Chapter 17
LEXI
Fuck today. All I wanted was to sneak away at lunch for a quickie with Brandon, but nooooooo.
We had to go, and not only be short-staffed, but busy as fuck too.
The second my shift ended, I got right the fuck out of there and made my way home, not before stopping by the cafeteria to see if Brandon was still there.
Unfortunately for me, he had already gone for the day.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that photo he’d sent me.
Goddammit, I’d never seen anything so hot in all of my twenty-six years.
I still hadn’t responded because, honestly, what the hell was I gonna say?
Nice dick? A dick pic of that caliber deserved a better response than that.
Although I did kind of feel bad that I didn’t message him back.
That’s okay. I was about to make it up to him.
When I got home, I showered and then got myself ready. Nothing too crazy—a little makeup and a brush through my hair. Then I picked out one of my favorite lingerie pieces and got to work setting the mood in my room. It was time for a photo shoot of my own.
With the lights dimmed and the clutter cleared away, my room transformed into my own personal photography studio.
I propped my phone up on the floor and got down on all fours.
After making sure that the lighting was just right, I faced away from the camera and positioned myself on my knees.
I turned to look at the camera and check the shot. Damn, this looked hot, I thought.
Once I was happy with everything, I set the timer on my phone and scrambled to get back into position, this time arching my ass up slightly more. It took a few tries to get the perfect shot, but boy, did I get it!
Thrilled with my handiwork, I opened up my text thread with Brandon and sent the photo. I didn’t wait for his response, though, because I didn’t sit by the phone for anyone, not even Lord Big Dick Edgington himself. So, I threw on a fluffy robe and made myself some dinner.
I’d just sat down on the couch with a big glass of wine and my piping hot mac n’ cheese when there was a knock on my door.
I wasn’t expecting anyone, and I swore to God that if it were someone trying to sell something, I’d murder them.
Disgruntled that my dinner would have to wait, I set it down and went to see who it was.
“Yes?” I questioned whoever dared interrupt my first actual meal of the day. Unless you count coffee as a meal.
“Lexi, it’s Brandon.”
What.
The.
Fuck.
How did he know where I lived?
“What can I do for you, Brando?” I asked in my most snarky tone. While I didn’t know how he found my place, I knew exactly why he was here, and I planned on making him work for it.
“Don’t toy with me, woman. Open this door.” He sounded like he was in no mood for my shenanigans, so I opened the door, deciding I could make him work for it inside my warm apartment.
I couldn’t believe I was letting him in.
First of all, I never had guys over at my apartment.
I always went to theirs. Second, how did he know where I lived?
Was I being stalked? Was I in danger? I laughed to myself, because while Brandon was a total freak in the sheets, he was still a really nice guy, and I didn’t think he’d hurt a fly, let alone me.
Standing back to give him room to enter, he strode in, looking frazzled, and paced around my apartment.
His usually perfect man bun was coming loose, and his hair was covered in thick snowflakes.
He pulled out his hair tie, ran his fingers through his locks, and then pulled them back to re-secure them.
I stood there taking him in and, fuck me, did he look good. My nipples were already tight little peaks begging for attention, and my pussy demanded to be filled. I was going to ruin this man.
I undid the tie of my robe and let it fall to the ground.
Welp, that got his attention. Brandon stopped in his tracks and looked me up and down.
He then took three long strides to get to me, lifted me, and slammed us against the wall, careful not to actually hurt me.
I wrapped my legs around him as his mouth crashed into mine.
“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that, don’t you?” he asked, while kissing and groping me, then pressing his erection into my pelvis. “You drive me fucking crazy.”
“That picture you sent was so fucking hot,” I admitted. “Please tell me you brought the Santa hat.”
“It’s in the car.”
“Go.”
That man dropped me like a bad habit and went running out of my apartment. I didn’t stop laughing until he came bounding back in with the biggest shit-eating grin and the Santa hat on his head.
“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed. “Take off your shoes and your coat. You’re getting snow everywhere.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” He kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it by the door. Dressed in jeans and a well-fitted flannel shirt, he was giving off some serious lumberjack vibes. Smash.
As Brandon turned, he caught sight of my food on the coffee table. “Did I interrupt your dinner?”
I was still in my sparse lingerie, nipples standing at attention, goosebumps pebbling my flesh. I wanted to fuck, but I also needed to eat. My stomach growled its approval of the latter loud enough that I was sure Brandon heard it.
He moved quickly, picking my robe up off the floor and wrapping it around me. “Sorry, Lexi. I barged in here unannounced. Fuck, you’re freezing.” He rubbed his hands over my arms to warm me. Damn, that felt so good.
“I’m okay, really.” Grabbing his shirt, I pulled him to me. “I know a way you can warm me up.” My stomach growled even louder, and I winced. There was no way he didn’t catch that one.
“Food first, then fucking.” He gave me a wink.
“Fine, I do love food, too,” I agreed reluctantly. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I could eat. If you have enough for two, that is.”
I moved into the kitchen—already missing his touch—and portioned out another bowl of mac n’ cheese. “You want a glass of wine?”
“No, I’m not much of a wine guy. Water is fine.”
I returned to the living room and set down his water and food and then sat on the couch cross-legged. It had only been a short while since I’d abandoned my own food, so thankfully, it was still warm enough to dig right in.
“So, Brando, how’d you get my address?” I questioned in between bites.
He chuckled, “From your form at the shop.”
“Are you even allowed to do that?” I pointed my fork at him and arched an eyebrow. “What’s a tattoo shop equivalent to HIPAA? You’ve got to be violating something like that.”
He laughed. “I mean, I wouldn’t give out your info to a stranger, but it’s my shop, and I just so happened to see your address when you filled out the form.”
“Yeah, right. Just so happened to see it? Sure.”
“Are you upset that I’m here?” he asked seriously.
“Truthfully? No, I was actually hoping I’d see you tonight. That pic you sent this morning was so fucking hot.” I pointed my fork back and forth between us. “But this whole eating dinner together is dangerously close to crossing a line of our arrangement.”
“Eating mac n’ cheese is against the rules?”
I exhaled an annoyed breath. “No, but you coming here, us sharing a meal—I don’t want you getting your hopes up.”
“Lexi, I have no illusions about us. I think we have great chemistry, and if that’s all it is, then so be it.”
“Mmmhmm.” I didn’t believe a word that was coming out of his mouth, and I didn’t think he did either, but that was going to end up being his fucking problem, not mine.
We ate our food and made small talk while I guzzled my wine. It was bordering on a date, and I needed liquid courage to deal with that. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a date, if ever. Pre-fucking drinks surely didn’t count.
“Can I ask you something?” Brandon asked, putting his bowl aside and turning to face me on the couch.
“I guess so,” I reluctantly agreed.
“Why are you so anti-relationships? I know we sort of talked about it before, but I’m curious as to why? Did someone hurt you in the past?” This mother fucker.
That was not a topic I wanted to entertain. Not with him, not with anyone. Did someone hurt me? No. Someone hurt my mom, and I promised myself I wouldn’t end up like her. This thing between us wasn’t going anywhere, and I wasn’t about to bare my soul to some guy who wouldn’t be sticking around.
“Nope. I just like my freedom. Why buy the cow? Am I right?” I joked. “Let’s change the subject, okay?”
Brandon shook his head, but agreed. “Okay, Lexi. If that’s what you want.” We finished our meals on safer subjects, such as my tattoo, the shop, and my job at the hospital.
After we had finished eating, I got up to put our dishes in the sink and top off my wine. When I returned to the living room, Brandon was getting real cozy and had turned on the TV.
“Excuse me, but what are you doing?”
“I thought we could watch a movie or something,” he said so casually, I almost forgot he wasn’t just a friend. Almost.
“Are you okay? Like seriously, did you hit your head on the way over here or something?” I stared blankly at him.
“What’s the matter, Sweetheart? Afraid you’ll catch feelings if we hang out?” Brandon countered with a smirk.
“You’re an idiot.” Despite the sass I was throwing at him, I couldn’t help the smile that broke out on my face. “Fuck, fine. I gotta let my mac n’ cheese digest, anyway, before I do what I had planned to you.”
“Oh, you have a plan?” He grinned back at me.
“I’ve been thinking about it all damned day, actually.”