It was inevitable that I’d see Braden again after my rocky departure from California, but the night of James and Shar’s groomsmen’s dinner when I hear someone say he’s pulling up outside the clubhouse, I don’t expect the rush of anxiety that feels way too much like an actual heart attack. Like a freaking coward, I run to the powder room, unprepared for what I’ll say once I’m forced to face him.

After he ambushed me at the airport about starting a family, I was a total wreck. Though I refuse to admit it out loud, a part of me knows I broke as we made love in the tent on that mountaintop. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting him go. I knew that if I heard him say that he loved me, there wouldn’t be any turning back. I thought we’d both get over it and everything would be okay. I was so very wrong. At least on my end.

His calls and texts over the week-and-a-half to follow went mostly unanswered. I’m not a complete monster—I sent a text when I had arrived home safely, and politely thanked him again. I knew I was a fool to let something like him go, but it had to be done. While I don’t entirely despise the idea of having another baby as long as it would happen in the next couple of years, I don’t know that I could handle more than one. I don’t even know that I still have the patience it takes for newborns. And Braden’s just entering the golden age where he should be clubbing and going on adventures my aging body couldn’t keep up with.

Though the temptation is strong to give a relationship with him a try, it wouldn’t be fair to him. He’ll understand that one day.

I know I’ll never find someone as amazing as Braden again in this lifetime. Not someone with that talented of a tongue who has the ability to give me countless orgasms in a row. He’s a diamond in the rough. And man, does he ever like it rough. And slow. And everywhere in between. I’m struck with a longing pang between my legs whenever I recall how he made me watch myself over and over along with him.

If I’m being totally honest, I was livid with myself for days after returning home. I was a cold bitch and he’s such a sweet guy. But I knew that if I answered his calls, I’d cave in and agree to whatever he wanted with the sound of his voice.

Both Sharlo and Evelyn were on to my foul mood right away. I lied and told them I was dealing with a hellacious menstrual cycle. They thought I had spent the extra days in California with an old friend from high school, and didn’t have any reason to think I was lying because I’m usually straight forward with everyone. So I almost shit myself when Sharlo commented that my skin was glowing like I had gotten laid while I was gone.

“Hey!” Evelyn calls out from the doorway. She enters the powder room with a slight frown. “What’re you doing in here? They’re getting ready to serve dinner.”

With the sight of my sister-in-law’s baby bump inside her gray, knee-length dress, I almost burst into tears. If I hadn’t turned Braden down, maybe I could’ve given her little one and Frank another cousin to play with.

“Katie?”

“I’m fine, just a little sentimental about your brother and Shar finally tying the knot.” I spin around to grab a tissue from the vanity and blow my nose before straightening my short white bubble dress in the mirror. I immediately thought of Braden when I bought the dress a few days ago, knowing he’d appreciate the way it shows off my cleavage. And since he once mentioned he “digs” it when I wear bright colors, I knew he’d appreciate the rainbow print. I even wore my hair in a curled ponytail, a style that always seemed to drive him especially wild.

God, I’m fucking pathetic.

“No frowning,” Evelyn warns behind me as she’s setting her hands on her hips. “You look hot. Maybe you’ll hook up with one of James’s friends tonight. I’m pretty sure Asher’s single again. You remember the big tattooed hottie from Minnesota that came to James’s last fight?”

Just what I need, another twenty-something kid lighting my world on fire.

“I don’t need a hook up,” I retort, clicking my tongue. “Is there anything other than sex going through you brain these days?”

“Yeah…food,” she decides, licking her glossy lips. Hooking her arm through mine, she drags me toward the door. “So let’s go before we miss it!”

I consider sticking my Prada heels into the plush carpet and refusing to go along, but ultimately decide against it. Pregnancy has made my sister-in-law more feisty than usual. I wouldn’t put it past her to have my brother drag me back to my seat.

The lavish dining hall buzzes with excitement as friends and family of the happy couple prepare to celebrate their upcoming wedding. I’ve never seen a more tasteful venue for a groomsmen’s dinner. Large round tables with shimmering copper table cloths, tall centerpiece vases with white hydrangeas and baby’s breath, votive candles lit in front of every single guest…I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

I can only imagine what James has planned for the reception since he wanted to surprise Sharlo. He refused to let anyone other than the wedding planner step foot on the location. He may be the biggest brute of the Kendall family—beating Braden by a minuscule amount—but he seems to be the most romantic of them all. I’m truthfully a bit jealous of Sharlo. Like the ugly kind that makes you a jerk for having those feelings about one of your best friends.

Evelyn and I make it back to the front of the room where Charlie, Angelina, Sharlo’s mom, and my boys are already eating at our assigned table. I stuff my face with the delicious lamb and fancy vegetables without ever looking up, pretending I can actually avoid Braden for the entire night.

As we’re finishing our deserts, there’s a dinging of silverware against glass. I reach for my champagne glass, almost dropping it when finally catching Braden’s dark gaze from the next table.

The cocky little shit grins. And my God, does he ever look divine.

Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, I direct my attention to where Sharlo’s dad stands a few chairs away from Braden, microphone in hand. He’s a handsome older man with a full head of slightly graying hair, an impeccable sense of style, and as far as I know, single with no subsequent wives since his divorce with Sharlo’s mom. Maybe I’d be better off dating someone his age.

“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family,” he begins, “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to celebration the union of my beautiful daughter and the only man on the planet I’d ever want to call my son!”

Among applause, someone throws in a few cheers and wolf whistles. Once the noise dies down, Baby Franklin squeals excitedly from his momma’s lap and a small round of laughter follows. James, looking dapper in a pale blue designer dress shirt rolled to his elbows and the silver Rolex gifted to him the night before by his wealthy father-in-law-to-be, bends into Sharlo. He kisses her cheek while brushing his large hand over their son’s full head of curly blond hair. The three of them are the perfect little family, like something out of a freaking fairytale.

Disgustingly jealous.

“I was asked to say something tonight as both James’s mother and father have passed,” Sharlo’s dad continues, his smile from a few moments ago becoming somber. “Though I never had the honor of meeting them, I know without a doubt they’d be exceptionally proud of the noble young man their son has become, as well as becoming the loving father to our beautiful grandson. I couldn’t have handpicked a better man to care for my sweet Sharlo and their child.”

Hearing Evelyn sniffle, I reach out to squeeze her hand. She throws me a wavering smile through thick tears.

Sharlo’s dad wipes at the corners of his eyes. “But I promised to save the long, sappy speech for tomorrow’s reception, so I’m warning you now to bring your handkerchiefs. Tonight I simply ask as we digest this outstanding meal and enjoy each other’s company, that you take a minute to consider the path that brought you here: the extraordinary love of two young people. James and Sharlo have touched the lives of every single person in this room in one way or another, so it’s not necessary to describe their generous hearts, or go over all the reasons why it’s nothing short of a miracle they found each other and made their relationship work despite a laundry list of things that tried to prevent them from their happily ever after.

“True love is a rare, precious thing, my friends. Those like Sharlo and James who are fortunate enough to find it can bring strangers together, and change the lives of everyone around them. I’d like to think everyone gathered in this room will somehow experience a positive change in their lives simply for having witnessed something so pure. No if you would please do the honor of lifting your glasses along with me, let us toast to the power of true love.”

Lifting my glass of bubbly, my eyes automatically draw across the way to where Braden watches me intently. Beneath his gaze my entire body combusts. My God, I missed that man more than I realized.

Struck with a bout of déjà vu, I’m hurtled back to the moment we were sitting in the old pickup outside the airport and he was about to confess that he’s falling for me. Was he going to add “in love?” I nearly become violently ill with the thought.

What the hell could he possibly know about loving a woman? The only time a man said those words to me, I found myself knocked up at fifteen and ultimately betrayed mere minutes after Allen came into the world. Jason wasn’t all that much younger than Braden, and he sure as hell didn’t grasp the true meaning behind those words.

Connor gently nudges my side with his elbow. “Mom, you okay?”

Although the toast is over and people are standing to mingle, I’m still holding my glass in the air. Fucking great. It won’t be long until my boys threaten to put me in an old folks’ home.

“Just trying to remember if I left the stove on,” I mumble before taking a long drink of the light, bubbly liquid. When I spot Braden heading our way, I swig down the rest of the glass, nearly choking. What the shit does he think he's doing? Does he not get that we’re surrounded by friends and family?

Allen slaps Braden’s hand as he comes around to our side. He’s handsome as ever in a gray cashmere sweater pulled taut over his defined chest, hair buzzed down on the sides, dark tan highlighting his masculine features. All the memories of touching his beautiful body and watching him pleasure himself while we were together flood back with a blinding whoosh. I nearly moan aloud.

Since Evelyn has her back turned to me and she can’t drink anyway, I swipe her untouched glass of champagne and down it in a few gulps, hoping it’ll cool my flaming face. But the glow only grows in Braden’s presence.

Connor holds out his fist when Braden settles behind us. “Hey, brother! How’s the bike treating you?”

“It’s a great chick magnet,” Braden answers, throwing a wink my way. “You look exceptionally hot tonight, Katie. Did you bring a date?”

Touching my throat, I bite down on a yelp. Has he lost his damn mind? It’s not the first time he’s flirted with me in front of my boys, but considering what we’ve been through—

“See, Mom?” Connor lightly taps my shoulder. “I told you that you should’ve brought someone. Wedding weekends are like an aphrodisiac for women. Guys like to go because they know they’re going to get laid.”

“Hell yeah,” Braden agrees with a deliciously dark chuckle.

Mercury has nothing on the heat of my face when I meet his gaze. Trapped between my son and my hot lover, I suddenly can’t breathe. Especially after Connor once heard me make a crude comment to Sharlo about Braden, and he’s been harassing me about him ever since.

“How long are you staying in New York?” Connor asks Braden. “We’re having a party in the Hamptons on Sunday night. You should totally come.”

“Not sure how long I’ll be around,” Braden answers, squatting down between us. He balances himself on the back of my chair, casually brushing his fingers over a patch of bare skin on my back. Between his touch and the enticing smell of his sharp cologne, my panties become flooded. “I’m waiting to hear back from a few colleges I applied to out here. Figured I’d take advantage of the GI bill.”

“You what?” I snap, turning to face him.

His lips spread, locking those adorable dimples into place. “Don’t feel like doing construction for the rest of my life. Turns out I’m good with disabled veterans, so I figured I’d look into becoming a physical therapist.”

I suck in a stuttering breath. I’m ecstatic that he’s taking my advice, but why in New York? “Don’t they have PT programs in California?”

“Shit, Mom,” Connor snickers, rolling his eyes. “You have a problem with the poor guy moving here?”

Braden chuckles with Connor’s comment. “I don’t have the discipline to study knowing I could be surfing instead. Besides, most of my family is out here.” My heart twists when his beautiful brown eyes pointedly lock with mine. “Figured it’d be nice to be closer to the people I love.”

Oh Lord, not this again! Will he ever give up?

As Connor’s asking him if he plans to stay in the dorms or find a place off campus, I push myself back from the table and dart to my feet. I can’t decide if the room is swaying before my eyes because I’m freaking out, or because I’m swooning.

“I have to use the restroom,” I announce without looking at either of the boys. Stumbling from the dining hall, the champagne threatens to come back up as Braden’s words continue to run through my mind. I can’t let him leave California for me!

I’m a couple of yards from the powder room when I hear, “Katie, wait up!”

Breaking into a full run, I almost twist my ankle on an ill-stepped heel, but a strong set of arms catch me.

“Don’t need you limping down the aisle tomorrow, beautiful,” Braden whispers in my ear. Lord have mercy, I missed his strong arms and the comfort of his warm chest. The temptation to sink against him and beg him to touch me is blinding, but I wiggle away instead.

“Not here.” I grab his hand and lead him past the restrooms.

Having been at this country club a few times before, I know there’s a small party room with a half bar they close off when the dining hall’s rented out. I march into the dark room, jumping with the sound of the door slamming shut behind us.

I spin around, ready to rip into him, but I’m painfully aware of his heavy breaths and hot body that’s mine for the taking, only feet away. The feeling I get whenever I’m with Braden—the aching need to be consumed, and needed, and wanted—slams into me with the force of driving a car into a brick wall.

No, Katie. You can’t want this. You can’t want him.

The only light comes from a glowing microwave clock behind the bar, but it’s enough to see the uninhibited look of hunger in his eyes. We lunge at each other in a wild blur of tangled limbs, eager mouths, and thrashing tongues. He yanks on my ponytail the way he always would in California, titling my head so his tongue can go hard and deep while slamming my back up against a wall. Completely lost in him, in the moment, I don’t protest when he unbuckles his pants before grabbing my wrist and setting my hand over the hard shaft pushing against his boxer briefs.

“This is all for you, baby,” he whispers. “That dress…you’re un-fucking-real.”

Then his mouth is back on mine and his fingers are between my legs, slipping underneath the panties I may have purchased with him in mind even though I swore this wouldn’t happen after promising myself we were done. I reach for his erection beneath the cotton, slowly spreading a dot of pre-cum over his head with my thumb while giving him slow, gentle tugs the way he likes. With a long moan, he seeks my heat out in eager strokes until the still room fills with the scent of my arousal and I’m bucking into him.

I know I should tell him to stop for all the reasons I had when I left California, but I’m unable to think straight. I can’t move, can’t seem to breathe with his caresses, especially after he removes my panties with one firm tug. My hand seems to have forgotten its only job as it falls limp, trapped in what’s probably one of his ridiculous pairs of cartoon underwear.

After his clever fingers pop a breast from my bra, his lips travel downward and he takes one in his hot mouth. I fist what I can of his short hair, trying to keep myself upright as he licks and sucks my hardened nipple, adding to the intensity of his thumb working my clit.

“Brae…” I mewl, thrusting into his hand. “Oh God…don’t you dare stop.”

My body rejoices in our reunion, writhing and singing with his skilled touch until it feels as if I’ll implode. Sparks burst behind my eyes when I come with a moan louder than I’d prefer. But I’m spent, drunk on the intoxicating allure of everything that makes Braden Kendall so amazing.

His lips trail a hot path up my body before kissing me back to my senses. Then he stops, waiting until I meet his gaze. “I don’t have a condom,” he whispers.

“You don’t need one. I’m on birth control. In California I just wasn’t sure…I mean I didn’t know—”

Braden runs the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. In the dim light I catch his lips bending with a smirk. “Shhhh, it’s okay. I know what you mean.” His pants hit the floor in a quiet sound before he maneuvers out of his underwear. Then his warm head’s pushing against my wet opening. “Do you want this, beautiful?”

“Yes please…hard and fast.” Wrapping my arms around his neck and looking into his beautiful eyes, my lungs seize, refusing to cooperate under their ferocity. “Holy shit, I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this.”

“I’ve missed you,” he says between clenched teeth.

“Brae…” I pant, grabbing his shaft. “Please.”

“Please what? I want to hear you say it.”

“Fill me with your monster cock. Stretch me out so I can’t walk straight. Fuck me senseless. Jesus, you’re so goddamned cocky. Just do it already.”

Chuckling, he nudges me up into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist and he thrusts me against the wall with mind-numbing speed. Since my opening has apparently shrunk in the time we’ve been apart, I cry with the agonizing burn. The pain only lasts a handful of moments before my walls have stretched and I’m boarding the pleasure train, reaching behind his sweater to scratch my nails along his back.

He continues to drive into me like a man possessed, over and over, his eyes never straying from mine. The sound of our skin slapping is almost more deafening than the wild beats of my heart. So many emotions are conveyed in his gaze that I’m all at once dizzy. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’s angry with me for leaving him in California. But I also sense the one thing I’ve been trying like hell to deny, the one thing I refuse to allow him to feel. Even if I’m starting to think I may feel it myself.

Unable to confess my feelings, or even admit they’re real, I gently hold his jaw in my hands. He finishes with a final thrust and a delicious groan, turning his head to take my fingers in his mouth. As if trained by the action, my walls clench around his jerking cock and I come right behind him, releasing my own throaty groan.

A set of sharp knocks on the door have us wordlessly jumping apart and scrambling to make ourselves decent. Oh my god, what was I thinking? What if one of his siblings finds us like this? Worse yet, Charlie?

“Is someone in here?” a woman’s voice calls through the dark. “This part of the clubhouse is closed for the evening.”

“Just needed a quiet place to nurse my baby!” I call back over my shoulder.

Braden releases a rather loud, abrupt laugh into my shoulder, but the woman seems satisfied with my answer. “Oh, sorry to interrupt,” she says, closing the door gently behind her.

“We have to get out of here before someone we know finds us,” I tell Braden as I’m gathering my torn panties.

Grinning, he snatches the lacy material from my hand and stuffs it into his pocket. “We have to talk.”

“You’re right, but not here. Too many people can walk in on us. I’ll meet you at Leona’s after the party. You can walk there from your sister’s place.”

“Damn, woman. I’ll go wherever you want so long as I get to see you again.”

Smoothing my ponytail down, I sneak back into the hallway with Braden a step behind. As we’re rounding the corner, his hands slip around my waist and he catches my earlobe with his teeth. “Did I mention how fucking hot you look tonight? I can’t wait to taste you later, beautiful.”

Body flushed, I prepare to turn and tell him to knock it off, but I’m paralyzed by the sight of my youngest son staring at us.