Chapter 8 Tabitha
Morning came too fast.
Before my eyes opened all the way, I could tell I was alone in bed. I blinked a couple of times and took in the masculine space. The sheets were a dark gray and comfy, his walls were painted soft white, and the furniture was a great mix of dark wood with metal accents.
And the room was empty.
I sat up and looked around for a hint that maybe he was in the bathroom or had recently stepped out to take a call. But that wasn’t my luck. A cold shiver rushed through me as I thought about my options. Should I sneak out? Had he left a note?
A note? I wanted to laugh at myself. Did men even leave notes nowadays?
This wasn’t a historical romance. This was real life.
It was a one-night stand, and now he was done.
For all I knew, I overstayed my welcome.
I couldn’t help the negative thoughts even if a large part of myself didn’t believe them.
He wouldn’t have just left. But what did I know?
I’d never had the traditional family other than my grandmother.
But even she was gone now. The only family I had were my friends.
Guilt started to prickle to life. I’d left them.
I’d met some guy and left them behind.
I chewed on my lip. I didn’t date. When I tried, it always fizzled out before it became anything for some reason. Because it wasn’t your sexy, mysterious vampire daddy! A voice in my head shouted.
I pulled the sheet up over my body, contemplating how to get the hell out of here.
Don’t run away, a voice whispered in my head, and I frowned as Rosie’s words about trying something new popped into my head.
Getting out of our norm. I shifted closer to the edge of the bed and winced.
I had definitely done that. And now I am deliciously sore.
I had a feeling I would be thinking about what had happened Halloween night for the rest of my life.
And I would be reminded of it with every step I took for at least three to four days.
Scanning the room for my dress, I remembered the way we’d woken up in the middle of the night.
His green eyes searched mine in the darkness before I’d reached for his face to brush a lock of dark black hair off his forehead.
He’d pulled the dress off when I’d straddled him.
Just the reminder of that second round, how hot and sweaty we had both gotten, made me wet.
Riding him and coming twice to his one had been mind-blowing.
The door to the bedroom opened, and boom! There he was.
I blinked once, twice, unable to believe my eyes. He looked like a hero from a romcom in gray joggers that hung dangerously low on his hips and messy dark hair I’d tugged on late at night.
The whole picture complete with a tray of food in his hands.
And just like that, my heart softened, and hope started to bloom inside of me.
His green eyes twinkled before he set the tray on top of his dresser and walked over to me.
I didn’t blink. I wanted to memorize every possible detail of his masculine face in case this was where he said it was fun, but it was time for me to head home.
That we had been a moment and not the start of something so beautiful I didn’t dare dream of.
He surprised me by sitting on the bed and moving me so I would straddle him before resting a hand on my hip while the other tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
“Good morning.” He smiled, and my poor stupid heart skipped a beat.
“Good morning,” I whispered, my voice raspy from sleep and screaming daddy last night. I opened and shut my mouth. I still didn’t know his name. “This is hardly fair,” I decided to point out. His head tilted to the side a bit, and his lips twitched.
“Why’s that, baby girl?” I blushed. Shit. I’d called him daddy! Ohmygod!
“I’m naked, and you’re not,” I pointed out, still holding on to whatever sassy, bold part of me he had brought to life. Or had she been there all along?
“Hmm.” His eyes dipped, and I felt my nipples harden under his stare. They rose and met mine, warm and hungry. “I can see that, but we can fix that after we talk. That sound okay?”
Uh-oh. After we talked. That doesn’t sound good.
This was definitely going to be a brus- off. A polite one, probably because he was older and wiser, but a brush-off nonetheless.
“Umm, okay.” I swallowed and cleared my throat. Rip it off like a Band-Aid. “What do you want to talk about?” I asked just as his fingers moved into my hair, making my eyes flutter shut. That felt good. He rubbed the back of my head, and I leaned into his touch.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, his magical hands relaxing me.
“With my eyes closed,” I responded, and my eyes popped open at the accidental sarcastic response. Before I could apologize, he laughed. The sound filled me from the inside out. I liked his laugh. No, I loved it.
“You?” I asked, and his eyes softened.
“Better than I have ever slept in my entire life.” I blinked.
My mind slowly processed his words. “Okay,” he sighed, tipping my head back so our eyes locked.
“I wanna talk to you, and this is going to sound crazy, and honestly, it’s partially why I want you naked on my lap.
” Confusion must have shown on my face because he started to explain.
“That way, you can’t run off on me,” he said with a chagrined smile.
“You’re married,” I guessed.
“What? No.” He frowned.
“You’re engaged?” I guessed on a second try.
“No.” He laughed. “I like your imagination, baby, but there is no way if I had someone, last night would have happened. I’m not that guy. I’ve never been that guy.”
“Oh, umm…” I pressed my lips together and tried to ignore the heat that bloomed on my cheeks. “That’s good to know.”
“This is going to sound crazy but…” He shrugged. His fingers never stopped caressing my face or massaging my scalp as he spoke. “Here goes.” His hands fell to my sides.
“My name is Brewster Graham. I’m a forty-year-old realtor.
I just moved back to Moonlit Pines eight months ago, and for the first time since I returned, I woke up feeling like this was the best fucking decision I could have ever made.
After eight months, baby girl.” My breath hitched in my throat, almost like I couldn’t breathe. He kept talking.
“I love Thai food. I’m not a huge fan of salads, but I’ll eat them because they’re good for you.
I like salty over sweet, but I’m a sucker for apple pie.
Especially with vanilla ice cream. My favorite color is gray, but that’s quickly changing to the dark brown of your eyes.
I’m not a big professional football guy, but I love watching college ball. Especially my alma mater, U of D.”
“Brewster Graham,” I whispered. He leaned in closer, until his forehead touched mine.
“I’m a grown man, baby girl, but just hearing you say my name or calling me daddy has me harder than a fucking diamond.” I giggled, and something in his eyes softened as he kept speaking.
“I don’t date. Not really. I’ve had two girlfriends.
One in high school that was puppy love and the other in college where we grew apart.
They were great women but not the ones for me.
” He was laying it all out there for me.
His hands moved and cupped my face, and I couldn’t help myself from leaning into his touch.
“When I graduated and started working, that was my life. Working, making money, finding smart investments. Investments that paid off. Well. So well that when my dad got sick and he offered me the company his dad had built here, I bought it and left my life in Arizona behind. I thought I’d come back to give my dad peace of mind before he passed, but I think…
I think life brought me back here to meet you. ”
“Me?” I whispered. “You hardly know me.”
“Don’t I?” I swallowed. I couldn’t deny the pull, the familiarity I felt around him. And honestly, that was what time and life were about, right? Getting the time to get to know one another.
“I just… fuck, baby girl, I don’t even know your name.“ His fingers found mine, and he brought my hand up between us, kissing each knuckle before looking at me. “But I know that last night, I fell in love with a sexy, little witch who I’m dying to get to know for the rest of my life.”
“You fell…” I swallowed, unable to repeat the words.
Brewster nodded. His face was serious, but it was those honest green eyes that had me believing what he was saying. I couldn’t stop staring at him. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t look away from eyes I felt a deep-rooted connection with.
It’s crazy! He was completely right. If he had met me last month, shit, last week and told me this after one night? I would have run away screaming.
But then again, thinking about it, I probably wouldn’t have even taken a chance and approached him.
Or looked at him. Things happened when you least expected them.
I had been so used to life tossing me curveballs.
My parents. My grandmother. Even college and the way the girls and I had gone our own directions had been tough. But I got through it.
To find Brewster?
“Baby…” His eyes searched mine, and I dropped my gaze, my hands finding his.
I could have easily said I’m not there yet.
I knew in my gut Brewster would have accepted it.
He would have been fine with it. But I couldn’t do that to him.
I couldn’t shake off this urgency to let myself feel what I felt around him.
From the moment I’d spotted him in the parking lot while I was shopping, I’d known. I’d felt it, and right then and there, I knew. I tangled my fingers with his and stared up at him.
“My name is Tabitha Nunez. I’m a twenty-eight-year-old fourth grade teacher at Moonlit elementary,” I started to share.
“My favorite food is Italian. I’m not a pickle person and love pineapple and mushrooms on my pizza.
My favorite color is orange even though I tell everyone it’s blue.
I love desserts of all kinds, and coffee is a must.” I took a moment.
I could see him waiting, listening and cataloging every word I said.
“I’ve lived here since I came to live with my grandma when I was eight and my parents passed away.
” I shrugged. “It was just me and her and the girls you saw me with last night until she passed away right after high school graduation. I went away for college but came back here. I couldn’t imagine living or teaching anywhere else.
” I lifted his hand and kissed the top of it.
“I’m not a risk taker, but last night, seeing you across the bar, something came over me.
I couldn’t help myself. I went up to you and…
and I fell in love with you last night, too.
” His jaw clenched, and a moment later, his forehead was pressed against mine.
“I’ve never done this, dating someone seriously, but this feels serious. ”
“That’s because it is,” he vowed.
“I’d really like to see where this goes.”
“Good. I want that, too,” he growled, and a moment later, he flipped me over onto my back and showed me just how happy he was with getting to know me just that little bit more.
The food was cold by the time we were done, but it was okay. Since we were hot and sweaty, neither of us minded.