Brandon

by Anne, Melody

  His gaze raked over her face before dropping to her cleavage and then down to her thigh, where the slit was showing more than it was covering. She was wondering if she was a genius or a fool for wearing the dress.

  He’d opened his mouth to speak again when a car honked at them, breaking the intense connection between them. He grinned as he faced forward and put his foot on the gas. “Saved by the honk,” he said with a chuckle.

  She was trying to control her breathing as she squeezed her thighs together. She wondered when this intensity was going to dim. She wasn’t sure she could take it if it never did. She couldn’t concentrate when she was feeling this way. Maybe the two of them just needed to sneak off somewhere they could remain naked for a week straight. That would have to curb her appetite.

  As he drove, he reached over and took her hand, clasping her fingers and running his thumb against the top of her hand. It wasn’t doing anything to alleviate the tingles spreading out through her body.

  Chloe was trying to remind herself she liked her life neat and tidy in a cozy little box. She went to work, hung out with friends and family, and went about her daily routine. Brandon had come in like a wrecking ball and had smashed her sweet little routine into a million pieces. She wasn’t sure she’d ever go back to the way it had been before.

  She attempted to pull her hand free, but he wasn’t having any of that, so she gave up. She liked the warmth of his touch, and she’d already decided she was going to go with the flow this night. She wouldn’t be wearing what she was if she didn’t have plans for them to end up naked, anyway. So it confused her why she continued fighting with herself over the situation.

  When he pulled up to a small restaurant that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, she realized she’d been taking small little breaths. She was a bundle of nerves. There was a time in her life she’d liked that feeling on a date. This time it was just making her a mess.

  Brandon jumped down from the truck, and she put some gloss on her lips as he opened her door. She took in a breath and tried to calm her nerves as he helped her down.

  “I like that shimmer on your very kissable lips,” he told her. It made her smile.

  He slipped an arm around her waist, his fingers gently caressing her hip as he led her inside the small dimly lit restaurant. There wasn’t a hostess and weren’t many people inside. That could be a good or bad thing. They didn’t have to interact with people, but maybe it was empty because the food was terrible. She wasn’t sure she’d taste anything, anyway, so it really didn’t matter.

  He held out his arm, and she sat down at an intimate table in the corner, candlelight burning in the center, the aroma that of spring flowers. For a tiny place in the middle of nowhere, it was really very charming.

  “Brandon, it’s wonderful to see you again,” a young waitress said with a smile. “And I see you’ve brought a woman this time,” she added with a wink.

  Chloe wasn’t sure why the waitress’s words pleased her so much, but they did. She liked that he hadn’t brought a slew of women to this place. That meant it was theirs. It shouldn’t matter to her, as this might be a first and last date, but for some reason it really did matter.

  “It’s good to see you, Jen. How’s school going?”

  “Blah. School bites,” she said with a grin. “But I graduate in five months, and then my real adventures begin,” she said.

  “Don’t grow up too quickly. You’ll soon be wanting to turn back time,” he told her.

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s what my dad says all the time. I think you guys are all just old and set in your ways,” she assured him.

  Brandon laughed. “I’m not that old, little girl,” he said as he puffed out his chest. This made both Jen and Chloe laugh.

  “I’m Jen,” she said as she looked at Chloe. “I hope you can manage this guy. He can be a pain. Every time he comes in here, he asks about homework and boys. He’s become an honorary uncle.”

  “That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” Chloe said with a real smile. She liked the kid. She was a sweet girl.

  “Well, when you work at your mother’s restaurant and have half a town of relatives, it makes it hard to get into trouble,” Jen said. “Add my honorary family members, and I’ll never get to do anything fun.” Though she was saying it like a complaint, Chloe could see real affection in the girl’s eyes as she talked about all the meddlers in her life.

  “I’d love to have a messy, meddling family surrounding me,” Chloe told her.

  Jen leaned down and spoke in a mock whisper. “I love it, too, but I can’t let them know that.” This made all of them laugh again. “Okay, I’d better work before the boss comes running. What would you guys like to drink?”

  Brandon ordered a nice white wine, which was her favorite, and appetizers. She wasn’t paying much attention. She was trying to look at her menu as Jen moved away, but her mind was spinning. Brandon surprised her often, and tonight was just another example of that. He really was a good man. Was she really going to walk away from him and not give it even a little chance? She was beginning to hope she wouldn’t do that.

  There was a small piano in the back corner of the room, and as their apps were set before them, someone sat down at it and began playing Christmas music, reminding her that the holiday was two days away. It was easy to forget when you weren’t surrounded by family or children. There were times she wouldn’t have celebrated it at all if it hadn’t been for her friends. Her parents were wonderful. She loved them a lot, but they weren’t that messy, emotional family she’d thought would be so great to have one day. But it was better than having horrible, abusive parents. She needed to be grateful for what she did have.

  “Do you think those in the world that don’t have family or relationships bother celebrating Christmas?” she asked as she put a stuffed mushroom on her plate and took a bite.

  One taste, and she knew the restaurant wasn’t lacking for business because of the food quality. It was delicious. But even as they sat there, the door opened several times, and the tables filled up. Maybe they’d just gotten there really early.

  “I can’t imagine not celebrating. Even all the years I’ve been single, I have. When I was in the military, we celebrated, too. But I guess there are some people who don’t care,” he said with a shrug. “That’s pretty dang depressing to think about.”

  “If you really think about it, it’s just another day. And the weeks leading up to it are usually stressful for a lot of people. You have gifts to buy and don’t want to forget anyone. You have decorations to put up only to take down again, and there never seems to be enough time to get it all done,” she told him.

  He laughed. “I guess I’ve been pretty spoiled in that sense. My mother always did all the decorating when I was young. Then when I did get my own place, I didn’t bother, because I knew I was going home for the holidays. As for buying presents, I haven’t really done a lot of that, either. If I see something cool throughout the year for a sibling, I’ll grab it and put it away until the holidays, but I don’t go out looking for a gift,” he said with a shrug.

  “I love buying gifts, but I don’t have a lot of people to get them for. I do know lots of people who have twenty or more gifts they have to get. Not only does that hurt the wallet, but then there’s the stress of getting what people like.”

  “If they don’t like it, then tough. It’s a gift and should be appreciated no matter what it is,” he said.

  “What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?”

  He leaned back as he thought about it. “I don’t know,” he said after a bit.

  “My best gift ever was a coffee cup,” she said.

  He laughed. “A coffee cup?” he questioned. “That seems like kind of a lame gift. We all have a hundred of them in our cupboard, even if we are a confirmed bachelor.”

  She laughed. “First of all, a coffee cup is never a lame gift, no matter what it is. I love quotes, so I love funny and deep messages on my cups. I drin
k at least three a day, so I can have lots of mugs to smile at as I drink,” she said. “But I’m getting off subject. This wasn’t just any cup—it was a special one.”

  “Oh, please tell me what made this coffee cup so special,” he insisted.

  “I take my time drinking coffee. Sometimes I will drink a cup in ten minutes, but sometimes it’ll take me a couple of hours. I just like having it there and sipping on it once in a while,” she said.

  “Okay, strange, but to each their own,” he said.

  She laughed. “So because I take so long, I normally have to reheat it several times before I finish a cup. So Brooke noticed that I do this all the time, and one day she showed up with a ‘just because’ gift and set it on my table. I opened it, and it was a teal YETI cup. She’d noticed I always heated my coffee, so she got me one of those cups that keeps your drink hot or cold for hours. It’s the gifts that show a person really knows you that matter the most,” she finished.

  He smiled. “Okay, I guess I concede that a coffee cup is a pretty great gift,” he told her as he reached across the table and squeezed her hand. She smiled back at him, in awe of how easy it was to talk to him, to share and be intimate.

  “I love this place. I’m glad we came here,” she said, not wanting to sit there in silence. It was too intimate.

  “Yeah, I’ve been coming here for years. I usually come with one of my siblings, but I’ve had many lunches here, too, in the middle of a workday.”

  “I thought for sure we’d end up in some ritzy place in downtown Seattle,” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.

  “Not my style,” he told her. “And not yours, either. I know you more than you realize,” he assured her.

  That sent a shiver down her spine she didn’t want to feel. She couldn’t help it when she was with this man, though.

  “I might like it,” she said.

  He laughed. “You’d be stubborn enough to go to a place like that just to prove me wrong. Maybe I’ll have to take the challenge and take you to one—maybe on your fifth or sixth date.”

  She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. “Do you really think you’ll get me out on a fifth or sixth date? I’m not sure there will be a second.” The sting of her words weren’t so bad when she was grinning at him.

  They hadn’t even received their main course yet, and the two of them had finished an entire bottle of wine while talking. Jen dropped off another, and though Chloe knew she probably shouldn’t have more, she accepted a refill. It was really good wine. And white did have a lower alcohol percentage than red, she assured herself.

  “I don’t think I’m going to let you get away,” he said after a bit. There was a teasing note in his voice but a seriousness in his eyes that took her breath away. “Besides, I’m pretty irresistible,” he added. “You’ll beg me to date you.”

  “I’m sure you have many women begging you for dates,” she said, not sure how she felt about that scenario. “You’re handsome, which you already know; have a pouty mouth you use to full advantage; and the most flirtatious eyes I’ve ever seen. You know your appeal. You and your brothers all know your magnetism.”

  Brandon gaped at her for a bit before he laughed loud and mirthfully. She sat there unable to stop her own smile. His joy was infectious.

  “I’m not exactly arrogant, but I know I don’t look as if I’ve been hit by a train,” he admitted. “But your beauty outshines me any day of the week,” he told her. His eyes drifted over her face and lower. She felt as if he were caressing her. The dress wouldn’t hide much, so she shifted as she felt her nipples harden and ache for his touch. The man had power even when he wasn’t touching her.

  “I forgot to add you’re a smooth talker,” she said, her voice slightly husky.

  “It’s not smooth when it’s true,” he said.

  Luckily Jen brought their food over right at that moment. Chloe was more than happy to have the conversation interrupted. She’d begun almost joking, but there was truth in her words. Most jokes had a bit of truth in them. Not all, but most. And when she was as high strung as she was at the moment, she needed something to save her.

  Their meal was delicious, and their talk was lighthearted as they ate, drank, and chatted about easy things. It was probably the nicest night she’d had in a long time. The woman playing the piano was setting the mood for the place that was now packed, and Chloe was glad she’d come out with Brandon.

  It wasn’t going to be good for her mental health being in this intimate setting with him, but maybe her spirit needed it. She was a woman, and there were desires only a man could fill. Maybe there were things in her life only Brandon could fill. That was a scary and humbling thought.

  Jen came back and cleared their plates, and Brandon whispered something in the girl’s ear. She grinned big before slipping away.

  “What was that all about?” she asked.

  He just smiled as he stood up and held out a hand.

  “What are you doing?” she said more insistently.

  “Trust me,” he said.

  She realized as he held out his hand and beckoned her with his eyes that she did trust him. She wasn’t sure why, as she’d always believed trust was something that had to be earned over time, but she did trust this man. He hadn’t done anything to her to prove she shouldn’t.

  She didn’t say anything else as she gave him her hand and let him pull her to her feet. He moved the two of them over toward the piano just as the music changed to an intimate love song. The woman began singing in a low melodic voice that was made for lovers.

  Brandon cradled her close, and she laid her head against his chest, the rest of the world falling away as he smoothly turned her in the small space.

  “I guess you had Jen put in a request,” she said with a sigh.

  Brandon let go of her hand and cradled both of his behind her back. She lifted hers and put them behind his neck, allowing her fingers to rub against his hot skin and up into his hair.

  They were quiet for the first song and kept dancing along to the next. A few other patrons joined in, each couple in their own little world. Chloe was so content at the moment she didn’t understand why she’d been fighting Brandon as long as she had. Maybe it had been stubbornness and maybe self-preservation. Whatever it was, she’d lost the battle—at least for now.

  “For such a class clown, you have some very smooth dance moves, Brandon,” she told him in a whisper against his neck that made a shudder pass through his body, which made her feel feminine and powerful.

  “I enjoy the feel of you in my arms, your sweet curves pressing against me. Dancing is a prelude to sex, you know, and obviously we’ve never had any trouble in that department.”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, she was wishing they were alone, where they could strip away their clothes and finish this dance horizontally. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. She sighed in bliss.

  He pressed harder against her lower back as he wiggled his hips, and she felt his hard arousal pushing into her. The ache she’d been feeling the entire night went into the danger zone. She wanted this man so much she couldn’t function without him inside her.

  His hands slid over the back of her dress, dipping dangerously low as their swaying slowed. Their eyes were locked together, and they were speaking a lot of words without a single sound being uttered.

  He leaned down again, this time his tongue softly dancing over her bottom lip before he connected their mouths again. Her moan was swallowed by him as she pressed closer, needing him, needing her ache sated.

  When he pulled back, she was a puddle at his feet. She knew she was only still standing because he was holding her up. Without his strength, she wasn’t sure she’d make it out of the restaurant.

  “I need you, Brandon. Take me home,” she said. This time it was his eyes that widened. They’d both known where this night would end, but the fact that she was being so wanton was obviously a turn-on for him. Good. She wanted him as hot and bothere
d as she was.

  “I’m going to take you right here on this dance floor if we don’t leave now,” he said, his voice choked and filled with need. She smiled as she licked her lip and ground her hips against his one more time. He groaned.

  “You little minx,” he whispered before leaning down and kissing her hard and fast. She smiled in pure satisfaction.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  He pulled away from her and took her hand. They moved quickly back to their table, where their check was waiting. He glanced at it, then pulled out his wallet and grabbed a wad of cash. He slipped it inside, then moved swiftly to the door without bothering with any goodbyes.

  They practically ran to his truck, where he kissed her the way she’d wanted to be kissed all night, with her back pressed against the metal door. She moaned her displeasure when he pulled away, and he looked pained.

  “Let me get you home before I take you in the back seat,” he growled. She smiled at him, thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea to climb in the back. She wasn’t sure she’d make it all the way home. It was thirty minutes. That was a long time when your body was on fire.

  Brandon didn’t give her the choice, though, just opened the door and practically shoved her up inside. She got a wicked smile on her lips as he entered the driver’s side. Then she climbed over the console and straddled him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Brandon didn’t even try to stop Chloe as she landed in his lap. Her dress was hiked up over her hips, leaving his most favorite place on her body hidden by only a tiny scrap of silk. She ground her hips down and pressed against his painful arousal as she clasped his face in her hands.

  Her head descended, and she kissed him with all the fevered passion they were both feeling. He was about to undo his pants and take her right there, not giving a damn who walked by the two of them.

  When she pulled back and buried her head in his neck, her lips tickling his skin, he shuddered again. “I’m barely keeping it together here, Chloe,” he warned her as his hand slid between their bodies, and he cupped one of her luscious breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and that made him want to tear away her dress and have a taste.