“I’m so glad I found you. You have no idea
what it took for me to find you,
baby girl.”
His words echoed in my ears as I stood there
staring. He was here. He was really here. I was frozen, unable to move. I
needed to get away. Away from him. Away from here.
Red! screamed
in my head but refused to come out of my mouth. It was as if I’d suddenly
swallowed a mouthful of cotton. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. Fear took
over. My chest tightened, making it harder to breathe.
I stumbled backward, still trying to speak, but
nothing would come out. I had to get away. Stephan. I needed Stephan.
As I moved farther into the living room, he
followed me. He was like a giant, filling the space. I’d always thought
Stephan’s place was large, but now it felt very small as John stalked toward
me. The panic continued to rise, but I fought it. Breathe. Remember to breathe. Stephan. Think about Stephan.
Oxygen tore through my lungs with every intake of
air. I was breathing, but it wasn’t doing its job. It wasn’t calming me. My
father had come for me.
Every step I took, he matched and then some. I
couldn’t get away. He was bigger, stronger. Why? Why was he here? What did he
want with me?
Turning my back on him for the first time, I ran
toward the phone. I stumbled over the coffee table on my way and righted myself.
I knew he was close, but I had to try. I had to try to call Stephan.
My hands trembled as I picked up the phone. I didn’t
get any further than that. Before my fingers could touch the keys, he snatched
the phone out of my hands, tossing it to the floor behind him.
I turned the doorknob and walked into
my condo. My eyes immediately began to search for Brianna.
She was right where I thought she’d be,
just outside the kitchen waiting for me as she had been yesterday. The
difference today was that she was looking up at me and smiling. I dropped my
keys on the table beside the door and went to her.
I circled my arms around her, bringing
her close. I heard a small sigh escape her as my hands traveled up her back and
into her hair. “How are you feeling?” I whispered before pulling back to look
into her eyes.
“Better,” she said, looking just as
relieved as I felt.
I wondered if she felt any of the same
pull I felt toward her. Even if she did, would it be enough for her to stay?
Would she give a relationship between the two of us an opportunity to develop?
Or would fear from her past block any chance we had? I didn’t know the answer,
and I’m not sure she did either.
With that thought, I
closed my eyes and let my lips find hers. She opened up to me and kissed me
back. It was not full of heat like our kiss the night before, but it was just
as full of emotion. At least, it was for me. I had no idea what Brianna was
feeling. Although she was getting better every day, she was still reluctant to
share her true feelings with me. I was hoping that would change soon. More than
anything, I wanted to know what she was thinking.
Since he had time,
he went into the kitchen to make breakfast. He pulled out all the stops, fixing
bacon, eggs, pancakes, and even frying up some hash browns. Just as he was
ready to plate the eggs, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. She was
standing there in one of his T-shirts and a blanket wrapped around her.
It was only with
great effort that he managed not to drop the eggs. Trying to distract himself
he said, “I made breakfast. Hope you’re hungry.” When he looked up, she smiled
and his heart slammed against his chest, making it difficult to breathe. If he
thought she’d been nearly irresistible before . . .
Knowing he had to
get out of there and soon, he set the plates down on the counter. “Everything’s
ready. Help yourself. I’m going—I’m going to grab a shower first.” Then he
quickly brushed past and locked himself in his bedroom.
The problem was
his bedroom was no longer safe. He could smell her everywhere, and that was
before he noticed the tangled sheets.
It had been over
three years since he’d been with a woman. After seeing Carol in bed with his
best friend, the last thing he wanted was any type of female companionship.
He’d been tempted, sure, but even the thought of reliving what he’d been
through with his ex-wife had turned his stomach and easily quashed any desire
he had. He could honestly say he’d never been tempted like this. Elizabeth
Marshall was something he’d never experienced before, and he wasn’t sure that
was a good thing.
He wanted her.
There was no doubt about that. The physical attraction had been obvious from
the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he’d dealt with that before.
This . . . was something else, and he had no idea what he was
doing. All he knew was it was driving him insane.
Brianna was quiet the entire ride home, and I wondered what she was thinking. I caught her clamping her lips together a few times, which told me she wasn't just passively watching buildings go by.
When we arrived back at the condo, I went upstairs and let her know she was free to do as she wished until it was time to make dinner. As I logged onto my e-mail, I could hear her moving around downstairs and wondered what she was doing with her time. My mind seemed to be on little else these days.
Never had one woman dominated my thoughts as she did.
Chad, one
of the locals, handed her the phone as soon as she entered. Placing the grungy
handset that looked like it had been around for at least thirty years to her
ear, she said, “Hello?”
“Cali?
Cali, honey, is that you?”
“Yes,
Dad, it’s me. Is everything okay?” she asked, worried.
“No,
sweetheart, it’s not. I need you to come home.” Cali sat down in the beat up
wooden chair Chad had recently vacated.
“Come
home? Dad, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” She heard him sigh on the other end,
followed by a moan. “Dad?”
“I kind
of went and did something stupid.”
“What did
you do?” She felt her body tense as it did so often when getting ready to work
on an injury that they were ill equipped for. Cali didn’t like being unprepared
for anything. People died that way.
“I went
waterskiing with Henry.”
“You
what!” She yelled, almost falling off her chair.
“I know,
I know. Stupid, right? Not something a man my age should be doing. I’ve already
heard it all from Jessie.”
“What
happened? Are you alright?”
“Well…”
“Dad?”
Why was he stalling?
Another
sigh and another moan, “The doctors say I broke my hip and a couple of ribs.
They say I’m going to be out of commission for about three months.”
“Oh,
Dad,” Cali said with disapproval.
“So I
need you to come home, Cali. I need to you run the business while I’m away.
Look after things.”
“Dad…”
She hesitated, not really knowing how to respond.
“Now
listen, Cali. I know you’ve told me you don’t want to take over for me when I
retire, and although I’m not happy about that, I will respect your wishes.
However, at the moment there are some things going on, and I would feel much
better with someone I trust watching over my interests.”
“What
about Peter? I thought you trusted him. I thought you were grooming him to take
over?”
“Peter is
very good at what he does, and maybe someday I will feel confident turning the
business over to him. But he’s not family. You’re the only family I’ve got,
Cali, and I need you for this and only you.”
“I don’t
know,” she said, leaning back in the chair, still unsure.
“Please?
Your old man needs you.” Cali giggled.
“How soon
can you get here?”
“I can
get a ride into town tomorrow and catch the bus from there, but it will take me
most of the day to reach the airport so…” Cali paused to do the calculations in
her head. “I should be able to make it back by Thursday, Friday at the latest.”
“Good
girl. Call me when you have your flight information, and I’ll make sure someone
picks you up.”
“Okay,
Dad,” she answered getting up from her seat.
Hansen helped her carry her bags
upstairs. Thankfully, they hadn't dropped them off at the hotel earlier. The
last room on the left was clearly the master suite and his, so she chose the
one directly across from it. The walls were a soft baby blue that matched the
bedspread. It wasn't as frilly as the hotel room, but it still had that air of
money about it, including an en suite bathroom that had a large shower and a
soaker tub. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked it.
Since she’d only brought a week’s worth
of clothing with her, it didn't take her long to unpack. They were on their way
downstairs within twenty minutes. As they reached the bottom of the staircase,
they heard voices. Each glanced at the other before reaching for their guns and
edging down the last remaining steps.
Rounding the corner, they saw a man
talking with Daniels. He appeared to be about her height, wearing a dress shirt
with the sleeves rolled up fashionably and neatly pressed pants. He didn't look
threatening, so they both holstered their guns and stepped into the room.
Before they made it more than a few
feet, the new arrival noticed their entrance and was quickly racing toward
them. Correction. He was racing toward her.
“Oh! This must be her,” he gushed. “I
see what you mean. I can definitely help.” Before she knew what was going on,
he was reaching for her suit jacket, tryingto
remove it.
She reacted instinctively before
thinking it through. Within seconds, the man was bent over the kitchen island
with his arm pulled tight and high along his back.
“What in the world are you doing?”
Danielsdemanded.
“What was he doing?”
“Jeez, lady. Relax. This is Charlie, my
stylist.”
Glancing down at what she then realized
were his designer clothes, Rebecca conceded she might have overreacteda
bit. She wasn't used to people grabbing at herand
trying to remove her clothes like that. She stepped back, releasing him.
“Sorry,” she said. “Just please don’t try to remove my clothing without asking
first.”
“Got it. No problem,” he said, glancing
between her and Daniels.
Hansen recovered faster than the rest
of them. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, nodding at Charlie.
“My girlfriend
is going to need some new clothing if she’s going to be out in public with
me. Outfits like that,” he pointed at the suit she was wearing, “won’t do.”
“And what exactly is wrong with my
clothing?”
“Honey,” he said, walking up, getting
way too close for her comfort. “The places I go? You’ll stick out like a sore
thumb in an outfit like that.” Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Or
do you want everyone to know you’re my bodyguard?”
Since he had time,
he went into the kitchen to make breakfast. He pulled out all the stops, fixing
bacon, eggs, pancakes, and even frying up some hash browns. Just as he was
ready to plate the eggs, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. She was
standing there in one of his T-shirts and a blanket wrapped around her.
It was only with
great effort that he managed not to drop the eggs. Trying to distract himself
he said, “I made breakfast. Hope you’re hungry.” When he looked up, she smiled
and his heart slammed against his chest, making it difficult to breathe. If he
thought she’d been nearly irresistible before . . .
Knowing he had to
get out of there and soon, he set the plates down on the counter. “Everything’s
ready. Help yourself. I’m going—I’m going to grab a shower first.” Then he
quickly brushed past and locked himself in his bedroom.
The problem was
his bedroom was no longer safe. He could smell her everywhere, and that was
before he noticed the tangled sheets.
It had been over
three years since he’d been with a woman. After seeing Carol in bed with his
best friend, the last thing he wanted was any type of female companionship.
He’d been tempted, sure, but even the thought of reliving what he’d been
through with his ex-wife had turned his stomach and easily quashed any desire
he had. He could honestly say he’d never been tempted like this. Elizabeth
Marshall was something he’d never experienced before, and he wasn’t sure that
was a good thing.
He wanted her.
There was no doubt about that. The physical attraction had been obvious from
the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. But he’d dealt with that before.
This . . . was something else, and he had no idea what he was
doing. All he knew was it was driving him insane.
"I will in a minute," he said, looking over my
shoulder. His behavior gave me a negative feeling. "Do you know what you
want, Stephan?"
"Yes. I come here all the time."
"Good." He sounded relieved.
And then Kelly was there asking for orders.
As soon as she left, I raised my eyebrow in question, but he
ignored me. "You're still running the family business, I see."
"Yes," I said, not sure what he was getting at. I
doubted it had anything to do with why he’d called me. "I'm still head of The
Coleman Foundation, but since it's a not-for-profit, I'm not sure you could say
it's the family business."
He waved it away. "Same thing."
I waited, but he didn't continue so I decided to play along.
"You're still consulting?"
Daren released a sharp breath. "Yeah." He leaned
toward me. "Are you still looking to collar a sub?"
So that's what this was about? "If I find the right
one, yes." I noticed shoulders relax, and he sat back a little. "What
does that have to do with anything?" I asked, truly confused.
The subject that I did not currently have a submissive came
up in conversation last month at the party. I hadn't played with anyone in the
last six months. No one had struck my fancy, and most of them reminded me too
much of Tami.
Daren had been with his submissive, Gina, since college.
They were well matched in likes and dislikes and were much more open in their
relationship than I personally preferred. I did not share my submissives, nor
did I play with others when in a relationship. Many did, like Daren and Gina,
but I’d never found it to be appealing. What was mine was mine.
Kelly came back with our drinks, so Daren waited for her to
leave again before answering. "Because I found a girl for you."
"Daren," I warned, shaking my head. This was
another no on my list. I didn't enjoy
being set up. Logan, I best friend, and his girl, Lily, had tried to set me up
more times than I could count. I wasn't interested.
"Hear me out. She needs your help."
This aroused my curiosity. "What you mean she needs my
help?"
"I know how much you like to help people, Stephan. I
mean, look at what you do."
I was in complete disbelief. "Helping fund medical care
for those can't afford it is a little different than taking on a submissive. Is
she already a trained sub? She's looking for Dom?"
"She's a slave."
A slave. I didn't have a problem that, fundamentally. It was
complete power exchange. Slaves gave up all control of their lives, their
bodies, to their Master or Mistress. Some women, and even some men, choose to
be slaves. For most slaves it was a comfort to have someone else make the
decisions in their lives for them, to give up complete control to someone else.
That didn't sound like the case here if she needed my help.
"Okay," I said, drawing out the word, still not
quite sure where Daren was going with this.
"I was a party Saturday night. She was there. Her name is
Brianna, and she belongs to Ian Pierce."
I knew of Ian solely by reputation. I’d never met personally.
He was well-known in the community, from what I heard, he was in pain and
humiliation. And he already had a slave. "What happened to his other
one?"
"Oh, she's still there. Alex was at the party as well.
Brianna is a new acquisition."
Forcing himself to relax his hands, he pushed himself back
into his chair, and placed his fingers on the keyboard. Given her a little smile,
"Let's see what I can do." Focusing on the computer, he made a few
clicks on the keyboard and entered the IT systems.
He didn't hear her come up behind him, but she felt her. She
leaned over to see the screen. Clearing his throat, he pointed and explained.
"This is the backdoor system, you could say." He typed in a few more
bits of information and scrolled down to find her security information.
"Here we go," he said. Without thinking, he turned.
Her cheek was only inches from him, and when he turned to
face her, his warm breath tickled her skin. Cali didn't know what to do. She
knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to turn towards those lips that made
starring appearance in her dreams for the last two nights. Her body seemed to respond
without her permission, and her face turned.
Their eyes met and held for a brief second before Matthew’s
computer beeped, breaking the spell. They both jumped back quickly.
Giving his head a small shake, Matthew made himself focus
again, and quickly pressed a button. He didn't waste any time. As soon as the
paper was off the printer, he handed it to her. "Do whatever you need to do
memorize that tonight and destroy it. Password protection means nothing if
someone is able to get their hands on it."
"Yes," Cali said a bit awkwardly, rushing toward
the door. "Thank you." With her hand on the knob, she glanced back.
"Good night, Mr. Anderson."
As soon as the door shut behind her, Matthew let his head
fall into his hands. He'd almost kissed her. What was wrong with him? He was a
professional. A professional did not fool
around with his boss. Period.
His computer beeped again, and he silently blessed and
cursed it. Taking a much needed breath, he went back to what he'd been doing
before Cali Stanton walked through his door.
“I’m so glad I found you. You have no idea
what it took for me to find you,
baby girl.”
His words echoed in my ears as I stood there
staring. He was here. He was really here. I was frozen, unable to move. I
needed to get away. Away from him. Away from here.
Red! screamed
in my head but refused to come out of my mouth. It was as if I’d suddenly
swallowed a mouthful of cotton. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. Fear took
over. My chest tightened, making it harder to breathe.
I stumbled backward, still trying to speak, but
nothing would come out. I had to get away. Stephan. I needed Stephan.
As I moved farther into the living room, he
followed me. He was like a giant, filling the space. I’d always thought
Stephan’s place was large, but now it felt very small as John stalked toward
me. The panic continued to rise, but I fought it. Breathe. Remember to breathe. Stephan. Think about Stephan.
Oxygen tore through my lungs with every intake of
air. I was breathing, but it wasn’t doing its job. It wasn’t calming me. My
father had come for me.
Every step I took, he matched and then some. I
couldn’t get away. He was bigger, stronger. Why? Why was he here? What did he
want with me?
Turning my back on him for the first time, I ran
toward the phone. I stumbled over the coffee table on my way and righted myself.
I knew he was close, but I had to try. I had to try to call Stephan.
My hands trembled as I picked up the phone. I didn’t
get any further than that. Before my fingers could touch the keys, he snatched
the phone out of my hands, tossing it to the floor behind him.
Back inside the house, however, her
luck ran out the minute she turned to go up the stairs and bumped into Daniels.
“Good morning, beautiful.” A huge smile
graced his face. It made him look even more handsome than he usually did, and
he knew it.
“Good morning, Mr. Daniels. My
apologies. I didn’t hear you coming down the stairs.”
“Oh, I don’t mind one bit. A lovely
lady like yourself crashing into me first thing in the morning isn’t something
that needs an apology.” As he spoke, he leaned his body closer to her. She
stepped back, trying to maintain an appropriate distance between them, but it
didn’t work. Every inch she moved, he countered by the same inch, sometimes
more.
“Mr. Daniels—”
“Gage,” he insisted, nearly pinning her
against the wall with his body. He was too close. The scent of the soap he’d
used wafted up to her nose. It smelled good. He smelled good.
She needed to get away from him. “Mr.
Daniels, if you do not step back and let me pass this instant, I will
physically move you.” This only caused him to smile wider, if that were
possible, and there was a gleam in his eye she didn’t like.
Instead of stepping back, he leaned in,
holding his upper body so close she could feel the heat radiating from him. His
breath caused tiny goose bumps to cover the left side of her face and neck. She
closed her eyes, bracing herself.
Then . . . it was
gone . . . his breath, the heat, everything.
I turned the doorknob and walked into
my condo. My eyes immediately began to search for Brianna.
She was right where I thought she’d be,
just outside the kitchen waiting for me as she had been yesterday. The
difference today was that she was looking up at me and smiling. I dropped my
keys on the table beside the door and went to her.
I circled my arms around her, bringing
her close. I heard a small sigh escape her as my hands traveled up her back and
into her hair. “How are you feeling?” I whispered before pulling back to look
into her eyes.
“Better,” she said, looking just as
relieved as I felt.
I wondered if she felt any of the same
pull I felt toward her. Even if she did, would it be enough for her to stay?
Would she give a relationship between the two of us an opportunity to develop?
Or would fear from her past block any chance we had? I didn’t know the answer,
and I’m not sure she did either.
With that thought, I
closed my eyes and let my lips find hers. She opened up to me and kissed me
back. It was not full of heat like our kiss the night before, but it was just
as full of emotion. At least, it was for me. I had no idea what Brianna was
feeling. Although she was getting better every day, she was still reluctant to
share her true feelings with me. I was hoping that would change soon. More than
anything, I wanted to know what she was thinking.
At three forty-seven,
he heard a car pull up the driveway and rushed to the window to confirm it was
Elizabeth. The door to her red Honda Civic opened slowly and she stepped out
into the bright afternoon sunshine. He was relieved to see she was in one
piece.
As if sensing his
stare, she shielded her eyes and looked up, and when she saw him, she gave him
a small, nervous smile.
He didn’t suppose
he could blame her for that. After his overprotective reaction to her going
out, she probably had no idea what she’d find waiting for her when she
returned.
Moving away from the
window, he chastised himself for his stupidity. How could he be so dumb? She
had spent years with a husband who’d abused her, and although he’d never raised
his hand to her and never would, she didn’t know that.
He realized he
needed to do better for her. No matter what he was feeling, she was not his and
may never be. But even if one day she was, he couldn’t allow his emotions to
get out of hand; they would frighten her and that was the last thing he wanted.
Why was this so
hard with her?
He took a deep
breath before collapsing onto his couch. She was home. He could breathe again.
Not two hours
later, Chris realized how wrong he’d been. The sound of another vehicle in the
driveway roused him from his spot on the couch where he’d been attempting to
watch a movie.
His brother’s
truck pulled up and parked beside his. He wasn’t expecting Trent to stop by
today. Then he stepped out dressed in black slacks and a dark blue, button down
dress shirt. The last time Chris had seen his brother this dressed up was at their
brother Paul’s wedding.
Brianna was quiet the entire ride home, and I wondered what she was thinking. I caught her clamping her lips together a few times, which told me she wasn't just passively watching buildings go by.
When we arrived back at the condo, I went upstairs and let her know she was free to do as she wished until it was time to make dinner. As I logged onto my e-mail, I could hear her moving around downstairs and wondered what she was doing with her time. My mind seemed to be on little else these days.
Never had one woman dominated my thoughts as she did.
Chad, one
of the locals, handed her the phone as soon as she entered. Placing the grungy
handset that looked like it had been around for at least thirty years to her
ear, she said, “Hello?”
“Cali?
Cali, honey, is that you?”
“Yes,
Dad, it’s me. Is everything okay?” she asked, worried.
“No,
sweetheart, it’s not. I need you to come home.” Cali sat down in the beat up
wooden chair Chad had recently vacated.
“Come
home? Dad, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” She heard him sigh on the other end,
followed by a moan. “Dad?”
“I kind
of went and did something stupid.”
“What did
you do?” She felt her body tense as it did so often when getting ready to work
on an injury that they were ill equipped for. Cali didn’t like being unprepared
for anything. People died that way.
“I went
waterskiing with Henry.”
“You
what!” She yelled, almost falling off her chair.
“I know,
I know. Stupid, right? Not something a man my age should be doing. I’ve already
heard it all from Jessie.”
“What
happened? Are you alright?”
“Well…”
“Dad?”
Why was he stalling?
Another
sigh and another moan, “The doctors say I broke my hip and a couple of ribs.
They say I’m going to be out of commission for about three months.”
“Oh,
Dad,” Cali said with disapproval.
“So I
need you to come home, Cali. I need to you run the business while I’m away.
Look after things.”
“Dad…”
She hesitated, not really knowing how to respond.
“Now
listen, Cali. I know you’ve told me you don’t want to take over for me when I
retire, and although I’m not happy about that, I will respect your wishes.
However, at the moment there are some things going on, and I would feel much
better with someone I trust watching over my interests.”
“What
about Peter? I thought you trusted him. I thought you were grooming him to take
over?”
“Peter is
very good at what he does, and maybe someday I will feel confident turning the
business over to him. But he’s not family. You’re the only family I’ve got,
Cali, and I need you for this and only you.”
“I don’t
know,” she said, leaning back in the chair, still unsure.
“Please?
Your old man needs you.” Cali giggled.
“How soon
can you get here?”
“I can
get a ride into town tomorrow and catch the bus from there, but it will take me
most of the day to reach the airport so…” Cali paused to do the calculations in
her head. “I should be able to make it back by Thursday, Friday at the latest.”
“Good
girl. Call me when you have your flight information, and I’ll make sure someone
picks you up.”
“Okay,
Dad,” she answered getting up from her seat.
Hansen helped her carry her bags
upstairs. Thankfully, they hadn't dropped them off at the hotel earlier. The
last room on the left was clearly the master suite and his, so she chose the
one directly across from it. The walls were a soft baby blue that matched the
bedspread. It wasn't as frilly as the hotel room, but it still had that air of
money about it, including an en suite bathroom that had a large shower and a
soaker tub. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked it.
Since she’d only brought a week’s worth
of clothing with her, it didn't take her long to unpack. They were on their way
downstairs within twenty minutes. As they reached the bottom of the staircase,
they heard voices. Each glanced at the other before reaching for their guns and
edging down the last remaining steps.
Rounding the corner, they saw a man
talking with Daniels. He appeared to be about her height, wearing a dress shirt
with the sleeves rolled up fashionably and neatly pressed pants. He didn't look
threatening, so they both holstered their guns and stepped into the room.
Before they made it more than a few
feet, the new arrival noticed their entrance and was quickly racing toward
them. Correction. He was racing toward her.
“Oh! This must be her,” he gushed. “I
see what you mean. I can definitely help.” Before she knew what was going on,
he was reaching for her suit jacket, tryingto
remove it.
She reacted instinctively before
thinking it through. Within seconds, the man was bent over the kitchen island
with his arm pulled tight and high along his back.
“What in the world are you doing?”
Danielsdemanded.
“What was he doing?”
“Jeez, lady. Relax. This is Charlie, my
stylist.”
Glancing down at what she then realized
were his designer clothes, Rebecca conceded she might have overreacteda
bit. She wasn't used to people grabbing at herand
trying to remove her clothes like that. She stepped back, releasing him.
“Sorry,” she said. “Just please don’t try to remove my clothing without asking
first.”
“Got it. No problem,” he said, glancing
between her and Daniels.
Hansen recovered faster than the rest
of them. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, nodding at Charlie.
“My girlfriend
is going to need some new clothing if she’s going to be out in public with
me. Outfits like that,” he pointed at the suit she was wearing, “won’t do.”
“And what exactly is wrong with my
clothing?”
“Honey,” he said, walking up, getting
way too close for her comfort. “The places I go? You’ll stick out like a sore
thumb in an outfit like that.” Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Or
do you want everyone to know you’re my bodyguard?”
I turned the doorknob and walked into
my condo. My eyes immediately began to search for Brianna.
She was right where I thought she’d be,
just outside the kitchen waiting for me as she had been yesterday. The
difference today was that she was looking up at me and smiling. I dropped my
keys on the table beside the door and went to her.
I circled my arms around her, bringing
her close. I heard a small sigh escape her as my hands traveled up her back and
into her hair. “How are you feeling?” I whispered before pulling back to look
into her eyes.
“Better,” she said, looking just as
relieved as I felt.
I wondered if she felt any of the same
pull I felt toward her. Even if she did, would it be enough for her to stay?
Would she give a relationship between the two of us an opportunity to develop?
Or would fear from her past block any chance we had? I didn’t know the answer,
and I’m not sure she did either.
With that thought, I
closed my eyes and let my lips find hers. She opened up to me and kissed me
back. It was not full of heat like our kiss the night before, but it was just
as full of emotion. At least, it was for me. I had no idea what Brianna was
feeling. Although she was getting better every day, she was still reluctant to
share her true feelings with me. I was hoping that would change soon. More than
anything, I wanted to know what she was thinking.
