The following Friday Regina walked out of his bedroom after changing into nothing more than Brandon’s Padres T-shirt and panties as she often did after work during the week. She informed Brandon they wouldn’t be meeting Janecia and Clay for appetizers and drinks like they had the past few Friday nights.
Brandon chose his words carefully because he didn’t want to ignite anything, but he had a feeling she’d be regretting this later. “Babe, you can’t just stop talking to your best friend over this. I know how strongly you feel about it, but do you really want such a long friendship with someone you care so much about to end like this?”
Regina opened up the box of pizza she’d ordered in lieu of their date night out. “It’s not ending,” she said, pulling a slice out of the box and setting it onto a paper plate but didn’t look at him. “They left this morning for Puerto Nuevo.”
“Oh,” Brandon said, feeling like a complete ass now.
The last thing he wanted was to have her thinking about this all night. Mercifully, before he could come up with a way to change the subject, her phone rang. She walked away from the pizza on the table and into the kitchen where she’d left her phone.
Brandon walked over to the pizza box and opened it, examining the gourmet pizza she’d ordered from her favorite place. Unlike the pizzas he was used to with lots of red sauce, she’d mentioned this was made with white garlic sauce, so the whole thing was mostly white, but it at least it had sausage.
He’d just taken a bite of the pizza and the flavors had exploded in his mouth when he heard the tail end of Regina’s conversation and froze.
“She’s dating my Ricardo? Are you sure it’s the same one?”
Chewing slowly, he waited as Regina paused and he heard the refrigerator door open. “Get out!” she said, suddenly sounding a little too giddy for someone who’d just walked away in such a somber mood. “She’s bringing him Sunday? Does she know he’s my ex?”
She paused again while Brandon swallowed down his pizza. It went down a little harder than he’d expected.
“Oh, wow. Did she say if he’s still surfing? I wonder if he still looks the same.”
After hearing that, Brandon started toward the kitchen. He didn’t want to be petty, but Regina’s interest in her Ricardo was irritating as shit, so he figured he may as well get close enough to hear every word. It wasn’t like she’d hushed her voice or was trying to keep this conversation private, so he leaned against the kitchen entryway and took another bite, looking straight at her. Suddenly, she seemed uncomfortable. It was almost as if it’d just hit her that Brandon could hear what she’d been talking about.
Clearing her throat, she turned away and reached into the fridge. “No, don’t be silly.” Now she lowered her voice, making Brandon chew slower in an effort to remain calm. “I know she’s annoying, but I’m seeing someone now, remember? Besides, I wouldn’t play those immature games. Listen,” she said, abruptly turning back to Brandon with a smile. “We were about to eat. I’ll call you later. Let me know if there is anything you need me to bring.”
She hung up and put the phone down on the counter. “You want a soda?” she asked, reaching back for the refrigerator handle.
Brandon shook his head, staring at her as he stuck the last piece of pizza in his mouth and continued to chew.
“Did you like it?” she asked, smiling brightly.
Again his response was nonverbal; he simply nodded but continued to stare at her. She tried walking past him, but he didn’t move. His body took up most of the door frame, so she stopped, placing her hand over his chest. The tiny smirk on her face relieved him slightly. Obviously, she wasn’t too worried about this.
“My sister was just telling me about my cousin’s new boyfriend.”
“I heard.” He finally spoke up. “Your Ricardo?”
She brought her fingers over her mouth in an attempt to hide a bigger smile. “I just meant my ex.”
Brandon brought his hand around her and squeezed her ass, making her yelp then laugh nervously. “Your ex who you’re still curious about?”
“No,” she said, caressing his face as she pressed her body against his. “Not curious.” She pecked him softly. “I just haven’t seen him in years.”
She tried to kiss him again, but he pulled back. “Curious,” he restated then nipped her bottom lip as he brought his other arm around her and squeezed her other ass cheek even harder. “What kind of immature games was your sister asking you to play?”
That surprised her though she quickly recovered and kissed him a little more aggressively, but he pulled away again.
“Answer the question, Regina,” he said, spreading her ass cheeks and sliding his fingers upwards.
He almost smiled at her gasping, but he continued to stare in her suddenly aroused eyes.
“Our cousin can be annoying, so my sister thought it’d be fun if I flirted with him Sunday.”
He spun her around and pinned her against the kitchen wall. “And that’s how you refer to me to your family? Someone you’re seeing?” Before she could respond, he ripped her panties off. “Is it? Not your boyfriend? I thought we discussed this?”
Sliding two fingers into her, he loved that she couldn’t even respond since she was so hot she was almost moaning. He dove into her neck, sucking harder than he normally did. His immature side was tempted to leave a mark so her fucking Ricardo could see it Sunday, but then he thought better of it. This was not the impression he wanted to make on her family before they even met him, so he spun her around again and lifted her up, setting her down on the counter. Spreading her wide, he fucked her with his fingers while he dug for his wallet with his other hand.
“They know,” she said breathlessly as she ran her fingers frantically through his hair, “that you’re my boyfriend.”
He unzipped his pants and pulled out his aching erection, all the while kissing her madly. He pulled away just long enough to slip the condom on.
“They know we’re living together,” she said, making him stop for a moment and look up at her. Her eyes widened, looking a little alarmed. “Because we are, right?”
He hadn’t even thought about it, but it made sense. They’d been inseparable since that first night. Whether it was here or her place, they hadn’t slept apart once. “Yeah,” he said, slipping his hand behind her neck and kissing her then slamming into her.
Regina cried out and slid closer to the edge of the counter, spreading wider, and he went in deeper—harder—kissing her just as hard the whole time. He pounded away again and again, trying to push aside the unreasonable jealousy he felt over her and an ex she hadn’t seen in years. Then he remembered her curiosity about the guy and pounded into her even harder, making her cry out even louder, until she was trembling all over.
“I’m . . .” he said as he slammed in as deep as he could.
She moaned, squeezing her legs around him at the same time lifting up to him. “What?” She gasped.
“I’m coming . . .” he said as he exploded into her, and her thighs clung on to him for dear life.
Her arms squeezed around his neck as both of them gasped and struggled to catch up with their pounding hearts and breathing.
“I’m coming with you Sunday.” He was finally able to say it as his lungs struggled to gasp in chunks of air.
She didn’t say anything, and he helped her off the counter. They walked over her ripped panties on the floor as he led her out of the kitchen and into his bedroom where they could collapse. “You ripped my good chonies,” she said.
“I’ll buy you more,” he said, smiling and hugging her to him. “So your ex is a surfer, huh?”
Regina groaned bringing her arms around him and hugging his waist as they continued to walk. “It’s been over seven years since I last saw him, Brandon. That was girl talk you weren’t supposed to hear. I didn’t realize I was speaking so loudly. Even my married sister says things her husband would seriously have a fit about when he’s not around. But it’s just how we girls talk. It’s harmless.”
Brandon brought his hand down and squeezed her naked ass. “You’re not still gonna call him your Ricardo when I’m not around, are you?”
Regina giggled, pulling away from him quickly, but he caught her just as they made it to his bed, and they fell onto it. “Maybe I didn’t fuck you hard enough,” he said, pinning her down, and she laughed even louder. “I was trying to send a message.” He struggled to keep a straight face as he stared down at her. “I don’t think you got it.”
Barely able to speak from all the laughing, Regina squirmed under him, spreading her legs. “Clearly, I was too caught up in the moment,” she teased with a murmur. “Maybe you need to send that message again.” She bit her bottom lip. “Even harder this time.”
Instantly, Brandon was on his knees reaching over to his nightstand for another condom.
~*~
Regina
The outcome of Brandon overhearing Regina’s conversation with her sister Friday night couldn’t have gone better if she’d planned it that way. In fact, with her rotten luck, if she had actually done that on purpose, she was certain it would’ve backfired on her and ended with an ugly fight instead of ending the somewhat unnerving yet thrilling way it had.
Over the past several weeks, Regina had been privy to that softer, sweeter side of Brandon. But what secretly thrilled her was that, as sweet as she knew he could be now, he still hadn’t lost that dark bewildering side. That side was still there when he was on duty at the base and resurfaced every now and again even around just her, though she could tell he did his best to conceal it. As nervous as it made her, there was something so incredibly sexy about it. She especially loved the power she had to lessen his tension with just a few kisses.
Today’s visit with her family wasn’t the usual Sunday brunch. She’d casually mentioned her nephew’s baptism to Brandon weeks ago. The way the guy remembered even the smallest details of things she’d told him so long ago she’d been certain he hadn’t forgotten. Yet, up until Friday’s incident he hadn’t mentioned anything about going with her. She knew him well enough to have picked up on one thing. He wasn’t anxious to meet her family. Regina knew this was all new to him. Just making an attachment was a huge step for him, so she knew meeting her family would only reaffirm just how attached they were becoming. When she mentioned her nephew’s baptism, she hadn’t wanted to make him feel obligated or forced to go, so she left it on the table but didn’t so much insinuate that she wanted him there.
He already knew that her family Sunday brunches meant just that. Her whole family would be there. This was a little different, and she hoped it would make it a little less intimate so he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed on his first meeting with them. Since it was her nephew’s baptism, it would be at her sister’s, not her parents’ place like the usual brunches. There would also be other people there besides her immediate family: extended family, friends, and her brother-in-law’s family. Brandon wouldn’t be the center of attention as she knew he’d be had his first visit with them been at one of their brunches.
Running her fingers through his hair, she stared at her new love as he slept soundly. He shifted at the touch of her fingers and wrapped his arms around her even tighter. A soft moan escaped him, but he didn’t open his eyes. “How much time do we have?” he murmured.
She smiled, continuing to run her fingers through his hair. “A few hours. I’m gonna get in the shower, but you can sleep longer if you want. We have time. I just take long getting ready.”
Fortunately, since her sister had chosen a Sunday to have her nephew baptized, those Masses were held in the wee hours of the morning at their church before all the other Sunday Masses began. Her sister had told everyone who wasn’t an actual mandatory part of the ceremony they needn’t be there at the early Mass and the family gathering at her home wouldn’t be until noon. They were having the ceremony professionally taped anyway, and no doubt Regina would be watching it over and over as she did the other videos of her niece and nephew.
Brandon ran his hands up and down Regina’s naked body as he squeezed one eye open. “I could join you in the shower if you want.” The corner of his lip tugged as he nudged her thigh with the erection she’d already felt earlier. “It’s not like I’ll be able to go back to sleep now anyhow.”
Un-wrapping his arms from around her, Brandon jumped out of bed suddenly and headed to the bathroom. She knew what he was in a hurry to do more than actually use the bathroom—brush his teeth. She’d already brushed hers and knew it was just one of the things he was obsessive about. Within minutes, he was back and crawled in next to her again with a very mischievous smile. His hands were already roaming her body.
Staring at him with a smirk, she knew it was a risk but one she’d chickened out of too many times already. She’d waited so long for him to bring it up on his own. A few weeks ago she noticed that the tote with the handcuffs, the riding crops, and the paddle was gone. As exciting as their sex life was, this past Friday was one of the few times they’d done anything out of the ordinary in bed or in the shower. He was as meticulous about making sure she was absolutely satisfied each and every time as he was about everything else he did, so she had no complaints there. Still, a part of her was very curious about his naughty tote and especially why he hadn’t introduced her to it. Now with it gone, she was fairly certain and slightly disappointed that he wasn’t going to ever.
“I have a confession to make,” she whispered.
His roaming hands stopped midway down her back. The mischievous smile flattened, and both his eyes were on hers now. “What’s that?”
Suddenly a little nervous and tempted to take it back, Regina felt her heart speed up. Biting her lip, she tried to continue smirking playfully, but the way he was staring at her now made it tough to do. “You have to promise you won’t get mad.”
Brandon’s brow creased as he adjusted himself and sat up a little. “Is it about Ricardo?”
“No,” she said, surprised he’d even go there. “I told you I haven’t seen or heard from him in over seven years.”
He didn’t appear at all remorseful to have jumped to that conclusion. His expression remained vacant, but his eyes searched hers still. “Then what?”
“I . . .” She glanced at his closet. “I saw what was in that tote on the top shelf of your closet. I wasn’t snooping,” she added quickly, knowing that was a bald-faced lie. “I just happened to glance up when the door was open one day weeks ago. There were some things in there . . .”
She waited, but he said nothing. His expression was still the same—unreadable—and the stirring in her belly started up, the kind that always did when he turned back into Sergeant Billings. It was usually a mixture of nervous but exciting anticipation. Right then it was mostly unnerving. “I was waiting for you to maybe share with me about them—”
“No,” he finally said, still staring at her very seriously. “I got rid of all those things.”
“But why?” As tense as the conversation was beginning to feel, she wasn’t backing down. “Obviously you had them for a reason. I’m not judging you or anything. I’m just curious.”
“Judging?” Now his expression was readable, but that wasn’t a good thing. She’d struck a nerve. “Is that why you think I didn’t tell you? Because I was afraid you’d judge me on something you knew nothing about?”
“No,” she shook her head, reaching for his hair again, but he sat up quickly. “I just wanna make it clear that I’m not asking because I had a problem with it. I was curious about it actually. I uh . . .” She swallowed hard, the unyielding hardened expression he now wore almost making her regret bringing it up. But she didn’t want to regret it. She wanted to be able to talk to him about anything. “I thought maybe you’d use some of those things on me.”
Finally his hardened featured gave way to a softer stare, but he shook his head. “Never,” he said with such finality it felt almost like a slap. “I’d never use those things on you.”
Just like that, he brought his legs over the side of the bed as if the conversation were over. “Wait,” she said before he stood up. “Why not? You don’t think I’m up for that kind of stuff?”
The unexpected smirk was even more insulting. Then he topped it off with small smile, shaking his head and mouthing, “No.”
He stood up, his hard body completely naked, making Regina lose her train of thought for a moment. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him like this, but it took her breath away every single time.
“Ready for that shower?” he asked as if they weren’t in the middle of discussing this.
“No,” she said, completely irritated now. “You really think I don’t have it in me to do those things? I suppose you think only skanks like Serenity can think outside the box?”
His shoulders dropped dramatically. “Let’s not start with that, okay?” He walked around the bed, so she stood up, holding the sheet in front of her. “What are you doing?” he asked, looking down at her covered body as he approached her.
“It’s too bright in here,” she said sarcastically. “I’m not comfortable unless the lights are off.”
Unbelievably, he smirked again. “Since when?” he asked, tugging at the sheet, but she held it tight.
“Oh, don’t you know?” She took a step back. “I’m a prude. At least that’s what you seem to think.”
“I never said that.”
The continued smirk on his face was beginning to infuriate her. “Yes, you did. You’d never use those things with me, yet you had an assortment of them.” She backed up with every step he took forward until she was backed up to his bed. “Things you used with all those other women but with me—”
He lifted his fingers to her lips. “Shh,” he said gently.
She tried to move away from him, but there was nowhere to move. He had her backed up to his bed, and he pressed his body against hers. The sheet she held in front of herself did nothing to block what he so boldly and shamelessly pressed against her, considering the circumstances. “I never said I didn’t think you could handle it.”
“Yes, you did. I asked you if you thought I couldn’t and you said—”
“I meant, no, I don’t think that you can’t handle it.” He tugged on the sheet a little harder until it came undone and fell, leaving her naked and feeling completely vulnerable, not to mention confused over what he was saying. “That’s not why I’d never use those things with you.”
“Then why?” she asked, staring at his lips now, struggling to regain the conviction she felt just minutes ago.
“Because,” he brought his strong hands around her naked back and pulled her against him, kissing her softly, “I like how we do things now.”
She began falling into his amazing kiss like she always did but pulled away. “But what if I wanna try it.”
This close to him she saw the flicker in his eyes, but he managed to recover and took a deep breath. “It’s not anything I want to associate with you, babe.”
He started for her lips again, but she pulled away unconvinced there wasn’t more to it, that he really didn’t just think of her as the vanilla type only. If he’d been into that stuff enough to have a collection of things, how long would it be before he craved it again and became bored with the way they did things now?
Closing his eyes momentarily, he took another deep breath like the one he’d taken when she brought up Serenity. Once his eyes were open, he brought his face next to hers and whispered in her ear. “Close your eyes.”
“No,” she said defiantly.
He was going to try to avoid finishing this by seducing her. It would probably work, but she was determined to at least put up a fight.
“Please?” he said so nicely she frowned but closed her eyes.
“Okay,” she whispered, angry that she was so completely helpless to resist him.
Feeling him pull away, she felt his warm breath against her lips, and then he kissed her softly again. Her insides tingled in anticipation for his crazed but knee-weakening kisses to begin. “Think about it, princess,” he whispered against her lips. “Before you, I never wanted attachments. Even kissing was too intimate, too risky.” He kissed her deeply, sucking her tongue the way that made every part of her body yearn for more. Then he pulled away. “Before you, the first order from me after covering their eyes was no talking.”
The visual of him covering her eyes made her heart beat faster, and she focused on that instead of visualizing him with someone else. His lips moved down her chin and onto her neck as his hands slid over her bare ass squeezing softly and making her tremble.
“Before you,” he whispered against her neck then licked it. “Sex was nothing more than a release. If I’d had it my way, names would never have been exchanged. In fact, many times they weren’t.” He sucked her neck a little harder as a soft moan escaped her. Kissing his way up to her lips, he licked her bottom lip. “Open your eyes, baby,” he whispered. She did and he smiled. “Before you, I had no idea what it felt like to make love. Now I do.” He pecked her softly, staring into her eyes. “I don’t ever wanna go back to that.”
He pulled her down with him onto the bed, kissing her the whole time. He did nothing but kiss her, and it drove her so crazy she couldn’t help moaning against his mouth. What he did to her mouth alone was pure insanity.
She felt him reach for the drawer on the nightstand, and she knew what he was reaching for, but she held his face with both hands, not wanting his lips off of hers even for a second.
Obsessed—obsessed is what he made her feel like. She was completely obsessed with his lips, his tongue, and his mouth on her body. She understood now what he meant about before her, because before him she’d never felt anything like this.
He managed to get the condom on by moving away from her lips just a few times. He brought her hands over her head and laced his fingers through hers then stopped kissing her for a moment to look in her eyes so profoundly it made her breathless.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too” she whispered back, the emotion so much that she felt her eyes well as he slid into her slowly, gently, and, oh, so deeply.
How was it possible for someone to make her feel so incredibly special? “God, I love you” were the last words she said before their mouths became one and he kissed her as she knew he would until they both came in explosive climaxes.