Brandon stood on the balcony of his suite in Utah, enjoying the cool winter air on his cheeks. Down below, people were navigating the ski village with their ski or snowboarding equipment in hand. He was getting pumped just watching, as he too was planning to go night-boarding with his buddy. A gust of wind blew snowflakes over the balcony, and he shoved his hands into the pocket of his insulated pants—he wore just enough clothing for a few minutes outside.
He needed those few minutes because Kelly kept crowding him, and he needed to breathe and figure things out, especially since Jordan had brought Adrianna, not Greg. Why had that plan been so hard to follow? Did he have to spell it out for her? He needed to know, needed to see for himself that she was happy with Greg. How was he supposed to do that when the dude was thousands of miles away?
He stepped back inside and stood in front of the fireplace to absorb the heat. “Andrew, you sure you don’t want to come out there tonight?”
“No way. Hot tubbing and cuddling have my name all over them,” Andrew said, pulling Sarah down to sit on his lap when she gave him a bottle of water. “And with my beautiful fiancée, I might add.”
“Is it, like, a male-bonding thing?” Adrianna asked.
Taking his snowboard out of the closet and checking the bindings, Brandon replied, “Yup, and that’s why Andrew isn’t going. He just handed over his balls, which at this point might as well be ovaries.”
Adrianna laughed. “Wow. Andrew, defend yourself, dude.”
Brandon chuckled. “He can’t. He doesn’t have the balls.” He stole a glance at Jordan, who was leaning against the kitchen counter eating an apple, a faraway look in her eyes. Fuck, he wanted to talk to her, but alone.
Kelly’s blue eyes searched his. She sat in one of the chairs at the dining table away from the others. “What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” Her light brown hair and long, suntanned legs were as sexy as he remembered. However, the new claiming-him, clingy shit she was doing wasn’t working.
“Hmm . . . lie in bed, preferably naked, and wait for me to get back?”
He didn’t mean that. He used to, but not anymore. Right now, he’d prefer her gone, but this was a show for Jordan, so she could witness for herself who he was in his element and see why he wasn’t good enough for someone else, even someone he wanted more than anyone else.
Sarah laughed. “Why do I think he’s not joking?”
“Because, honey, he doesn’t have a heart, remember?” Andrew answered.
Looking at Kelly, Jordan spoke. “You could always hang out in the hot tub with us.”
“I don’t think so. That will be lame without Brandon there,” Kelly responded.
Fuck . . . Brandon busied himself with his board. He wanted nothing to do with the boiling tension, even though it had everything to do with him.
Adrianna broke the awkward silence as she spoke to the happy couple. “What time are you going down to the tub?”
“Anytime you’re ready,” Andrew replied. “We can fill our plastic bottles with liquor. Glass isn’t permitted out there. The hot tub’s outside, by the way.”
“Brrr . . .” Jordan shivered. “I should probably start drinking now.”
“Now you’re talking,” Sarah said. “Can you make me one too, please? And don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes around here. All you need is a beanie and a bikini. It’s therapeutic, actually.” Her voice lowered. “There’s that first chill, and a second later you feel like you’re inside an ice cube, but then you step into the Jacuzzi, and it’s just heavenly. Literally, heavenly.”
Fuck, now he wanted to be in the tub with them, but he resisted.
After zipping up his jacket, he placed a light peck on Kelly’s cheek. Unsatisfied, she grabbed his jacket and planted a kiss on his lips. He didn’t have the nerve to look at Jordan after that.
“Ask Doug if he’s coming to my engagement party,” Sarah instructed as he left.
Brandon found Doug, his buddy who worked at the resort, in the lobby, his pale skin glowing beneath a hoodie. “What’s up, dude?” he asked, knocking his fist to Doug’s.
“Nothing, man, just out here enjoying the best office in the world.” Doug opened his arms as they walked outside. “No one else wanted to brave the night, I see.”
“Nah, but they don’t know what they’re missing.” Images of his friends in the Jacuzzi, drinking and laughing, flashed in his head. And then Jordan in the Jacuzzi, all sexy, warm, and utterly fuckable in a bikini. His dick stirred, and he pushed the thought away.
After a few rides, he and Doug stopped by a bar in the village where they drank and caught up on the good old days in the Middle East until about midnight. He wanted to burn as much time as possible before he headed back to his room and Kelly—he secretly hoped she’d be asleep. The spark he’d felt with her the first time around was still nowhere to be seen. It was disappointing, but not surprising. Nothing had been the same since Jordan came into the picture.
By the time they left the bar, the wind had picked up, giving his face a blizzard-like onslaught as he scurried back to the suite. He entered to find the hallway in complete darkness, so he felt his way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. He’d taken the master bedroom initially so his room wouldn’t share a wall with Jordan’s—because hearing Greg and Jordan having sex would have been too horrid, and that had been all he could think about until she showed up at the terminal without the douche.
Okay, he wasn’t a douche, but dammit . . . he was.
“Have fun?” Kelly asked as he stepped into the room. Of course she would still be up watching TV.
“Yeah, Doug and I were catching up,” Brandon said, stopping in the bathroom to turn on the shower so it could warm up. He stripped off all his clothes except for his briefs and walked back to the hallway to hang them to dry. Switching off the light, he closed the door at the end of the main hallway. Only this time, as he felt his way back to his room, he bumped into someone. One of the women, based on the small squeak that sounded.
“Sorry,” Jordan whispered. “It’s so dark out here.”
“Jordan?” Brandon asked. “What are you doing?”
“Bathroom. You smell like alcohol. Oh my gosh, I felt skin. Are you naked?”
He’d forgotten that Adrianna and Jordan and Sarah and Andrew’s rooms shared a bathroom in the hall. “No, I’m not, and shhh . . .” Brandon said, starting back to his door.
“Ew, you are naked!” Jordan accused.
Rolling his eyes, he turned around and walked toward her. But with his eyes still not adjusted to the dark, he walked right into her again. “I said, shhh . . . Give me your hand.”
Jordan tugged her hand away. “What? Ew, no!”
“It’s okay. Trust me.” He took her hand and touched it to the top part of his boxer briefs. His muscles tightened on contact, and blood rushed to his groin, even though he controlled her touch. “See? I’m not naked.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Standing so close, he felt his dick inching closer to her as it swelled, elevating from his body. She didn’t have to do anything. And to think he could have been fucking her right now, right against the wall where they stood, if only they were still dating. A room door opened, and they jumped apart. Andrew’s large figure could be seen in the bright television light spilling through the door before he closed it behind him. Brandon extended his arm and pressed Jordan against the wall.
As soon as Andrew was in front of him, he grabbed him, “Ah!”
“Ah-hah-ha!” Andrew’s voice quavered in fear.
Brandon muffled his laughter as he tried to stay quiet.
“Dude, what the fuck!”
Jordan giggled. “You okay there, Andrew? You sound a little spooked.”
Kelly opened the room door and flicked on the light, dressed in nothing but her underwear, exposing the culprits standing in the hallway. “What the hell? What’s going on out here?”
Brandon looked at Andrew, and he didn’t have to say or do anything because Andrew knew what to do.
“Just realizing we should leave a light on out here,” Andrew said.
Jordan glanced at Andrew, Brandon, and Kelly, and her cheeks dimpled. “And realizing I should stop wearing so many clothes around here.”
Brandon noticed Andrew was also in his boxers, which was normal. Jordan’s choice of pajama shorts, however, paired with a soft white shirt, was modest but cute, although his mind had already ventured beneath the layers. Kelly was a different breed. She was comfortable wearing nothing and would walk around naked if allowed. He would never forget the day Kelly had gone skinny dipping while he and Andrew were lounging by his pool. It was the first and only time he’d ever seen a furious Sarah.
“Whatever. I’m going to the bathroom,” Andrew said.
Jordan jumped ahead of him and rushed to the bathroom door. “Nope. Sorry, Andrew, there’s a line.”
“What the—” Andrew threw his hands up and glared at Brandon.
Brandon shrugged, pursing his lips as he slipped past Kelly into his room. “I’m going to shower.”
As he stood in the shower, letting the hot water beat down on his body, his mind wandered back to Jordan in the hallway, and a crazy thought ensued. What if her fingers had brushed his cock when he’d taken her hand? As his dick stirred, he sighed. What is it with her?
Biting his lip, he closed his eyes and fantasized about running into Jordan in the hallway, only naked this time. She’d be shy at first, but then she’d take his bare cock in her hand, with a gentle innocence he imagined she had in the bedroom.
Picking up the body wash, he squirted some into his palm, his cock throbbing with pleasure as he coated his shaft. He expected she would be a good girl and get down on her knees for him, where she’d suck him right into her pretty little mouth. He closed his eyes and imagined the feeling of having his dick sucked by her sweet mouth mysteriously in the darkened hallway. His fantasy became so vivid that he could feel the soft moistness of her tongue lapping at the tip of his shaft, but it was only his slickened finger.
“I could finish you off if you want,” Kelly purred.
He almost jumped out of his skin as he saw her head peeking inside the curtain.
Jesus Christ! “No, thanks.”
“Why not? I’d love to . . .”
“Maybe later,” he lied, cursing himself for bringing her here. No fucking privacy—to fantasize about another woman. God, he was a douchebag.
No longer in the mood to get himself off, he finished his shower, pulled on a pair of briefs, and slipped into bed. This was turning out to be the worst birthday—and idea—he’d ever had.
“God, I’m so horny after seeing you like that. Are you ready for another round?” Kelly asked, running her fingers over his chest. “I want you so bad, Brandon.”
“I’m kind of beat.” He yawned.
“I could get on top,” she offered.
As she was about to climb over him, he used his hand to stop her. “Not tonight.”
She huffed. “I didn’t want to bring this up, but is there something going on with you and that girl?”
“What girl?”
“Jordan.”
His mind stilled at the sound of her name, and he swallowed. “Not that I know of.”
“I saw the pictures of you guys on Facebook together, and she was at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner. She seems close to your mom. How long have you known her?” Kelly probed.
He turned to his side, his back to her. “It’s late, and I need to get some sleep.”
“I never know what you’re thinking. Why can’t you just talk to me?” Kelly touched his shoulder. “It really doesn’t feel like you’re giving me a chance. Why did you bring me here? You’ve never even told me if what we had before meant anything to you. Did it? Do I?”
I don’t know, did I mean anything to you when you cheated on me? Fuck. Well, there goes that little problem showing its face again. With that at the tip of his mind, if she continued to press, he was going to become defensive, and her feelings would get hurt.
“Kelly, please. The past is the past for a reason. I’m trying.”
“Okay,” she said, sadness in her voice. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
He closed his eyes, thankful for peace, but his mind was troubled as he recognized his mother’s voice, taking him back ten years earlier.
“Brandon, there’s something that hasn’t been sitting well with me for some time now. I know you love and trust Hailey, but I’m your mother, and I need to look out for my son. Please forgive me if I cross any boundaries when I ask if you had a DNA test done on the baby.”
Horrified that she would ask that, he vehemently denied any worry that Hailey could have cheated.
“It’s probably nothing,” his mother agreed. “But honey, I want you to be sure.”
“You want me to be sure, or you want to be sure? I bet Dad put you up to this.”
From his bad grades in high school to joining the Marines instead of going to college, Brandon had always felt like his father thought he was destroying his life. And being nineteen with a one-month-old baby hardly seemed like success to his father. But Brandon felt successful, because Hailey loved him. He finally had his own family to think about and take care of.
He stomped to the front door. “I can’t believe this is what you called me here for . . .”
But after his mother spoke to him, his mind hadn’t been able to rest. So he scheduled an appointment for Rose and learned that sure enough, everything was about to change.
The next day, in the living room of their one-bedroom apartment, Brandon found the courage to confront his fiancée. He asked her point blank: “Have you ever cheated on me?”
Hailey stopped in her tracks. “What? Where is this coming from?”
He’d just come home from work, but he hadn’t taken off his uniform like he did every other time. “You didn’t answer my question.”
She approached him, her bright blue eyes threatening to seduce him. “No. Baby, I love you. Why would you say that?”
His heart cracked into pieces at her bold lie, and he jerked back as she reached for him.
“Don’t touch me. How can you fucking stand there and lie to my face? Are you serious right now? I trusted you. I fucking love you. Why, why would you do this to me?” As his eyes burned with tears, he clenched his fists in desperation. Anger, disappointment, and agony roared through him. “Who’s the father? Who’s the fucking father? Because it’s not me,” he yelled, taking the test results out of his pocket and dropping them on the floor.
Hailey stared at him in shock. “I’m sorry,” she cried, and then the baby joined in from the bedroom, making his heart ache even more.
Shaking his head, he hurried out of the apartment. Hailey pled for him, but he had to leave before he lost his goddamn mind.
After that, barely functional and wallowing in grief in a hotel room by himself, he wondered over and over why it had taken him almost two months to find out he was raising someone else’s child, and over eleven months to realize his fiancée had been cheating on him. He would look like an idiot in front of his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
Remembering that pain, Brandon knew what he had to do. “Kelly?” He waited for a response, hoping she hadn’t fallen asleep while he was reliving that memory. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
“What?” she asked, sounding confused.
He turned on the bedside lamp and looked at her. “I thought I could get past the whole you-sleeping-with-someone-else thing. But I can’t.”
She bit her lip. “Then why did you bring me here?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I thought I could, but I can’t. I’m sorry. You can stay, or I can get a car to take you to the airport in the morning. It’s up to you.” He moved to the edge of the bed and stood. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Brandon awoke to the aroma of breakfast food and coffee. Yawning, he looked at the clock on the living room wall. Eight in the morning. The next thing he saw was Adrianna and Jordan on the loveseat in front of the fireplace, and then his parents sitting at the dining table eating breakfast.
“Looks like the birthday boy is awake,” his mother said, leaning her head on her hand. His parents had their own suite but always made breakfast for everyone in his group on trips. “It was just yesterday you were throwing off your diapers and running around naked.”
“Happy birthday,” his dad said.
Adrianna smiled at him.
His stomach ached, and he felt sick and disgusted with everything.
His mom walked to the sofa and bent down to kiss his forehead. “Happy birthday, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said, closing his eyes.
She rested the back of her hand on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Just tired.”
“What’s up, loser? Doesn’t look like you’re taking old age too well,” Andrew said, plopping down on him.
“Good morning!” Sarah greeted everyone as she walked into the living area, and upon seeing her fiancé, she jumped on top of him, which crushed Brandon farther into the couch.
“Guys, come on,” Brandon protested. Now that there was no way he could go back to sleep, he needed to check his emails and get updates from the driver who would be picking up Kelly.
“Oh look, Brandon moody and at full disadvantage? Are you ticklish, by any chance?” Jordan smiled down at him with a spark in her eye.
But even as his heart drummed a sweet melody from her attention, his stomach ached. He was an asshole, flirting with her the whole time she’d been dating Greg, yet wanting to know if she was happy. What the fuck was wrong with him? And why didn’t she hate his guts?
He considered her eyes, but she was too playful for him to figure out what she was up to as her fingers plunged into his sides.
Andrew, Sarah, Jordan, and he were a giggling mess on the couch until he looked up. If eyes could set someone on fire, Brandon was certain they would all be in flames right now. Thankfully, Kelly didn’t have that power.