I watch Brayden storm off with a smile on my face. I was seeing him pretty regularly for a little while and then poof! Nothing from him. I won’t lie; I was pretty bummed about it. Things with him are so...explosive. It’s addicting and I didn’t want it to end. Who would? I almost wish I hadn’t promised myself to Zane tonight. He’s back from his trip and wants to see me.
How odd that I find myself in such a situation where I’m seeing two men, both are physically fit, but Zane is that way because he’s a professional hockey player. Brayden must work out because he’s only a financial analyst. Zane has asked me to come to a game before, but I’m too busy for that. Besides, I’m more of a college football fan if I do watch sports.
“He didn’t look too happy with you,” my best friend and co-worker, Rose, says when I come to stand behind the counter.
“He’s happy with me.”
She snorts, clearly not believing me. “Is that your latest conquest?”
I shrug. “I’m seeing him tomorrow.”
Rose shakes her head. “When will you settle down?”
“When it doesn’t feel like I’m settling for the man.”
She sighs as she straightens the fabric on sale. “Deanna, I love you—”
“But?” I prompt.
“You’re so high maintenance with these ridiculous standards.”
I ignore her. I don’t have but one standard, really. Make me feel as if I can’t live without you. If I can do without, then it feels as if I’m settling for less than I deserve. If I don’t miss you, then I’m settling. If I can still sleep with other people and I want to sleep with other people, then I’m settling. I don’t want to settle. That’s all. What’s so crazy about that?
The day passes rather quickly as I help customers and teach a few classes. By the time my workday is over, I have enough time to grab a quick bite, shower, and drive to Zane’s house. He greets me at the door with a smile and a kiss.
“You cooked?” I ask when he leads me to the kitchen instead of the bedroom. Red flags pop up all over my mind. We normally kiss our way straight to his bedroom. He never cooks.
“I wanted to talk to you first,” he says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
Oh, god. That can’t be good.
“I ate before I came.”
“Oh.”
Zane doesn’t seem to know what to do now that I’ve thwarted his plans. I step forward and run my hands over his chest. “Do we need to talk?”
“Do you ever change your mind?”
I frown in confusion. “Um, sometimes? Depends.”
He takes my hands in his, his thumbs moving over them in soothing motions. “What if I don’t want to be your fuck buddy anymore?”
“Then I don’t know why you called me over here because I could’ve been elsewhere.”
He flinches at that and I wish I wasn’t so forward. “That’s not exactly what I meant.”
“I’m confused.” What else could he have meant? We’re either fuck buddies or we’re nothing.
Zane huffs and shakes his head, releasing my hands. “Never mind.” He turns away from me to open the fridge. “You should go.”
With him studiously avoiding me, I quietly walk out of the house. I’ve never seen Zane in a weird mood before, but there’s a first for everything. I also try not to get close enough that I would know his moods. I wait until I’m sitting at a stop sign a few miles away before I text Brayden.
Me: My plans canceled on me.
He texts me back by the time I reach the next stoplight.
Brayden: Come on over then.
An excitement I haven’t felt in a long, long time races through my body and thrills me. There’s this electric heat between Brayden and me, and it’s irresistible. I haven’t felt a connection like that in, well, never if I’m truly honest. I’ve had fantastic sex before, but just thinking about it with Brayden makes me want to turn the A/C on in the car.
I knock on Brayden’s door. He opens it within seconds, as if he was standing on the other side waiting for me. His hand strikes out to grab mine, yanking me inside. My back slams against the door and my shirt is off within seconds. He kisses me hard, pushing up my skirt as my legs wrap around his waist, and groans when his hands brush bare skin. Brayden may not like to step out of his comfort zones, but he sure as hell likes to take charge and be in control. It’s why I was so eager to catch him off guard in my quilt shop.
Brayden’s mouth moves to my neck and up to my ear where he whispers, “First, I’m fucking you the way I want. Then, a punishment is in order.”
My entire body shivers. Brayden chuckles. His mouth returns to mine, dominating control, stealing my every breath, and weakening my knees. My heartbeat pulses so loudly it’s a roar in my ears. Brayden teases me just once before slamming home.
“Oh, fuck.” It feels so good that I momentarily forget there’s a door behind me and bang my head against it.
Brayden keeps thrusting into me, but with a hand cradled behind my head. This is what I need. A powerful man fucking me senseless while managing to take care of me at the same time. A girl could get used to this.
Later, we’re lying in Brayden’s bed when he asks, “How did you come to own a quilt shop?”
For a moment, I hesitate. Telling him would require me to get personal, which could lead to a string forming and attaching. But the question is innocent; he’s probably only curious. “My grandmother owned it. She passed when I was eighteen, and she pissed off the whole damn family by leaving the shop to me. Her instructions specifically were for me to take over and run it. I already knew how because I helped her here and there.”
“Are you happy she did that?” he asks.
“Yeah. I was pretty wild back then and she gave me stability by forcing me to take over. There was no way I would let her down.”
“So, no college?”
“Nope. I had a business to run. Plus, the last thing I needed was to go to college and have a chance to get even crazier and be stupider.” I prop myself up on my elbow. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“I’m curious.”
“Does that mean I’m free to be curious too?”
“Do and be whatever you want.” He shrugs. How he can be laid-back in moments like this yet so tense at almost every other moment? Maybe it’s because of the sex.
I also find that I am a little curious. I blame the fact that I knew he was shopping for his mother today. “Does your mom live close by?”
Brayden shakes his head. “She lives back in Michigan in my hometown.”
I didn’t realize he wasn’t from here, though it makes sense. He doesn’t have the accent except for when he called me darlin’. He must pick it up here and there. “How did you end up here?”
“I liked the weather better.”
Such a simple reason to move, but I suppose people leave northern states for that reason all the time. “What have you been doing for the past two weeks?”
Brayden laughs. It’s an amazing laugh. He should do it more often. “Is that your way of asking if I fucked someone else? Or if I missed you? I don’t know you well enough to know which.”
I roll my eyes. “We were asking questions and that was the only one I could think of.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” he points out.
“Neither,” I answer. Obviously he can fuck someone else if he wishes. He doesn’t need to miss me either.
Brayden’s warm hand, which was resting on my ass, glides up my back to my shoulder. “I worked and did little else.”
“That’s boring.”
“What did you do?”
I smile and laugh a little. “The same thing, actually.”
“That’s boring,” he mocks. “Are you leaving tonight or in the morning?”
“Depends. Will you make it worth my while if I stay until morning?”
“Have I let you down yet?”
“No. No, you have not.”
He grins and pulls me on top of him with one hand as he reaches for a condom with the other. “Then let’s have a little more fun.”
And fun we do have. Brayden finally “punishes” me. He tortures me by bringing me to the edge only to drag me away before I can fall over and enjoy the highest pleasure. I damn near go mad before I orgasm, but it’s well worth it. We conk out after that, each of us on one side of his massive bed.
However, when I wake up in the morning, I’m curled into Brayden’s side. One of his arms is across my back so his hand can rest half on my hip and half on my ass. Even in his sleep, he loves to touch my ass. The thought makes me giggle.
“What are you laughing about?” he grumbles, his voice thick with sleep.
“You’re an ass man, Brayden,” I say as I lift my head to look at him.
His lids are still heavy, only a slice of green peering at me between his thick red lashes. “I’m a woman man,” he corrects. I roll my eyes and he pinches me for it. “Should I still expect you tonight even though you came last night?”
I normally don’t do back-to-backs, as I have this crazy idea that it’s easier to form strings if I do. However, do I turn down another night of downright scorching sex?
No, I don’t.
“Yes. I can be here around,” I pause to think about which class I have to teach tonight, “eight. Will that work?”
He nods.
“I have to get going. Thanks for a good night, Brayden.” I’m about to move away, but he holds me in place.
“Good?” he questions.
I glance at him with a raised brow. “Now, Brayden,” I start with an admonishing tone. “I didn’t take you as a guy who needed his ego stroked.”
He’s back to trying to hide his expressions. The corners of his mouth barely move upward. “I don’t. Go on then.” His arm falls from my side and I leave his bed, walking naked out of his room since my clothes are still downstairs.
Brayden and I? We’re going to have a lot of fun together.