Brandon

by Anne, Melody

  She actually smiled at that thought. “I never would’ve thought of that,” she finally said with a laugh. “Oh, how much easier my life would’ve been if everyone I know never had a clue of how much I like to win. I’ve always been the one to beat, making me in a constant competition,” she told him.

  “It’s not very fun, is it?” he asked.

  “No, not at all. My parents are perfect in every way. That’s a lot to live up to.”

  He took in her words as they continued to walk. “My father was a monster, as you know, but my mom made up for it in spades by being strong but compassionate. She had an uphill battle raising us, but she never failed. That’s a lot to live up to as well.”

  “I was wondering if how a person was raised affected how they behaved—if they were drawn toward a certain personality. I think it has some bearing, but I think we are just who we’re meant to be,” she said.

  “I agree with that,” he said. “Because my father was raised in an incredible family, and he was a monster, while my mother was raised in a terrible family that caused her to have to be with my father, but she was still an incredible person. I do think we can make choices that change who we are for the better or for the worse, but at the end of the day, we are who we’re born to be—minus adding chemicals like drugs or alcoholism to the factor. That will completely change a person, even making them go crazy.”

  She was shocked at how much she was enjoying her conversation with Brandon. She found herself not wanting this walk to end. She wondered if there was a chance the two of them could just be friends. The constant state of arousal she was feeling told her that would be nearly impossible.

  “It appears both of us have done a lot in life,” she told him. “That might be our personalities or maybe the way we were raised. But we’ll never know for sure.”

  Maybe she was feeling easier also because they were on neutral territory. They were walking, which always calmed her, not facing each other. It made talking to the man seem natural. When she’d faced him in his doorway, she’d nearly passed out. Now, her heart beat a little faster, but she didn’t feel a panic attack or a headache coming on. That was progress she could be proud of.

  “I’ve done a lot with my life, but there’s so much more I want to accomplish,” he said after they’d made it another block down the road and turned a corner. She was coming up on the more expensive homes, the ones with the decorations that always awed her, the street that led down to the Diamond Hill place. She was far too close to where Brandon was now calling home for her comfort—especially at night, when her defenses were down.

  “Have you lived all your dreams? What more do you want to do?” she asked.

  He let out a sigh. She didn’t know what it meant. “I’ve definitely made some of my dreams come true,” he told her. “I’ve messed others up.” There was such intensity in those words she didn’t know what to think. “But I’ll never stop going after what I want.”

  “That’s good,” she said, not questioning him on what dreams he hadn’t fulfilled. She was curious about it, but she was trying not to like him, and this conversation wasn’t helping with that one little bit.

  “What dreams do you have left?” he asked.

  “My dreams have always been pretty straightforward and maybe not that exciting to some people,” she said. “I wanted a restaurant of my own that was successful. So next, I want expansion. I like to be the best, and that’s very difficult to do in the world of food. There are too many people out there like me, so I think I want to continue to make amazing places in cities like Cranston. It’s not that I’m trying not to compete with the world’s top chefs. It scares me, but I know I can go head to head with them. It’s just that I think these smaller towns are where people actually care more about having a quality place. When you go somewhere like Seattle, you can find many, many fine-dining options. But I want that amazing place that people will drive an hour into the country to experience. To me that’s success.”

  “I think that’s amazing and very doable. And one person’s goals are no less than another’s. We make decisions about what feels right to us. It’s how we feel about what we’ve accomplished that matters,” he told her.

  “I guess it could be wrapped up that simply with a nice little bow on top,” Chloe said. Her parents certainly wouldn’t agree with that. But she could think on her own and choose her own path because they’d raised her to do just that.

  “I want to know you better, Chloe,” he said, surprising her and warming her heart at the same time. She didn’t want to feel that way. If she opened herself up, she was going to feel things she had no business feeling, especially when she didn’t want a relationship.

  “Don’t go there, Brandon,” she told him as she turned. Maybe an ending to this walk was in order. It would be better than fighting Brandon . . . and herself. She’d been starting to relax with him while they’d had this conversation. That had been foolish. She knew what he wanted.

  She took a few steps, and Brandon reached for her, turning their bodies so she was forced to face him, his hands on her arms, holding her in place; his face too close; his eyes intense; and his mouth turned down in a small frown.

  They were both breathing heavily as they stood in the shadow of a streetlight. She felt the rest of the world disappear as she stood in the same position she’d stood that night in his hotel room. But that night she’d leaned in against him, holding her face up so he could easily access her lips. Would his kiss feel just as good now as it had that night?

  Quickly tearing her gaze away, she realized she wouldn’t know, wouldn’t allow herself to find out. That was a path that was too dangerous to even think about going down again.

  “I can’t stop thinking about our night together. I can’t get you out of my head,” he said, raising one hand and cupping her cheek. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her to turn away. She might not have any respect for him if he did. Yep, she was a mess.

  Though it was cold outside, his fingers were almost scorching hot as they rested against her skin. Chloe had no response as she was forced once again to look into this man’s eyes.

  Chloe saw the kiss coming—the kiss she’d just determined she wouldn’t have with him. She told herself to turn away, to tug against his hold, to scream—to do anything other than stand there paralyzed.

  But then his mouth was on hers, his lips pressing and pushing, his tongue touching and demanding entrance to her mouth. Chloe wanted to refuse, wanted to push him away, but his kiss took her back to that night she’d felt nothing but pleasure.

  Those sparks of electricity she’d felt with him surged through her body and ignited something inside her she’d thought was long gone. He was solid and strong, and when she was in his arms, she felt safe. Even if in the back of her mind she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for him, from getting lost in the moment.

  Her traitorous body gave in to Brandon, gave in to his touch. A moan escaped his throat, and his hand wrapped around her head and tugged on her hair. Her body was a traitor, because she didn’t want to pull away from him.

  Finally, she accepted that this had been inevitable from the moment she’d seen him a couple of days earlier. She’d have this kiss, and then she’d firmly say goodbye. It would be the kiss she’d never gotten to have, the one she knew would be her last. Maybe that was why she’d been so hung up on him—because she hadn’t gotten any closure.

  Chloe’s fingers tugged against Brandon’s thick hair as one of his arms held her tightly, pressing against her lower back and pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss, their touching growing greedier and more urgent.

  Her name was a soft moan that traveled down her spine as he said it, and she felt heat in places she hadn’t for too long. Just that quickly, she was lost in his arms, lost in him—maybe too lost to find herself again.

  That thought sobered her up, and Chloe pulled back, breaking the powerful connection they’d been sharing. He released her,
but the look in his eyes told her he was reluctant to do so. That made it so much harder for her to take another step back from him.

  They gazed at each other for several moments as they both tried to regain their breathing. What had just happened? Chloe wasn’t really sure. It had been so intense, just how it had been the night of the wedding.

  Chloe knew she had to end whatever it was he thought he’d come to start. She had to do so with finality, and maybe then he’d understand that he couldn’t just get a craving for her anytime he wanted and show up on her doorstep.

  “You need to leave, Brandon. There’s nothing between the two of us,” she said.

  He gazed at her, and his eyes narrowed. “That kiss calls you a liar,” he told her, taking a step toward her.

  She retreated more, not quickly, not like she was running, but just enough so he couldn’t reach out to her. She couldn’t handle his touch, especially with the new knowledge that it was just as good as it had been before.

  “You and I never even started, so it’s easy to be done,” she said. She stopped retreating and put her chin up, her hands on her hips.

  “I disagree. I wasn’t sure how it would feel to kiss you again, but it’s more than just passion that fills me when you’re in my arms,” he told her. She didn’t know how to take his words.

  “I walked away after the wedding for a reason. I don’t want complications in my life,” she said, hating the tears choking her voice. She was scared, but she didn’t want him to realize that.

  “People can change,” he told her. “I know I’m not the same man I was even a year ago. If I truly believed there was nothing between us, I’d leave you alone. But what we share together is unusual, Chloe. Give it a chance, and see where it leads.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.”

  “I won’t give up unless I think it’s hopeless,” he told her.

  This time Chloe did retreat several steps. She couldn’t let him touch her anymore. She was too close to caving in to him.

  “There’s nothing to fight for. Please accept that,” she said. “Now leave me alone.”

  Chloe turned and didn’t care if he saw her fleeing. She ran back to her place, feeling his eyes on her the entire way. He didn’t say another word, but she knew he was there. She went inside her house, locked the door, then slid down it, clutching her knees to her chest as she shook with frustration.

  She felt him on the other side of her door, felt him there for a while before emptiness took his place. The connection between the two of them had been damn strong since the beginning, but instead of dimming, it seemed to be growing stronger.

  Chloe needed this man to disappear from her life, but she was afraid it was already too late for that. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Maybe Brooke’s advice to flee the country wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Brandon had always lived life with a smile. He made a joke when the rest of the world was living in stress, and he smiled when others felt like crying. It wasn’t because he was insensitive. It was just because he liked to look for the gold at the end of the rainbow instead of the rain that had caused the colors to fill the sky.

  When it came to Chloe, he wasn’t sure which direction he should go. She was telling him she didn’t want this. Should he give up? Everything inside him said to fight for this woman. But why her?

  Did he want her so badly because she was the girl who’d gotten away? He’d decided he wanted her in his life, but he hadn’t realized how powerful the connection between the two of them would grow to be. It had started with an intensity that had shocked him, but instead of waning like it had with so many others, it had been growing stronger over time.

  She didn’t trust him, but he didn’t think he’d given her any reason not to. Well, besides the fact that he wasn’t backing off. But that wasn’t exactly a trust issue. That was him going after what he wanted, which was something he’d done his entire life. It was in his blood, who he was. He didn’t think it possible to be anyone else.

  He wasn’t the same guy he’d once been. He had ambitions and goals in life, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to include Chloe in that dream. He would definitely be the first guy to crack a joke and light off a firework that made his siblings jump, but he was also just as eager to win as the rest of them.

  Was that what this was? Was it a game? He honestly didn’t think so. He saw something in Chloe that drew him to her. They had much more in common than she was willing to admit. They also had differences that made it that much more exciting.

  Brandon paced the huge mansion that he didn’t understand why he’d purchased. Maybe it was the history of the place, and maybe it was because he always had enjoyed a good project, but whatever the reason, the home certainly wasn’t comfortable at the moment. It was too drafty, and the internet was terrible. He hadn’t been able to get any work done. But even if he could have, his mind wasn’t allowing it. He had one person on his brain, and there was no room for anything else.

  Moving through the house, he got a whiff of something delicious. Were those gingerbread cookies he smelled? No way. He picked up his pace and turned a corner, then barged his way into the kitchen.

  Brandon couldn’t help but smile when he found his sister-in-law Sarah in an apron as she took cookies off a pan and set them on wire racks. He watched her for several moments before walking up and leaning down, kissing her on the cheek.

  “What brings you to my humble abode?” he asked with fondness. She was one of the few females in his life he was truly excited to see. His brother Noah had married well. He was glad to call her sister.

  “Brooke and I have discovered if we don’t feed the bachelor holdouts of this family, you’ll wither away,” Sarah said, placing the last cookie on the rack and then turning to face him.

  “That is in fact true. Without you and Brooke cooking for me, I’d have to rely on the convenience store.” He wanted one of the cookies desperately, but he’d learned quickly that he’d better not just grab one, or he might get his hand slapped.

  “Or at Chloe’s restaurant,” she said with a brow up.

  He shrugged. “Busted,” he told her. He wasn’t even going to try to hide the fact he wanted to spend time with her best friend. There was nothing he could hide from either of his sisters-in-law.

  “Sit down, and don’t get in my way, and I’ll think about giving you some cookies and milk,” she told him after a couple of seconds spent analyzing him.

  His mouth watering, Brandon did exactly what she’d demanded, then smiled to himself. There weren’t too many people in this world who could boss him around and get away with it. He had mad respect for his brother for choosing such a fantastic wife.

  “How did you manage to get away from my brother for the afternoon?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining at all.”

  “He’s working at the center today, and I needed an excuse to grill you about my bestie,” she said.

  “I love your honesty,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m still waiting on these cookies. You’re killing me here. I’m practically withering away.” He tried to look as innocent and hungry as possible.

  “I also really wanted to check out this place, and I figured cookie making would be a good excuse to come in. It was a good thing I brought all my own supplies. I’ve learned with you bachelors that you don’t have much more than meat, bread, and beer in the fridge,” she said.

  “You never need an excuse to stop by,” he said, meaning it. “The door is always open.”

  “I love that about your family. It’s something I’ve grown quite fond of. And since I love your brother so much, that means I love you, too. Of course, if you do hurt my best friend, I’ll have to cut you several times, but it will still be done with love.”

  She said the words with a smile, so it took a moment for them to process in his brain. When they did, he laughed aloud. He also had no doubt what she was saying
was true. He admired and loved the friendship between Sarah, Brooke, and Chloe. It was as tight a bond as he had with his brothers. And their love was born from friendship. They’d chosen one another. He had no doubt he would’ve chosen his brothers, though, even if they hadn’t been siblings.

  “You definitely entertain me,” he said. “And trust me—I know you’d kill me.”

  “I do what I can,” she said. She finally slid a plate of warm cookies and a large glass of ice-cold milk in front of him. “And I wouldn’t kill you, just harm you. There’s a difference.”

  He laughed again. “Well, that’s a relief. I don’t have to sleep with one eye open,” he said as he eyed the cookies. “So what do you want to grill me about?” He was more than willing to answer anything she wanted after his first bite of a warm cookie. She was fantastic at making them. If there was any cooking skill at all he wanted, it was the ability to make mouthwatering cookies.

  “I didn’t fail to notice how you bought your house pretty dang close to Chloe’s place,” she said. She slid her next batch of cookies into the oven, then turned to give him her full attention. He shifted in his seat.

  “Yeah, that would be hard to miss,” he told her. It wouldn’t help him to lie. Sarah would see right through him, even if most people couldn’t. She was smarter than the average person.

  “I should tell you to back off,” she said. He cringed. He didn’t want her to ask him to do that. He respected her and didn’t want her upset with him, but he wasn’t sure he could walk away from Chloe, not now, not until he knew what this was between them. Not when he felt they had a chance. “But I don’t think I will.”

  Her words sent a zing of pleasure all the way through him. If her best friends were on his side, he really did have a shot with the girl. They did everything together, and they relied on one another. Maybe he could make both Sarah and Brooke his allies. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of doing that much, much sooner. Ideas were spinning in his brain. He knew honesty would be best with Sarah.