Chapter 25

Brian held Cassie close as her breathing lengthened and deepened and her body relaxed into sleep. He loved the way she fit into him, how their bodies clicked together. He levered up onto one elbow so he could look down at her in the ambient light coming from outside. It was enough to see the curve of her cheek, the dip where her neck met her collarbone, and the rise of her shoulder. Her skin was pale in the moonlight, but he knew it was decorated with the dusting of darker freckles and he wanted to chart every one of them.

Her hair spread out against the stark white of the pillowcase, and while the pale illumination from the world outside leeched it of color, he knew that it glowed with vibrancy. Everything about Cassie screamed life and fun and…home.

Brian lived in apartments and hotel rooms. He didn’t have a home if he was honest with himself. He had a house, but he was very rarely there and even though he had grown up there, without his mother and father in it, it no longer felt like home. That house, like all the other places he stayed, was merely a place where he slept; none of them was really home.

He rolled away from Cassie, untangling himself from her without waking her, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat for a moment, his head in his hands, and wondered what it meant that he had fallen for this girl so fast. The girl that had been Nathan’s fuck buddy for five years. It wasn’t his style. Yes, he’d had girlfriends before, but none of them had had such a profound effect on him. He’d kept them all at arm’s length, not wanting to expose his soft underbelly to them in case he got hurt. Losing his father had shown him that love hurts, and he had been carefully guarded ever since.

But then Cassie had come along and blown all of that out of the water. Without even trying, without even meaning to, she had burrowed her way into his heart and now Brian didn’t want to let her go. He’d tried so hard not to get attached, especially when he knew about her twisted relationship with Nathan. He’d been honest with her when he’d told her he didn’t share, and that went double for Nathan Greg. He already had to share his mother with the prick, he’d be damned if he’d share Blue.

He pushed to his feet, pulled on some sweats, and padded out into the sitting room, closing the bedroom door softly so that he didn’t wake Cassie. Pulling out his phone he scrolled through his contacts as he fell onto the couch. He tapped the screen and waited for the call to connect. It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night, he knew Jonathon would be awake.

“Jonathon Ashby,” he answered.

“Hey Jon,” Brian said with a smile.

“Brian,” Jonathon replied, “do you know what time it is?”

“I know what time it is where I am,” Brian said with a laugh, “but I have no idea where you are, so time is irrelevant.”

“Well, I happen to be in Oz,” Jonathon replied. “Queensland to be exact.”

“What a fucking coincidence,” Brian chuckled. “So am I. Sunshine Coast.”

“Brisbane,” Jonathon laughed. “So why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”

“I need a favor,” he replied.

“Money, muscle, or goodwill?” Jonathon asked, cutting to the chase.

“Hmm, I think maybe this would fall under goodwill, but it is actually more tangible. I need chocolate.”

“You have a sudden craving for chocolate in the middle of the night?”

“No, not exactly,” Brian laughed. “It’s a long story, but I need to replace some chocolates that were inadvertently eaten.”

“Okay, this is a story I need to hear. Does it have anything to do with a woman?”

“Have you been talking to Barry?”

“Maybe. But you need chocolate, and I can hook you up with that, but my payment will require the story.”

“I can pay cash,” Brian said.

“You know your money is no good to me. I want to know why Brian Colleen needs chocolate.”

Brian sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What did Barry tell you?”

“Just that a woman had you all twisted up but there were complications.”

“Yeah, complications,” Brian huffed out a rueful laugh. “I met a girl who happens to be Nathan’s ex. And before you say anything, I didn’t know it at the time. Anyway, Nathan is getting married, she’s here as one of the bridesmaids and while they were making the bonbonnières, she ate quite a few of them.” Brian chuckled at the memory. “She’s not exactly a fan of the bride.”

“Okay, this sounds way too complicated and it makes me feel sorry for you. I’ll supply you with my chocolatey delights, but you need to enlighten us all on the entire sordid story when we get together next.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that Ashby?” Brian growled. “But thank you.”

“I’ll be at the workshop tomorrow, come by and we’ll get you squared away. Oh, and bring the girl. Anyone who has turned your head enough to ignore the fact that she was one of Nathan’s exes I have to meet.”

“Fuck off,” Brian groused as he disconnected the call. He could still hear Jonathon’s laughter.

He leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. It had been ages since they’d all gotten together, and it was well overdue. The men of Alpha Pi Tau met as often as they could, but they were all busy men. Some of them spent a lot of time in other countries, so face-to-face meetings had become rare. They Skyped when they could, but even that had dropped off lately. Maybe it was time to start making it a priority again.

Brian got up off the couch and went to the desk where he’d set up his laptop. He sent out an email to all five members, suggesting a meeting and requesting their availability. Then he opened up some work documents, trying to get his head into the right headspace, but it was useless. He usually only needed a few hours’ sleep and he spent most of his waking hours working. Being away from work for this wedding should have made him anxious, but all he could think about was the redhead on his bed.

He flipped his laptop closed and headed back to the bedroom with a smile on his face. What the hell was he doing sitting in his office when he had a warm, gorgeous woman in his bed? He might be a workaholic, but he wasn’t dead.

Cassie woke to the feel of a warm body sliding into the bed next to hers. She rolled over and snuggled into the naked chest, nuzzling the warm skin in the crook of his neck. His arms went around her and pulled her close and she could feel his arousal beginning to stir.

Her hands skated along the firm stretch of the man from chest to hip and then around to feel the taut muscles of his ass. She sighed with contentment and he kissed the top of her head as his own hands did some exploring. She knew by the feel of his body against hers and the smell of his skin that it was Brian and not Nathan and it should’ve felt weird, but it actually felt right.

Nathan had never been a cuddler and even though they had spent many nights together, he had always rolled away from her to sleep after sex. She liked that Brian gathered her into himself like he couldn’t bear to be parted from her, even in sleep.

She pressed a soft kiss to his neck leaning her body into his, her naked breasts squashing against his hard chest. His hand traversed the length of her back, cupping her bottom and pulling her close. Her leg automatically moved over his hip opening herself up to his hardening erection. He rolled them over so that she was on top and his thick member nudged her entrance.

“Cassie,” he murmured into her hair as she continued to kiss and suck on his neck. “Cassie, honey, we need a condom.”

She groaned and sat up, pushing her hands against his chest and sliding her wet folds along his length. He held perfectly still for a moment and she smiled as she watched him swallow. He took a breath and reached for a condom packet, which she plucked out of his hand. She opened the little foil square and rolled the prophylactic onto his engorged member, giving it a few strokes and squeezing in the process.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her forward, positioning her over him and then thrusting home. They both gasped in unison as they made the intimate connection, pausing to relish the feel of him being completely seated within her.

He rolled them over so that she was underneath and he pinned her arms above her head. She arched her back, wanting to feel every part of him along her length and he dipped his head to take her lips in a searing kiss. He began to move; long, slow thrusts as his tongue mimicked the motion into her mouth. Cassie was in heaven.

Their bodies slid against each other, slick with sweat. He filled her completely with every thrust, stretching her around his thick girth. The delicious friction of his every plunge into her wet channel drove Cassie higher.

“Oh, God Brian,” she moaned. “You feel so good.” Her voice was husky, rough with need.

“Fuck, Cassie,” he growled into her shoulder, “I could stay buried in you forever.”