The Best Thing

By Jaci Burton

A year ago, Tori let her guard down and Brody Kent slipped right in, planting one hot, unforgettable kiss on her in a dark corner at the company Christmas party. Though the kiss surpassed her wildest dreams, she can’t let it happen again. She loves Brody, but he’s got a reputation for loving and leaving. She’ll have to keep her heart—and her libido—in check.

Brody can’t get the time of day from Tori—ever since that impulsive kiss, she’s avoided him with the same brutal efficiency she uses to manage his family’s construction company office. The company can’t afford to lose her, and Brody’s come to realize that he can’t live without her. But how can he convince Tori that he’s a changed man?

It just might take a Christmas miracle.

31,000 words

Dear Reader,

I love the month of December when it comes to releases at Carina Press. This is our third year of publishing our special holiday collections, and I’m fortunate to be the one to edit the collections. It’s become our tradition to do three separate anthologies and this year we chose to do contemporary romance, science-fiction romance and erotic contemporary romance collections.

Each of these three collections is amazing in its own right (not that I’m biased or anything), showcasing the talent of the contributing authors. In our contemporary romance collection, Romancing the Holiday, Jaci Burton wraps up her Kent Brothers trilogy with the story fans have been waiting for: it’s finally time to see Brody and Tori’s combustible attraction on page and cheer them to their happily-ever-after in The Best Thing. We’ll Be Home for Christmas by HelenKay Dimon returns readers to Holloway, West Virginia, as she gives us Spence’s story. Lila is more than a match for the delicious Spence and sparks fly when they go toe-to-toe. Last, but certainly not least, is newcomer to the collection, Christi Barth, with her delightful friends-to-lovers novella Ask Her at Christmas. And if you haven’t already checked out Christi’s full-length novel, Planning for Love, now’s a great time to treat yourself to this funny, emotional, captivating book.

Heating up the pages, and I do mean heating up, are the three novellas in Red Hot Holiday, the erotic contemporary romance collection. If you’re looking for stories that are going to make what goes on under the mistletoe even more interesting, you’ll want to read this collection. I Need You for Christmas by Leah Braemel features a strong-willed, career-driven Mountie—and the sculptor who molds her to his will in the bedroom. In Wish List by K.A. Mitchell, Jonah discovers his lover, Evan, may be the one who can deliver the BDSM wishes on Jonah’s naughty list. And Anne Calhoun brings to the collection a stunningly powerful erotic romance that’s both deeply erotic and deeply emotional, with Breath on Embers.

A Galactic Holiday is the third of our holiday collections, showcasing three science-fiction romance novellas with incredible world building and incredible characters. In How the Glitch Saved Christmas, author Stacy Gail takes us to our future, with bod-mods, enhancements, tech, artificial intelligence…and a growing love between two rival detectives investigating the case of the...appearing gifts. Traveling off world, Anna Hackett’s Winter Fusion delivers a story that’s also of two rivals. Rival negotiators Brinn and Savan must come to an agreement on behalf of their respective planets during the cold of Yule, and amidst the danger of a force that wants to stop their negotiations. Galileo’s Holiday by Sasha Summers takes us into deep space. Riley’s tugger has just been destroyed, but will she still have reason to be thankful as her relationship with Leo gives her a future to look forward to?

In addition to these nine incredible holiday novellas, four fantastic novels release in December, each one the first book in a new seriesfrom the respective authors. For fans of Regency romance, Wendy Soliman kicks off her Forster series with Compromising the Marquess, in which the enterprising heroine supports her family by writing for a scandal sheet, placing her on a collision course with a marquess. In her steampunk romance The League of Illusion: Legacy, Vivi Anna begins a dangerous journey for three brothers. Each will find love while two brothers battle deception, jealousy and ruthless rivals to find and rescue the third.

Fan favorite Dana Marie Bell’s new series, The Nephilim, begins with All for You. He’s not just the guy next door, he’s the angel next door. And it’s just become his job to protect her—while trying not to fall in love, or into bed.

And this month we’re thrilled to introduce debut author Alison Packard with her debut contemporary romance title, Love in the Afternoon. When I grabbed Alison’s book from the slush pile to put on my eReader for the weekend, I had no idea I was in for such an amazing story. Though I’m not one to watch soap operas, Alison sucked me into the world of soaps and made me fall in love with Kayla and Sean. Soap opera stars, maybe, but characters you root for, relate to and want to turn the pages faster for so you can see them fall in love, definitely. If you’re a fan of Shannon Stacey, Victoria Dahl and Jill Shalvis, be sure to give this new author a try.

I hope you find time to pamper yourself during the crazy holiday season. And if that pampering takes the form of a great Carina Press December release, even better!

We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to generalinquiries@carinapress.com. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

Happy reading!

~Angela James

Executive Editor, Carina Press

www.carinapress.com

www.twitter.com/carinapress

www.facebook.com/carinapress

Dedication

To Angie—Thanks so much for the opportunity

to write this series. It’s been so much fun.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

About the Author

Copyright

Chapter One

“You need to fix Tori. She’s broken.”

Brody Kent frowned at his brother Wyatt. “What the hell are you talking about?”

They had an early-morning meeting at Kent Construction Company, which meant their office manager, Tori Lewis, wasn’t there. Which was why they were talking about her. Because normally Tori had acute hearing, and you couldn’t whisper anything she couldn’t hear.

“I’m talking about what you did at the company Christmas party a year ago,” Wyatt said, looking to their brother Ethan for confirmation.

Ethan crossed his arms. “I didn’t see it, but I heard about it. You know—that kiss. The one that screwed up Tori and made her hate you. And apparently us by proxy. For the past year we’ve been walking on friggin’ eggshells around here.”

“More like walking on fire,” Wyatt said. “And we’re all getting burned because she’s turned into a fire-breathing she-dragon. It’s unpleasant, Brody. Fix it. Fix her. Make her not hate you anymore so things can be normal again.”

“She doesn’t hate me,” Brody defended, though it had seemed that way over the past year. Ever since that night at the Christmas party last year. They’d been having one of their usual arguments over—hell, he couldn’t even remember what they’d been arguing about. The only thing he could remember about that night was how beautiful Tori had looked with her fiery red hair pulled up, pieces of it spilling down her neck. He really liked her neck—there was a sprinkling of freckles there that had always caught his attention.

Oh, now he remembered. She’d accused him of staring at her neck, and they’d argued about that. He was so damn tired of her always picking fights with him about the stupidest shit. And maybe he’d had a few beers and he’d wanted to shut her up, so he’d grabbed her, hauled her against him and had done what he’d wanted to do every time she opened her smart, sassy mouth—he’d kissed her.

It had been an accident. Or maybe it hadn’t been. But that accident had been a two-way street, because she’d kissed him back. For a full minute. With tongue.

Until she’d taken a step back, and she’d run like her dress had suddenly fallen off, which it hadn’t, because he would have definitely noticed if it had.

She’d avoided him the rest of the night. Hell, the rest of the year. She hadn’t even come to his family’s house for Christmas that year, something she’d done ever since she’d joined Kent Construction four years ago.

So maybe the guys were right, because ever since that night, things had been different. A lot different.

Like she’d avoided eye contact. She’d gotten quiet, and Tori was never quiet. She was loud and brassy and kind of obnoxious in a lot of ways—all the things he liked about her. But it was a fun loud.

That Tori was gone. The Tori of the past year did her job efficiently, as always, but it wasn’t the same Tori they’d all grown to—

Well, the one they’d gotten used to.

And when she wasn’t quiet, she was mean. Not fun and sarcastic, just downright bite-your-head-off mean.

“If she doesn’t hate you, she sure doesn’t like you,” Wyatt said. “Things are tense now. I don’t like it tense. Nobody does. And you must have your head up your ass not to notice what’s going on.”

Brody preferred denial to actually figuring out how to deal with Tori.

“The only place my head is right now is on these bids. Can we get back to work?”

Ethan pulled up a chair. “Are you going to fix Tori?”

He didn’t want to talk about Tori, or think about Tori. He wanted to think about work, which was uncomplicated and not difficult and definitely not emotional or a woman. Or pissed at him. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”

“There is. Even Mom and Dad have noticed and keep asking me what’s bothering her. She doesn’t come over to visit and hasn’t been to any of the family functions. They keep asking what they did to make her angry.” Wyatt gave him a pained expression. “And Calliope tells me about all the conversations she has with Tori, since they’re best friends. Though Tori isn’t really talking about you. All Calliope tells me is that Tori is unhappy. I have to hear all the time about how unhappy she is, and isn’t there something I can do to make this better. Come on, man, give me a break here.”

Brody wasn’t going to fall into this trap. It wasn’t his fault Tori treated him like a pariah. It had been just a kiss, for God’s sake. Nothing life-altering, even if the kiss had been everything he’d expected it to be. And more.

“What are we, a bunch of women here? How about those bids?” Brody gave both his brothers a stern look, and they finally dropped it and got back to work.

At least until Tori swept in two hours later wearing her normal skintight jeans, sweater and boots, her shocking red hair a riotous mess on top of her head.

She always looked good. More than good. Sexy without trying to be sexy. And she smelled good, like something exotic he wanted to taste, but he didn’t know what it was. Not that he noticed or fantasized about her or anything.

What he did notice was the mood went from joking and friendly to instantly arctic. And dead quiet.

“Morning, Tori,” Ethan said.

“Morning, Ethan.” She set her bag down, went to the coffee pot and grabbed a cup before settling in at the conference room table, giving their spread-out mess a glacial once-over. “You started without me.”

“We had bids to go over,” Wyatt said.

Tori fixed them all with a cold stare. At least she gave Ethan and Wyatt a stare while glossing over the top of Brody’s head. “And what? I’m suddenly too stupid to sit through a bid meeting?”

“Nobody said you were stupid,” Wyatt said. “We’re all due out on jobsites this morning so we wanted to discuss the bids before we headed out.”

“Which didn’t really answer my question, did it?” Tori said. “Who do you think is going to be submitting these bids?”

“Maybe we thought you might want to sleep in instead of attending a meeting at five-thirty in the morning.”

She gave Brody the most cursory of glances before opening her laptop. “Maybe you should do less thinking and let me do my damn job.”

Wyatt and Ethan gave him the Kent eat-shit-and-die look.

Okay, so maybe she was broken. She’d always had a smart mouth, but she’d been fun, had joked around with them, teased them.

This Tori wasn’t fun anymore.

So maybe it was time he did something about that.

He didn’t know exactly what that “something” was going to be, but he’d figure it out.

* * *

Midway into the day, Tori acknowledged she had turned into a raging bitch over the past several months. She’d nearly bitten Ethan’s head off this morning, had snarled at Wyatt and, as usual, pretended Brody didn’t exist.

She sighed and packaged up the bid Ethan would deliver on a potential new building on the west side of their small town, then started to work on the numbers for Wyatt’s project. Business was flush at Kent Brothers’ Construction, all the guys were busy, and her job as office manager was secure. She should be happy.

Instead, she’d been decidedly unhappy for almost a year now, ever since Brody had kissed her at the last company Christmas party. Everything had changed then, because that silent dance they’d done around each other for years, and all the look-but-don’t-touch fantasies she’d had about him had become a definite reality.

She thought all her feelings had been one-sided, that she could simply adore him from afar and be content with that. And then they’d been in the middle of an argument and he’d kept staring at her mouth and suddenly his lips had been on hers and it had been all whoa—so incredibly amazing her world had turned upside down in the space of a heartbeat.

His body had gone flush against hers, his hand had dove into her hair and his mouth—oh his mouth—had been everything she thought it would be—and more.

Which was the worst thing that could ever happen, because she loved her job, adored his family, and getting involved with Brody Kent, who never met a girl he couldn’t date, sleep with and summarily dump, would be nothing short of the end of her security. There was no way she’d ever become a Brody Kent statistic, no way she’d jeopardize this job she held so dear or her relationship with the Kent family—the only family she knew.

The problem was, that kiss still burned on her lips all these months later, the feel of his rock-hard body pressing against hers still lingered in her thoughts and her nightly fantasies, and she absolutely hated Brody for crossing that line and making her want him even more now than she did before.

When the door to the office opened, she prayed it was either Wyatt or Ethan.

It wasn’t. Brody came in. From the first day she’d hired on at Kent Construction—hell, even before that since she’d known the Kents in high school—she’d had a massive, soul-searing crush on Brody. He didn’t know it, of course. No one did. It had been a secret she’d been keeping for over ten years, and one she’d intended to take to her grave.

Brody looked around, as horrified to find them alone as she was. “The others aren’t back yet?”

She shook her head and firmly planted her gaze somewhere in the middle of the spreadsheets on her laptop.

“Oh. Uh, I need to grab my blueprints for the Handy Market job.”

She didn’t look up. “Not stopping you.”

He made a wide berth around her desk as he headed to the other end of the office.

She hated this tension between them. Before, they’d had easy banter. He teased her mercilessly and she shot him down with cruel barbs. It had been fun—usually the high point of her day.

Now it was just miserable. She felt him behind her and she closed her eyes, wishing things between them could go back to the way they used to be.

Before the kiss that had changed everything. Before she’d erected this wall of protection.

“Tori.”

She tensed. “Yeah.”

“Turn around.”

She swiveled in her chair to face him. “What?”

“Let’s talk.”

Uh-oh. “About what?”

He leaned against his desk. “The Christmas party last year.”

“We’re not talking about that. Ever.” She turned her chair around.

He came over to the front of her desk. “It’s been ten months. Don’t you think you should tell me why you’re so pissed off at me about one little kiss?”

He so didn’t get it. Typical guy. “I’m not pissed off at you about that kiss. It didn’t mean anything.”

“Bullshit. You’ve practically stopped talking to me. Everything changed after that night.”

Her stomach hurt. She needed to get out of here. She stood and grabbed her purse. “I’m hungry. I’m going to grab lunch. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Instead of letting her by, he grasped her by the arms. But his voice was soft and low when he said, “Look at me.”

It had started like this the night of the party. They’d argued. She’d yelled at him and he’d grabbed her. And then their lips had met. She stared at those lips now, hers still tingling at the memory of his mouth coming down hard on hers, the way his tongue had invaded, the hot rush of pleasure that had made her legs tremble.

Maybe she should have just gone with it, indulged in the desire that had burned so all-consuming for him all these years. But she couldn’t. Not with so much on the line. She’d shoved him and run like hell.

Just like now. She shoved him. “We’re at work, Brody.”

He let her go. “I know where we are. But I’ve tried to talk to you. I’ve called you. I’ve texted you. You refuse to talk to me.”

She edged around him and headed for the door. “That’s because there’s nothing to talk about.”

“We kissed. And it changed everything between us.”

She had her hand on the doorknob, ready to walk out. “It changed nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing is changed. Everything stays the same.”

He cocked his head to the side and stared at her. “Tori, nothing ever stays the same. Sometimes things have to change. We all have to change.”

Not her life. She liked it the way it had been. Safe. Predictable. “I can’t accept that. I have to have a certain order in my life, and you disrupted that.”

“Well, you’re disrupting things at work.”

Her stomach tightened. There it was. The change she didn’t want to happen. She finally met his gaze. “Are you saying my job’s in jeopardy?”

He moved toward her and she inched close to the door, afraid if he touched her again she’d cave and spill her feelings to him.

“No. Of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Come on, Brody. You and your brothers own this company. I’m just an employee. If something goes down—something bad—you know I’ll be the first to go.”

Brody gaped at Tori. That’s what she thought? That they’d fire her because of this? “Tori. That’s not going to happen. That’s never going to happen. You’re an invaluable resource to Kent Construction. You’re like—”

He was about to say family, but hell, she wasn’t family. He felt no brotherly bond to her. From the first time she’d stepped foot into the offices of Kent Construction, there’d been an attraction between them. She’d been very young then, so he’d ignored it. Okay, maybe he’d tried to ignore it. There were always plenty of women around his social circle, but that didn’t mean he didn’t notice Tori’s beauty, her flaming red hair, mesmerizing green eyes and her cocky confidence and attitude that he found so sexy.

They’d been playing this game for four years now and on impulse, he’d taken advantage at the last Christmas party. He just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to her. Until now.

“You think if you and I—that you’ll lose your job?”

She shot him a look. “Come on. You think I won’t? Screwing one of the bosses doesn’t scream job security to me. Besides, you’re not exactly known for hanging on to a woman after she slides between your sheets. Once you’re done with me, do you really think you’re going to want to see me in the office day in and day out year after year? How freakin’ uncomfortable would that be? Furthermore, would I want to see you? Not that I’d have sex with you anyway.”

His mind was in a tailspin as he tried to process what Tori had said. “Just what kind of reputation do you think I have?”

“It’s not the reputation I think you have, Brody. It’s the one you do have. Everyone in town knows you sleep with any woman who’s available. And you don’t keep them. You get bored after a week or so—if they even get to hang around that long. Then it’s dumpsville, and on to the next one.”

He frowned. “I do not.”

“Uh yeah, you do. So, no thanks, not interested in being just another notch on the great big bedpost of the infamous Brody Kent. I like my job, I love your family, and I don’t want to lose either, no matter how allegedly awesome your reputation in the sack is, though I’m sure that rumor is highly exaggerated. I’m going to lunch.”

She shut the door behind her. Brody stared at the closed door, dumbfounded.

So that’s what everyone thought of him? That he was a womanizing douchebag who didn’t give a shit about women or their feelings?

And what the hell did she mean by “allegedly awesome”? There were rumors about his performance?

He dragged his fingers through his hair. Christ. He had no idea.

Wyatt opened the door and came in, saw Brody and grinned. “Oh, good. You’re here. Ethan’s pulling in, too. I’m starving. Want to have lunch?”

Brody lifted his head. “What do you know about my sex life?”

Wyatt’s gaze went blank. “Uh. Nothing. Thankfully. And don’t start sharing now.”

As Ethan walked in, Wyatt tossed his briefcase on his desk. “Hey, Ethan, what do you know about Brody’s sex life?”

Ethan stopped dead, looked at Wyatt, then Brody. “What? Have you been drinking?”

“No. But I think Brody has.”

“I haven’t,” Brody said. “But I just had the oddest conversation with Tori.”

Ethan rummaged through his desk, but stopped to shift his gaze to Brody. “You talked to Tori?”

“Tried to.”

Wyatt took a seat in his chair. “And you somehow got on the topic of your sex life?”

“Yeah. Though I don’t know how.”

“You probably brought it up,” Ethan said with a smirk.

“I didn’t. I was talking to her about the Christmas party, and our lack of communication. I think I may have that part figured out. Or at least some of it. I don’t know, I’m still working on that. But did you know that I apparently have a reputation as some kind of manwhore who has sex with women and then dumps them?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard that about you,” Ethan said.

“You are kind of a dick to women,” Wyatt said.

Brody just stared at his brothers. “Seriously. You both think this.”

“When was your last serious relationship, Brody?” Ethan asked.

“You mean like a long-term girlfriend?”

Ethan shot Wyatt a look. “Clearly the term is foreign to him.”

Wyatt shook his head.

“Okay, so I’ve never had one.”

“And you’re what? Thirty now?”

“So? I’ve been busy.”

Wyatt snorted. “Yeah. Busy screwing a bunch of different women. No wonder they all think you’re an asshole. When was the last time you brought a woman home to meet Mom and Dad?”

Brody thought about it. “Uh...high school, maybe?”

Wyatt looked at Ethan. “Case closed. He’s a douche.”

Ethan nodded. “Agreed. Let’s go have lunch. I’m hungry.”

“Hey,” Brody said. “I’m not that bad.”

Ethan and Wyatt headed for the door. “Keep telling yourself that, bro. You coming with us?”

“No. I’ll eat something from the fridge here.”

Wyatt wrinkled his nose. “The fridge of moldy mystery? Good luck with that, man. We’ll be back in an hour.”

After they left, Brody leaned back in his chair and pondered what Tori had told him.

So he had a lousy reputation with women. He could accept that. He’d been no Boy Scout, but he couldn’t recall any of the women he’d dated complaining about it, no late-night teary phone calls from women claiming they were brokenhearted over losing him. He never made promises to any of them, never wanted a relationship, not while he’d been busy with his brothers building the company.

He’d had fun. He wouldn’t apologize for that. But maybe he’d led these women on somehow, led them to believe there’d be something more when he’d never had any intention of doing anything more than just let off some steam and have a great time.

Then again, maybe none of the women were all that upset about being left by him. Maybe it was him that was lacking.

Ah, hell. This was why he never did the whole romance and relationship thing. He had no idea how to do it or how to do it well. Short-term flings were more fun and more his style.

But the way Tori looked at him, and the things she said...

She’d looked horrified at the thought of losing everything that mattered to her just because they’d kissed. Getting involved with him was that big a risk? It had more to do with the possibility of losing her job—he knew it did. But in order to find out what was really bothering her, she’d actually have to talk to him.

“Screw it. Why do I even care?” He dragged his fingers through his hair and went to scrounge through the fridge. Tori was just going to have to be someone else’s problem. He had enough issues to deal with.

Except as he walked by her desk, that exotic perfume of hers lingered in the air, and he realized that she was one big damn problem that had been stuck in his head for a long time.

She wasn’t going away, and she really was his problem to deal with.

Chapter Two

“I’m not kidding, Calliope. He cornered me in the office and wanted to talk about the Christmas party last year.”

Tori’s best friend sipped on her margarita and feigned a look of horror. “Must have been awful for you. The bastard.”

Tori narrowed her gaze at Calliope. “You are not being sincere. I can tell.”

Calliope pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, then leaned her head on her hand, the effects of two margaritas on an empty stomach obviously already taking their toll. “First, I’m glad it’s Friday night because I’m getting a little buzzed. Second, I think I’m getting a little buzzed. Did I say that?”

Tori fought back a grin. “Yes.”

“Okay. Third, eventually you and Brody are going to have to have ‘The Talk.’”

“I don’t want to talk to him. I have nothing to say to him.”

“Ignoring him isn’t going to make the problem—or your feelings for him—go away, you know.” She pulled the stirrer out of her glass and pointed it at Tori.

“I don’t have any feelings for him.”

“You lie. You’ve had feelings for him since you were fifteen years old and he was the hot quarterback senior at the high school.”

Tori narrowed her gaze at Calliope. “See, this is what happens when I confide all my deep dark secrets to my best friend. You throw them back in my face.”

Calliope shrugged. “No, I’m throwing your honest feelings back at you, my friend, just like you did for me when I was falling in love with Wyatt.”

“It’s not at all the same thing.”

“Isn’t it? You’ve been madly in love with Brody for years. Isn’t it time you acknowledged it and did something about it, like I did with Wyatt?”

Tori shook her head. “Your situation with Wyatt is nothing like my situation with Brody. Wyatt was hurt over his divorce from your sister and you helped him heal from that and in the process he fell in love with you. I’m not going anywhere near Brody because he’s a manwhore with a notorious reputation for dumping every woman he gets naked with.”

Calliope snorted and took another drink. “He does have a bad reputation. A bad reputation for being great in the sack. Wouldn’t you like to own that? Maybe you can redeem him and turn him into a one-woman man.”

Now it was Tori’s turn to let out a decidedly unladylike snort. “Fat chance of that happening.”

“Is that right? Has he been with anyone since that night of the Christmas party?”

“How should I know? I don’t schedule his liaisons with women.”

“Oh, please. This is a small town. Everyone knows who everyone is sleeping with. Gossip runs rampant. And with hot stuff like Brody, the rumor mill is on alert every time he’s seen around town with a new woman on his arm. Have you heard anything—anything at all about him hitting on a woman since the night of the Christmas party last year?”

Tori chewed on her bottom lip and thought about it. “Well, actually...no.”

Calliope pointed the stir stick at her again. “Aha! And that’s because he wants you.”

“He does not. He never even asked me out.”

“Because you’ve been such a mean bitch no one wants to get within twenty feet of you. Can you blame him?”

Okay, maybe Calliope had a point about that. She couldn’t help her natural self-preservation instincts. But she still thought Calliope was crazy. Brody was a sought-after commodity. All the women flocked to him. Surely there’d been someone in all these months...

Then again, maybe there hadn’t. There was a network of gossip—especially when it came to who Brody was sleeping with—that would rival network entertainment sites. Some of the women in this town had such finely honed stalking skills they could easily get jobs as paparazzi. If Brody had been sleeping around, or sleeping with anyone since last December, it would have made the rounds of the gossip mill and Tori would have heard about it.

“You know what, Calliope, you might be right about that.”

Calliope lifted one half-drunken brow in question. “I am? Right about what?”

“Brody. Not having been with anyone since December.”

“’Course I’m right, Tori. Told ya. You should jump him.”

Tori laughed. “And I’m cutting you off margaritas. Let’s have some dinner.”

Calliope frowned. “Buzz killer. I had a hard week. Children are evil, you know.”

“You love those kids at the day care center. And you adore your job.”

“I do.” Calliope grinned. “And I love Wyatt. And you. And my sister. And Wyatt’s whole family. And...”

Tori rolled her eyes and signaled for the waitress. Definitely time to put some food into her inebriated best friend.

After some food and several glasses of water, Calliope had sobered up—at least a little, though she did order a post-dinner margarita. And why not—it was Friday night, after all, Calliope had had a miserable week, and her friend deserved to let loose a little.

Tori had thought a lot about what Calliope had said about Brody. Her job would be a lot easier if she and Brody could at least go back to the way things used to be. What had happened between them had been a fluke—a onetime kiss and nothing more. He’d obviously put no expectations on her, she hadn’t lost her job, so nothing had really changed. There was no reason to act as if the world was coming to an end just because they’d kissed, and he never needed to know how she felt about him.

Men were easily clueless, since most of the time they didn’t want to know the truth that was right in front of them anyway.

She decided she’d go back to being her normal self on Monday.

By the end of dinner it was obvious Calliope was not going to be able to drive herself home. When she got back from the restroom, Tori said, “Since you picked me up, I’ll drive you home. Then I’ll bring your car back to your place tomorrow.”

Calliope shook her head. “I already called for a ride home. I’m very smart and I know better than to drive myself home when I’ve been drinking.”

“I’d have driven you home, Calliope.”

“It’s okay. There’s my ride now.”

Tori looked up and her stomach dropped.

Brody. She’d called Brody to drive her home.

Chapter Three

Brody hadn’t expected to run into Tori tonight, but when Calliope had called saying she’d had some cocktails and needed a ride, he had no problem giving it to her, especially since Wyatt was on an out-of-town job this weekend.

What he hadn’t expected was for Tori to be with her, though that shouldn’t surprise him since Calliope and Tori were best friends.

He pulled up a chair at their table. “Celebrating tonight, Calliope?”

She nodded, her curls bouncing. “Yup. I’m celebrating an end to a hellish week. Parents are mean.”

He laughed and tugged on one of her curls. “They can be sometimes. This is a good place to unwind though. Great margaritas.”

Calliope grinned. “I had four.”

“Awesome.” He looked over at Tori, who surprisingly wasn’t ignoring him, just studying him. “How about you?”

“I figured I’d have to drive the lush home, so it was iced tea for me tonight.”

“Hey. Not a lush. I was sober enough to give you love advice, wasn’t I?”

Tori glared at Calliope. Brody gave her a quizzical look. “Love advice?”

“Drunk talk. You ready to go? Calliope picked me up, so I can drive her car home and I’ll bring it back to her house tomorrow.”

“It’s okay. Just follow me to her place and we’ll drop her car. Then I’ll drive you home. Save you a trip back over there tomorrow.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“I need my car early, Tori,” Calliope said. “I have a meeting.”

She hesitated then nodded at Brody. “Okay, fine. I’ll meet you at Wyatt and Calliope’s house.”

Brody scooped Calliope out of her chair and led her to the parking lot.

“Calliope, do you want to ride with me in your car?” Tori asked.

“Oh. No, I’ll ride with Brody. See you at the house.” Calliope gave Tori a wave.

Tori gave them a worried look, then said, “Uh, okay. See you there.” She headed over to Calliope’s car and Brody put Calliope in his truck. She started to sing and he rolled his eyes. Wyatt owed him for this one. It was a good thing he adored his sister-in-law, because he’d left a warm house and a football game on TV for this.

“You need to talk to Tori,” Calliope said as they made the turn down the highway toward Wyatt’s house.

“Huh?”

“Just...well, I can’t say more than that, other than you need to talk to her.”

“Is this about the Christmas party again?”

“Sort of, but it’s about a lot of things, Brody. Open your eyes.”

“My eyes are wide open, Calliope.”

While they sat at a stoplight, she looked over at him, her glasses askew on her face. She slid them up her nose and gave him a stern look. “Men’s eyes are very rarely wide open. You only see what you want to see, not what’s really there.”

“What the hell are you talking about? See, this is the problem with women. You talk in metaphors instead of straight talk, then we’re supposed to figure out what the fuck that all means.”

She laughed. “I know. But Tori’s my friend and I can’t say any more than that. But trust me, you want to talk to her.”

“I’ve already talked to her. She won’t give me the goddamn time of day.”

Calliope looked out the window. “Try again. She might know the time now.”

“There you go again. Fucking metaphors.”

They pulled into the driveway and he helped Calliope slide out of his truck. Brody walked her to the door and helped her find her keys in her purse. She giggled—a lot.

“You really did have a good time tonight, didn’t you?”

She tilted her head back. “Have I mentioned I had a shitty day today?”

“Yup.”

“Then yes. I had a good time tonight.”

“Sounds like you needed it.”

Her head bobbed up and down. “You have no idea.”

He opened the door and turned on the lights, then made sure she got safely inside. By then Tori had pulled Calliope’s car into the garage, so she met them in the kitchen.

“Thanks for picking me up,” Calliope said, giving Brody a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best brother-in-law ever.”

“Anytime. You know that.”

Calliope threw her arms around Tori and hugged her, then whispered in her ear. Tori shifted her gaze to Brody, her eyes widening.

“Okay. I’m done for. I’m going to bed. Love you both and lock the door on your way out.”

Brody shook his head as he watched Calliope’s weaving form disappear down the hall. “Night, Calliope.”

Tori gave him a look. “Give me just a second. I’m going to run upstairs and make sure she’s okay. If you don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

He made himself at home by heading into the living room and turning on the television. The game wasn’t over yet, so when Tori came downstairs he asked her to wait as the last few minutes ticked down. When the game was over, he clicked off the remote and turned to her. She was perched on the edge of the leather sofa.

“She okay?”

“She’s out. Not much of a drinker anyway, so when she decides to put one on, it generally throws her for a loop. I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to end up sick. She got into her pajamas and she’s already snoring.”

He laughed. “Good. Everyone needs to cut loose every now and then.”

“True. She had some snooty parents at the day care center to deal with this week who decided to inform her how they thought she should run things. Real know-it-all types and just relentless perfectionists who think their kids don’t ever poop or have boogers.”

Brody snorted. “Yeah, I know the type. In every business there are customers like that. You just have to grin and bear it, when all you want to do is smash a fist in their smug faces.”

“Exactly. And you know Calliope—she’s as sweet as they come, but even she folds under the pressure every now and then. And with Wyatt being out of town, I could tell by her tone of voice at the end of the day today she was ready to explode, so I suggested we go out tonight.”

They closed the front door and Brody made sure everything was locked up before making their way to his truck. “I’m glad you could be there for her so she could let off some steam and vent it out.”

“That’s what friends are for. We’re there for each other.”

They got into the truck and he backed down the driveway to make his way back to town. “I guess she’s always there for you, too.”

Tori stared out the window. “Always.”

“Yeah. Like she gave you love advice tonight?”

Her gaze shot to his. “No she didn’t.”

“She said she did.”

“She was drunk.”

He was silent for a while as he drove toward town. So was Tori, who stared out the window.

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” he finally said.

“I’m not seeing anyone.”

“So she gave you advice on how to ask someone out?”

She sighed. “Let it go, Brody.”

He heard the subtle pleading in her voice and decided he should probably let it go. But something twisted in his gut at the thought of Tori dating some random guy. Or any guy, for that matter. She hardly ever went out, and when she did, it didn’t last. She was pretty selective with guys she dated. He wondered why.

“You haven’t had a boyfriend in...hell, Tori, I don’t remember you ever dating anyone seriously.”

She shot him a look. “Why? Do you have a friend you’re thinking of setting me up with?”

He frowned at her. “Hell, no.”

Her lips curved in a hint of a smile.

“Is that funny?”

“No. Not at all.”

“I have great friends.”

“I know you do.”

He thought about all the guys he called friends, the times they’d all gotten together, and which ones had given Tori a second look. Probably all of them, considering she was gorgeous. “Is there one of my friends you want to go out with?”

“Nope.”

That relieved him a little. But only for a second, because he knew damn well that what Calliope had said about the love advice hadn’t been made up, and usually people who’d had too much to drink spilled a little too much of the truth.

When he pulled into Tori’s apartment complex, he got out of the truck and opened her door.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“It’s late. I’ll walk you up.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I’ll walk you to your door, Tori.”

She blew out a breath. “Fine.”

As they walked up the back stairs, he frowned. “Lots of foliage around here. And you’re on the second floor.”

She fished into her purse for her keys. “And?”

He waited while she unlocked her door, surveying the remoteness of the area. “How long have you lived here?”

“About a year.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Gee, Brody, thanks.”

“I mean it doesn’t look safe. You should move.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped inside. “Thanks for the ride home. I appreciate it. Good night.”

He put his hand on the door. “Seriously, Tori. This isn’t the best neighborhood in town. And this apartment is at the end of a remote corridor. Not the best location.”

“It’s the best I can do, you know?”

He looked down at her. Always so tough, with that “I can take care of myself” attitude. He knew she had no one to take care of her.

Hell, she probably didn’t need anyone to take care of her, but right now maybe he needed it.

He braced his hands on either side of the doorway. “Ask me to come in.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Let me come in, Tori.”

“Why?”

“I want to see your place.”

“Why?”

“Quit asking why and ask me to come in, Tori.”

She shook her head. “That is so not a good idea, Brody.”

“I know. In fact, it’s a really bad idea. Ask me to come in, anyway.”

Chapter Four

Tori’s heart beat so fast she could feel the pounding in her chest.

Brody wanted in her apartment. What could that mean? A huge mistake, was what it could mean. She should say no. Then again, maybe he was just being chivalrous and wanted to see if the boogeyman was in there. One quick check and then he’d leave.

But the way he looked at her, his sexy gaze giving her a look that said they had a lot to talk about—or maybe that there’d be no talking at all once she invited him past her threshold—definitely gave her pause.

She’d kissed him once and all these months later she couldn’t forget the taste of him. She couldn’t afford to mess with Brody, couldn’t handle letting him take her to bed and then deal with the repercussions of that.

Ridiculous. She was overthinking this, which happened every time she got anywhere near Brody. Then again, this was part of his modus operandi. He messed with your head, and before you knew what was happening, you were naked.

And then he dumped you.

“No.”

He cocked a brow. “What?”

“You can’t come in.”

“Why not?”

“Because...I’m tired.”

He inched a little closer and she breathed in the scent of him. Cool and crisp and ever so male, she wanted to reach out, grab his jacket and haul his mouth against hers, then kiss him until neither one of them could breathe. Oh, why couldn’t she have what she wanted, damn the consequences?

“Tori...you don’t look tired. You look...really good tonight.” He reached out and tugged on one of the curls that always seemed to be falling out of the top knot where she twisted her hair up. “Have I ever told you how much I like your hair?”

“Um...no, you haven’t.” See, there went her brain cells. Everything that screamed intelligent, logical woman had traveled somewhere south, which was now throbbing and screaming his name and begging him to take her and undress her and do wicked things to her.

He took a step closer. “I really like your hair. It’s soft and sexy and God, that red makes me crazy.”

She swallowed, or tried to, but there was currently a boulder in her throat making it impossible. “Brody, what are you doing?”

“Invite me in. You always have such careful control over your life. Tonight, let go. I just want to see if that kiss last Christmas was really as explosive as I thought it was. Did you think it was?”

“Yes.”

“So that was a yes.” He crossed her doorway and pushed the door shut behind him, gathered her in his arms and put his mouth on hers.

Oh, God. He was right. It was an explosion as his fingers dove in her hair and his lips claimed hers and she suddenly couldn’t breathe as everything in her body ignited. She could do nothing but grab on to him, because Brody was a force to be reckoned with. He turned her around and pushed her up against the door, then fit his body against hers while he explored her mouth with his lips and tongue until she was dizzy with the delight and wonder and realization that this—this was what it was like to be thoroughly kissed and manhandled in the absolute best way.

And his body, pressed full up against hers, was a thing of beauty. She snaked her hands along the firm ridges of muscle that lined his biceps, and let out a soft moan that caused him to deepen the kiss until she was certain she’d have dropped to a heap on the floor if his body hadn’t been wedging her against the door.

It wasn’t fair, this mastery Brody had over women, the way he tangled his fingers in her hair and released the clip holding her hair up. His hand dove into her scalp and further enflamed her senses as he rocked his pelvis against hers.

It was too much—all too much, just like that first kiss last winter. He overloaded her senses and made her want him, made her body weep with joy and need and all the things that were dangerous and bad.

She pressed her palms against his chest and he groaned and God, she didn’t want to stop, wanted to see where this would go. She already knew where it would go—straight to her bedroom, where the two of them would end up naked and entwined. She’d entertained that fantasy so many times it was embarrassing.

But it wasn’t going to become a reality.

She tore her lips from his. “Brody. Stop.”

To his credit, he did. He pulled his head back and looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes that melted her and made her wonder why she hesitated.

She knew why. In some part of her sex-addled brain, she knew why.

He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip. “Yeah, this kiss was just as good as the first one, Tori. Don’t you think so?”

God, yes. Even better, in fact. So much so she knew it could never happen again. She couldn’t lose everything that meant so much to her. Her job, Brody’s family, her friends. Him.

“You should go,” she finally managed to say.

“You should talk to me about why you’re hesitating.”

“No, it’s the last thing we should talk about.”

He took a deep breath and a step back, the evidence of his passion for her deliciously visible against the zipper of his jeans. Her fingers flexed. She wanted to snake her hands down his body and touch him, spend all night mapping his body with her hands, her mouth, her tongue.

Dammit, she wished she didn’t care so much about all those things that she really did care about. Because right now all she craved was one night with Brody, just one night to explore those epic fantasies that had fueled her for so many years.

Instead, she opened the front door, the blast of cool air doing nothing to ice down her raging libido.

Brody looked at the open door, then back at her.

“At some point, Tori, we’re going to talk about what’s holding you back.”

She laid her head against the door and didn’t say anything.

So Brody leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “I think you’ll be surprised what a good listener I am. Night, Tori.”

She watched him walk down the stairs. When he disappeared from sight, she shut the door and locked it.

As she headed to the bedroom, every part of her body throbbed with unfulfilled sexual desire.

No, there’d be no conversation with Brody. He could never know her fears.

Or how crazy in love she was with him.

Chapter Five

“Heard you drove my wife home the other night,” Wyatt said as they sat in a morning staff meeting.

“Yup. She was well and truly wasted, man.”

Wyatt grinned at Brody. “She said she had a great time with Tori—thanks for that, by the way,” he said to Tori. “She needed it after a shitty day.”

Tori smiled. “It was my pleasure. She had the mother of all hangovers the next day.”

“She told me that, too. She said it was well worth it.”

“Sometimes you just need to tie one on,” Tori said. “Especially after a crappy week at work.”

“Surely you’re not saying you’ve ever had a bad week here.” Ethan handed her a file. “We treat you like the queen you are.”

Tori snorted. “You’re all a giant pain in my butt. I have to drink heavily on the weekends just to survive this job.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re so mistreated around here. I don’t know how you bear it.”

“It’s true,” she said. “The things I must suffer for a pittance of a paycheck.”

“Speaking of that pittance,” Wyatt said. “It’s time for your annual review. I guess one of us will have to do that.”

“I was going to mention it.” She looked at her laptop. “Ethan did it last year.”

“We usually rotate. I did it the year before,” Wyatt said. “So that means Brody’s up.”

Brody had been busy going through safety guidelines for his current job and had only been paying half attention. “I’m up for what?”

“Tori’s annual review,” Wyatt told him.

“Oh.” He looked over at Tori, whose smile suddenly died.

“If you don’t have time, I’m sure one of the other guys can handle it,” she said, looking hopeful.

“I have time.” He scanned his schedule on his laptop. “Let’s do it Friday. That’ll give me a few days to go over things with Wyatt and Ethan, and if your performance sucks, it’s a good day to fire you.”

Ethan snickered. “Great idea. Friday’s always perfect for a pink slip. We could even take you out for drinks.”

“Oh. Margaritas. I’ll alert Calliope,” Wyatt added. “You know, just in case things don’t go well for you.”

Tori glared at him. “You are so not funny. None of you are. In fact, you all suck.”

Brody laughed. “Now you’re going to be nervous all week long, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. The ones who should be nervous are the three of you. I’m half tempted to go find another job. And then what would you all do? Why should I put up with this abuse every day?”

“Because we’re your family?” Ethan asked. “Because we’re like your annoying brothers who you can’t help but love?”

Her gaze shot to Brody. “You are definitely not my brothers.”

“Definitely not,” Brody said. He knew their parents had taken her under their wing and unofficially adopted her as family when she’d hired on at Kent Construction four years ago, barely twenty-two years old at the time and with no family to speak of. She’d been quiet but efficient, and as soon as she’d grown comfortable with the family she’d become brassy and opinionated and they’d all fallen crazy in love with her.

Well, not in love, love. Just...

Hell, he didn’t even know what he was thinking anymore where Tori was concerned. And that kiss the other night still hung on his lips, unforgettable as hell.

He wanted more. He wanted her.

At least she was semi-sort-of talking to him again, though it was only about work-related stuff. But still, that was a breakthrough. Now if he could just get her to talk to him about important issues, like why she’d stopped the kiss when he’d thought it was going so well. There was serious heat between them, they got along well, he teased her, she shot back with some barb. It was a great relationship. He had no idea why she wouldn’t want to take it to the next level.

He understood that he was her boss, but she had to understand he’d never jeopardize her job. She’d always have that. Hell, they’d be lost without her.

Maybe that was the holding point for her. He’d have to talk to her about that. Maybe after they did her review on Friday, he’d take her out for drinks, in a non-work environment and they could discuss her reservations about the two of them.

* * *

Tori pushed aside the thought of sitting with Brody for her review the entire week. In fact, by Friday, she’d totally forgotten about it. Being busy always helped with forgetting things she liked to forget, like that kiss they’d shared.

Okay, maybe she hadn’t forgotten that. Maybe she thought about it every night as she lay in bed, when it was quiet and dark and all she had were her thoughts. Then she couldn’t shove him aside like she could during the day when the phone was ringing and paperwork piled up on her desk and she had a million things to do to fill her brain, so it was easy to forget about Brody.

At bedtime, though, he wouldn’t go away. Not virtually, anyway. Resulting in a lot of restless nights spent watching reruns of her favorite television shows while eating ice cream, which kept her up all night. Which meant one cranky Tori the next day. Frankly, she didn’t know how the guys put up with her.

It should make for an interesting annual review, which brought her back on topic of Brody.

Oh, why did it have to be his turn to give the review? She could sit through it if Ethan or Wyatt was giving it to her. But not Brody. Their day-to-day interactions were brief, and she could deal with that. A review was intense, going over her work performance for the entire year. It would last at least an hour and would be one on one, just the two of them. Eye to eye, shoulder to shoulder.

Gah. She should just tell him she was sick and going home early.

Except she wasn’t a coward and putting it off wouldn’t do any good. They’d have to do this eventually. Besides, she was kind of hoping for a raise, which she needed so she could get out of that hellhole apartment. She’d blown off Brody’s suggestion that she move immediately because the area wasn’t safe, but he wasn’t too far off in his assessment of her current neighborhood. Her neighbors to the right fought all the time, and not just loud arguing, but knock-down, drag-out, throw-the-furniturevkind of fighting. The two dudes who lived on her left had people coming and going all the time. Despite Deer Lake being a small town, drugs still crept in, and she could swear those two guys were dealers. Either that or they were very popular.

She’d settle for a nice, quiet place. Maybe she could finagle her way into a senior citizen’s center. Or maybe Brody’s parents would let her bunk at their house. She loved Roger and Stacy Kent. When she’d first gone to work for Kent Construction, she’d been closed up, emotionally as well as physically. But Ethan, Wyatt and Brody—and especially Stacy Kent, the guys’ mother—had changed all that, had given her the bond of a family she’d so desperately craved her whole life and never had. Her own family had certainly been lacking. Cold and remote, her father had never been a presence in her life, and had taken off permanently after her parents had divorced. Not only had he not wanted her mother, he’d clearly had no use for his daughter, either. Her mother, on the other hand, had leaned heavily on Tori after the divorce, her emotional upheavals a burden that had been difficult for a young Tori to bear.

Tori hadn’t regretted leaving that suffocating atmosphere as soon as she’d been old enough. Her mother had latched on to a new guy and she and Tori rarely spoke anymore, which suited Tori just fine.

Stacy’d been more the parent than her mother had been. So getting close to the Kents, especially Stacy, had been like grabbing on to a desperately needed lifeline.

She loved the Kents. They were the normal family she craved. She really did think of Wyatt and Ethan as her brothers.

Changing the status quo in any way could put her out in the cold again, leaving her all alone.

She’d had plenty of alone and it sucked. She’d rather not do that again, especially not for someone like Brody, who changed women as often as he changed his underwear. It was too bad she was crazy about him and thought about him constantly. Why couldn’t she be immune?

Then again, was any woman in Deer Lake immune? Judging from his past interactions with the women in this town, it didn’t appear so. And she had no interest in becoming another statistic. Likely the only reason Brody appeared interested in her was because she kept shutting him down. Once she let him in, he’d no doubt drop her in a hurry.

The door opened and Brody walked in. She’d spent the day by herself since all the guys were out on jobs.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” he said, taking off his coat and slinging it on the chair. “I had to drop Ethan and Zoey off at the airport.”

“No problem. They get off okay?”

He cracked a smile. “Yeah. Zoey’s all kinds of excited to go see her mom in concert in Nashville this weekend.”

Tori leaned back in the chair and grinned. “I’m sure she is. I talked to Riley on the phone earlier this week. She really misses Zoey and Ethan when she’s on the road. She’s thrilled this is the last road trip she’ll be on for a while.”

He nodded. “Ethan said he’s pretty happy she’s closing out her tour in Nashville. Now that she’s pregnant, she’ll be able to settle back for a while and concentrate on the baby. Ethan’s been nervous as hell with Riley insisting on finishing her tour while she’s pregnant.”

Tori laughed. “Well, she is in her eighth month, but she’s been super healthy and the doctor’s been monitoring her regularly. But you’re right. She’s finishing up now and she can rest and start nesting.”

“I’m glad it’s all worked out for them, considering their rocky start. Zoey loves Riley like she’s the only mother she ever had.”

“The only one she remembers now. And you can’t tell Riley that Zoey isn’t hers. It’s a good fit for all of them. With the new baby almost here, I can’t think of a happier couple, or a happier family.”

This was a new side to Brody, seeing him all mellowed out and grinning about his brother’s contented family life. “You’d think all that wedded bliss and family life would make you twitchy. Your younger brother is married with a baby on the way, and your older brother just got married this year to his ex-wife’s sister. So much...settling down going on around you. Doesn’t it freak you out?”

He cocked a brow. “I have nothing against marriage and family, you know.”

“Of course you don’t.” She couldn’t resist the smirk. “All your relationships with women lasting so long and all.”

“Hey. I just haven’t found the right one.”

“Uh huh.” She took a long sip of her giant soda she’d bought earlier. “You are the king of denial, aren’t you?”

“I can do a relationship.”

“Careful, you might break out in hives. Or maybe your nose will start to grow. I should get out my tape measure and check it out.”

“You wanna check out something with a tape measure...”

She shook her head. “So inappropriate for the office. And you being my boss and all. I should report you to your brothers.”

“Whatever. Let’s go.”

“What? Where?” Somewhere she could measure him? The thought both appalled her and flamed her senses.

“Out of here.”

“What about my review?”

“You’re doing a kickass job, like you have been since we first hired you. We’re jacking up your pay twenty percent. I’ve got a write-up about your glowing skills in my file as well as a goals sheet for the next year. I’ll email it to you and copy my brothers. Any questions?”

Her eyes widened. A twenty percent pay raise? Hell no she wasn’t going to question that. “Uh, no. No questions.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

She grabbed her purse and her coat, curious about where he was taking her. He locked the door behind her, but when she headed toward her car, he grasped her arm.

“We’ll take my truck.”

Shrugging, she climbed into his truck and he drove off. He was quiet as he drove down Central and turned onto the highway.

“You’re brooding,” she said as she studied his profile.

“No, I’m not.”

“It’s because I insulted you, isn’t it?”

“Doubtful, since you’re always insulting me. You really can’t hurt my feelings, Tori.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could if I tried harder.”

That at least got a curve of a smile. God, he was devastating when he gave that sexy half smile. She’d love to see that smile close up, like when he was hovering over her, both of them naked...

Stop that. Hadn’t she spent the time before he came into the office reminding herself of all the reasons why they couldn’t be together? Fantasizing about making love with him was the wrong direction for her thoughts to go.

It was a while before she realized he’d hit the highway, that they were leaving Deer Lake.

“Brody, where are we going?”

“Out of town.”

“So you’re kidnapping me?”

“Not exactly.”

It took about fifteen minutes to get to Botswell, the next town over. He pulled into a one-story—shack, was the only way she could think of to describe it. She supposed it was a bar, with the headache-inducing half-blinking neon sign proclaiming it as Ed’s Bar and Grill. Though the grill part was suspect, since the place resembled an oversized shed. She’d come into Botswell on occasion, mainly to do some shopping, never to hit the bars.

This one seemed—interesting, in a she’d-never-stop-here-without-a-guy kind of way. Or even with a guy, for that matter. She half expected a brawl to tumble out the front door any second.

When she climbed out of his truck and met him around the front, she cocked her head and looked at him. “Seriously?”

“Best beer and burgers I’ve ever had.”

“I hope this isn’t a date, Brody, because if this is where you bring your women, your taste is sorely lacking.”

He cracked a smile and grabbed her hand. “You have such little faith in me, Tori. Just trust me.”

She snorted. Trust him? Borrowing a line from one of her favorite movies ever—as if.

The inside didn’t look much better than the outside. Old, worn tables were scratched with wear and tear. There were a few pool tables scattered around, and those were taken up by people who must be regulars. A couple older-model televisions sat above the bar that several people who’d bellied up were watching.

A couple food tables were full, but Brody had spied one in the corner, so he grabbed her hand and, despite her dragging her heels the whole way, tugged her along. She feared for her life as she took a seat in a rickety chair.

“Come on,” he said. “It’s not that bad.”

She wasn’t exactly a prima donna as far as the places she hung out, but Ed’s was as low on the dive bar food chain as she’d ever gotten.

A waitress hustled over. She was older, in her fifties maybe, with faded-out blond hair that she’d over-teased, over-bleached and gathered up in a haphazard ponytail. And she didn’t look happy to see them, because she didn’t smile as she grabbed a pencil from her hair and pulled the pad out of her apron. “What can I get you to drink?”

Brody ordered the specialty beer. Tori looked at him.

“Try it. It’s great.”

Tori nodded. “Okay, I’ll have one of those. And can we see a menu?”

The waitress, whose nametag said “Pat”, snickered. “Honey, we have cheeseburgers, or cheeseburgers without cheese on them. If you’re feeling adventurous you can have a hot dog. That comes with or without chili and the works. I’ll be back with your drinks and you can let me know what you want.”

Tori shifted her gaze to Brody. “Limited menu.”

“People come here for the beer and the burgers. The hot dogs kind of suck.”

“Thanks for the warning. I guess I’ll have a burger, then.”

“Good call.”

When Pat came back with the beer, Brody said, “We’ll both have the cheeseburgers.”

“Smart idea. Everything on them?”

Brody looked at her. Tori said, “Sure. Why not?”

Pat finally shocked her by patting her hand and grinning. “You’re gonna love these burgers, honey. And once you eat them, you’re gonna come back again and again. Enjoy your beer.”

After Pat hustled away, Tori looked at Brody. “Oh, my God. She seemed almost human there.”

He laughed. “Pat has tons of attitude. She and Ed have owned this place since they were in their twenties. He brews the beer himself, along with his sons now. Taste it.”

She took a drink of the beer. It was mellow, with a honey flavor. “Oh, it’s good.”

“Told you. They’re a small operation, but this place is never empty. I stop by for lunch a lot when I’m driving through town on a job.”

“For the beer?” she asked with a smirk.

“For the burgers, smartass. Though after a shitty day, I can pound down a few beers.”

She preferred margaritas with Calliope after a bad day. She wondered who Brody unloaded on when he had problems. His brothers? Or was the familial bond too close, the fact that they all worked together too much to share troubles. Who did he tell his problems to?

“So when you have a bad day at work and you want to let off some steam and have a few drinks, do you grab your brothers and go out for beers to talk it out?”

He looked horrified. “Hell, no. It’s bad enough I grew up with them, and now I work with them. Half the time it’s them I’m pissed off at. The last thing I’d want to do is unload my problems on them.”

She swirled her finger over the top of the glass. “So...who do you talk to?”

He shrugged. “Nobody.”

“Surely you have friends to talk to.”

“I have friends, yeah. But we aren’t like girls, Tori. We don’t have to have...chat sessions or whatever you women call them where we discuss every problem we have.”

“You hold it all inside.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. You don’t talk to your brothers or your friends, and you being a man and all are obviously not going to talk to your parents when you have a problem.”

He let out a laugh at that one.

“Okay, so that means you keep all your problems bottled up inside and don’t talk to anyone about them, right?”

He finished off his beer and set the mug to the side of the table so Pat could refill it for him. “I don’t have a lot of problems. I’m generally a pretty content guy.”

“Please. Everyone has problems. Even if it’s just a bad day at work, a job doesn’t go right. Someone pisses you off—like your brothers. You have to let off steam. How do you do that?”

“I have ways of letting off steam.”

He gave her a look that melted her to the chair. “Well, yes, there is that. But I mean talking.”

“Oh, I like talking. Verbalizing is good.”

This was not helping to cool her off.

Fortunately, their food arrived and Brody dragged his very direct gaze away from her to offer his trademark grin to Pat. After that, she dug into her cheeseburger and tried to shift her thoughts away from one very sexy man to the incredibly delicious burger. She ate every bite, had another beer to wash it down and wasn’t even embarrassed about picking the last crumb off her plate with her fingers.

“You were right. This is the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had.”

Brody crumpled his paper napkin and laid it on his empty plate. “Told you it was awesome. I wouldn’t let you down, Tori.”

The way he said it made her cock her head to the side, as if he’d meant something else entirely, and wasn’t talking about burgers anymore.

Probably her imagination. “You’re right. It was a great meal. Good beer and good burgers. Thank you.”

“I actually brought you here to talk to you.”

She laughed. “We have been talking.”

“I meant I brought you here to talk about something else.”

“About what?”

“Us.”

Uh-oh. “What about us?”

The words had spilled out before she could correct herself, correct him and tell him there was no “us.”

“Why did you stop that kiss the other night? What are you so afraid of?”

She looked around, but televisions were blaring, people were playing pool and engaged in their own conversations. There were no people around them listening in. Still, she leaned forward. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

He leaned in, too, and grasped her hands. “I do. And it’s time you stop running from it. From what the two of us could have.”

Her eyes widened and she tried to tug her hands away, but he held firm. “Brody, I don’t want to do this.”

“I think you do, Tori, but something’s scaring you off. Talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you. Is it something I’ve done in the past? Some way I’m not measuring up? I think you and I could have something, if you’ll just give me a chance.”

Oh, God. Smartass Brody she could handle. Funny, jokester Brody she could deal with. Teasing Brody she knew well. But earnest, honest Brody wanting to have a heartfelt conversation with her about having a relationship? She’d never known this side of him and she couldn’t handle it.

He was handing her everything she wanted, everything she’d always dreamed of. All she had to do was meet him half way.

But she didn’t trust it, didn’t trust herself.

She didn’t trust him.

Because she had so much to lose.

Everything to lose.

She finally freed her hands and pushed back. “I need some air. I’m sorry.”

She grabbed her purse and made a beeline for the front door.

Chapter Six

That went well.

Nothing like opening yourself up to a woman and seeing a look of horror on her face, followed by a world-record dash for the door.

Brody had never thought of himself as repulsive. Women were always attracted to him. He had a pretty healthy ego, but seeing Tori run for her life when he offered to have a relationship with her had given his self-esteem a severe hit tonight.

Something was up, and he wasn’t about to give up on her. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

He signaled Pat, paid the bill and left a generous tip, then made his way out the door. Tori was leaning against his truck, arms folded in front of her like a protective shield. When she saw him approach, she lifted her head and cast him a miserable gaze.

Okay, so maybe out in the parking lot of Ed’s wasn’t the place to have a talk about this. He unlocked the truck, helped her inside and got in. They made the drive back to Deer Lake in silence. Tori huddled on her side, looking out the side window, as far away from him as she could get.

Great. How was he supposed to handle this one? He was no expert on women, except in the bedroom. He was really damn good at pleasing them there. At seduction he was a pro, and he could read sexual signals like a master. But emotion and conversation about feelings and all that shit? Not his area.

But there was no way in hell he was dropping her off at her car and leaving things the way they were. This past year had been hell, and he wasn’t about to make things worse by letting her run on him again.

So instead of taking her back to work to fetch her car, he went with instinct and drove her to his place, where she wouldn’t be able to run.

When he pulled into the driveway of his house, she finally straightened.

“What are we doing here?”

Instead of answering her, he came around to her side of the truck and opened the door. “Come on, Tori. We’re going to talk.”

She cast him a wary look.

“It’s time. And there are things that have to be said. You can’t run from it forever.”

He held out his hand. If she refused to come in, he wouldn’t force her. He wasn’t that kind of guy.

The call was hers to make.

With a shaky sigh, she slid her hands in his and he helped her down from the truck. He slid his key in the lock and opened the door, hoping like hell he hadn’t left his place a mess.

He switched on the light, relieved as he remembered his cleaning lady had been in today. Thank God.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in your house before,” she said, her voice low, almost a whisper as she took in his living room.

He turned to her. “I don’t entertain much here.”

She shot him a look. “Yeah. I’ll bet you don’t.”

“Okay. I meant parties and that kind of thing. It’s just where I crash.”

She walked around, then turned to him. “It’s a nice place, Brody. Lots of room. You should throw a party or two here.”

He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I got a great deal on it, and hated living in an apartment. I like open space.”

He took in the expansive living room, with its two couches that faced each other and the chair flanking them, all the furniture kind of cozy with the stone fireplace and all. He’d loved the place when the Realtor had shown it to him. It had seemed so...big, especially after living in that cramped apartment. Plus, with four bedrooms, he knew he could make it home for a long time.

“You want to see the rest?”

For the first time, she smiled. “I’d love to.”

He showed her the kitchen, and she gasped. “This is amazing. Do you cook in here?”

“I can do breakfast and I cook on the outside grill.”

She laughed. “That’s it? This kitchen is going to waste.” She ran her fingers over the granite countertop and started making some noises about state-of-the-art appliances. He knew a woman would like this kitchen, though he hadn’t thought about it when he’d bought the place. He’d just wanted big and spacious in everything, because where he’d lived before had been so damn claustrophobic.

Same thing with the bedrooms. All of them were big. One of them was set up as his office, the other two were vacant, and the master was enormous, something else he liked because he’d bought a king-sized bed.

He flipped the light on in there and Tori’s eyes widened. “Wow. How many people sleep in that thing?”

He slid his hand along the nape of her neck and whispered in her ear, “Just me. I like a lot of room. I had a double bed in my old apartment and it sucked. My feet hung off the end and I couldn’t sleep. So when I bought this place I found the biggest damn bed I could and bought it.”

He heard the rumble of her laugh, which made his dick twitch.

“I understand that,” she said. “My apartment is tiny.”

She walked into his bathroom and she made a murmur of approval. “I love the tub, especially the window over it.” She turned to him. “It needs some flowers or something. You can tell a guy lives here.”

His stomach tightened as he thought about Tori being here, and all the feminine touches she’d bring. Like flowers in the bathroom window. “Yeah. Or something.”

They finished downstairs. She turned to face him, her features much less tense than they’d been when she’d walked in. “It’s a spectacular home, Brody.”

“Thanks. Would you like something to drink?”

Tori swallowed. The tour of Brody’s house had delayed the talk he insisted on having with her, the one she’d avoided by embarrassing herself and running like hell out of the restaurant.

“Sure. A drink sounds great.”

They made their way back into the kitchen, where he opened that incredible refrigerator. She hated to admit to being jealous of his appliances, but she was.

“I have beer...uh, beer, and water. Oh, and soda.”

Needing the bolster of courage, she said, “I’ll have a beer, thanks.”

He popped the tops off the bottles and handed her one. She took a couple long swallows, then followed him into the living room, taking a seat on one of the ultra-comfortable sofas. She liked the big double windows in the living room, could already picture a giant Christmas tree there, covered with lights and ornaments.

“Do you cut a real tree to put in that window?”

He followed her gaze. “Huh?”

“For Christmas. You have such high ceilings, and that window is perfect for your Christmas tree.”

“Oh. No, I don’t put a tree up.”

She frowned. “Why not?”

“Who’s going to see it, Tori? It’s just me here.”

“So?”

“Do you put a tree up in your apartment?”

“Yes. It’s only a foot tall since I don’t have any room, but of course. It’s Christmas. You have to have a tree.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Scrooge.”

He laughed.

“Seriously, Brody, you need a tree. This place is begging for a tree. It would look beautiful there.”

“And again, no one would see it.”

An idea formed in her head. “Your house is so big. We should have the company Christmas party here.”

He gave her a blank look, then shook his head. “No.”

“Why not? There’s plenty of room here. I haven’t booked the venue yet. That was on my schedule for next week.” She shifted, looking around the room. “The kitchen is enormous, you have that game room off the garage with the pool table and arcade games. People would love it. I’ve often thought we should make our parties a little less stuffy and a lot more fun.”

“Not a good idea. At all. I don’t want all those people here.”

“Why not?”

“Because...”

She waited for his good reason why not. It didn’t come.

“See? It’s a great opportunity for you and your brothers to start inviting your clients into your homes. It makes your relationships with them more personal. Wyatt has a perfect home for it, too. There’s plenty of room there, too. And with Ethan and Riley building that big new house, he can take a turn, too, though I think you and Wyatt should go first, since they’re going to be busy the next couple years with the new baby.”

He leaned back on the sofa. “Just planning our lives away, aren’t you?”

She lifted her chin. “No. I’m planning the company Christmas party. You and your brothers make the final decision on that. If you absolutely hate the idea, just shoot it down.”

“I didn’t say I hated the idea. I need to think about it. We’ll discuss it at the meeting on Monday. And I don’t want to talk about work.” He swept his knuckles across her cheek. “I want to talk about that Olympic dash you did out of the restaurant.”

She looked down, studying her jeans. She was hoping he wouldn’t bring that up, but how could he not? “Yeah. About that. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t pick the right place to have that conversation. It was my fault.”

She tipped her gaze to his. It was nice of him to take the blame, when she knew it fell squarely on her. “No. It wasn’t. You were trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. It was all me. Trust me, I know this.”

He let out a soft laugh. His touch was gentle as he swept a stray hair behind her ear. “Tori, there’s nothing wrong with you.”

If only he knew. It was best he didn’t. She liked things the way they were, but as they sat here, she knew—one way or the other—things were going to change, starting tonight.

But which way? She could either talk to him, tell him everything, or she could choose another way. She could stop fighting what she’d wanted all along.

She shifted, leaned into him and laid her hand on what was a spectacularly solid thigh. His face registered surprise for a fraction of a second, but then he pulled her closer, his hand coming around to cup her neck.

“You sure?”

“Yes. I’m tired of fighting it.”

He traced her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, making her shudder, her senses alive with need for him.

“It shouldn’t be a fight, Tori.”

She took a deep breath. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

Fortunately, Brody was a man of action. He kissed her, and everything inside her went instantly hot. And damp. It was just like the Christmas party last year, just like that night in her apartment. Brain cells began to burst, she lost all sense of time and place, and she focused only on the way his lips took command of hers, the way his tongue wound around hers. He wrapped an arm around her and dragged her onto his lap, the feel of all that solid muscle underneath her shocking her.

And when he began to move his hand over her ribcage, her heart stuttered, then raced. He paused, no doubt waiting for her to push him away and make a run for the front door. But she covered his hand with hers and brought it over her breast. He molded his hand there, teased her by brushing his thumb over her, making her nipple harden and tingle, promising what she could have if she surrendered.

She’d surrendered the minute she walked through his front door. She didn’t have the energy to fight this anymore. Not when it was what she’d wanted for so many years.

With a low growl, he brought her closer to him, cradling her against his chest as he deepened the kiss. He was everything she wanted, knew she shouldn’t have, and tonight, she just didn’t care anymore.

And when he made a swift move and slid her underneath him, his big body covering hers, she wrapped her legs around his thighs, aching at the intimate contact. He rocked against her and she wanted to weep. It felt so good, and she needed release desperately. She’d denied herself for so long—stupidly, foolishly holding on to the notion that if she kept herself from having what she wanted, time would stand still and nothing would change.

But the world did change. She’d changed, and tomorrow, so would her life, which she wasn’t going to worry about tonight, because the only thing she was going to concentrate on tonight was having Brody.

He lifted, giving her the opportunity to finally be close enough to look her fill of him, to touch him in all the ways she’d denied herself for so long. She laid her hands on his thighs, swept them inward, biting her lip as she zeroed in on one very sizeable erection.

Her gaze swept to his and he cocked one of his famous grins at her, then laid his hands on either side of her head and bent to give her a smoldering kiss that rocketed her senses. He lifted her shirt, his hands big and warm on her belly as he snaked them upward.

“Too many clothes,” he said, raising her shirt over her head. For some ridiculous reason, she blushed, likely because she’d allowed very few guys to see the goods. She was damn picky about who she slept with, and of course there was the ridiculous torch she’d carried for Brody all these years.

But him looking at her? Yeah, she’d fantasized about this moment. She had a rockin’ body and she knew it. She worked out so she could eat whatever she wanted. She was curvy in all the right places and she loved her curves. Obviously, Brody liked what he saw, because his eyes darkened and he traced a finger around the swell of her breast, dipping his fingertip inside the cup of her bra.

She suddenly found it hard to breathe as his touch sent wild sensation rocketing throughout her nerve endings.

“God, you’re beautiful, Tori.”

He bent, kissed the swell of her breast, and she was afraid her heart would burst. She breathed heavily and she knew he could hear her but there was honestly nothing she could do to stop the dizzying heights the touch of his lips to her breasts took her to.

He dropped down beside her and she was ever so grateful for this oversized couch, because Brody wasn’t a small guy. She heard his boots drop to the floor—he must have toed them off, so she kicked off her shoes, and suddenly their feet were entwined. That made her smile, because there was something both playful and yet so intimate about it.

He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get to the good stuff, another thing that surprised her. He lazily drew circles over the swell of her breasts with his fingertips, while he played with her feet. He still had all his clothes on and she still wore her bra and jeans. Somehow, she had expected this explosion, with clothes flying everywhere, the two of them falling to bed and having a quickie. Yet here they were, lying on his sofa side by side while he mapped her breasts.

Brody constantly surprised her.

“You’re quiet,” he said.

“I’m...shocked.”

He lifted up on his arm. “Yeah? Why?”

“I don’t know. I thought this would go...faster.”

He laughed. “You have an appointment later that you need to get to, or a curfew?”

She smacked his shoulder. “No.”

“Then we have all night, don’t we?”

“I guess we do.”

He kissed her shoulder. “I’ve thought about you—about this—for a long time, Tori. I want to get to know your body. I’m not in any hurry.”

She let out a sigh. He was just too damn perfect, which ratcheted up her anxiety level to the nth degree. Why couldn’t he be a jerkwad who dragged her to the bedroom, screwed her brains out and dumped her back at her car with a pat on the butt and a transparent promise to call her tomorrow? It would make this so much easier.

Instead, he was putting slow seduction moves on her that were shattering her from the inside out.

He reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra. Her breath caught as he drew it down, his gaze on hers as he grabbed the other strap and pulled her bra off, baring her breasts.

He cupped one, lazily brushing his thumb over an aching nipple, then bent to take it between his lips. She arched into him, a part of her unable to believe that she was here, that he was touching her, had his mouth on her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and held him there, hoping this moment would never end. The pleasure was unbearable, and when he lifted and smiled that devilish smile at her, every female part of her tightened.

He smoothed his hand down her stomach, popping the button on her jeans with ease. He eased the zipper down and she reached for his wrist to stop him.

“I’m not going to be the only one with no clothes on,” she said.

He grinned, and rose up on his arms to climb over her. “I can fix that.”

He held out his hand and drew her off the sofa. “Let’s go play on that big bed.”

With a shaky sigh, she let him lead her into the bedroom. He flipped the light on and pulled her into his arms, kissing her so thoroughly she was lightheaded, before depositing her on the edge of the bed.

He drew his shirt over his head, and she sucked in a breath at his wide shoulders, expansive chest and those abs—oh, dear God his stomach. She always ogled the male fashion models and their six-pack abs, figuring they were an anomaly. Apparently not, because Brody had a stacked eight-pack going on. She reached out to smooth her hand over his rippled muscles.

“Damn,” she said.

He grinned. “Thanks. You have a pretty hot body yourself, though I can’t wait to get you naked so I can put my hands and mouth all over you.”

She shuddered at the thought. “Let’s get you naked so we can get me naked and move on to the fun stuff, then.”

She loved that he was in no hurry to get to her body. And when he unzipped his jeans and dropped them to the floor, leaving him in just his boxer briefs, she wondered what the hell he was doing in construction, when his gorgeous face and body could be blazing the billboards just like those athletes and models. With no sense of modesty he shucked the briefs, and she sent up a short prayer of thanks that she was going to have sex with this amazing man tonight.

She unashamedly looked her fill, then her gaze drifted up to his face where he quirked a smile.

“Now it’s your turn,” he said.

She reached for her jeans, but he pushed her back on the bed.

“It’s more fun if I get to do that.”

He peeled her jeans down her hips and over her legs, then draped her clothes over the chair next to the bed.

“These are nice,” he said, smoothing his hand over her peach-colored silk-and-lace panties. He drew her legs over the edge of the bed and cupped her sex, then dropped down to his knees between her legs.

He pressed a kiss to her hip bone, slowly dragging one side of her panties down. Then he moved to the other side, kissed her hip bone again, drew her panties over her hips and pulled them down her legs. He flung them over his shoulder and spread her legs. Tori breathed deeply as he looked up at her.

“Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?” he asked.

“Not lately.”

“I’ve always thought you were beautiful,” he said, smoothing his hand over her thigh and down her leg. He pressed a kiss to her knee. “But, Tori, you’re beautiful everywhere.”

She couldn’t breathe as he pressed kisses to her inner thighs. And when he put his mouth on her sex, she nearly died from the pleasure. She arched her hips upward, lost in the sensations as he played a masterful game with his tongue that took her right to the very edge of oblivion.

He gripped her hips and she reached for him, holding on to his hands as his expert mouth brought her so close to orgasm she bit her lip to keep from coming. Because this was pleasure she’d waited seemingly a lifetime for, had fantasized about, and now that it was real, she wanted to hold on, to savor the moment. But oh, he was so good, and she couldn’t stop the rollercoaster of her climax as it plummeted her right over the cliff.

She cried out as she came, and Brody stayed right there with her, clasping her hands and using his mouth to heighten her pleasure until the pulses died down and she lowered her hips to the bed.

Brody raised up and scooted her further onto the bed as he climbed up her body, his mouth coming down on hers in a blistering kiss that stole what few senses she had left.

He let go of her only long enough to grab a condom and put it on, and then he rolled her underneath him and slid inside her. She gasped as he filled her.

He stilled, and she held on to his arms, watching him, feeling him expanding inside her.

“Fucking perfect,” he whispered as he brushed his lips against hers.

Emotion swelled and she pushed it aside. This wasn’t emotional. It was sex and nothing more. And as he moved against her, nearly shattering her again, she shielded her heart and closed her eyes, focusing only on the incredible sensations every stroke he made evoked.

“Tori.”

Her heart clenched at the soft timbre of Brody’s voice, like a caress, licking at the core of her soul.

“Tori, look at me.”

She opened her eyes and he moved inside her.

“Stay with me.”

He surged within her and grabbed one of her hands, lifting it above her head. He ground against her, slow and easy, the movement so intimate as he locked gazes with her. She felt each stroke all the way to her toes. What this man did to her tore her apart. Somehow she knew it was going to be like this—consuming every part of her and beyond just the physical. And as he brushed his lips across hers, the searing tenderness of it was her undoing. A cry tore from her and she shattered, tightening around him as she came.

With a low growl, he thrust into her in rapid succession, clenching her hip as he buried himself deep and shuddered with his own climax. She wrapped her legs around him and held him, lost in the sensations—lost in Brody.

She’d long ago lost her heart to him. Making love with him had only cemented the love she had felt for him all these years. And as he rolled her over to her side and wrapped her tightly against him, she wondered how she was going to survive this with her heart intact.

Brody had expected great sex. Tori was fiery and passionate in everything she did, and he knew that would extend to the bedroom. What he hadn’t expected was the lightning bolt of emotion that had hit him when she’d turned those emerald-green eyes on him, the connection he’d feel to her when he was inside her.

He liked sex—a lot. It released endorphins and hey, it was fun. What wasn’t to like about it for both parties? But he’d never connected emotionally to it, because he’d never been attached to anyone before.

Until now.

And as he held Tori and stroked the softness of her skin, he wondered what the hell he was going to do about everything he was feeling right now, because this was new territory. Normally he’d cut and run, because he liked to keep things light and easy and non-complicated.

But this was Tori, whose middle name was complicated.

Which left things between them—where, exactly?

He tipped her chin and brushed his lips across hers. She smiled up at him, her eyes half lidded and sleepy. She snuggled up against his chest and pressed her body against his, where she fit perfectly.

Typically when a woman insinuated herself into his bed for the night, he’d start to think about how fast he could get her out of his house in the morning.

With Tori, he didn’t feel that way. He felt...comfortable with her here. In his bed, and in his house.

And maybe in his life.

He should go to sleep before he started to think too much about what the hell that meant. There was already too much going on in his head as it was.

Chapter Seven

When Tori woke the next morning, she had a few seconds of disorientation. First, she was in a very comfortable, oversized monstrosity of a bed, so it definitely wasn’t hers.

Second, underused muscles were sore, and then she remembered last night.

And Brody, which reminded her where she was.

In Brody’s bed, with no Brody in sight. But she smelled bacon. And coffee. And her stomach growled in response.

She started to throw the covers off to get dressed, but Brody came through the door right then with a tray.

“Don’t get dressed,” he said. “I have coffee and breakfast.”

“In bed? I can come into the kitchen.”

“No.” He set the tray down and poured a cup of coffee that he filled with two dollops of cream, then added a spoonful of sugar, just the way she made hers. He handed her the cup. “I want us to eat in bed.”

She inhaled the brew, then took a sip. “Mmmm. Decadent.”

While he poured his coffee, she admired his lean physique in his low-slung sweat pants and no shirt. He was barefoot, too.

“Aren’t your feet cold?”

He looked down at his feet. “Uh, no. I don’t get cold. I’m used to working outside in the winter and it’s plenty warm in here. Are you cold? I could turn the heat up.”

She raised her knees. “I’m plenty warm.” And heating up fast as she ogled him.

“Good. I made pancakes and eggs—scrambled—plus bacon and sausage and hash browns.”

She arched a brow at the smorgasbord he presented her. “You lied last night. You can cook.”

“I’m no master chef, but I do have to eat to survive, so there are a few things I know how to fix. What would you like?”

“Pancakes sound great. And bacon. I love bacon.”

He grabbed a piece of bacon and held it in front of her lips. “Bite.”

She took a taste. It was crispy. “Perfect,” she said after she’d swallowed.

He took the next bite, then her. Sharing the meal together was intimate, and she had to admit, fun to eat in bed. Naked. Though she was the only one naked, a fact she was reminded of every time Brody glanced at her breasts. It made breakfast an interesting experience.

“Lots of syrup or only a little?” he asked after they polished off the bacon and eggs, which he’d also shared with her by feeding her.

“Lots.”

He poured syrup on the pancakes, then scooped some onto the fork and slid it into her mouth.

“Oh, that’s delicious.”

“Thanks. It’s my own recipe.”

“Not a box mix?”

He looked horrified. “Bite your tongue. Pancakes are sacred.”

She laughed, and when he hovered near her lips for the next bite, syrup dripped over her breasts.

She looked down. “Oops. Did you bring napkins?”

“Yeah, but I’ll get that.” He laid the fork on the plate and bent down to lick the drops of syrup from her breast, then ended by capturing her nipple between his lips and sucking.

She gasped, then held his head there while he tasted her. When he lifted his head, he said, “You taste much better than the pancakes.”

He grabbed the bottle of syrup and poured another few drops over both breasts, letting some dip between the valley and over her nipples. Breakfast forgotten, Tori leaned back against the pillows and Brody dropped his sweats, his erection a much better appetizer than the bacon.

He climbed onto the bed and licked along the valley between her breasts, moved to one nipple, then the other, cleaning the trail of syrup he’d mapped. By the time she was clean, she was hot, and more than wet in another strategic area.

“Brody,” she said, capturing his head between her hands. He moved up her body to kiss her, his lips and tongue sweet like the syrup.

He cupped her butt and shifted her sideways on the bed, laying her flat under him, grabbing a condom from the nightstand. She was throbbing and ready for him when he entered her. He rolled to his side and she lifted a leg over his hip, giving him deeper access as he thrust into her with quick, fierce movements that made her rake her nails down his back.

She was so close so fast, his syrup foreplay driving her to the brink in a maddening instant. And when she came, he went with her, his loud groan eclipsed by her shattering cries.

He rolled again, this time pulling her on top of him so he could stroke her back and butt. She loved his hands on her, loved the feel of his body underneath her.

She was afraid she was never going to get enough of Brody, that there would never be enough time to get him out of her system.

“I think we’re stuck together,” he finally said.

She lifted, and he was right. The syrup had made both their chests sticky. She laughed. “I guess a shower is in order.”

She climbed off and he led her into the shower, where he showed her another trick or two about his lovemaking prowess. And to prove how utterly decadent she could be on a weekend with Brody, after that they climbed back into bed and made love again, then took a nap.

She decided as he played with her breast and she drifted off into a lazy slumber that she might live in this fantasy forever and never come back to reality.

Because in this fantasy, Brody belonged to her.

And she belonged to him.

Chapter Eight

Monday was an ugly reality, especially since Brody had to bring her to work.

Time had escaped her and she’d lost all track of it in Brody’s arms and in his bed. He’d driven her to her apartment on Saturday so she could grab some fresh clothes. They’d hung out at his house all weekend watching movies, cooking, eating, playing video games, and mostly having the most amazing sex of her life. It was like the dam had burst and she’d let go of everything she’d held back all these years.

She’d never had more fun.

Until his alarm had gone off at five-thirty Monday morning.

What had she been thinking? Her car was still parked at Kent Construction’s office. What if Wyatt or Ethan got there first? She should have had Brody take her back to her car Sunday night. Then she could have gone home and no one would ever know except the two of them.

Even worse, they’d spent the entire weekend so lost in each other, they hadn’t once had a serious conversation about what this had meant, or what it would mean come Monday, when reality set in and they went back to working together.

Obviously, it meant nothing. It was a fantasy weekend, and now everything would go back to the way it had been before. But she’d been in such a sex-induced haze of pleasure and giddiness she’d forgotten to set ground rules, the first and most important being, Don’t Tell Anyone In Deer Lake That We Slept Together.

Now she was in his truck and she was exhausted—though happily exhausted—and Brody wasn’t saying anything and neither was she. Though he didn’t seem tense or nervous as he casually drank his to-go cup of coffee. Apparently she was the only one about to implode.

“You sure you don’t want me to drop you by your apartment for more clothes?” he asked as they drove down Central toward the office.

“No. I’m fine. I grabbed extra when you brought me by my place over the weekend.”

He laid his coffee in the cup holder and took her hand. “I had a good time this weekend.”

She tried not to look out the window, half expecting to see someone peering in at them. “I did, too.”

“You want to stop somewhere for breakfast?”

Was he out of his mind? Someone might see them together and...assume things. “Oh, no. I’m good.”

“How about I drive through Marjorie’s for donuts, then? We can buy a bunch for the staff meeting.”

He was acting so...normal. “Sure. That sounds great.”

Maybe she could hop out and hide in the bed of the truck so no one noticed her.

He pulled into Marjorie’s, her favorite coffee and donut store. They waited in line, since Monday mornings were Marjorie’s busiest time.

It was early and the sun wasn’t out yet, but she dragged on her sunglasses.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She pulled her gaze away from other cars and looked at him. “I’m fine. Why?”

“You seem tense.” Then he grinned at her. “I thought we worked all that tension out of you this weekend.”

She smiled back at him. “I’m not tense. I’m just trying to get back into work mode.”

“Okay.”

It was their turn at the window. Marjorie was the worst gossip ever. This was going to be an epic disaster.

“Morning, Brody,” Marjorie said, her raven-and-gray hair pulled back into a bun as usual. “Hey, Tori.”

So much for the sunglasses as a disguise.

“Mornin’, Marjorie,” Brody said. “We’ll take a dozen mixed.” He turned to Tori. “You want a coffee?”

She’d need it to get through this day. “Yes. An extra large, please, Marjorie.”

She waited for the winks, knowing looks, or the questions. Instead, Marjorie said, “Coming right up.”

Nothing. She’d gotten nothing at all. No sly looks, no questions, just the box of donuts and her coffee and then they were on their way.

Huh.

Which didn’t mean Marjorie wouldn’t be calling or texting everyone she knew about the fact she and Brody had been seen together in Brody’s truck at six-thirty in the morning.

They pulled up to the office and she breathed a sigh of relief. Neither Ethan nor Wyatt had arrived yet. She nearly bolted out of the truck, her keys in one hand, coffee in the other, to open the front door.

“I’d have come around to open your side,” Brody said as he met her at the door.

“Sorry. I, uh, need to pee.”

“Oh. Okay. Go right ahead.”

She didn’t have to go, but she fled to the privacy of the ladies’ room for a few minutes to catch her breath. Okay, so far so good. She checked her face in the mirror. It was flushed.

Calm down, Tori. You might just make it through this day.

She booted up her laptop and set the donuts on the conference room table, then started a pot of coffee while Brody gathered up paperwork. They worked efficiently side by side as Brody asked her to pull some files and blueprints they’d talk about at the morning staff meeting.

Everything was back to normal, which made her ache with loss. She wanted to slide her arms around him and hold him close, feel his heart beating against her as it had the past few nights. She wanted to kiss him, to feel his lips touch hers. She wanted his hands on her again.

But that was over. He’d had his fill of her and they were done now, just as she’d suspected.

And when Wyatt came in, followed shortly thereafter by Ethan, it was like the final nail had been driven in the coffin.

“Morning,” she said, lifting her chin and pasting on her brightest smile. She wouldn’t give in to her emotions. She’d known what she was doing the other night, knew what it was going to cost her. If she was heartbroken, she had no one to blame but herself. She knew what kind of guy Brody was. He was a serial woman chaser, and once he caught a woman and had her, he was done and on to the next one.

She couldn’t blame him for what he was.

Once the guys had all had some coffee and shared some mundane chit chat, they all gathered in the conference room for the staff meeting. Tori made notes and discussed financials for an upcoming project that Brody would be heading, which was gutting and rebuilding one of the town’s major supermarkets.

“It should be set to gear up after the holidays,” Brody said.

“I’m damn glad we won that bid,” Ethan said. “If the Johnson brothers had taken that one out from under us, I might have had to resort to violence.”

“I’d have been right behind you on that one,” Wyatt said. “But it’s ours and it’s a big project. We’re going to need to add to our labor force.”

Brody nodded. “Already on it.” He motioned to Tori, who passed out a sheet she’d prepared.

“We estimate we’re going to need to add about fifteen to this project. I’m already in contact with some of our labor force people about the people we’ll need, and have contacted the local union for the steel portion of the project. They’ve got a meeting set up with Brody next week.”

“Good,” Wyatt said then turned to Brody. “How about the Hansen Sporting Goods job over in Mission City?”

“It’ll be finished before this one starts up.”

“Great. Any other business?”

“The Christmas party,” Tori said. “It’s time to start planning for that again.”

Wyatt groaned. “I assume you’ll be handling it. Do we even need to participate in discussions?”

“Actually, I was thinking since you and Brody have such big houses, and Ethan is building a big place, all three of you have plenty of room to start hosting these events at your homes. I thought this year we’d start at Brody’s, then next year at Wyatt’s, giving Ethan and Riley time to first finish their place and second, with their baby on the way, they won’t need to have a turn for a couple years.”

Ethan cocked a brow. “Why at our houses?”

“First, it’s more economical. Second, it’s more intimate and it’ll bring you closer to your customers. Third, having it at your homes gives us more flexibility on dates to have the party since we’re not at the mercy of a hotel or restaurant and their busy holiday schedules.”

Ethan looked over at Wyatt and Brody and shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with it. I doubt Riley will, either. What do you guys think?”

“I guess it’s all right with me,” Brody said. “Wyatt?”

“I’ll have to discuss it with Calliope, but that woman loves a good party, so I can’t imagine she’ll say no. And she’ll help you with the planning, especially when it’s at our house. Hell, she’ll help you this year at Brody’s.”

Wyatt looked over at Brody. “You’re the single guy. You sure you’re fine with this?”

Brody’s gaze leveled on Tori and he quirked a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine with it.”

She tried to tamp down the emotions battering at her. She dragged her gaze away from Brody and instead focused on his brothers. “Great. I’ll start planning. I’ll email all of you with potential dates for the party. Get back to me as soon as you can.”

They went on to a few more last-minute topics, then wrapped up the meeting so the guys could get out to their jobsites for the day. Ethan and Wyatt were on the phones while simultaneously packing up their gear.

Brody stopped at her desk. “You sure about this Christmas party thing at the house? That there’ll be enough space?”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “Definitely. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise. But I think, depending on the weather, we rent a fire pit and heaters for the back deck. If it’s warm enough, people might want to spill outside.”

“You order whatever you think we’ll need. I trust your judgment on this.”

“And you’ll need a Christmas tree for that front window.”

He cocked a brow. “This was all a ploy to get me to put a tree up.”

She laughed. “Hardly. But it’s a perfect spot for one. And you can’t have Christmas at your house without a tree, Brody.”

“Fine. But you’ll have to come over and help me decorate it. I don’t even have ornaments.”

He was inviting her over again? She didn’t know what to make of that. Was it in a professional capacity, or something more personal? “Okay. Sure. I’ll be happy to help you set up the place. Trust me, I’m not going to leave it for you to handle.”

He bent over and whispered in her ear, “I’m not talking about just the Christmas party, Tori.”

She leaned back, her gaze shooting across the room to a gaping Wyatt and Ethan. “Brody. Your brothers are watching.”

“Let them watch.” He brushed his lips across hers, a long slow kiss that melted her to the chair. She clutched his shirt and soon forgot where they were. She might have even forgotten her own name.

“Get a room,” Wyatt said.

“Jesus, is it hot in here or what? I need to go outside, where it’s cold,” Ethan said.

Brody pulled his lips from hers, his smile and sparkling eyes as devilish as always. “Screw you guys,” he said without looking at them. “I’ll call you later,” he said to her.

“Okay.” She released the death grip she had on his shirt and watched him as he grabbed his coat and his bag and walked out the door, his brothers following behind. They both gave her a knowing grin as they left her.

She finally exhaled.

Well. That was unexpected. And she supposed she should stop worrying about all the things she’d worried about this morning. Like whether anyone in town would find out. From their trip to the donut shop to Brody kissing her in front of her brothers, that cat was most definitely out of the bag.

As far as the weekend spent with Brody being a one-time-only thing? From the kiss he just gave her, she’d guess probably not.

Brody had changed everything.

She just didn’t know what to make of it all.

* * *

“What the hell was that about?” Ethan asked as they walked out to their trucks.

Brody clicked the remote on his key ring. “What was what about?”

“You might look dumb, but we know you’re not,” Wyatt said. “That kiss with Tori in there.”

“Now who’s dumb?” Brody threw his briefcase in the passenger seat and turned to look at his brothers.

“So what’s going on?” Ethan asked.

“None of your business.”

“If it’s Tori, it’s definitely our business.” Wyatt laid his briefcase down and folded his arms. “So, spill.”

“Whatever’s going on with Tori and me doesn’t concern the two of you, so butt out.” He climbed into his truck, but before he could shut the door, Wyatt grabbed it.

“She’s family, Brody. Don’t screw this up.”

“And don’t hurt her,” Ethan said.

Brody rolled his eyes. “Don’t you two have jobsites to get to?”

“I’m serious,” Ethan said. “She means something to us.”

“She means something to me, too, so leave it alone, okay?”

He finally pulled the door shut and his brothers walked away. As he drove off, he shook his head.

First they wanted him to make peace between him and Tori. Now that he had, it was like they wanted him to back the hell off.

Christ. He raked his fingers through his hair as he made the turn onto the highway.

First he pissed her off and he was the bad guy. Now he brought her in close and he was still the bad guy.

It was a no-win scenario, and no matter what he did he was going to be skewered.

He and Tori had had a great weekend, even better than he could have imagined. He wanted more time with her, because a few days of her sweet smile, her genuine laughter, her smartass wit and her gorgeous body just wasn’t enough.

He had no idea where it was going to lead, and he didn’t waste time imagining the future. He preferred to live in the present and let things roll out how they were going to roll out. There was no sense in trying to predict how a relationship was going to go.

Hell, he never even had relationships, so this was uncharted territory for him. Hopefully he and Tori could just take it a day at a time, without anyone butting their nose in and offering unwanted opinions.

He eased into the fast lane and hit the gas, switching his mind over to business, where it belonged.

Though a certain redhead kept popping into his head, making him smile as he worked throughout the day.

That was a first, because once he settled on business, that’s usually where his mind stayed. But stray thoughts of Tori kept filtering through. Her laugh, the way she looked naked, her competitive nature when they’d played video games, or the soft way she snored when she’d fallen asleep while watching movies.

He’d never realized how alone he had been until he had her with him all weekend, or how much he’d enjoyed spending time with her.

Usually he was all about getting women out of his house.

Now all he could think about was when he could get Tori back there.

Chapter Nine

Mondays were always busy, so by the time Tori got home, she was exhausted, not only from work, but from her nonstop ringing and texting cell phone.

Word was out that she had been with Brody, and there had been more calls and texts from Calliope than anyone.

She knew Calliope had her hands full at the day care center, so for her to take the time to send her approximately seven million texts meant that it was urgent. And for Tori to send only one back, which said “We’ll talk after work tonight,” meant that Tori was being a big fat coward.

She couldn’t face anyone, didn’t want to talk about this thing with her and Brody.

Whatever this thing might be, which was probably no thing at all, which was why she didn’t want to talk about it.

She hadn’t been home more than a half hour when her phone buzzed.

She looked at it, saw that it was Calliope again and pressed the button.

“Hey.”

“You might be the queen of avoidance, but I’m the queen of I-will-stalk-you-until-you-talk-to-me-because-we’re-best-friends-dammit.”

Tori smiled at that. It was true. “I’m sorry, Calliope. It was a hellish day at work.”

“I’m sure it was. Now answer your door.”

She frowned. “There’s no one at my door.”

“There is now. Me.”

Tori went to the door and looked through the peephole, laughing when Calliope stuck her tongue out. She opened the door. “Oh, my God, you really are a stalker.”

“Told you. I was afraid you were going to ignore my calls again.” Calliope came in and Tori shut the door.

“I did not ignore your calls.”

“Of course you did.” She threw her purse on the chair and flopped down on the sofa, her curls bouncing as she did. “Trying to process your hot, sex-filled weekend with Brody and couldn’t come to terms with it enough to talk about it yet?”

Tori laid her phone down and fell into the nearby chair. There was no sense lying anymore to Calliope. Her best friend knew her facial expressions and body language better than anyone. “Yes.”

She propped her feet on Tori’s coffee table. “Spill. And I mean everything. Well, you can spare the intimate sex details because that’s between you and hot stuff. But how did it happen?”

“I don’t know. He took me out to dinner. We were supposed to go over my annual review. We talked. I bolted from the restaurant when it got personal and he wanted to talk about the two of us.”

“Coward.”

“I know. But then he took me back to his place and gave me the option of coming in or not.”

“And you took option I-want-to-sleep-with-you.”

“I don’t know that I consciously took that option, but I knew the two of us had to talk and clear the air.”

“Bet you didn’t do much talking, did you?”

She laid her head in her hands. “Not particularly.”

Calliope clapped her hands together. “Well, it’s about time. You should have jumped Brody’s bones years ago.”

She lifted her head. “No, I shouldn’t have done it at all. This only made things worse.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“We work together. You know how entrenched I am with his family. When things end between us—and they will, because you know how he is—I’ll lose my job and my connection to his family.”

“Oh, aren’t you Miss Negative today? What if things don’t end badly, or God forbid you think positively, what if they don’t end at all? What if you two end up together, like forever and ever?”

Tori snorted out a laugh. “Brody doesn’t do forever and ever. He doesn’t even do two weeks.”

“Brody’s grown up now. He’s not the same guy he was before.”

“Before what?”

Calliope gave her a smug smile. “Before you, honey.”

She didn’t want to think positively. She didn’t want to hope that things would work out between her and Brody, because the crushing fall would be unbearable.

“We just had a weekend, Calliope. Nothing more.”

“And then he kissed you in the office this morning. In front of his brothers, no less.”

“You know about that?”

“I’m married to one of said brothers, you know. You think he wouldn’t tell me?”

“Okay, right. Forgot about that.”

Calliope laughed. “Wyatt called me from the truck with one of those ‘You’re not gonna believe this shit’ kind of phone calls. I figured it would be a jobsite thing, and nearly fell off my chair when he told me Brody planted a hot one on you right in front of Wyatt and Ethan. What was your reaction when he did that?”

“Honestly? I was so focused on Brody kissing me, it was like no one else was in the room. I didn’t even think about it until after.”

Calliope gave her a nod and a smug smile. “Oh, you’re in deep.”

“I know.” It was already too late to guard her heart against the break. “And I don’t think I can handle it.”

Calliope came over to her and shoved herself into the chair next to Tori. “You can handle this. Love is scary business, Tori, but it’s worth fighting for. I think you and Brody could have something special.”

Tori looked at her. “I’m scared.”

“I know you are. And I know you think you have a lot to lose, but at some point you have to either close yourself off to him, or throw yourself headlong into this and trust Brody not to hurt you.”

She shuddered at the thought. Could she do that? Could she trust him, given his past track record with women?

It was a huge leap of faith.

She didn’t know what to do.

Calliope’s pocket buzzed. She shifted. “Hang on a sec.” She looked at her phone and then at Tori. “Oh, it’s Brody’s mom.”

“Hey, Mom...” She looked at Tori. “Really? That sounds fun. I’m actually at Tori’s right now and I know she’d love to help.”

Tori’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

Calliope grinned. “Yes, tomorrow night is perfect. We’ll be there. Love you.”

She hung up and Tori asked, “What did you just volunteer me for?”

“Mom wants to have a baby shower for Riley since she’s epically pregnant. She wants us to help her with the planning and execution.”

“Oh.” It warmed Tori’s heart to be asked to help. “Sure, I’ll be happy to do that.”

“Great. We’re going over tomorrow night to help Mom with the planning.” Calliope climbed out of the chair. “I need to go home and fix dinner.”

She led Calliope to the door. “Thanks for coming over and beating me up about Brody.”

Calliope hugged her. “It’s for your own good.” She grabbed her arms. “Trust in yourself, Tori. And in Brody. I don’t think he’ll let you down.”

She nodded and closed the door after Calliope left. She fixed dinner, took a hot, relaxing bath, then climbed into her pajamas and into bed. She hadn’t had much sleep over the weekend and she was beat. Not that she was complaining.

As she stared up at the ceiling, she realized she ached for Brody. He was out of town the next three days on a job. She wondered if he would have asked her out tonight if he’d been home.

Probably not. They’d spent three nights together, which likely exceeded his spend-time-with-a-woman rules anyway.

But then there’d been that kiss this morning, which had blown her away.

She sat up and punched her pillow into submission, suddenly not as tired as she’d thought. She rolled over and stared out the window, hoping the passing clouds would lull her into sleep.

When the phone rang, she startled. It was only nine o’clock, though. She grabbed the phone, her stomach doing a mad leap when she saw Brody’s name come up on the display.

“Hey,” she said as she punched the button.

“Hey, yourself. What are you doing?”

“Lying in bed, actually.”

“Oh. Were you asleep?”

“No. I was tired earlier so I went to bed, but now I can’t sleep.”

He laughed. “I guess we didn’t get much sleep the past few nights, did we?”

Her toes curled just thinking about it. “No, we didn’t.” She shifted onto her back. “What are you doing?”

“Going over some paperwork for tomorrow’s build. Boring stuff. My mind was wandering and I thought about you, so I wanted to give you a call to tell you I wish I was home. In bed. With you.”

If he kept talking to her like that she was going to have to throw open a window to let some icy cold air in. “I wish you were here, too. How did your day go today?”

He told her about the project, complained a bit about some delays, and made her laugh about a meeting he’d had with some of the other contractors. She realized he was sharing his day with her, which made her smile, especially when he asked her how her day had been.

“Has your phone been blowing up with people asking about the two of us?” he asked.

“Sort of. Calliope stalked my door as soon as I came home from work.”

“Figured Wyatt would blab to her.”

“Also, I’m going to your mom’s tomorrow night. She asked me to help plan Riley’s baby shower.”

“That’ll be fun for you. I guess.”

She laughed. “I’m looking forward to it. Girl stuff, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Well, I’ll let you get some sleep. I’m about to hit it, too. I’ve got an early morning.”

“Okay.”

They both went silent.

“Brody?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for calling.”

“You’re welcome.”

Another silence.

“Tori?”

“Yes?”

“I missed you today.”

She sucked in a deep breath, her heart tightening. “I missed you too.”

“Night.”

“Good night.”

She clicked the phone off and laid it on her nightstand, then curled under her covers, wishing she was in Brody’s bed right now so she could inhale his scent.

God, she had it bad.

She was deeply in love with Brody and this was going to wreck her completely.

Chapter Ten

The past few weeks had been spent in a whirlwind of work, prepping for the Christmas party, and nights spent with Brody. The best part of those few weeks had been the time Tori had spent with Brody.

Now she looked forward to days at the office, because he’d make time for the two of them to have lunch together. And when he was in town, they’d go out to a movie or to dinner.

It was like they were dating. A real couple. She was having a hard time getting used to him actually being fully in a relationship, expecting the other shoe to drop any moment and for him to say that he was tired of her. But that hadn’t happened yet.

And it was probably a good thing she stayed busy with other things, like Riley’s baby shower. The house was decorated in the most adorable shade of baby blues to welcome the new Kent baby into the family.

It had only taken a couple weeks to plan the shower, and Tori was convinced that nearly everyone in town had RSVP’d saying they were coming.

Okay, maybe not everyone in town, but Tori was glad when Calliope suggested they have the shower at her and Wyatt’s house instead of at Stacy’s, because Calliope’s house was much bigger, affording them the opportunity to broaden the guest list.

And it was much less stress on Stacy, though she was throwing herself into the new grandchild bit with as much enthusiasm as any grandmother-to-be. And with Ethan’s eight-year-old daughter Zoey assisting Stacy, Tori and Calliope, it was a joy to behold the finished product.

Zoey proudly sported her I’m The Big Sister T-shirt today, which of course was a baby blue shirt.

“Hey, Zoey, can you come here a second? I need your help.”

“Sure! What can I do?”

“Hold the end of this paper so I can hang it above the fireplace.”

Zoey carefully climbed on the stepladder, with her daddy’s ever-present help, and held the sign they’d had made that said Welcome Baby Boy Kent.

“Put the tape on that end.”

Ethan helped her, but Zoey grinned when she saw it up there. “That’s for our baby,” she said to Ethan.

He kissed the top of Zoey’s head. “It sure is.”

Riley waddled into the room. “Ugh. How can my ankles be swollen in December?”

“You should sit down, Mommy,” Zoey said. “You look like you’re about to bust a giant alien out of your belly.”

Riley snorted out a laugh. “You’re right, Zoey.” She carefully eased herself into a comfortable chair in the living room. “Come sit with me and we’ll read a book before the guests start to arrive.”

While Zoey ran to her backpack to get a book, Tori sat next to her. “How can you be thirty-seven weeks pregnant and still look so gorgeous?”

Riley took her hand. “Ethan paid you to say that, didn’t he?”

She laughed. “He did not. It’s true. Your hair is luscious and beautiful and you still have a great body.”

“Minus the huge stomach.”

“Tori’s right,” Ethan said, grabbing a seat on the other side of her. He laid a hand on her stomach. “You’re beautiful.”

“He tells me this every day. God, I love this man.”

Zoey returned with a book, so Tori excused herself and let the family have a few minutes of quiet time together before the madness. As she shifted away, she turned and admired the love they had for each other.

“I’m so happy for them,” Stacy said from behind her. She put her arms around Tori. “They’ve worked so hard for their happiness.”

She wrapped her arms around Stacy’s. “I know. It warms my heart to see them become a family, to know they’re adding a baby.” She turned around. “You can just feel the love pour from them. Sappy, I know.”

Stacy’s eyes filled with tears. She grabbed Tori’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen. “It’s not sappy at all. I love seeing my children happy and fulfilled, and Riley has always been like one of my own. Just like you.”

Tori took a deep breath. “Thank you, Stacy.”

“Now sit. Let’s have a glass of wine together before the craziness ensues.”

Stacy poured a glass for each of them. Tori lifted hers. “To Ethan, Riley, Zoey, and as-yet-unnamed baby boy Kent.”

Stacy raised her glass. “Salute!”

Tori took a sip. “Good wine.”

“It is good. I put Brody in charge of choosing the wine.”

Tori arched a brow. “Really? I had no idea he even knew anything about wine.”

“Well, you two are still learning about each other now that you’re dating, aren’t you?”

Uh-oh. “I...guess so.”

Stacy patted her hand. “Relax. I’m not going to meddle. Much.” She smiled behind the rim of the glass.”

Tori didn’t know what to say to that. “Stacy, I—”

“Is my mother giving you the third degree?”

Thank God for Brody’s timely arrival, because she would have had no idea how to talk about Brody with his mother.

“I was not,” Stacy said, giving Brody a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

He leaned against the counter. “Tell me again what I’m doing at a baby shower?”

“You were invited,” Stacy said. “Riley wanted a couples shower. And since you and Tori are now a couple...”

“I’m sure I heard Wyatt calling me,” Brody said, winking at Tori before he dashed out of the room.

“Coward,” Stacy said. “I’ll corner you yet today.”

Tori laughed. “I don’t think he’s comfortable yet thinking about the two of us together.”

“Well, the only thing I’m going to say about it is that it’s about time.”

“A lot of people seem to be saying that.”

“And you aren’t?”

She shrugged. “I’m just...taking it day by day.”

“Look, Tori. I have no rose-colored glasses on when it comes to my son. I know all about his notorious reputation with women.”

Good lord. She did not want to have this conversation. She prayed Calliope would come in soon. “Uh, reputation?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I know what a womanizer he’s been in the past. But I also know he would never intentionally hurt you. There are too many people in this family who care about you. I think he’s changed, Tori.”

“He and I are getting along great.” So far.

“Good. And I’m sure it’ll stay that way. He might not have always been the best when it comes to relationships, but he’s not stupid. He knows a great thing when he sees it. And you’re the best thing to happen to him in a long time, Tori.”

Her eyes stung as tears welled up. “Thank you, Stacy. I’m glad you think so.”

“Aww, come here, honey. “ Stacy folded her into her arms and hugged her tight. “I know you had a crappy family. You know no matter what happens, we’ll always be here for you.”

She squeezed Stacy and hoped what she said was true, because losing Brody would be devastating enough. Losing the whole Kent family would destroy her.

* * *

Baby showers were okay, if you liked blue shirts and blue outfits and blue hats and blue booties and blue everything and women oooh-ing and aaah-ing for an hour as every package was opened.

Thank God for beer or Brody would have never survived this. But Tori seemed to enjoy the present-opening part, and even his brothers had gotten into it, though he had no idea why Wyatt seemed so interested.

He smirked when Riley and Ethan opened his gift, a miniature construction bench with wooden hammer, wrench and the like.

“Oh, Brody, this is awesome,” Riley said. She patted her belly. “My little construction worker, just like his daddy.”

“Yeah, should be fun when he’s bangin’ on it while you’re trying to sleep.”

“Gee, thanks, Brody,” Ethan said.

“You’re welcome, bro.”

Tori nudged him. “Such a cute gift.”

“I did it to annoy my brother.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s adorable.”

“You think every gift is adorable.” But he grasped her hand and squeezed it, and she laid her head on his shoulder while the rest of the gifts were opened.

After that there was food, which he had to admit was his favorite part. He stuffed himself, then went into the kitchen to toss his plate.

“Hey,” his mom said, laying her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around him.

His family was demonstrative, and rampant huggers. He kind of liked that about them, so he held her close. “Good party, Mom.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” She tilted her head back. “Riley and Ethan seem to be having a great time and they received some lovely gifts.”

“Yeah, if you like that baby stuff.”

“Oh, you.” She pushed at him and he let her go. “Maybe it’s time you started thinking about that baby stuff.”

“I don’t have the right equipment, Mom.”

She rolled her eyes and climbed up to sit on a stool at the center island to sip her wine while he grabbed another beer out of the fridge.

“You know what I’m talking about. A wife. A family of your own.”

“Don’t you have your hands full with the new grandson on the way?”

“I have enough love in my heart for a house full of grandchildren. And you’re dodging the inevitable conversation.”

He took a long swallow of beer. “What conversation is that?”

“You and Tori.”

“What about me and Tori?”

“Are you serious about her?”

“I don’t know. Things are progressing.”

His mom took a sip of wine, then laid her glass down. “Brody, you know I love you like you’re my own son.”

“Ha, ha, Mom.”

She winked at him. “Seriously, I love Tori like she’s family, too. And I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“But it’s okay if I do?”

She frowned. “You think she’s going to hurt you?”

“I don’t know.” He looked around. They were alone in the kitchen. “I’m not used to relationships.”

“Obviously, since you’ve been manwhoring your way through nearly every woman in town since you were seventeen.”

“Jesus, Mom.”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it? I don’t live under a rock, you know. You’ve never had a steady relationship with a woman.”

“I’ve been busy with the company.”

“That’s an excuse to avoid commitment.”

“And you watch too much Dr. Phil.”

“Actually, I’m into Dr. Oz now, but that’s beside the point. You might want to blow me off as not knowing what I’m talking about, but I’ve been married to your father for thirty-seven years. And we’ve had our rough patches. He’s hurt me and I’ve hurt him, but we have a strength in our love that’s binded us.”

Brody sucked in a breath. He knew the reason he and his brothers were solid was because of his parents, the upbringing they had. “I know love and marriage isn’t easy. Except for you and Dad, of course.”

His mom laughed. “Before your dad and I met and fell in love, I had my heart broken a few times by guys who couldn’t commit, and despite me being deliriously happy with your father, I know the pain of having my heart broken. It’s a pain you don’t ever forget, so don’t stand here and insult me by insinuating that I don’t have personal experience in matters of love and heartbreak.”

He’d never had this kind of conversation with his mother. “Okay. I’m sorry, Mom.”

She scooted off the stool and came over to him and laid her hand in his. “I love you. Above all, I will always love you, no matter what. But I love Tori, too, and that girl has been through hell and back in her life. She looks at your father and I as family. She looks at Ethan and Wyatt as her brothers. But she has never once looked at you as family.”

“No?”

“No. That girl has been in love with you since she was a teenager. Open your eyes, Brody, and be careful not to hurt her. Or if you realize she’s not the one for you and you know you’re going to hurt her, then let her down gently, and don’t alienate her from the family she loves and who love her.”

Fuck. “Yeah. Okay. I understand.”

“Good. Then I’ll butt out from now on. I love you, son.” She reached up, grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss on his cheek. “I need to go ogle the cute baby gifts and take a few hundred more pictures.”

After she left the kitchen, he downed the rest of his beer and grabbed another.

Talk about a Come to Jesus meeting. His mother had read him the riot act and had done it in her most gentle, sweetest voice, just like she always had done when they were kids. She’d never had to raise her voice to them. Calm reason had them dropping their chins to their chests and confessing their sins before they knew what was up.

Now he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do about what she’d told him.

It was one thing to have fun with Tori, to have a relationship with her because it wasn’t complicated, and because it was what the two of them wanted.

It was another thing entirely to have the entire town and his family eagle-eyeing his every move.

“There you are.”

He turned around as Tori entered the kitchen.

“I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Too much baby blue for you?” she asked with a grin.

“Yeah. Way heavy on baby land out there.”

She laughed. “I think they’re set for Baby Boy Kent’s first couple years after that shower.”

“It seems that way.”

She tucked herself under his arm. “Things are wrapping up out there if you want to make your escape.”

That was the nice thing about Tori. She always gave him an out and wasn’t the clingy type. “Are you hanging here for a while?”

She nodded. “I’ll help clean up the disaster after everyone leaves. I don’t want to leave that for your mom or Calliope to deal with.”

And she was generous, always thinking of others before herself. “Then I’ll stay and help, too.”

“Are you sure? We can handle it.”

He bent and brushed his lips across hers, loving the way she yielded against him.

Maybe it was time he stopped thinking and worrying about what other people thought and focused only on what he felt. “If you can handle it, then so can I. Later, you and I can make our escape.”

Her eyes sparkled with promise. “I love the sound of that.”

* * *

Exhausted and giddy from the baby shower, Tori was more than a little thrilled when Brody had asked her to follow him to his place after.

He’d spent the evening looking like a miserable cornered deer. She knew it wouldn’t be his kind of venue, but he’d been a trooper about it. She supposed that’s what family did for each other, at least family that cared about each other, another reason she loved all the Kents. They stood up for each other and by each other, even during the uncomfortable events. Even Brody’s dad had showed up and dutifully showed enthusiasm over every baby item that had been unveiled.

Now she was exhausted and more than ready to kick off her uncomfortable shoes, so when she pulled into Brody’s driveway, he came to meet her at her car.

“Pull into the garage. It looks like rain tonight.”

She laughed. “My car has more golf-ball-sized hail dings on it than I can count. I don’t think a little rain will hurt it.”

“Pull it into the garage, Tori.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

It seemed weird to park her car next to his truck. Silly perhaps, but it made them look like a couple and she hadn’t yet reconciled them to that place yet.

He waited for her to get out, then held the door for her as she walked in from the garage.

“Tired?” he asked.

“Very. But it was a nice baby shower, and I’m glad it went well, both for Riley and for your mom, who was stressed about the details.”

“And now it’s over.”

She kicked off her shoes inside the door. “Yes. Thank God. Now it’s over.”

“Would you like something to drink?”

“A giant glass of ice water would be great.” She’d had a couple glasses of wine and a few beers throughout the night but plenty of food, so fortunately she wasn’t buzzed, just tired. When Brody handed her the water, she took several swallows.

Brody swept his hand over her hair. “You look tired.”

She lifted her gaze to his. “That’s a euphemism for I look like hell, right?”

He laughed. “No, it means there are dark circles under your eyes like you need some sleep. Let’s go to bed.”

She couldn’t argue with him. “That sounds good. I am tired.”

They went upstairs and she realized how comfortable she’d grown undressing and climbing into bed with him. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, then kissed the top of her head.

She closed her eyes, relaxing into his body, smoothing her hand over his chest, drifting across his abs, then even lower. She could never get enough of touching him. Every moment they had together was precious to her, because she never knew when it would end.

“You keep touching me like that you’re not going to get to sleep.”

She lifted her head, searching his face in the darkness as she wrapped her hand around the hot, thick, oh-so-hard part of him. “I’m not that tired, you know.”

He shifted her underneath him. “Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“I have ways of exhausting you.”

“Yeah? Show me.”

His mouth met hers in a tangle of lips and tongues. She sensed a desperate passion in Brody tonight, and she met it with wild abandon. He smoothed his hand over her hip and down her thigh, lifting her leg as he put a condom on in record time and entered her with a quick thrust. She gasped as he moved within her, teasing her with slow, deliberate movements that made her climax so quickly it shocked her into a surprised cry.

But he wasn’t finished with her yet, because he rolled her onto her knees and took her from behind, teasing her nipples and breasts and reaching between her legs as he rocked hard and fast into her. He was relentless and ever patient, and when she came again, he stayed with her, giving her the strokes she needed to catapult her into oblivion.

And still, he only shifted her over onto her side, letting her catch her breath by kissing her, stroking her hip and raising her leg over his so he could thrust slow and easy.

“Brody,” she whispered, staring up into a face she’d grown to love so deeply it hurt. “What are you doing to me?”

“We have all night,” he said, brushing her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. She grabbed his thumb and sucked it between her lips, rewarded with his harsh groan of pleasure. He replaced his thumb with his mouth, shattering her with the intimacy of the gesture. She fought for breath as he took her right to the edge again, refusing to let go until she did.

She didn’t think she could, until he rolled her on top of him, giving her the control. He grasped her hips and held her while she rolled back and forth and he lifted up into her, burying himself deep. He cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs over her nipples, searing her with the deepest pleasure until she arched against him, giving him everything he’d asked for, baring herself to him down to her soul. And when she came, this time he thrust, then groaned, his fingers digging into her hips as he roared out his climax and fell with her.

She collapsed on top of him, utterly spent. She vaguely registered Brody moving her off him, leaving her for a few minutes and coming back to the bed to cuddle up behind her. She only recalled his strong arms wrapping around her as he pulled the covers over them both.

Then she let sleep take her.

Chapter Eleven

The out-of-town job had been going smoothly, and plans for the new supermarket were well underway. Brody had a handle on everything, and even his personal life seemed to be going well for a change.

He and Tori had settled into seeing each other fairly regularly, which he liked. It was new territory for him, this whole relationship thing, but it sure beat the hell out of coming home to an empty house every night.

He wasn’t even freaked out that, little by little, her things were starting to take up residence at his place.

First it was a toothbrush, because she spent the night frequently. Then it was shower things and a few clothes for overnight stays. And he had to make closet and drawer space for her to put her things. He had plenty of room, so no big deal, right?

She was even cooking for him, and what guy would mind that? She sure as hell was a better cook than he was.

He had to admit he liked having her at his place rather than that hellhole of an apartment she lived in.

Which begged the question of why he didn’t just ask her to move in with him. It wasn’t like they were strangers to each other. He’d known her for years. They got along great. The sex was fantastic and they enjoyed each other’s company.

It was that next step dilemma that kept him from pulling the trigger. They were having fun. It was light and simple and easy between them. She didn’t ask for anything or tie any strings to him. He could pretend he was still the carefree bachelor he’d always been, because, technically, Tori wasn’t living there.

But she was a part of his life, and he didn’t like to think about her going back to her place and the two of them living separate lives. He didn’t want to think about his life without her in it. He didn’t want to think about her possibly finding someone else and leaving him.

Was that love? Did he love her? That was his problem. He had no idea what love was. He’d seen it, been surrounded by it with his parents and Wyatt and Calliope and Ethan and Riley. He knew it from the outside, but he’d never been in love with a woman before, so he didn’t have a freakin’ clue.

All he knew was he liked the way things were. Wasn’t that enough for now? Did it have to be defined?

He didn’t want to think about the deep shit anymore. All he knew was having her at the house made it easier for her to plan the company Christmas party, which she’d done a fantastic job of putting together. She’d made arrangements for caterers and the band and the booze and those outside heater things, and there was even someone coming to move furniture and bring in tables and a dance floor.

Whatever. He was kind of oblivious to it all because he had his work to do, but on the nights they were together she’d discuss it with him. He had to admit he liked the end of the day rehash they always did when she stayed over.

He was toying with the idea of asking her to stay at his place when he had to be out of town, though he couldn’t yet figure out how to make that work.

Why would she need to be at his place when he wasn’t there? It wasn’t like he had a dog that needed watching or anything.

Maybe he should get a dog.

“Brody. Brody!”

He snapped to attention at Wyatt’s sharp tone, realizing he’d been so deep in thought he hadn’t even realized his brother had been talking. “What?”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Were you even listening?”

“Uh...no. What were you saying?”

“I’ve just spent the better part of ten minutes going over inventory for the jobsites. Where were you?”

Brody dragged his fingers through his hair and stood, pacing the office conference room. “I don’t know. Somewhere else. Sorry.”

“Is it a job, or is it something else on your mind?”

“Oh. A job.”

“Okay.” Wyatt closed his laptop. “Let’s talk about it. Which job is giving you hell? We’ll talk about it and fix it.”

Shit. Every single job he managed was going smoothly right now. He couldn’t manufacture a problem if he tried. “Okay, it’s not a job.”

“Then it’s Tori. Did you fuck something up?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t fuck anything up. Things are fine.”

“Then what’s got your head so far up your ass that you daydreamed away ten minutes of our conversation?”

He shot Wyatt a smirk. “Maybe you’re boring.”

“Screw you. Inventory might be boring, but I am never boring. Just ask my wife.”

“No, thanks. I’d rather not hear the gory details of your sex life.”

“Man, you’re missing out. They’re epic. Okay, then tell me about yours.”

“Perv. I’m not telling you anything about mine.”

“Not your sex life. Tell me what’s going on with you and Tori.”

“Nothing. We’re dating. Things are going fine.”

Wyatt cocked a brow. “Now that’s boring. Calliope and I are more exciting than that, and we’re married.”

“Correction. You’re newly married. You should still be exciting. If you’re not still rocking her world every night, then she should trade you in for a newer model.”

“Again...screw you. And you’re changing the subject so you don’t have to talk about you and Tori.”

“Noticed that, did you? And still, you’re not grabbing a clue. See, I always knew you were a moron.”

“So is it getting serious?”

“What is it with my family and Tori? If I was having a relationship with Rita Melner of Hair Raising’s salon, no one would say boo to me about it. But since it’s Tori, everyone has to be all up in my business about it.”

“That’s true,” Ethan said as he walked into the conference room and shut the door. “But you’re not dating Rita Melner. Zack Dorman is.”

“Our foreman on the upcoming supermarket job?” Brody asked.

“Yeah.” Ethan set his laptop down. “Riley told me when she went to get a pedicure yesterday that Rita’s been seeing Zack for about a month now.”

“Huh,” Wyatt said. “Interesting. But not as interesting as Brody and Tori.”

Dammit. He was so sure they’d start gossiping about Rita and Zack and he’d be off the hook.

“There’s nothing interesting going on with the two of us. We’re dating. Subject’s closed.”

“And things are going well I assume?” Ethan asked.

“Why? Did Mom ask for a report?”

Ethan snorted. “No. I just care about Tori.”

Brody rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to talk to the two of you about Tori. Not now, not ever. Not again.”

“You know, I do like to give you shit about this,” Wyatt said. “But we care about you, too. This is a good relationship for you, Brody. For God’s sake, it’s the first one you’ve been in since high school. She’s good for you.”

“Wyatt’s right, man. Make this one stick,” Ethan said.

Brody had nothing to say to that. He just wanted to be able to see Tori on his own terms without his damn family interfering every step of the way.

What would be with the two of them would be. And no amount of family interference would alter the outcome.

He looked outside the conference room where Tori sat at her desk, busy on the phone. Her gorgeous hair was piled up on top of her head, two pencils stuck in it to hold it up. Pieces of it rained down her long neck and all he could think about was sneaking up behind her and taking a nibble.

He was getting hard just thinking about it.

“Do you think he’s even aware we’re talking about him?” Ethan asked.

“I spent ten minutes going over inventory and he was daydreaming.”

“I hear the both of you,” he said, focusing his attention away from Tori, but only briefly, because she came to the door, her eyes wide with worry.

“Ethan. Is your phone off?”

“Uh...no. It’s never off.” He pulled it out of his pocket. “Shit. I must have hit the button.”

“Riley called. Her water broke and contractions have started.”

Ethan paled. “Oh, shit.” He stood, and started shuffling papers into his bag.

“Just go, man,” Wyatt said. “Leave that stuff here. And call us.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” He looked at all of them and grinned. “I’m going to have another baby.”

“And you’re going to miss it if you keep standing here talking to us,” Tori said. “Move it. Your wife is waiting for you.”

Ethan made a mad dash out of the conference room while Brody, Wyatt and Tori grinned at each other.

Fourteen hours later, Brody and Tori made their way into Riley’s hospital room to get their first glimpse at the baby.

Tori had worried all day and into the night. Brody distracted her by taking her out to dinner after work and then they went to the hospital to hold vigil with the rest of the family until the baby was born. Zoey was hyper excited, so Tori and Calliope kept her amused with electronic games until Ethan, grinning like crazy, came out and told them that Gideon Roger Kent had made his arrival, screaming like a banshee as he came out.

Tori unabashedly sobbed with joy on Brody’s shoulder. Brody’s parents went in first while they all waited. They didn’t want to crowd the room too much. After a while, they got to go in. Riley, who looked gorgeous as usual but tired, smiled as they walked in.

“Come see our baby,” she said. Ethan took him from her and deposited him in Brody’s surprised arms.

“Eight pounds, two ounces,” Ethan said with a smile.

“Wow,” Tori said, looking at his red, scrunched-up face. She smiled over at Riley and Ethan. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Daddy says he looks a lot like I did when I was born,” Zoey said.

“He does, doesn’t he?” Brody said, and Tori was awed at the shine of unshed tears in Brody’s eyes.

“Do you want to hold him?” Brody asked.

“I’d love to.” She washed her hands and held out her arms, a feeling of instant love and protectiveness washing over her as soon as Gideon was placed in her arms.

She took a seat in one of the vacant chairs and made room for Zoey, who couldn’t seem to get enough of her new baby brother. But after such an exciting day, it was obvious she was wearing down, and she soon fell asleep on Tori’s shoulder.

This was what she wanted, Tori thought. This life, with children in her arms. She shifted her gaze to Brody and found him watching her, an expression on his face she couldn’t fathom. She didn’t know if it was discomfort, the same kind of wonder she felt tonight, or something else entirely.

But she’d never seen that look on his face before, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

She wasn’t even going to try and figure it out, because today wasn’t about her and Brody’s relationship. Today had been about small miracles.

* * *

Brody watched the wonder on Tori’s face as she held baby Gideon in her arms, the way she cradled him close as if she was born to hold a child.

He’d always pushed the idea of marriage and children to the back of his mind, figuring that would come later in life, when he was ready for it. Though he didn’t really know when that “ready” time would be.

Maybe when he found the right woman.

But as he stole glances at Tori, as she carefully stood and handed Gideon off to Riley, almost with a sense of regret at letting go of the baby, he realized that it was time to start thinking about those things.

Holding the baby had seemed natural to him. He knew that feeling of not wanting to let him go.

It was time to start reevaluating what was important to him, and what he wanted.

And when.

But on his terms, and Tori’s terms.

Not his family’s.

Chapter Twelve

Staying more often at Brody’s house had definite advantages, the biggest one being the Christmas party. Now that she was intimately familiar with his house, she knew exactly where everything—and everyone—would fit.

Plus, her clothes were already here for the party tonight. She had taken the day off work so she could meet the caterers and the party planner who was helping her put this event together.

She was trying not to stress. Sex with Brody in the shower this morning had certainly helped. He’d called it medicinal, and for stress release. She’d called it rockin’ hot, but she was a lot calmer now.

Calliope had already called her three times and texted her twice asking if there was anything she could do to help. She’d offered to take the day off, too, but Tori had refused. She had a handle on this.

When the doorbell rang at noon, she was in a panic. The caterers weren’t due for hours and the party planner wasn’t coming until two, so she was shocked to see Brody’s mom at the door.

“Hi, Stacy. I didn’t expect you to show up until the party tonight.”

Stacy waved her hand. “Oh, please. Did you think I’d let you handle all this by yourself?”

Tori laughed and made room for Stacy to come in. “It’s no problem. It is my job, after all.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use some help.”

Grateful for the assistance, they talked about table placement and food and drink as well as door prizes and who had RSVP’d. Stacy helped her wrap some gifts and put the finishing touches on the enormous Christmas tree she’d coerced Brody into buying.

“I brought over some of Brody’s childhood ornaments,” Stacy said, bringing out a box. “I thought those would make a nice touch.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet. Thank you. I know those will mean a lot to him, this being the first tree he’s put up in here.”

Stacy shook her head. “You’d think with this being the perfect spot for one, he’d have put one up before now.”

“That’s what I told him.” She hung the ornaments, loving the Baby’s First Christmas and the sports-related ones, especially the one with the gap-toothed photo of an eight-year-old Brody in his baseball uniform.

“It’s going to be a great party tonight,” Stacy told her after they’d finalized everything. “You’ve done a remarkable job.”

“Thanks. I hope so. I’m so nervous, since this was my idea. If it bombs, the buck stops here.”

“It’s not going to bomb. Everyone’s going to have a great time.”

She hoped so. They’d never let her plan another Christmas party again if this one failed.

Stacy stayed until the setup crew arrived and put all the tables and decorations in order. Tori grabbed a jacket and went outside to supervise the placement of the heaters and fire pit. As she scanned the sky, she noted the gray clouds overhead.

As cold as it was getting, it could possibly snow. She hoped it would hold out until after the party. She’d really love people to be able to use the heaters and pit out here. They’d brought in some lovely, comfortable furniture and it was going to be toasty warm for folks who wanted to step out for some fresh air tonight.

Stacy left after everything was set up, saying she’d be back before the guests arrived. Once everything was in place, Tori dashed off and showered, did her hair and makeup and threw on a robe. She’d put on her dress right before the caterers came. The caterers were going to bring the food and set up the bar an hour before the guests were due to arrive, so she had the timing all planned out.

Brody came home early to help—she was so grateful for that. She directed him to the shower first.

She was in the bedroom ready to put on her dress when he came out of the bathroom smelling fresh and clean, a towel slung over his hips.

She took one look and pure lust took over.

“If I hadn’t already done my hair and makeup, you’d be in trouble right now.”

He gave her a look that made her swell with arousal. “You’d better get that dress on, or your hair is gonna get mussed up and then you’ll be mad at me.”

She grabbed her dress and shoes and dashed into the spare bedroom to dress. Much as she’d like to spend the next hour naked and in his arms, that would spell disaster. The last thing she’d need was to be lying in bed with Brody and have the caterers ring the doorbell.

But it was something fun to think about as she climbed into her dress.

She couldn’t do the back zipper, so she slid into her heels and went back into the bedroom. She stalled at the doorway. Brody was slipping into his jacket.

He very rarely wore a suit, typically reserved only for important business meetings and the company Christmas party. Usually he was a jeans and T-shirt or Henley kind of guy, or shorts in the summer.

Lord, the man cleaned up well. Though honestly whether he was naked, dressed up, or anything in between, she loved him. It didn’t matter what he wore—or didn’t wear.

“You look amazing,” she said. “And I need help with this zipper.”

He turned with a smile, but his smile disappeared when he saw her.

He came toward her and she turned her back to him, shocked when she felt his lips against the side of her neck.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. How did I ever get so lucky?”

She shuddered, then his fingers brushed her bare back as he pulled the zipper up.

“Later, I’ll be dragging this zipper down when I get you out of this dress.”

Her body in flames, she turned to face him, laid her palms on his chest. “I’ll be thinking about that all night.”

“You know, I could make love to you without messing up your hair.”

He leaned in and her heart stuttered, every female hormone in her body gravitating toward him. “Is that right?”

The doorbell rang.

“Dammit.”

She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. “Something to think about all night.”

She dashed around him and went to the door, grateful the caterers were on time, even if they did put a crimp in her love life.

Brody’s gaze tracked Tori like a hungry animal. He couldn’t help himself. One look at her in that shiny black dress that hugged her body, and he was a goner. She’d left her hair down tonight, the waves spilling over her bare shoulders like a shiny red waterfall. He wanted to be close to her, to inhale the scent of that shampoo she used that smelled like strawberries, to lick that spot on her neck that never failed to raise goosebumps on her skin. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go.

He couldn’t wait to get her alone. And out of that damn dress that had been haunting him since he’d first seen it.

Mainly, he just wanted to touch her, to have a minute alone with her. But since the caterers arrived, it hadn’t happened. Because then his mom and dad showed up, then Wyatt and Calliope, then Ethan, minus Riley, of course, who was home with the kids. After that, people started spilling in and he had to play host. So did Tori, who smiled and greeted people and showed them where the food and bar was.

She’d spent the past several hours flitting around like a hummingbird, and his house was packed with people he had to talk to, be nice to, visit with and welcome into his home.

Bleh. He knew it was a part of business, that he and his brothers put on this party every year not only for business partners and customers, but for the community. It fostered goodwill and brought in even more business. It was a necessity. Usually he enjoyed the Christmas party.

But tonight, he had more important things on his mind—his woman. He wanted alone time with her, to touch her, taste her, and eventually have a very important conversation with her.

“Brody. I hear you’re going to be spearheading the building of the new supermarket.”

The mayor. Time to put his work face on. He shook Stanley Shims’s hand. “Mayor Shims. Yes, I am. We’re very excited about this project.”

“So are the citizens of Deer Lake. We’ll be watching its progress closely. When do you think you’ll break ground?”

He spent several minutes tied up with the mayor discussing the supermarket project. Members of the city council stuck their noses in, too, so he was cornered, and lost sight of Tori. When he finally extricated himself, he went to the bar to grab a much-needed beer. Wyatt met him there.

“Having fun?”

Brody rolled his eyes at his brother. “Tons. You?”

“About as much as we can given the circumstances. But it’s a good turnout.”

“Yeah. Whiskey?”

“Hell yes.”

Brody ordered two shots of whiskey. “To another good year.”

“I’ll definitely drink to that.”

“Hang on.” Ethan showed up, ordered another shot. “You can’t toast without me.”

“In that case, to another good year, and another Kent in the family.”

Ethan grinned, and they drank, then laid their glasses down on the bar. Brody followed up his shot with a long swallow of beer, turning to face the crowd. “We’re very lucky.”

“We are,” Ethan said. “Business has been steadily picking up the past two years. We’re adding people. Wyatt and I have gotten married and I just had a baby.”

Wyatt turned to Brody. “Now it’s your turn. So when are you going to ask Tori to marry you?”

Brody frowned. “I don’t want to talk about Tori.”

“Why?” Ethan asked. “You two have a fight?”

“No.” He finished his beer, pushed the empty bottle toward the bartender, then grabbed a fresh one. “What’s between us is our business. Not family business.”

Ethan arched a brow. “Ooh. Touchy.”

Wyatt leaned against the bar. “Agreed. Why is that, Brody? You know we only want the best for you. And for Tori. So why do you act like such a dick whenever we bring up her name?”

“I’m gonna go mingle.” Brody wandered off and visited with some of his clients, trying to put the conversation with his brothers out of his head. He found his parents sitting in the living room.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

His dad grinned. “I’m so proud of what you and your brothers have done with the company, Brody. You’ve really built the business well. I couldn’t have left it in better hands.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Where’s Tori?” his mom asked.

“I have no idea. Doing her job and making sure our clients are happy, I would imagine.”

“How are things going with you two?”

His jaw tightened. “Fine.”

His mom smiled. “Will we be hearing wedding bells in the future? Maybe an engagement at Christmas?”

What. The. Hell. What was it with his family trying to push him into something he wasn’t ready for? Or maybe he was ready for it, but why couldn’t he do it himself and not feel like his entire family was behind him, prodding him.

It was pissing him the fuck off. “I see someone I need to talk to, Mom. Excuse me.”

He wandered off, beer in hand, heading outside for some fresh air. Maybe there was someone out there who didn’t know he was dating Tori and wouldn’t give him the third degree about his intentions.

He found Lee Alison and Tim Dyson, two building contractors they often worked with.

“Great party, Brody.”

“Thanks.” It was cold outside, but Tori had been right. The heaters made it comfortable enough to sit outside and enjoy the night. He took a seat next to the guys and finished off his beer. He visited with Lee and Tim, talked shop for a while.

“I hear you’ve been dating that hot little number in your office,” Lee said.

“Tori, I think her name is,” Tim said. “Is she off the market now? Heard you two have been exclusive for a while.”

So far tonight he was getting engaged, picking out rings and proposing. He was so tired of having his goddamned life with Tori planned out for him. Why couldn’t he do this at his own pace? Why couldn’t his relationship with Tori be what he wanted it to be?

He wanted everyone off his back about it. “We’ve gone out. It’s no big deal or anything.”

“So, your reputation is still intact, huh?” Tim asked with a laugh. “I’d hate to see the notorious Brody Kent off the market. I mean I’ve been married for twelve years now. Who will I live vicariously through if you’re not with a different girl every week?”

Brody laughed and slapped Tim on the back. “No problem there, Tim. I’m still a free agent.”

“So your fling with Tori is nothing special?”

He looked over at Lee, wanting to tell him exactly how he felt about Tori, how special she really was to him. But at the same time he was so damn tired of everybody knowing his personal business, and the corresponding advice he’d get about love and marriage, the only reply that spilled from his lips was, “Yup. Nothing special.”

* * *

Tori stopped at the doorway, her forward motion halted at Brody’s words.

She was nothing special to him. He was still a “free agent.”

All this time she’d thought they’d been headed toward something. She didn’t know what, and frankly hadn’t cared, because they’d had a connection. She knew what it was—or she thought she knew. He had made her feel special, like she was the only one in his life, that this time it was different, that his playboy days were over.

God, she was so stupid. He’d played her, and she’d fallen for it.

Maybe all this time he’d been seeing other women, and she’d been so myopic about seeing only him, falling for only him, she hadn’t even noticed.

She turned around and headed inside, her face flaming. She headed straight for the master bedroom, one of the rooms off limits to the guests tonight. She went into the bathroom and locked the door, staring at her flushed face in the mirror.

“Idiot,” she said to her reflection, forcing the anger instead of the heartbreak.

She’d known who he was all along, yet she fell for it—for him—anyway.

His conversation with Lee and Tim outside still hurt, the raw pain tearing through her almost unbearable. She wanted to grab her keys, get into her car and go back to her apartment so she could crawl into her bed and cry until there were no tears left.

But she couldn’t—wouldn’t do that. Because she refused to lose her job over that asshole. She took pride in the work she did, and she’d fight him to the death over keeping her job.

She paced back and forth, taking deep breaths until she’d calmed herself enough to walk out of the bathroom. Then she grabbed a bag and packed up all her things, sliding the bag into the closet before heading back out to the party.

Thankfully things had started to wind down, because if she had four hours of this to put up with she didn’t think she could take it.

Avoiding Brody would be easy. She’d wanted to be with him tonight, but she’d been so busy—and so had he. Now she was grateful for it.

“Hey, honey. Roger is tiring, so we’re heading out.”

At the tap on her shoulder from Stacy, she squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself. She put on a smile and turned around. “I hope you had a good time, Stacy.”

“We had a great time, and everyone I spoke to tonight loved the fact the party was held here. It was so much fun, and the dance floor you had put over the floor in the dining room was perfect.”

“I’m so glad.”

“It was a good idea, kiddo,” Roger said, pulling her in for a hug. “I always knew you had smarts.”

She hugged him and Stacy and saw them to the door, then said goodbye to several other guests who were making their way out. She saw Brody try to ease his way to her, but she ducked out through the kitchen and went out back to pick up a few discarded bottles, then headed around the side toward the garage, adeptly avoiding him.

By the time the party closed down, it was just Brody and her and Wyatt and Calliope. Ethan had left early to be with Riley, Zoey and the baby. The crew came in to remove the tables and all the equipment, and they helped the caterers remove the rest of the food.

Calliope turned to her at the door when she and Wyatt walked out. “Call me tomorrow?”

She nodded. “You bet. You all be careful going home.”

“I’ll walk them out and I’ll be right back,” Brody said.

She nodded, but as soon as he headed out the front door, she hurried into the bedroom, grabbed her bag and her keys and threw her bag in the car. She was standing in the kitchen, keys in hand, when he came back.

He frowned. “Going somewhere?”

“Home.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m nothing to you.”

“What? That’s not true.”

“It is. I heard you say it tonight.”

“Wait. Tonight? What are you talking about?”

“I walked outside when you were talking to Lee and Tim, assuring them that manwhore Brody Kent was still alive and well, that I was nothing special to you and they had nothing to worry about. You were still a free agent.”

He had the decency to look away. “Oh. That. Let me explain, Tori.”

“No, thanks, Brody. I fell for your lines once. I won’t fall again.” She turned and went into the garage, the gust of cold wind making her shiver. She needed it, needed that reality to slap her across the face.

Because she’d been living in a fantasy for far too long.

Brody followed her to her car. “Tori, if you’ll just let me explain...”

She slid into the car and started it up, closed the door and locked it, not even bothering to look at him as she backed the car out of the garage, down the driveway and headed out onto the street.

He could explain all he wanted, but there would never be anything he could say again that she’d ever believe.

Her phone vibrated in the seat next to her. She didn’t bother to look or to answer. It was Brody, no doubt ready with a pack of lies that she’d never believe again.

As she headed toward home, the first snowflakes started to fall.

And so did the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Hopefully she’d make it all the way home before she completely fell apart.

* * *

Brody listened as the tenth call he’d made to Tori went to voice mail.

He got in his truck and, despite the snow coming down harder, drove to her apartment.

He breathed out a sigh of relief to see her car parked in the lot. He went up and knocked on her door, not surprised when she didn’t answer. He knocked again, harder this time. And again, when she didn’t answer.

“Tori. Open the door. I know you’re in there.”

She didn’t. He leaned against the wall, still in his suit, and watched the snow come down. It was getting colder and he hadn’t grabbed a coat, hadn’t thought about anything other than getting to Tori so he could explain what he’d said.

Not that there was a reasonable explanation.

He’d been a total dick, so tired of people pushing him toward something he wanted anyway.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He turned and banged on the door. “Tori. Please let me explain.”

But he already knew she wasn’t ready to listen. If it were him, he wouldn’t listen either.

He pulled his suit coat around him and walked down the stairs, the snow coming down so heavy he was soaked by the time he got into the truck.

He climbed in, shut the door and turned on the ignition, firing up the heater. He looked up at her apartment window, waiting for her to turn on the light.

No light came on.

He finally put the truck into gear and pulled out.

Chapter Thirteen

“What the hell did you do to Tori?”

Brody ignored Wyatt’s question as they drove together to inspect a jobsite.

“I’m asking you a question.”

“And I’m not answering it.”

“It’s been two weeks since the Christmas party, and it’s like someone died, Brody. She won’t talk to us.”

“Maybe it’s you who pissed her off.”

Wyatt gave him a look. “I don’t fucking think so. It’s like she’s broken, man. You can see it on her face. It’s not even anger. It’s...sadness. Christ, what happened between the two of you?”

Brody pulled into the parking lot of the site and turned off the ignition. “You want to know what happened? Everybody happened. You. Ethan. Mom and Dad. Hell, even other contractors. Everybody got into my business about Tori. When are you going to get engaged? When are you going to marry her? What’s going on with your relationship? What’s the next step? Fuck. How was I supposed to react to that?”

Wyatt arched a brow. “What did you do?”

He shrugged. “I told Lee and Tim that Tori didn’t mean anything to me, that I was still the carefree bachelor that I always was, notching my bedpost with the latest conquest. Tori overheard me say that.”

Wyatt slouched in the seat. “Shit. You really fucked that one up. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I wanted people to leave me alone about Tori so I could make my own decisions on my own time.”

“So you were afraid to pull the trigger.”

Now it was Brody’s turn to frown. “What?”

“You got cold feet. You couldn’t admit to anyone you were in love with her, which you obviously are because you’re just as miserable and unpleasant to be around as she is. So instead of coming clean and telling the world how you felt about her, you pretended not to care.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit. It’s exactly what you did when you told Lee and Tim you were still cock of the block.”

“Well I didn’t goddamn know how to handle it.” He punched the steering wheel with the palm of his hand.

Wyatt laughed. “No shit. The big question now is, what are you going to do to fix things?”

Brody stared out the windshield of the truck. “I don’t know. She won’t talk to me at work and she won’t answer my calls. I go to her apartment and she won’t answer the door.”

“You already know she’s one stubborn woman. I guess you’ll have to keep trying. If you think she’s worth it. Do you think she’s worth it?”

“Hell yes I do. I’m in love with her.”

“Now, was that so hard to admit?”

Brody glared at his brother. “You’re an asshole, Wyatt.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wyatt said with a grin. “Now let’s go to work.”

* * *

No amount of cajoling from Calliope or Riley or even Brody’s parents was going to force Tori to talk to Brody.

It was over, and as soon as everyone adjusted to that, things could go back to the way they used to be. Eventually—maybe—she and Brody could get back to that place where they could work together.

Or she’d just find another job. She’d hate it, but she’d do it if she had to.

The past two weeks had been awful. Seeing him at work every day had been the most painful. She thought it would be better after work and on the weekends, but it wasn’t. She missed him, missed being with him, missed being able to talk to him about anything and everything. She missed touching him and kissing him and sleeping with him.

She was so tired of crying, and so tired of hating that he hadn’t been the man she thought he’d been.

He’d tried to talk to her. He’d pulled up his chair next to her desk several times and had tried to launch into an explanation. Each time, she’d gotten up and left the office. She’d told Wyatt and Ethan to have Brody leave her alone or she’d keep leaving. And if that kept happening, the work they needed her to accomplish wouldn’t get done.

Eventually, he stopped trying to talk to her at work. But he called her, texted her and came by her apartment. She told him to stop coming by or she’d call the police and tell them he was harassing her.

It hurt her to tell him that when all she really wanted was to let him in, to throw her arms around him and have him be the man she wanted him to be.

But no amount of explanation would change a person who couldn’t be changed.

Brody was who he always had been, and she’d been stupid to think otherwise.

She’d never be stupid again.

Shuddering out a sigh, she blinked and tried to concentrate on the spreadsheet in front of her. It was two days before Christmas and she had to finish this report before the holiday break. It was quiet in the office—for a change. The guys were all out on jobs, so at least today she’d have some peace and quiet to get caught up.

She heard the sirens outside and her head shot up. A lot of sirens. First from a distance, then growing closer. She hoped nothing was on fire. There was nothing worse than a fire right before Christmas.

The sirens were getting closer. And closer. But it wasn’t fast-moving like they were rushing to a location. It was slow. And growing ever louder, heading in the direction of the office. And she heard a voice, like on a loudspeaker.

What the hell was going on out there?

Grabbing her coat, she put it on and headed out the front door, her eyes widening as she saw the sheriff’s car, the two town fire engines and a parade of people marching behind them.

And Brody’s voice on the sheriff’s loudspeaker.

“Tori Lewis. Please come outside and hear me out.”

Oh. My. God. What was he doing?

She shook her head and started to back away.

“Can’t run this time, honey. Might as well hear him out and get this over with.”

It was Wyatt. He’d come around from the back.

“I don’t want to hear him.”

Wyatt laughed. “I don’t think you have much choice, considering the commotion he’s causing.”

She watched as the parade of sheriff’s cars and fire engines, horns blowing and sirens blaring, stopped in front of the gate to the construction offices. Brody got out and climbed on the roof of the sheriff’s car.

“Is he insane?” she asked.

“Probably,” Ethan said, coming around the other side of her. He laid his hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward. “Go on and hear him out, Tori.”

She took a tentative step forward.

Brody wasn’t smiling. He stood there looking as gorgeous as ever, the biting wind blowing his dark hair, his boots firmly planted on the sheriff’s roof as he held the mic in his hand.

“Tori. I hurt you because I was afraid to tell you—hell, to admit to anyone and everyone how I felt about you. So instead, I downplayed it. I told people that you meant nothing to me, when in fact, you mean everything to me and you always have.

“From the first moment you stepped foot in our offices, you caught my eye. We sparred and traded barbs and it was fun, but I wasn’t ready yet.

“But then at the Christmas party last year we kissed—”

The crowd went aww and Tori heated as she blushed.

“And it all came so fast for me I didn’t know what to do about it, or how I felt about this feisty redhead who called me on all my—bs.”

The crowd laughed.

“I’ve always shied away from commitment. Everyone in this town knows my reputation. I liked my freedom and I figured someday I’d settle down, but I never knew when that would be. I always figured when the right woman came along.

“Well, the right woman came along, only I didn’t know it, until you came into my life. That was you, and I knew it for certain that night a year ago at the Christmas party. There’s been no one but you since that night, and there will never be anyone but you.”

Tori’s heart squeezed, and the dark part of her that had given up hope began to let a tiny sliver of light shine in.

He met her gaze straight on, and she saw the truth in his eyes.

“Tori, you’ve always been the best part of me, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You asked me once who I confided in when I needed someone to talk to about the bad things. I realized that person has always been you. Those months when you weren’t talking to me were pure hell, because I realize you’ve always been my confidant, the one I go to when I have a bad day.

“You soothe me, make me feel better. You’re my best friend, my lover, and the woman I want in my life, always and forever.

“I love you, Tori.”

She gasped out a sob and ran to him. He hopped off the car and grabbed her in his arms, his mouth coming down on hers in a searing kiss that told her so much more than words ever could, because she tasted his tears in that kiss, too.

“I love you, Brody,” she said. “I love you.”

“Forgive me,” he said, his words barely audible amidst the horns hooking and the sirens and the clapping of the crowd.

She laughed at the sounds. “You’re forgiven.”

He turned to the crowd and grinned. “Go away. I need some privacy with my woman.”

They all cheered again, then Brody embraced Tori in his arms and sealed the deal with one hell of a public display of affection.

Chapter Fourteen

At Brody’s insistence, Tori moved out of her horrible apartment and into his house the day after his very public announcement of his love for her, something she would likely remember until her dying day.

They spent Christmas at his family’s house, something she’d missed last year. This year, she wasn’t alone. She had his family—her family—at her side. And she had Brody. She was Brody’s girlfriend, and as the gifts were handed out, the very last gift was Brody, on bended knee, very publicly in front of his entire family proposing marriage to her.

She hadn’t expected it. Brody did things on his own terms, and on his own timeline. He’d explained to her his issues with his family pushing and prodding him about his relationship with her, which had caused him to act like a dumbass. She’d understood his issues, and she’d forgiven him—again.

She’d expected they’d live together for a while. Possibly a long while, knowing Brody’s issues with commitment. And God, she’d have been so content to do just that, to just be with him.

So his proposal had been very unexpected, causing tears to flow down her cheeks. But she’d very enthusiastically nodded and accepted on the spot, because she loved him with all her heart, and not once would she ever doubt his love and commitment to her.

Because he was the best thing in her life, and always would be.

“Surprised?” he asked her sometime later Christmas night after all the gifts had been opened and all the food had been consumed. They sat in his parents’ kitchen, having a quiet moment of alone time together after a day of madness and family.

She laced her fingers with his. “Understatement. I didn’t think you were ready for this.”

“For what? This?” he asked, tracing her ring. “I’m more than ready for it. I’ve been ready for it. It took almost losing you to realize it.” He pulled her off the kitchen bar stool and onto his lap.

“I don’t want to be without you anymore, Tori. You belong with me. In my house—in our house—our lives entwined, forever. I’ve wasted enough time not making the commitment I should have made to you a long time ago.”

Her heart squeezed, so filled with love for him. “This doesn’t seem real.”

He brushed his lips across hers. “It’s real. For both of us.”

She kissed him back. “I’m sorry I wasted so much time with my insecurities. A whole year.”

“So it’s your fault.”

She laughed and pressed into him. “I needed you to really want me.”

“Babe. I’ve really wanted you for a long time.”

“But you weren’t ready until now.”

“You might be right about that. I think the timing was perfect. You needed to get past your trust issues, and I needed to grow up a bit. Now, we’re right where we need to be.”

She batted back the tears that overwhelming happiness brought. He swiped one away that drifted down her cheek.

“Happy ones, I hope?”

She smiled and nodded. “The happiest ones.”

“You’re not going to go all sweet and nice on me now, are you? My brothers will kill me if you undergo some personality change. They won’t know how to deal with you.”

She laughed. “No fear of that. I’m still the same old me, Brody. Bossy, opinionated, and sometimes downright mean, especially at the office, where I’ll run roughshod on you three like I always have.”

“Good, because that’s the you I fell in love with.” He stood, placed her on her feet and kissed her soundly. “Let’s go watch Christmas movies with our family.”

Our family. She had a true family now. Beginning with this man she loved. And it would only grow from there.

The best was yet to come.

* * * * *

Spark some romance this holiday season with another story from New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton.

Country singer Riley Jensen would never have returned to her small Missouri hometown if her publicist hadn’t come up with the scheme to tape a Christmas special there. So she never would have known that the man who broke her heart at eighteen—causing her to flee to Nashville—was now a widower with a seven-year-old daughter. Riley has ten years of angst-filled hit songs and Grammy awards to prove she doesn’t need Ethan Kent. But suddenly, she can’t help thinking of all she gave up by running away…

With so much separating them, can Riley and Ethan find their way back together one magical country Christmas?

All She Wants for Christmas

Available now!

Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers and much more!

Visit CarinaPress.com

We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/CarinaPress

Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/CarinaPress

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton lives in Oklahoma and spends a fair amount of time on the back of her husband’s Harley, where she often gets lost plotting her next story as the warm (and sometimes cold) breeze whips her face. She loves reality television, is a sucker for romantic comedies, and completely loses track of time when reading a great book. She’s a total romantic and longs for the happily ever after in every story, which you’ll find in all her books.

Jaci has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award and has been a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards and Bookseller’s Best Awards. She writes contemporary romance, erotic romance and romantic suspense, writing in the genres she loves to read.

You can find Jaci on the web at www.jaciburton.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jaciburton and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jaci.burton.

Where no great story goes untold.

The variety you want to read, the stories authors have always wanted to write.

With new releases every week, your next great read is just a download away!

Keep in touch with Carina Press:

Read our blog: www.CarinaPress.com/blog

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarinaPress

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarinaPress

ISBN: 978-14268-9473-2

Copyright © 2012 by Jaci Burton

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

www.CarinaPress.com