He texts me back by the time I reach the next stoplight.
Brayden: Come on over then.
An excitement I haven’t felt in a long, long time races through my body and thrills me. There’s this electric heat between Brayden and me, and it’s irresistible. I haven’t felt a connection like that in, well, never if I’m truly honest. I’ve had fantastic sex before, but just thinking about it with Brayden makes me want to turn the A/C on in the car.
I knock on Brayden’s door. He opens it within seconds, as if he was standing on the other side waiting for me. His hand strikes out to grab mine, yanking me inside. My back slams against the door and my shirt is off within seconds. He kisses me hard, pushing up my skirt as my legs wrap around his waist, and groans when his hands brush bare skin. Brayden may not like to step out of his comfort zones, but he sure as hell likes to take charge and be in control. It’s why I was so eager to catch him off guard in my quilt shop.
Brayden’s mouth moves to my neck and up to my ear where he whispers, “First, I’m fucking you the way I want. Then, a punishment is in order.”
My entire body shivers. Brayden chuckles. His mouth returns to mine, dominating control, stealing my every breath, and weakening my knees. My heartbeat pulses so loudly it’s a roar in my ears. Brayden teases me just once before slamming home.
“Oh, fuck.” It feels so good that I momentarily forget there’s a door behind me and bang my head against it.
Brayden keeps thrusting into me, but with a hand cradled behind my head. This is what I need. A powerful man fucking me senseless while managing to take care of me at the same time. A girl could get used to this.
Later, we’re lying in Brayden’s bed when he asks, “How did you come to own a quilt shop?”
For a moment, I hesitate. Telling him would require me to get personal, which could lead to a string forming and attaching. But the question is innocent; he’s probably only curious. “My grandmother owned it. She passed when I was eighteen, and she pissed off the whole damn family by leaving the shop to me. Her instructions specifically
were for me to take over and run it. I already knew how because I helped her here and there.”
“Are you happy she did that?” he asks.
“Yeah. I was pretty wild back then and she gave me stability by forcing me to take over. There was no way I would let her down.”
“So, no college?”
“Nope. I had a business to run. Plus, the last thing I needed was to go to college and have a chance to get even crazier and be stupider.” I prop myself up on my elbow. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“I’m curious.”
“Does that mean I’m free to be curious too?”
“Do and be whatever you want.” He shrugs. How he can be laid-back in moments like this yet so tense at almost every other moment? Maybe it’s because of the sex.
I also find that I am a little curious. I blame the fact that I knew he was shopping for his mother today. “Does your mom live close by?”
Brayden shakes his head. “She lives back in Michigan in my hometown.”
I didn’t realize he wasn’t from here, though it makes sense. He doesn’t have the accent except for when he called me darlin’. He must pick it up here and there. “How did you end up here?”
“I liked the weather better.”
Such a simple reason to move, but I suppose people leave northern states for that reason all the time. “What have you been doing for the past two weeks?”
Brayden laughs. It’s an amazing laugh. He should do it more often. “Is that your way of asking if I fucked someone else? Or if I missed you? I don’t know you well enough to know which.”
I roll my eyes. “We were asking questions and that was the only one I could think of.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” he points out.
“Neither,” I answer. Obviously he can fuck someone else if he wishes. He doesn’t need to miss me either.
Brayden’s warm hand, which was resting on my ass, glides up my back to my shoulder. “I worked and did little else.”
“That’s boring.”
“What did you do?”