she watched him reach for the nightstand and open a drawer for a condom. He was covered and back over her, then slipping inside of her in record time.

  How she could be so worked up again was beyond her, but the moment he entered her, her body started to build and climb.

  Brendan’s hips moved a little faster, her own matching his speed.

  She pulled his head down to hers, her lips going to work on his. She wanted to taste any part of him she could and that was what was available.

  His hands went back to hers, their fingers interlaced again, her hands above her head. She felt trapped in the most delicious way.

  The faster he moved, the more she ended up just taking it. Why not when it was something she wanted so badly?

  Her legs went up and around his
hips, hanging on as closely as she could.

  His breathing was getting as choppy as hers, his kissing more frantic and then her body just exploded. Throbbing, releasing, sucking him in. His followed suit until both of them were lying there completely spent.

  A good minute went by and he finally shifted off of her and flopped over on his side. “Now I’m really hungry.”

  She burst out laughing. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  15

  Still Distrustful

  In the end they ordered Chinese. A lot of Chinese. Holly said it was more than she’d ever eaten before, but he loved to just take bites out of multiple things and it was good leftover in the middle of the night when he got the munchies.

  After he’d made the comment about midnight cravings, he’d asked, “Do you get up and eat often in the middle of the night?”

  “Not really. Once I’m out, I sleep through the night.”

  “Guess you’ll have to get up with me tonight and try it out.”

  She dipped her head down, shy like, which he thought was funny after what they’d just shared in his room, then said back, “I’ve got a bag with some clothes in my car.”

  “Why didn’t you bring it in?”

  “Because I didn’t want to assume. Maybe you were the type of guy who just wanted to be alone after.”

  “I’m not a total heel,” he said, trying not to get insulted over her words. He had to remind himself she didn’t know him well and she was still distrustful.

  Yes, she was here when he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to convince her for their second date, let alone a third. But that didn’t mean she trusted him and he knew he had the Alps to climb barefooted before that might happen.

  “Sorry. I didn’t think you were. It’s just it’s kind of new and I wasn’t sure if you wanted me, let alone Reese, here for the night.”

  “So far the dogs are happy together and pretty much ignoring us.”

  He looked over to see them both sleeping in front of the fire side by side. They didn’t even seem to notice he and Holly had gone upstairs. Even when the food was delivered they weren’t all that interested. Must be they were both worn out from playing.

  “Reese gets a lot of exercise for the most part. Two days at doggie daycare and then Ryan takes him out in the field a lot when he can. When it’s not dangerous.”

  “Rosie plays a lot. Nothing like Reese, but she walks around the fourth floor and oftentimes I take her down with the programmers and developers. Some of them bring their dogs to work and she gets to play there.”

  “I didn’t see any when I was there,” she said, reaching for another carton of food to try something else. He had to laugh how she was doing the same as him and sampling them all.

  Just what he wanted to do. Sample more of her and he fully planned on it later tonight.

  “We try to keep them in certain rooms. Rosie is trained but not all of the other ones are. We don’t need messes left places so no one is allowed to have their dogs run loose. If they are in a different location than the set rooms, they have to be on a leash. Some people are scared of dogs too.”

  “What do you do about those people?”

  “Nothing. They know we have dogs on the site and thankfully none of the staff who are around dogs have allergies or are scared of them. If they were, or had allergies, I’d make arrangements to work things out. I want to make everyone happy if I can.”

  “Has anyone asked to bring a cat to work or a different pet?”

  He laughed. “I’ve had people want to bring in a cat. One person a ferret. I told them the rules apply the same as dogs. They have to be well behaved, they can’t fight, and they can’t destroy anything. Cats and dogs fight and anyone who brings a cat in knows there is going to be problems. I think they thought it through and decided against it.”

  “Smart move.”

  “And I don’t want a cat there because of the bathroom issue. I also said it has to be a cat that will go to the bathroom outside; otherwise no way.”

  “I don’t blame you in the least. Do you have any other special perks for your staff?”

  “Why all the questions?” he asked.

  “Just talking. I guess you’re not what I thought you were.”

  That sounded promising. “What did you think?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Why not?” he said.

  “I just figured you were someone that doesn’t take no for an answer. That you were selfish at times.”

  “Well, we did establish I am selfish when it comes to my personal life. You opened my eyes to that.” He was still amazed he’d never seen it before.

  “Yes and no. I will admit when I’m wrong.”

  “So you trust me now?” he asked, knowing that he was pushing. When she hesitated he wanted to take those words back.

  “Trust is different.”

  “It has to be earned?”

  “Yes. And that takes time.”

  “I get it,” he said. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “It’s fine. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure,” he said, picking his plate up. He was done eating now and she hadn’t reached for anything else either. “Are you done?”

  “Yeah. I’ll help you clean up.”

  “Just close all the containers and stack them in the fridge. So what did you want to ask me? Now you seem like you are hesitating for some reason.”

  She picked up a few cartons, then turned and asked, “The scar on your chest. You said you had heart problems, but I guess I didn’t realize how serious even though you said you were a recipient of Make A Wish. You had open heart surgery?”

  “I had a valve replacement,” he said. Most women didn’t ask specifics, they didn’t want to know.

  “What caused that?”

  Guess he should have known she wasn’t going to be like most women, then again, he knew that all along too. “Aortic stenosis is the narrowing of the aortic valve opening. I was born with it but didn’t show symptoms until I was a teen. We had no clue.”

  “What were your symptoms?”

  “I was tired. More tired than a teen should be. But I was running around all the time. Playing sports. I went to get a physical and they said I had a heart murmur. We just kind of left it at that, but the fatigue wasn’t going away. More tests were done and that was discovered.”

  “So you had surgery right away?”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the couch next to him and under his arm. “Not the replacement. I had a balloon put in first and it worked for a bit, but not enough. It was just to buy time for the valve replacement, maybe hoping I wouldn’t need it.”

  “That had to be scary,” she said. “Especially for a teen. I didn’t think of life or death back then, and anything to do with your heart is life or death.”

  “Yes, it is,” he said.

  He’d been terrified and tried to hide it, but his family knew. His parents knew. They were scared too. Who wouldn’t be? Even after the valve replacement there was still a risk of sudden death. Talk about terrifying.

  “So, you are all good now?” she asked.

  “I hope so,” he said, laughing. “I’ve got a mechanical valve so I’ll be on blood thinners for life to prevent clots. The other type of valve I could have gotten was biological. From a cow, pig, or human, but they deteriorate over time and would have needed to be replaced again. After a lot of research, it was decided to go this route.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, laying her head on his shoulder.

  “Why?” He’d never had anyone say that to him as an adult.

  “Because that is a big burden to carry or deal with as a kid. I guess I’ve got a better understanding of why you are the way you are.”

  “You seem to understand me better than most.”

  Which was almost as scary as when he was facing life and death as a teen.

  16

  Those In Need

  Holly didn’t know wha
t to think.

  She’d seen that scar and she paused, but then tried to push it aside and get to the task at hand.

  “I want to say I do understand you. Then I feel bad that I judged you.”

  “Correctly in some instances.”

  “You are one of the least selfish people I know,” she said and truly meant it now. “It seems you are so focused on others that you aren’t on yourself. That doesn’t smack of selfishness as much as not putting yourself first.”

  “I suppose. I never thought of it that way either.”

  “Well, maybe you should,” she said.

  “If I’m putting myself first then I want to say I’d like more nights like this. That if I mess up again, I want you to tell me. Maybe you’ll have pity on me now that you know about my health issues.”

  She slapped his arm. “That’s wrong to play on my emotions that way.”

  “It is and I’m not ashamed that I did it either.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Enough talk about that. Not unless you want to talk about it,” she asked.

  “No. I don’t talk about it much. It’s not a secret, but it was so long ago and most don’t ask anyway.”

  “Most, meaning women?” She figured they’d see the scar like her and want to question it.

  “Yes.”

  “Because they are only interested in your money?”

  “From my experience.”

  “Not me,” she said again. She was going to keep saying it until she knew he believed her.

  “Trust me, I get it. I have a feeling your pride stops you from taking or accepting help. That was your biggest problem with this toy drive, wasn’t it? You see it as help.”

  “It’s not so much help but a boost to our business. I wouldn’t turn that down. Help is different. At least in my eyes.”

  “So when your grandmother got sick, that had to be hard on the business, you said.”

  “It was,” she said. “We’ve got medical insurance, but it’s not good insurance. Not for some of the things she was having done. She didn’t have much money put aside anymore and we all helped out. But it came down to the business was hers still and we took a loan out on it to help.”