Brandon

by Anne, Melody

  “You really don’t need to stick around for the cleaning. I’m only going to do what I have to tonight and then do a full top to bottom on the twenty-sixth,” Chloe said as she stood and stretched.

  “There’s nowhere else I want to be,” Brandon told her.

  She looked over at him, and his heart beat a bit faster when he saw the one emotion in her eyes he hadn’t realized he’d wanted to see so much. There was a look of love. Maybe, just maybe, they were getting closer to allowing themselves to feel the scary emotion.

  She smiled at him, and Brooke laughed. “I’d offer to help, but since the two of you can’t seem to stop making googly eyes at one another, I think you’d probably like me gone more than the help.”

  She finished off her third pastry, then grabbed her bags and said goodbye and headed to the door. Neither Chloe nor Brandon tried to stop her, and Brandon followed behind and locked it. He could hear her laughing as she moved down the street.

  He turned and saw Chloe smiling at him.

  Yep, this was about as perfect a day as he could have. And it was only halfway finished. He had tonight with this woman he wanted, and then maybe he’d have the rest of his life, too, if he was really lucky.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  There were so many advantages to living in a small town it would be hard for Chloe to name all of them. But at the moment one thing she appreciated was that her business wasn’t too far from her home.

  Though her feet ached and her back felt as if a sledgehammer had been pounding into it all day, she still liked the walk home so she could begin to let go of the stress of the day before she walked through her front door.

  This walk was even more special because Brandon was by her side. He’d stayed at the restaurant for two hours straight, and she’d gotten so much more cleaned up than she’d expected. He’d been a huge help, and now she was bringing him home. For what? She didn’t exactly know. But it was Christmas Eve, and the sun had gone down, the clouds were beginning to open, and small flakes of snow fell.

  It was perfect, and for this moment she didn’t want to feel sadness or worry. She wanted to take a walk with the man who was on her mind all the time and enjoy a beautiful holiday evening. Yes, her guard was coming down, but it was to be expected.

  She’d just decided she was going to have to deal with the pain of it ending no matter what at this point, so she might as well appreciate the two of them together for now. She didn’t want to be alone this holiday.

  They didn’t say much as they moved through the streets, the snow falling harder as they got closer to her home. She’d have to either lend him her car or give him a ride home later if the roads weren’t too bad. That was something else she didn’t want to think about.

  They stepped up to her porch, and she pulled out her keys. He took them and unlocked the door, pushing it open so she could step inside first. It was such an antiquated gesture and still one she appreciated very much.

  Though it was in the low thirties temperature-wise, Chloe felt warm and tingly on the inside. She shed her coat gratefully when the front door closed behind the two of them.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked. They’d eaten a bunch of pastries and downed coffee, but that had been two hours earlier, before a ton of hard work. She was definitely feeling hungry. It was dinnertime, and she had a ham in the fridge she should throw in the oven for a special meal on this beautiful night. But she was exhausted as well.

  “Let’s just relax for a while. You’ve been on your feet all day,” he said as he took her arm and led her to the living room. He pulled her to the couch and tucked her in close to his side as his fingers danced on her scalp, and she leaned against his chest, feeling at home.

  “Don’t you need to go to your parents’ for the holiday?” she asked. She didn’t want him to tell her he was leaving, but he had a wonderful family, and she was sure that was where he’d go. She wasn’t his family, and it would be better for her to remember that. Of course, she’d been invited to hang out with Brooke and Sarah, but as their families grew, she’d felt like a third wheel at the holidays. They’d kick her butt for even thinking that thought, so she’d never dared to say it.

  “I promised to be there tomorrow,” he told her with a contented sigh.

  “I hope the roads don’t get too bad tonight,” she said. “Where’s your truck?”

  He laughed. “It’s still parked in front of your house. You’re so done in you didn’t see the huge thing.”

  “No, I totally missed it,” she admitted. She wasn’t sure if she was ever going to move from the spot she was in right at that moment.

  “Well, my truck can get through pretty much anything, so we can get around town,” he said. “We don’t need to go anywhere tonight. This is too dang comfortable.”

  “I’ve always been freaked out driving in the snow. I don’t think you’d have a problem with it in that beast of a vehicle.”

  Brandon chuckled before he lifted her, pulling her onto his lap and cupping her face as he looked into her eyes. She was so smitten with him.

  “I plan on us having some fun winter adventures in that truck,” he said, his voice growing husky. The exhaustion Chloe had been feeling quickly faded as desire took its place.

  “I try not to make too many plans in advance,” she said, forcing a smile to her lips. She didn’t want to jinx what they were having right now.

  “I have to think of the future,” he said. “I’ve found that I’m growing a bit jealous of my siblings with their marriages and children. I’m beginning to realize the things I found important when I was younger aren’t the same now. Making plans isn’t a bad thing,” he said, shocking her.

  “I can’t believe you’re thinking of having kids,” she said. Her womb jumped at the thought of kids with him. He wasn’t saying he wanted them with her, but she couldn’t help but imagine a beautiful little girl with his stunning eyes and intense gaze. What was wrong with her? She’d decided long ago she wasn’t going to have the white picket fence and little ones running around.

  It had to be the holidays—she tried convincing herself. There was nothing else it could be. It was that or the pure exhaustion of a very busy month.

  “I’ve been thinking about a lot of things from the moment I met you,” he told her as his fingers rubbed her cheek. Tears were fighting to escape her stinging eyes, but she pushed them away. This wasn’t the time to fall apart, and this wasn’t the night to think about what could be.

  “You have to be careful saying things like that,” she told him.

  His hand slipped from her hair and ran down her back. Pleasure surged through her as she tried to focus on the conversation the two of them were having. But a great sex life wasn’t one of their problems. She always went up in flames the moment he touched her.

  “Why should I be careful? I’m saying what I feel,” he told her, leaning closer and pressing a kiss to one corner of her mouth before moving across her lips and kissing the other side.

  “Because I might forget we’re not a couple,” she said with more honesty than she cared to share.

  “Let me see if I can make sure you forget,” he said.

  Brandon finally kissed her the way she wanted to be kissed, and Chloe realized she wanted to forget as much as he wanted her to. Wrapping her arms around Brandon, she held on tight while she kissed him back. This was three days in a row they’d been together, and she was moving dangerously into couple territory—and she didn’t care.

  Standing up with her in his arms, Brandon confidently moved through the house, never taking his lips from hers. She wanted exactly that. She was tired but not too tired to make love to him again.

  He set her down in front of the bed, and the look in his eyes made her feel so beautiful and desired. She was shaking before him as he reached up and slowly began undoing the buttons on her shirt. When the blouse was open and his fingers lightly brushed her skin, she shook beneath his touch.

  She reached beneath his shirt and ran
her hands up the solid muscles of his stomach and chest, sighing at how good it felt to touch him. It didn’t matter that they’d made love only a few hours earlier—it felt like it had been a month. That was how strong the need to touch him was. He stepped back a couple of inches and pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it into the dark recesses of her room.

  They were still wearing too many clothes. But she also couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of touching and looking at one another. The rest of their clothes melted away, and he pulled her into his arms. She relished the heat radiating off him and the thickness of his arousal pressing against her stomach. She needed to lie down with him, feel the weight of his body atop hers.

  “Bed,” she murmured when he released her lips.

  He smiled before kissing her again and then moved them and pushed back, both of them tumbling onto the top of the covers. They didn’t need them. They were heating up each other’s bodies just fine.

  Chloe tugged against Brandon, not wanting an inch of air to separate them. She wanted it to be slow and beautiful, but with him so close, the urgency of her body began taking over. Her hands reached around him, her nails digging into the flesh of his back as she kissed him with hunger.

  Brandon flipped them over, and she pushed her hips up. Yes. This was what she wanted. She felt the shake of his chest as she opened her eyes and saw him smiling. There was heat in his eyes, but there was something else there that almost terrified her. Could it be love?

  “I want to taste you,” he said before moving his lips down her jaw and kissing her throat in a delicious path to her trembling breasts.

  Chloe gripped his shoulders as he slid down her body. His mouth latched onto her nipple, and she arched, the heat in her core becoming unbearable as desire ran through her.

  Brandon lavished attention on her breasts before kissing his way down her stomach. He pushed open her thighs, and she felt his hot breath against her aching core. He opened her up and licked until she was begging for mercy.

  She pleaded with him to take her, but he seemed to know when she was about to sink into dark bliss, and he moved places, drawing out her pleasure in an unending span of time.

  “I need you, Brandon, please,” she begged him, her voice shaking, her body wrecked.

  Brandon climbed back up her body, and his eyes were wild with a passion that excited her even more. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he positioned himself at her entrance.

  “This will never end,” he said.

  Chloe wanted to argue, but he pushed forward, and the only sound that came from her lips was a cry of passion. He made love to her for hours and made her come many times before he pushed off her.

  Chloe was barely even conscious when he shifted their bodies and tucked her into his arms beneath the covers. It was Christmas Eve. She allowed herself to take the gift he was giving her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Brandon woke up in the early dawn of Christmas morning and reached for Chloe. When he found nothing but her scent and empty air, he felt a surge of unease wash through him. She’d run away again. He’d thought they’d gotten past that.

  But as he sat up in the comfortable bed, he caught the scent of fresh coffee and cinnamon and found his heartbeat slowing. She hadn’t gone anywhere. She was preparing them a meal. He got up and took the world’s shortest shower before throwing on his pants and nothing else. He was in too much of a hurry to find Chloe.

  Stepping into her kitchen, he found her in a fluffy purple robe, pulling muffins from the oven. He walked over and pulled her into his arms the moment her hands were free.

  “I missed you in bed this morning,” he said before nuzzling her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. Each moment with her was a great one.

  “You’re in a good mood this morning,” she said as she melted against him. It felt easy and right, as if they’d done this every day for years instead of days. He was kicking himself for the time they’d already wasted in the past couple of years. They could’ve been in a routine like this for a while. But the timing had to be right, he assured himself.

  Far too soon, Chloe pulled from him, and the emptiness he felt as she let go was a new experience. Brandon was too stunned by the feeling to reach for her again. What was wrong with him? He’d never been this needy before. He didn’t appreciate it one little bit. He moved over to the coffeepot and made himself a cup before snatching a muffin and going to the breakfast bar to sit.

  “It’s incredibly distracting to finish cooking when all of that beautiful body is in my kitchen . . . uncovered,” Chloe said as she gazed at his chest. Pride filled him, and he felt himself puffing out a little. Damn, he liked how he was feeling.

  “You can touch all you want, darling,” he told her with a wink as he finished his muffin, then looked longingly at the pan, which was just out of reach.

  Chloe laughed as she set the pan close to him, and he quickly reached in and grabbed another. “These are delicious.”

  “I’ve always liked to cook, from the time I was young. Of course, that was inevitable with parents that both worked in the food industry. That might have changed some kids from ever going into the same line of work. But I think it truly began for me because I noticed that people were always happy when they were in the kitchen. No matter what is happening in life, family and friends tend to gather in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, tea, and food. There’s always food at any event—a wedding, birthday party, graduation, and even a funeral. I guess that’s why I decided to have my own restaurant instead of joining with my dad. I wanted it to be unique and be my own,” she said with a laugh.

  “That’s something I’ve never really thought about before, but you’re absolutely right. No matter what’s going on, food is normally involved, especially during the holidays.”

  He took his third muffin, and she laughed. “It’s such a normal morning that it doesn’t really feel like Christmas,” she said.

  “Why don’t you have a tree?” he asked her. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed sooner. Maybe because he’d been more interested in getting her to date him than worrying about the holidays.

  “It’s just me here. I usually spend it with Brooke and Sarah, so I haven’t bothered with a messy tree in a long while,” she told him.

  “That breaks my heart. Next year we’ll have a tree.”

  Her eyes widened at his words, and he could see she was beginning to panic. He wasn’t going to give her time to do that. He got up and wrapped her in his arms, only giving her a second before he kissed her the way he’d wanted to from the moment he’d woken.

  When he pulled back, she no longer looked panicked. She seemed very satisfied and dreamy. That was exactly how he liked her appearing. It made him smile. He could definitely be happy sweeping her off her feet over and over again.

  “Merry Christmas, Chloe. I’m glad to be here with you,” he said. The gift he’d gotten her was hidden in his truck. He’d have to slip something on unless he wanted the neighbors talking when he went out there to get it.

  “Merry Christmas, Brandon,” she replied. She seemed almost dreamy as she gazed at him. He loved big family Christmases and was looking forward to spending it with his brothers and their spouses . . . and with Chloe. There was no way he was letting her stay in her undecorated house on this magical day.

  “I think it’s time for your gift,” he said, no longer able to wait. He was always eager to give a gift when he bought one. Probably because he didn’t do it too often. He truly didn’t like to give a gift just to give one.

  “You didn’t need to get me anything,” she said, panic in her eyes again. He was guessing she hadn’t gotten him something, and that was okay with him. She was the only gift he needed.

  “Of course I did,” he argued before he disappeared from the room. He decided to risk the neighbors talking and grabbed his truck keys to unlock the door. It was cold outside, and his bare feet were numb by the time he returned with the snowflake-paper-wrapped package.
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  “I didn’t get anything for you,” she said as she reluctantly accepted the box. She twisted it in her hands as she shifted on her feet.

  “Yes, you did,” he said. She looked at him with confusion. “You gave me you,” he told her.

  Tears brightened her eyes before she broke the connection of their gaze and looked down at the box. Finally she sat next to him as she carefully began undoing the wrapping. When she pulled the lid off the package, she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

  It was an antique wooden tea box with a phoenix burned into it.

  “Wow, Brandon. This is stunning,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she turned it over in her hands. The date on the bottom said 1892. It was a true treasure. He was so glad he’d found it.

  “I was looking for the perfect gift, and I found this in the antique shop down the road. I remember everything from our night of my brother’s wedding and how you talked about always feeling the need to rise and be better,” he said. “Nothing quite symbolizes that like a phoenix rising from the ashes. And of course, your love of tea made this the perfect gift.” He pulled the antique case from the box and set it down on the counter.

  “There were always so many expectations of me growing up. I had two perfect parents, and they always expected more from me. I realize now that I expected just as much of myself and others. I think with age, they are realizing we’re perfect just as we are. I’m trying to realize that as well. I don’t want to be so uptight I’m unwilling to change. I want to keep on rising, but because I want to, not because I have anything to prove,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

  “We can break free together,” he told her, meaning every word.

  He opened the lid to the box, and inside on a bed of tea bags was an infinity necklace embedded with diamonds. Chloe gasped as she looked at it. Then her face whipped around as she gazed at him.