Braxton

 

I watch my mother scamper off in the opposite direction. She can run but she cannot hide forever. I’m not really upset about what she did. Everything was on my to-do list, I just hadn’t gotten to it quite yet.

“We’re about to fire up the grills, ladies,” I say as I reach Paisley and Caraleigh. She looks so fucking pretty today with her leggings and oversized t-shirt. She looks up at me and smiles. I’m taken back at how her whole face lights up.

“So, did you see what Nan did?” Paisley asks, a grin on her face.

“Yeah and I’m guessing that’s why she took off,” I reply, before I start chuckling. “Like I won’t eventually catch up to her!”

“What did your mom do?” Caraleigh asks.

“She took advantage of the fact I was gone all week and had some things done around the clubhouse that I’ve been putting off,” I tell her. “C’mon, let me show you.”

“Okay, I’d like that. I’ve only really seen the bar and the kitchen.”

“You two have fun, I’m gonna keep my eye on the kids,” Paisley says as I lead Caraleigh away, my fingers weaving their way between hers.

I don’t miss her glance at our hands and I give hers a gentle squeeze. “You okay with this?” I ask, nodding at our hands.

“I... I guess, why?”

“Just curious. I was never much for holding hands but find that I want to hold yours,” I admit as I walk us through the back door of the clubhouse.

She starts to giggle when she sees the storage room filled to the brim with non-perishables. The game room has her chuckling. By the time we get to the kids’ bunk room, she’s laughing so hard she has tears running down her face. “She...she did all this in a week?” she stammers out.

“Yep. Give that woman a credit card and keys and she’s apparently hell on wheels.”

“I’ll say. I’m pretty impressed at what she accomplished, to be honest.”

“I am too, but I’ll deny it if you repeat it,” I tell her. “There’s one more room, too.”

“Another one?”

I nod as I take her into the movie room. “Oh wow, look at this,” she says as she walks around the stadium style seats. There are smaller, kid-friendly ones set up in the front with the adult sizes at the back and there are enough that each brother could bring someone. At the back, there’s a huge popcorn popper and... wait a minute...oh for the love of all that’s holy! A drink machine? Caraleigh, seeing the look on my face, starts laughing again and soon, I’m laughing alongside her, with her pressed along my side.

“So fucking pretty,” I whisper as I tuck a wayward curl behind her ear and wipe away the tears from her laughter.

She looks down and I use my hand to gently lift her chin so she’s looking at me again. “You are, Cara. I’m not the kind of man who blows smoke up anyone’s ass, so when I say something, you can believe it’s the truth.”

“Okay,” she quietly says.

Stroking her cheek with my thumb, I lean down until our lips are nearly touching. “Been wanting to do this since the first day I saw you,” I murmur before I capture her lips in mine.

Incendiary. The moment our lips touch, I hear her gasp and know that the whoosh I felt go through at our connection was felt by her as well. Her lips are so fucking soft and I find myself pulling her closer so we’re touching before I deepen the kiss. “Let me in, sweetheart,” I murmur against her lips before I swipe my tongue across her lower lip.

Tentatively, almost as if she’s never been kissed before, she opens and I find myself exploring her mouth, tangling with her tongue so intimately that I’m soon groaning low in my throat. This slip of a woman has the power to break me and she doesn’t even have a clue. Long delicious minutes are spent learning her, while I fight off the desire to pull her over to one of the recliners and take it further. When I finally need air, I pull back slightly, leaning my forehead against hers as I pepper kisses across her face. “You like that sweetheart?” I rasp out when I feel her shudder against my lips on her neck.

“Mmhmm,” she murmurs.

“I did as well,” I tell her. Taking her hand I say, “We should probably head back outside. It’s about time to fire up the grills.”

“Okay,” she says, smiling shyly. I love how swollen her lips look and feel like I’m ten feet tall that she’s on my arm. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s mine.