“She texted me earlier and said she was.” He took a few more punches. “I just don’t know when.” It had crossed his mind that she might get home and decide not to return. He hit the bag harder, not wanting to analyze why the thought caused his gut to churn.
“I sure hope it’s soon. Otherwise, I’ll be sending you the bill to replace my equipment.”
Brandon eased up on his punches. His arms and shoulders were going to be sore in the morning. He went at the bag for another few minutes, then dropped down on the bench beside his brother. He stripped off the gloves and wiped the sweat from his face.
Khalil handed him a bottle of water. “Better?”
“Not even close,” he murmured, twisting off the cap and draining the bottle.
He chuckled. “I’m so glad I don’t have these problems. There isn’t a woman alive who can make me this crazy. Unless you plan to get serious about this woman, you’d better get control of yourself. The next thing you know, she’ll be looking for a ring.”
“It’ll never come to that. She doesn’t live here, remember? And I don’t do long-distance relationships. I don’t do serious, either. Period. It’s just sex.” Just because the sex between them had been incredible and he wanted nothing more than to be buried deep inside her while she called his name again didn’t mean he wanted exclusivity. That only meant… Hell, he didn’t know what it meant.
* * *
Faith navigated through the airport and out to the curb. While searching for Kathi, her mind went back to Brandon and what kind of surprise he had in store. Curiosity made her somewhat anxious to get back to LA. That and the prospect of them having another night like the previous one. Her body was still a little sore and she’d noticed several passion marks that morning as she dressed. Thankfully, all of them were in places covered by her clothing. To say it had been something straight out of a fantasy would be a huge understatement, and she’d woken up several times during the night, her body pulsing.
She spotted Kathi’s Acura and stepped out to wave her down.
Kathi eased to the curb, popped the trunk and got out. “Hey, girl.” They embraced.
“Hey. Thanks for picking me up.” Faith put her suitcase and tote in the trunk and slid into the passenger seat.
“How was your flight?” Kathi asked as she merged into the traffic.
“Uneventful.” Faith stifled a yawn. Between that second round and the erotic dreams that had plagued her all night, she had only gotten a couple hours of sleep. “How’s the new job going?” Kathi had started working as a pharmacist at a local hospital two months ago.
“It’s going pretty well. The great thing is that I only have to work one Saturday a month and I’m in the outpatient pharmacy, which closes at six. The inpatient one is twenty-four hours. The other pharmacist is a dream to work with compared to the last one—no snide remarks about me being too young and questioning what I’m doing.”
Faith smiled. “I’m so glad it’s going well.”
Kathi slanted her an amused glance. “Girl, me, too. One more day working with that old geezer and I might have fed him that Bengay he always smelled like.”
She frowned. “Eww, the image I’m getting.” They burst out laughing.
“I know, right. Anyway, how are things with you and Brandon?”
Loaded question. “There’s no me and Brandon, but things are fine.” If she were in the market for a relationship, he’d top the list. But since she wasn’t, things were getting more complicated by the minute. “He took me to Santa Monica Pier and to the amusement park yesterday.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was.” From walking on the pier, playing games and going on the rides to sitting on the beach watching the sunset, everything about the evening had be amazing. Not to mention what happened afterward. Never had she had a more perfect date. Faith gave her an update on Thad.
“Is your mom still mad?”
“I have no idea. We haven’t really spoken much.”
As they pulled into Faith’s complex, Kathi said, “I’ve been keeping an eye on the place. Your mail is stacked on the kitchen counter.”