Chapter 22
Paisley comes barreling toward me with a bundle of roses wrapped up in brown paper cradled in her arms. “Hey, girl, have you been avoiding me this week?”
I laugh at her dramatics and drop my nose to the soft-looking flowers, inhaling their sweet scent. “Not avoiding you, I just had a big week. I’ve been stuck at the office more than usual trying to get it all figured out.” Not to mention Brody and I can’t keep our hands off each other and sneaking around to his private meeting spots is taking up a lot of my day. Not that I’m complaining, messing around with him is hot. And the way he makes me feel when were together is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Who knew having a secret relationship with your boss could be so exhilarating? But it has left little time for the girls.
“Well, alright then.” She assesses me, a sassy smirk on her red lips. “So, what happened with the grump? Did you get a detention on Monday for staying out too late and getting drunk?” She laughs at her own joke.
I would like to tell her he found his own way of punishing me with his mouth, his hands, and his dick, but that would go against our agreement to keep this thing to ourselves. “Um… nothing,” I lie, knowing how guilty I look. I’m not good at keeping secrets, so I figure it’s best to say nothing at all.
“You expect me to believe you went home with the guy who’s been eye-fucking you since you got here and didn’t return until nearly twenty-four hours later and nothing happened? I wasn’t born yesterday, darlin’.”
I raise a brow, telling her this won’t be discussed, especially here at work. “How did your night go? You end up realizing Jake was the one you should have been with all along?” I bat my eyelashes playfully, and she laughs.
“I love the guy, but I think he’s been in the friend zone way too long. There’s no spark.” She pouts, sounding disappointed. “We’re just really good friends.”
“There has to be a spark,” I agree dreamily, thinking back to the electricity between me and Brody. When were together there is no denying how right it feels, it’s explosive.
“I tried. I keep trying, but no one seems to give me that feeling anymore. You know the one where you get all tingly inside, and you just know that you need to jump their bones.”
I nod. I know exactly what she’s talking about. “How long has it been?”
Sadly, she shakes her head. “Too long. Way too long.”
“What about the guy with the holiday house? That wasn’t all that long ago.”
“He was just a distraction. He didn’t do it for me either, but it was easy to spend his money.” She sighs, sounding sad about it. I feel bad for her, she’s normally so upbeat.
For the first time since I met Paisley, I feel like she’s being real with me, not just putting on a show for attention. Someone hurt her terribly, that much is obvious, and I feel kind of sad for her. Here I was thinking she was a party girl just out for a bit of fun and whatever guy she could get her hands on. But she’s a fragile little flower just like the delicate roses she works with. She’s just better at hiding her pain than the rest of us. “Got to look on the bright side. There are plenty more fish in the sea,” I offer. It’s what I always try to do when things feel hopeless.
She shrugs, and I know she’s not convinced. “What about Mason? What did you think of him? He’s your type, right? Big and burly.”
“I don’t have a type,” I mutter, knowing the only one who is my type is Brody. And yes, he might be big and burly, but that’s beside the point.
“Uh-huh.” She rolls her eyes. “Looked like you two were getting along well. If it doesn’t work out with the boss man, you should go there.”
“He was nice.” I shrug, not sure what else to say. He was nice, but nice isn’t what I’m looking for. Not even close. I want dirty, forbidden screwing with a man who makes my heart race. A tingle runs through me thinking about our escapades over the last few days. It’s so hot with Brody.
“Hmm, nice isn’t the reaction he normally gets. Most girls would be lining up for a date with Mason, that’s why I picked him for you. That and the first night he saw you sitting with us in McAllister’s he was all flustered over you.”
“I guess I’m not most girls then, am I?”
“No kidding. You’re so different from any of the girls around here. But don’t look now cause I think you might have a fan.”
I glance over my shoulder to see Mason strutting toward us with way too much swagger. He smiles all sexy, and you can tell he’s a massive ladies’ man, one who’s used to getting what he wants. My heart drops. I’m not up for this conversation today. He didn’t message after our date, and I took that as a good thing.
“Well, fancy seeing you ladies here,” he says like he didn’t know this was where we both worked.
“Nice to see you again, Mason. I better get back to work. These roses aren’t going to arrange themselves.” She beams at me like it’s a good thing he came to see me. I beg her with my eyes not to leave me alone with him. But she either doesn’t understand the silent message I’m sending her, or she doesn’t care, because she offers a cheeky wave then wanders away.
“Jake says you should call him,” Mason tells her.
“I will,” she calls back. And I know she won’t. She’s looking for something he can’t offer her.
He moves in a little closer than I’m comfortable with. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior on the weekend and ask for a re-do, show you I can be a gentleman,” he says smoothly, his eyes eating me up.
I laugh lightheartedly. “I’m sure you can. Your behavior was just fine. I was the one who drank too much.”
He looks me over, his expression more serious. “Elliot was right, I should have been monitoring you. I was too busy lost in your eyes to pay attention to how much you were drinking.”
I blush. He’s being so nice. I feel bad I have to turn him down, but he’s just not Brody. And that line was kind of cheesy. I glance toward Brody’s office window, wondering if he’s in there. I haven’t seen him yet today, but he’s always lurking around, waiting to pull me into a supply closet or empty hotel room.
“You didn’t come down here today just to see me, did you?” I ask, looking over his attire—jeans and a black T-shirt with a tool belt at his waist.
“Not that I wouldn’t, but no, I’m working on the construction site today. Parker wants this job done quickly so the hotel can be back up and running at full capacity real fast. I’ll be here for a few months probably.”
I remember him mentioning he was a builder. Makes sense that he’s contracting for Parker. This town really is very interconnected. And it leaves us in for an awkward conversation every time I bump into him. “The work looks great so far, I’m impressed with Parker’s vision,” I offer, not sure what else to say.
“I’m not here to talk about Parker, or the hotel,” he says, sounding a little annoyed. Then he takes a step closer, his eyes sweeping over me with an intensity I’m not quite sure how to handle. He’s a really nice guy, he’s just not my guy. “So how about it, Gisele, do I get my re-do, a chance to show you who I really am? This time just the two of us. Maybe out at my ranch, I could make you breakfast the next morning. I make killer pancakes.” He raises a brow, the heat in his eyes intensifying.
I swallow hard and place a hand on his chest, trying to get a little space between us. Pancakes the next morning. Geez, he’s not reading the room at all. “Look, Mason, I had a nice time Saturday, it was fun. But I’m just…”
I’m interrupted by a booming voice filled with a dark edge. “Miss Kelley, can I see you for a moment in the chapel?” I glance over Mason’s shoulder to see Brody coming toward us like a raging bull. He’s pissed. Really pissed. Where did he come from? Goosebumps run up my arms. His timing is terrible.
Mason takes a step back, his confidence faltering.
“Mason,” Brody grumbles out his name. “I think Parker is looking for you upstairs.” His eyes bore through Mason, and I feel bad for the guy. Brody is clearly overreacting and making it way too obvious that he’s calling me into the chapel for a matter unrelated to work. I might as well have an enormous Property of Brody sign tattooed on my forehead.
“Better get back to work,” Mason says in a rush.
“I’ll see you around,” I say, trying to soften the blow.
Brody’s attention comes to me, and his eyes say it all. I move toward the chapel. What’s his problem? We were just talking. I know he said he gets jealous, but this is overkill. And now I’m going to have to explain this awkward situation to Mason next time I bump into him around the hotel. Which is bound to happen now that he’s working here.
Brody slams the door closed behind then flicks the lock, stalking over to me. “I thought I told you on Sunday youre mine.”
I back up to the wall; he looks like he’s about to completely lose control. “He was just apologizing for Saturday night,” I stutter out, not sure how to handle this overbearing side of him.
He places his hands around my waist, holding me tight. “He needs to stay the hell away from you, Gisele,” he growls, his voice low and menacing.
My hands run up his arms and settle in his hair. “I’m not interested in Mason, Brody, only you, there’s no need to be all possessive,” I say softly, trying to calm the beast within. Can’t he see I’m crazy about him?
His eyes focus on mine. Theyre haunted, so haunted. Realization dawns on me after everything he admitted to me on the weekend. I get him, he has real trust issues after what his father did to his mother. I can see the turmoil, the hurt, the lack of trust, and why would he trust when he’s seen how badly his father messed up his mother, but he needs to know I could never do that to him. “Brody, I would never do anything to hurt you. I’m all yours.”
He lifts me by my waist and moves in between my legs, his breathing ragged like he’s trying to control himself but he doesn’t know how. “Brody,” I whisper, trying to break him out of whatever turmoil he’s in.
He smashes his mouth into mine, kissing me possessively, forcing his tongue inside my mouth. I kiss him back. It’s hurried and desperate and so good. His large hands roam over my body, squeezing my breast through the fabric of my shirt. My nipples go hard, turned on by his rough handling. He kisses down my neck, his stubble scratching my skin as he moves quickly, biting and nipping at me. His other hand shoves the fabric of my skirt up to my waist. I kiss his neck, getting carried away with him. I want him to know I’m his and I understand why he’s like this.
He shoves his hand inside my panties, pushing two digits inside of me. I gasp out loud at his desperation to get to me. He pumps me, stretching me, his wicked fingers doing things to my insides I’ve never felt before. I pant and beg for more, his thick fingers working me into a frenzy.
My body trembles in his grasp, needing more. “Show me I’m yours,” I purr, knowing he needs to feel this. He needs clarity that I’m right here with him, just as obsessed with him as he is with me. And I am. I would never do anything to hurt him. I’m his.
He growls out something, then unzips his pants, pulling his cock free. He rips my panties from my body and impales me in one quick move. I cry out, wincing as I try to adjust to his massive cock now throbbing inside of me, but he doesn’t give me a second to. He’s moving quickly. Thrusting over and over again, taking out his frustration and hurt. This Brody is fucking hot. And I’m not sure what that says about me, but I’m here for it.
“That’s it, show me. I’m yours and you’re mine,” I whisper into the side of his neck as I hang on to him. Kissing him, encouraging him, being whatever he needs me to be.
“You’re fucking mine, Gisele. No other man will ever get his hands on you.” He moves a hand to my clit, applying just enough pressure as he slides his fingers over the sensitive nub that it makes me feel crazy. My pussy pulses with the tell-tale signs of my impending orgasm.
“Cum for me,” he demands, his voice dark with possessiveness.
I cry out into the silence of the chapel, my moans of pleasure vibrating off the empty space.
“You’re mine,” he grunts out as he empties his release inside of me, his hips plunging forward in a deliberately deep thrust. His eyes bore into me, wild with jealousy, and it makes my heart race like crazy.
All air has been sucked from my lungs, and I hang on to him, trying to catch my breath. That was insane. He releases his vice-like grip on me, pulls out, and lets me down to the ground. I try to get my ragged breathing under control, sucking in deep breaths. I adjust my skirt, feeling his jizz running down my legs. I grab for his hand, needing to know we’re okay after that. “Brody.”
He pulls away. He collects my panties then takes off for the door.
“Brody,” I call to him, breathless, thinking that we would at least discuss what just happened. But he keeps stalking for the door, slamming it behind him as he leaves, and I jump, my nerves on edge.
I run a hand through my disheveled ponytail, trying to process what just happened. He’s so damaged. I’ve never met a man so jealous and possessive. And while I understand where it stems from, it’s unhealthy to think he gets to keep this up. I for one won’t put up with it. He needs to trust me.
And now I have an unsettled feeling that he just made it way too obvious something is going on between us. The more people that are on to us, the more likely it is to get out. He let his emotions cloud his judgment. This is what I was worried about. I don’t want to be the reason he and Emerson lose this place to their stepmom. I can’t be.