6. Back On My Feet
Sean knew before he fully woke that he was back to normal power. Holding Branna in his arms meant he’d been able to sleep properly instead of worrying about her down the hall.
The scream she’d let out in the middle of her nightmare had been full of grief and loss and sheer terror. The sound had embedded itself into his heart, and he knew he’d never forget the helplessness he’d felt at her sorrow.
When he’d bounded into her room, he’d found Jabba on the bed, trying to nudge her awake. She’d been stiff and frozen when he’d picked her up, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest.
It had taken him almost a minute to wake her from the nightmare. Although asleep, her eyes had been wide open. He’d left the light on in the hallway, and he’d seen that she was completely shattered.
He wasn’t sure he would have been able to leave her on her own for the rest of the night, so he’d been relieved when she’d asked him to stay.
He’d left his phone in the other room and he didn’t know what time it was, but he knew they’d slept for a long time. Poor Jabba would have to go out soon.
Sean wondered if they’d even moved as they’d slept. His arm still held her to his chest, where she’d left her hand over his heart. She pressed up against him along his side, and he was glad she wasn’t splayed on top of him where she’d feel his erection.
Sleeping with Branna might prove addictive, even if they never had sex.
Hell, he hoped she wanted to have sex at some point in the future once they figured out this mess. He’d always liked her. He’d been attracted to her from the time he’d been old enough to notice. But she was Charlie’s sister.
What do you think, Charlie? Me and Branna? How do you feel about that?
Not surprisingly, Charlie didn’t answer, but Sean was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind. If you couldn’t trust your best friend with your sister, who could you trust? At least that was the way he was choosing to look at it.
From the other side of the bed, Jabba lifted his head and eyed Sean. He whined softly and Sean figured the guy had to be bursting to go outside. He needed to hit the bathroom himself.
Sean tried to slip out without disturbing Branna, but her eyes fluttered open. When she spotted him, she smiled and her eyes were clear of fear and grief. He knew it would return but seeing her at peace after sharing a bed for the night made him feel like a superhero.
He kissed her forehead. “Hey. I need to let Jabba out. Go back to sleep.”
She ran her hand over his chest, and he wanted to kiss her more than almost anything.
Jabba distracted them both by leaping from the bed and rushing to the door. Laughing, Sean followed him but left the door open behind him. He was fully charged with sleep, but if Branna wasn’t comfortable being alone in the bed, he’d slide back in with her.
Such a sacrifice. Grinning, he hit the bathroom quickly and then headed outside with Jabba. The dog hurried to the nearest bush and bounced around the yard, checking out the new surroundings.
After being trapped in the truck for so long, Sean figured the dog would need some time to stretch his legs. While watching to ensure Jabba didn’t take off, Sean moved through a few stretching exercises. He hadn’t put in a workout since Branna’s text. His body wouldn’t let him down after only a few days, but putting in some pushups and other moves would help keep him loose and limber.
When the dog returned to him, they headed back inside. He heard Branna start up the shower as he set Jabba up with more food and water.
Sean grabbed his phone from the other bedroom. Judging by his last call to Troy, they’d slept for over ten hours.
He’d get a shower later once he prepped some food for Branna. It would take her a while to build her energy back up. Lots of small meals. Lots of rest. He hoped Troy’s friends didn’t mind if they stayed for another night.
Branna came into the kitchen just as Sean poured the pancake mix onto the griddle. “Good timing. I hope you still like pancakes.”
She wore a pair of leggings and a T-shirt she must have found in the stash of clothing Troy had said was there for whoever needed it. The T-shirt was large, but at least the clothes were clean and, hopefully, didn’t remind her of how bad the past few days had been.
“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”
He laughed. “I imagine so. How are you feeling today? You’re barely limping.”
She smiled at him. “I feel almost human, thanks to you. And that’s a serious thank you. You didn’t have to come and help me out, and I really appreciate it. Then you helped me sleep and kept the nightmares at bay.” She reached up on her toes and placed a kiss on his jaw. “Thank you.”
He wanted to unplug the griddle and kiss her properly. “You’re welcome.”
Branna grabbed plates and utensils. She put their dirty dishes from the day before in the dishwasher. “Do you know if we’re allowed to stay here another day? If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay put while I deal with the phone calls I have to make.”
He frowned at her. “Phone calls?”
She nodded. “Insurance. Police. At least someone in the neighborhood, so they don’t worry that I died in the fire. Then I have to replace all of my ID and bank cards. Everything I own is gone. I also have to contact the funeral home. I was going to do that after I called to tell you about Dad.”
Sean flipped the pancakes. Her tone was still devastated but resigned. She’d got some of her resilience back.
She moved to the fridge, found juice, and poured them both a glass. “I’m not sure if I’ll need to go back to press charges or if I can do it on the phone.”
“Against?”
Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “Prince Hawley. He and his thugs were the ones who burned down the pub while I was inside.”
Absolute fury poured through Sean. These pricks were going away for a long time. “You were there?” His voice was rough, but he managed to keep the words to a mostly normal volume.
Branna nodded. “Hiding in the snug.”
Hell. No wonder she’d had nightmares. “We’ll need to go over the whole story with the police and my guys, but tell me the basics. How did you get out?”
Branna nodded, and they took their seats from the night before, like an old married couple who had their own spots. He liked that. And he was focusing on that because he knew whatever he was about to hear would make him furious.
“I was sitting in the snug, working up to calling you. I was trying to figure out how to tell you, and then I just blurted it out in the truck. I’m sorry.”
Sean shook his head. “No worries.”
She smiled softly and spooned a little jam onto her pancakes. She’d always preferred that over syrup. “I was feeling lost and alone. Scared of the future. I hadn’t slept much since Dad was hit. I heard Prince and his idiot friends break in the door. The crash nearly made me jump out of my skin. He was loud and cocky and trying to scare me. It worked.”
Sean reached over to squeeze her hand. She managed a small smile in return. “I hid in the closet in the snug. Apparently, his herd had been surveilling the building and knew I was inside. They searched the place, but they didn’t find me. But they knew I was hiding somewhere.”
Because they’d been watching her. Staking out the place. “They figured you’d be vulnerable and an easy target.”
She nodded. “Hawley yelled to me that he would burn the place if I didn’t come out. Probably expected me to emerge. I didn’t until I could hear the fire roaring and the smoke was thick. They’d stacked the pub’s furniture, spread gasoline, and torched each pile. I ran up the stairs, hoping to grab some stuff, but they’d started fires on each floor. I kept running up, and then when I got to the roof door, I texted you.”
She blew out a breath. “Remember when we were young and stupid and thought we could fly?”
Oh hell. “You didn’t. They removed the balconies on the building across the street for safety reasons. That’s an extra three or four feet added to an already difficult jump.”
She shrugged. “It was that, die in a fire, or give myself up to Prince. And neither of those options was acceptable.”
No kidding. “My God, Branna. You could have died.”
“That’s exactly what I was trying to prevent.”
His stomach roiled. She could have been killed in all three scenarios. He dropped his fork and ran his hands through his hair. She could have died, and he might never have known what had happened.
Branna put her hand on his arm. “Easy. I’m fine. Thanks to you.”
Here she was, trying to comfort him. This woman. Unable to do anything else, Sean turned on his stool and wrapped her in his arms.
* * *
Branna hugged Sean and felt his body tremble beneath hers. She hadn’t expected him to react like this, and while she didn’t like causing him stress; it warmed her heart to know someone would have truly cared if she had died.
Her eyes filled, and she swallowed hard to keep herself in control. “I’m okay.”
Sean chuckled softly. “You definitely are. Sorry about that. It just hit me how real it all is. I might never have known what happened. I don’t know how I would have lived with that. Thank you for texting me. For trusting me to help you.”
“I’ve always known I could count on you, Sean. You and Charlie were so good to me. Even when I was a pesky tag-along.”
He laughed and sat back but kept his hands on her arms. “You were tough to get rid of.”
She grinned. “I was, but I don’t think you two tried all that hard.”
His returning grin had her insides fluttering. This man was everything a good man should be. Add in the sexy-as-sin body, and it was no wonder she’d had a crush on him forever.
Something in Sean’s gaze changed, and Branna wondered how much of what she felt for him showed in her eyes.
His gaze flicked to her mouth and back up. She found herself doing the same while leaning in. Heat flared in Sean’s eyes, and all her girlie parts started to cheer. Kiss him!
Sean started to lean back. “We probably shouldn’t.”
To hell with that. “I think we probably should.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he grinned before he contained it again. “You’ve been through a lot, Branna. I’m not taking advantage of that. Your emotions have to be zipping around like ping-pong balls. Let’s give it a few days.”
If she hadn’t seen the answering desire in his eyes, she would have backed down and agreed. But this was Sean. The boy she’d liked more than anyone. The strong, powerful soldier she’d lusted after. The man with the gentle soul who’d always protected her. And if his feelings matched even a tiny bit of hers, she wasn’t giving up her chance.
Instead of backing away, she leaned forward again. “My emotions are a mess, but not about this. You have to know I’ve always been attracted to you, Sean. I doubt I hid my crush all that well when I was a kid.”
He laughed and tapped her nose. “You most certainly did not.”
That made her smile. “Those feelings haven’t changed, Sean. Not once.”
Heat flared in his eyes again. “Good to know.”
“Kiss me, Sean.”
He studied her seriously for a long moment, and she let him look, let him see that she was steady enough to make this decision.
When she saw his face soften, Branna smiled and closed the distance.
The moment their lips touched her body soared to life. Full life like she’d never experienced before. His clean man scent, the texture of the hair on his forearms, the play of his muscles.
Her own muscles went lax, and she leaned further into his strength. Without breaking the kiss, Sean’s strong hands moved to her hips, and he lifted her onto his lap, where she could feel his erection against her.
She smiled without lifting her lips, then whispered. “Much better.”
She felt his smile before they dove back into a kiss that nearly had the top of her head popping off.
When they pulled back to breathe, Sean trailed kisses along her jawline and down her neck to where her pulse galloped. Her head dropped back as he teased her there, and when she tightened her legs around him, he groaned at the intimate contact.
So, she did it again.
His teeth nipped her neck lightly, and then he soothed the area with his tongue. “Payback, Branna.”
She liked the sound of that, so she ran her fingers under his T-shirt and traced her fingers along his abs. The muscles flinched as she moved, and she heard her own sigh of pleasure mix with his.
His mouth came up to capture hers again and his fingers slipped under the borrowed t-shirt. She hadn’t wanted to wear her bra until she washed it, so she was bare under the shirt. When he discovered that, more heat flared in his eyes and his smile widened.
“Nice.” Sean’s fingers moved up slowly, and she ground down on his erection. When he brushed the undersides of her breasts, his mouth broke from hers. His gaze locked on hers, and they nearly set fire to the house with just that look.
“You’re killing me, Branna. Killing me.”
Eyes on hers, he cupped her breasts and thumbed her nipples. When her eyes drifted close and her head started to drop back, he spoke with a gravelly voice that did all sorts of great things to her body. “Eyes on me, Branna. Let me see what my touch does to you.”
She dragged her eyes open and focused on him. His deep, dark eyes weren’t pure black. The flecks of gold were brighter than normal, and she could see the desire. Heat. Love?
The thought that he might have real feelings that echoed her own spurred her emotions even higher and her body spiraled.
Sean’s fingers played with her breasts until he found the touches that had her squirming in his lap. His grin turned predatory as her body started to spin inside. Her breathing shortened and she wanted more. She wanted it all.
Sean dropped his head and kissed her neck, where her pulse raced against her skin. His lips trailed along her jaw and to her ear, where he whispered. “Let me see what happens when you fly.”
His growly words had her spiraling higher. “That’s it, gorgeous girl. Let go, let it all go. Fly.”
Branna’s body contracted and flew. There was no other word for the sensations filling her body and mind. Waves of pleasure battle for dominance and she couldn’t keep track of them all.
When her ears functioned again, her harsh breathing was the first sound she heard. She lifted her heavy eyelids to find Sean’s gaze still locked on her. The heat she saw had her body reacting with more shivers.
With a grin, he kept his fingers moving and leaned forward to kiss her. “Absolutely stunning, Branna.”
Branna reached her hands up to cup Sean’s jaw. The man hadn’t done more than play with her breasts and kiss her. He was potent, and she wanted him. “I’ve never felt anything like that. I think I left the planet for a moment there.”
His grin was cocky and sexy as hell. “And we’re just getting started.”
She liked the sound of that, but when she reached for the jeans he wore, his phone buzzed on the island behind him.
Sean swore and dropped his head to her shoulder while he drew in long breaths. He slid his hands out from under her T-shirt and straightened her clothes. He peeked over her shoulder at the phone and swore again. “Troy. With a video call. We should take this.”
Branna groaned at the interruption, but she kissed Sean lightly and slid off his lap. “To be continued. You answer it. I’ll be back in a second.”
He kissed her back. “Definitely to be continued.”
She scooted to the bathroom, needing to splash water on her face so she didn’t look like she’d just had the best orgasm of her life.
A glance in the mirror told her that was exactly how she looked. Smiling, she cleaned up and held cold water to her cheeks to cool them. Then she took a deep breath and returned to the kitchen.
Jabba stretched from where he’d been snoozing in the hallway and nuzzled into her as they crossed the room.
Sean had his back to her and she could see another man on his phone screen. Must be Troy.
But she didn’t have time to think about that as the man’s voice reached her. “The police are saying Branna is a person of interest in connection with the fire.”
What?
They thought she’d set the fire.
Her universe wobbled, and then Jabba started to bark.