Valentine's Dates (4 page)

“Shh…” Brent pressed closer, his body curling around hers. “It’s okay.”

He held her in the dimly lit closet until the panic receded, until her heartbeat slowed and she didn’t feel as though she was going to fly apart anymore. She took a deep breath and eased her hands away from his wrists.

“I’m fine now,” she murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“You were always fine, Vee.” He let her go and stepped back. “I’ll be in the hall. Come out when you’re dressed and we’ll go downstairs and talk.”

He left before she could tell him she didn’t want to talk. She knew he’d want her to rehash tonight’s events, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She’d prefer to talk about their relationship, but she doubted that was on the cards tonight either. What she really needed was something to take her mind off everything. And she knew just the thing. Somehow she’d convince Brent to watch a movie with her. Wade had had a huge selection of new releases delivered a few weeks ago. There was bound to be the perfect distraction among them.

She pulled on a pair of cut-off sweat pants. Tossing the towels aside, she grabbed one of the soft t-shirts she preferred to sleep in, and threw it over her head. If she was going to curl up in Wade’s movie room she’d be more comfortable without underwear. Besides, she didn’t sleep in any and she planned to silence her turbulent thoughts by numbing her mind with DVD after DVD until she fell asleep in front of the monster screen her brother had installed.

True to his word, Brent waited outside her door. Leaning against the wall, ankles crossed and hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, he made her heart skip and her mouth water. He was one mighty fine specimen of a man. Her hands itched to run up his chest and she wanted to explore every dip and hollow on his body with her lips. Oh boy, she was in trouble. Obviously the blinkers she’d worn for years where Brent was concerned had been well and truly removed.

He pushed off the wall and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee.”

Vee laughed at his joke. He always ribbed her brother about his expensive coffee-shop-worthy machine. She took his hand and let him lead her downstairs. The house was cool but not cold, the warm late-summer breeze blowing through the open windows filling the rooms with salt-scented air. It wasn’t until she’d moved back home a few weeks ago that she’d realised how much she missed this house, missed the welcoming embrace she felt cradled in whenever she was here. There were so many memories inside these walls. Good and bad.

Brent tugged her through to the kitchen and urged her onto a stool. “The usual?” he asked.

“Yes.” She watched him move about efficiently. He might rib her brother about his extravagant machine, but he’d obviously mastered the appliance. “For a machine you’re always poking fun at, you seem well-acquainted with it.”

“Hey, I’m not stupid. No point cutting my nose off to spite my face.” He grinned at her. “I might not see the point in spending thousands of dollars on a kitchen gadget, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it if someone else does.”

“Good thing Wade isn’t above indulging himself then.”

“Damn straight. That boy can spend ‘til his heart’s content. Nothing will go to waste while I’m around.”

“Speaking of indulging, would you watch a movie with me?” His gaze snapped up to meet hers and she chewed the inside of her lip waiting for his answer.

“Chick flick?”

She smiled. “Probably. Depends on what Wade has.”

“I think he got the latest Wolverine movie the other week.”

Vee arched an eyebrow. “You’re a Hugh Jackman fan?”

“Hell no, but those action sequences are worth watching. You can perv on Hugh.”

“Ah, I see. You
are
a Wolverine fan. The character, not the actor.”

“Guilty.” Steam hissed as Brent frothed milk. “I think I still have my original comic books upstairs somewhere.”

“Really? I never thought of you as a comic book nut.”

“Oh, I was never a fanatic, but I did enjoy the odd X-Men comic.”

“So you were into the whole superhero thing then.”

“Not really. It was more about beating the crap out of the bad guys.” He pushed a mug towards her. “Here, try that.”

Steam rose from the cup bringing the unmistakable scent of her favourite coffee blend. And, if her nose didn’t deceive her, Brent had even added a shot of vanilla. She hadn’t been paying too much attention to what he was doing, but now she watched him while he made his own drink.

“You really do know how to use that thing.”

“Have you tasted Wade’s attempts to use it?”

Vee laughed. “Ah, yeah. He’s not the most skilled barista.”

“No, he’s not. And that’s
after
he did the course Emily gave him for Christmas.” Brent topped his cup off with frothed milk and, putting it aside, cleaned the machine.

“He did the course already?” Vee took a sip of her latte. It was as good as, if not better than, any she’d purchased in a café or restaurant. “Damn, this is good.”

Brent turned towards her, one eyebrow arched.

She shrugged. “I didn’t expect you to have a talent with coffee.”

“I have many talents, Vee. Coffee is only one of them.”

Chapter Three

Brent scrubbed the milk jug with unnecessary force. The innuendo in his last words echoed in the room. He’d heard Vee’s sharp intake of breath, but he hadn’t been man enough to watch her reaction. Instead he’d turned his back and busied himself with something the dishwasher could do. He was treading on eggshells and planting his size elevens squarely in the middle of them wasn’t a good idea. Not after the night she’d had. Drawing in a deep breath, he concentrated on cleaning up and hoped Vee would ignore his comment.

She deserved to feel safe – not threatened in any way – now that she was home. He needed to remember that. If she closed up on him again, reverted back to ignoring him, he didn’t know how he’d get through to her. For now, she was open, smiling – something she hadn’t done with him in years – and Brent wanted to make sure she stayed that way. He’d bite his tongue off before he said anything else to unsettle her.

She’d asked him to watch a movie and, while sitting in Wade’s plush theatre seats appealed, it was sitting next to her knowing she wasn’t wearing a bra that could do him in. He closed his eyes and tried to erase the image of her unconfined breasts moving beneath her t-shirt from his mind. She wasn’t large in the boob department, but what she had was sufficient to keep him happy.

His hands jerked, the jug crashing against the stainless steel sink as he lost his grip. Cursing, he chased the slick container, making more noise that a troop of tap dancers before he finally got hold of the handle. Slapping at the tap, he turned the water on and rinsed the suds from his hands and clean utensils.

“Do you want me to dry those?”

He jumped. She’d snuck up behind him without a sound, or – more likely – he’d been so busy fantasising about her naked breasts he hadn’t heard her approach. “Nah, they’ll air dry before morning.”

“Okay. I’ll go pick a movie then.”

Brent breathed a sigh of relief as she moved away. The farther away those tempting breasts were the better. He needed a moment to regain control. She’d always had this effect on him, sent his libido soaring with the twitch of her lips, the swish of her hips, or the sway of her breasts. His jeans tightened as his cock filled with blood. Damn. He’d be lucky to make it through the night without doing himself an injury.

Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure she’d left the room before he reached down and rearranged his growing erection. If it wouldn’t be obvious he sported a hard-on, he’d change into sweat pants, but he didn’t want Vee to see what she did to him. Not tonight. Tomorrow there’d be a different playing field, one where the rules were clear. No more dates, for a start. He doubted she’d take much convincing on that though. He’d be lucky if Smithe hadn’t scared her off dating altogether.

If tonight’s debacle had made her skittish it would ruin the plan forming in his mind. Dating Vee, wooing her until she couldn’t resist him, sounded like a good strategy. He might not have much experience or success to fall back on, but what he had was determination and a bone-deep desire to make her see he’d never stopped loving her. Would never stop. He’d spent nearly fifteen years hiding his feelings for Valentine Johnson and it was about time he manned up and let her see the real him.

He dried his hands on a dish towel and, picking up his coffee, headed down the hall in search of Vee. She had the equipment panel open and was busy loading a disc into the player. Brent stood in the doorway, his gazed trained on her slender body. Sensuous in nature, she moved with a suppleness that spoke of flexibility. Brent knew she swam to keep in shape. Since she’d moved in he could set his watch by her. Every morning without fail, she hit the pool and swam for an hour. Nonstop. Back and forth. Up and down.

He’d endured more cold showers in the last few weeks than his entire life. And if he didn’t quit staring at her now, he’d need another one. Forcing himself to move, he entered the room and walked over to the couch.

“What are we watching?” he asked as he put his coffee on a side table and dropped into the soft cushions.

“I put the original
X-Men
in.” She came towards him and he tried not to notice the swing of her hips or the sway of her breasts. “Thought we’d do an X-Men marathon if you’re up for it.”

Brent blinked. Up for it? Jeez, if she only knew how
up for it
he was. He swallowed over the groan caught in his throat. “Sure. I’ve got nothing better on.”

“Do you want some popcorn? I could make some before we start.”

“Nah, I’m good. Unless you want some?”

“I’m still pretty full from dinn–” She chewed the corner of her lip and he knew she was remembering what had gone down earlier.

“Come on. Let’s watch this one and we’ll make popcorn for the next. Or maybe a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream would be better.”

He reached out for her hand and tugged her down beside him. She sprawled out next to him and hit play on the remote. Brent focused on the screen and willed his eyes to remain forward. From the corner he could see a strip of flesh just above her pants where her shirt had ridden up. The creamy skin begged for kisses. Sound exploded from the speakers hidden in the walls and with a push of a button on the remote, Vee turned off the lights. The screen burst to life with colour and after the usual before-movie presentation the real action began. They remained apart for the first few minutes, but then Vee moved. She wiggled her way closer to his side until he slipped his arm over her head and along the back of the couch. It was all the invitation she needed. With her cuddled against him, her head on his chest, it seemed only natural that he drop his arm and pull her in tight.

Brent stared at the screen, but he wasn’t really watching. He’d seen the movie a number of times, so it didn’t matter that he couldn’t focus on the action in front of him. Instead every atom of his being was concentrated on the woman in his arms. She’d placed her hand on his stomach, a good four inches above his waistband, but that didn’t stop his cock from getting excited. If she looked she wouldn’t miss the hard-on tenting his jeans. He hoped with equal measure she would and wouldn’t take a peek.

His coffee had gone cold without him taking a sip because there was no way he’d move and risk dislodging her from his side to drink it. As the movie progressed she shifted lower until she lay with her head in his lap. He idly played with her hair, still slightly damp from her shower, and saw it as a good sign that she didn’t stop him. It was the soft snore that slipped through her lips that clued him in to the reason behind her lack of complaint.

She’d fallen asleep.

He debated waking her or carrying her to bed. In the end he decided to sit through the rest of the movie and let her rest. It gave him plenty of time to think and the more he thought, the more he knew his idea to woo Vee was his best chance of winning her love and trust again. He’d start tomorrow. They could take the boat out on the water, just the two of them, no distractions and no pressure. A leisurely cruise around the harbour with a friend on a beautiful summer day was a good way to start his campaign to win Vee’s heart.

Vee snuggled into her pillow, but when she turned her head she found her nose pressed against a hard wall of flesh. Opening her eyes Vee discovered who the wall was. Brent. The last thing she remembered was watching Hugh Jackman turn into Wolverine. She must have fallen asleep.

“Morning.” The gravelly tone of Brent’s sleep-roughened voice flowed over her sending a shiver down her spine.

“It’s morning?” They’d spent the night on the couch?

“A few minutes after six.” He shifted beneath her, one warm hand cradling the back of her head while the other gripped her hip as he rolled to his back taking her with him until she lay stretched out along his length.

“Did we sleep here all night?”
Way to ask the obvious, Vee
.

“Looks that way. Although one of us got more sleep than the other. You snore.”

She leaned back, her gaze snapping up to meet his. “I do not!”

He laughed. “Yeah, you do, but don’t worry. It’s cute as hell.”

Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

“Relax. It barely made it on the snoring metre. In fact, if I were you, I’d still go with that
‘I don’t snore’
angle.”

“A gentleman wouldn’t have pointed it out then,” she huffed.

“Never claimed to be a gentleman, Vee.”

No he hadn’t. And she’d learned firsthand how un-gentlemanly he could be. Memories surfaced of lying in his arms in a similar position and her heart sped up. For all the pain she’d felt when he’d walked away, she couldn’t deny the pleasure she’d found in his arms. Her first time had been a magical experience she wouldn’t wish away, despite the agony that followed.

“We should get up,” she said. Only she couldn’t bring herself to move. Not yet. She’d move in a minute. After she soaked up his nearness and etched every vivid detail of her body pressed along his to memory.