3 Seconds (Time for Love Book 6) (14 page)

Brady didn’t
say anything, just lifted his head in acknowledgement. His
expression was tight and angry, and I hoped it wasn’t because of
what happened between his brother and me.

I wasn’t
ashamed to admit that Brady intimidated me a little bit.

“Hey,” Ming
said, her voice funny. I turned to her, curious as to the squeak
that had come out of her normally sarcastic mouth, but her
attention was rapt on Brendan’s brother.

“Well, we’ll
let you guys get back to it, I didn’t want to be rude and ignore
the fact that you’re here, but we have some stuff to discuss. Talk
to you later,” Brendan said, then turned and ushered his brother to
the opposite side of the room.

“Gosh, should I
be feeling this sad right now?” I asked my friend as I watched
Brendan’s retreating back. “This is what I wanted, right?”

“I don’t know,
is it?” Ming asked, her tone still strange. Almost flat.

“What do you
mean?” I asked, hopeful that she would share some insight.

“Your words and
actions aren’t matching up,
Nonie
. You say that you can’t be
with him because he doesn’t want kids and you do, that it’s a deal
breaker, but you obviously still have feelings for him. I think you
need to dig deep inside yourself and ask if you’re making the right
decision. I’d hate for you to miss out on something wonderful,
because you think it’s the
right
thing.”

I watched
Brendan quietly for a moment, letting my best friend’s words
penetrate.

“Do
you
think I’m making a mistake?”

When Ming
didn’t respond, I turned my head to see her watching the guys as
well.

“Hey,” I said,
hitting her arm to grab her attention. “What is going on with
you.”

Ming turned her
head and shook it, jet-back hair spilling over her shoulders.

“Sorry, it’s
just … Tall, dark, and brooding…” she muttered, then looked at me
with wild eyes. “He’s my kryptonite.”

A laugh
funneled out of me, surprising me out of my melancholy, and I had
to ask, “What are you talking about?”

“That guy is
everything I’ve always fantasized about, always been attracted to,
and always kept my distance from,” Ming explained. “The kind of guy
my parents would hate, and would have me quivering like a desperate
needy woman. I have to stay away from him.”

“What are you
talking about?” I asked, happy to have my mind on something other
than Brendan and Maxime. “Brady is not your type at all.”

Ming nodded,
then tossed back her cosmo with impressive speed.

“I know, he’s
the exact opposite of the suits I usually date, and there’s a
reason for that.”

“You’re telling
me that you find him
attractive
?” I whispered that last
part, as if I were afraid Brady had supersonic hearing and would
storm over to give me another lecture.

Ming’s familiar
“are you serious right now” expression crossed her face, and the
manic woman of seconds ago was gone.

“Of course I
find him attractive. A tall, dark-skinned man with perfectly coifed
hair, working man’s hands, and a disgruntled attitude … What’s not
to like?”

I thought about
her question, then realized,
nope
, I still didn’t get it.
Who would be attracted to grumpy?

“Ah, a lot,” I
answered sarcastically.

“Do you
remember our math teacher in tenth grade, Mr. Riley?”

“The one who
was always mad at us for not liking math?”

“Yes,” Ming
said, then shocked the pants off of me by saying, “I had a major
crush on him.”

“Ewww,” was my
response.

“And, Bill
Condor…”

“The guy who
lived in shop class and glared at everyone who tried to talk to
him?”

“Yup. I wanted
him to
ravage me
. It was my favorite fantasy in high school
… actually, I still use it from time to time.”

I covered my
ears as I laughed uncontrollably.

“
Please
… stop!”

“I’ve always
kept it to myself, because I know what’s always been expected of
me, but deep inside, the kind of man I want, that I’ve always
wanted … is a guy like
that
.”

She tilted her
head to the side, to indicate the direction that Brendan and Brady
had went.

I put my hands
on the table to cover hers and said, “Ming, if you like him, you
should go for it.”

Ming narrowed
her eyes and shook her head once, decisively.

“I can’t. My
parents would be disappointed, and he wouldn’t fit in to the life
that I’ve made for myself.”

“Well, I hate
to say it, but that sounds really stuck-up, Ming, and I’ve never
thought of you that way,” My friend’s widened at the insult, so I
continued, hoping to soften the blow. “What a guy does for a living
shouldn’t be the determining factor of whether or not you can date
him. And for crying out loud, I know your parents are important to
you, and have always been strict, but you’re in your thirties now,
and you can do what you want. If he’s what you want, you should go
for it. Just because you go out doesn’t mean you have to marry him
… Why don’t you give it a shot. Maybe you’ve built up his type so
much in your mind, that you’ll be disappointed and can finally let
the fantasy go … or, maybe you hit it off and find something you’ve
always been looking for. Either way, at least you’ll know.”

“I don’t know
if I can do that,” she said softly.

“You are a
strong, independent woman, and kick-ass lawyer. You can do whatever
you want, Ming.” I assured her.

She gave me a
small smile and said, “I’ll think about it.” Then shook her head
slightly, as if she were shedding the sensitive side she’d just
exposed, “Forget about that for now, let’s get back to you … You
asked if I thought you were making a mistake, letting Brendan
go?”

I nodded, my
heart stuck in my throat, afraid that she’d say yes, but
terrified
that she’d say no.

“I can’t give
you that,” she said, causing me to visibly deflate. “But what I can
say, is that I’ve never seen you happier, and I like the way he
treats you … That being said, you are the only one who can decide
what’s best for
you
.”

I let my head
fall to the table, banging it lightly on the wood as I muttered,
“Why does being a grown up have to be
so hard
?”

Chapter
Twenty-Five ~ Brendan

I rolled over
in bed, flinging my arm wide and encountering empty space beside
me. My eyes flickered open cautiously, conscious of the fact that
the bright light streaming into the room was going to hurt.

I came out of
sleep slowly, taking in my surroundings with a frown.

I was
alone.

I’d had a few
drinks with Brady and we’d discussed many things. Natalie’s
situation, Brady joining the academy, and whether or not I should
take the job in France, but I’d found myself constantly glancing
back at Bronagh, wondering if she was as distracted by me, as I was
by her. I wanted to find an excuse to approach her again, maybe
invite her for a drink, but after she’d run out of the closet the
way she had, I wasn’t confident that I’d be welcome, and that
sucked.

I’d hoped in
the back of my head that maybe she’d make the first move and come
up to us. I had this whole plan of talking her into leaving with me
and sorting through our confusing relationship. But she’d left
while my back was turned, and I felt that rejection in the pit of
my stomach.

That was why I
was waking up on a Saturday morning, in my empty bed, with nothing
to ease my morning wood but my hand.

I reached for
the lotion on my nightstand and pumped it a few times, then slid my
hand slowly beneath the loose sheet as I covered my eyes with my
other arm. I immediately thought of yesterday’s closet escapade as
I gripped my hard cock and coated it with the lotion.

I groaned
slightly as I remembered her unabashedly riding my hand, before I
lowered to my knees and tasted her.

I gave my dick
a few hard strokes, before pausing at the head, rubbing my thumb
along the slit and squeezing tightly.

Fuck!
The way her pussy had clenched when my beard touched her bare
thighs, and the sexy little moans that had come out of her mouth as
I dipped my tongue inside and fucked her as I nuzzled her clit with
my nose…

I stroked long
and hard again, my hand moving faster and my grip tightening as the
memories played vividly in my mind. It wasn’t long before I found
my release, visions of Bronagh’s face when she came pushing me over
the edge.

My breath
coming out in spurts, I used the sheet to clean my off my stomach
and my hand, before tossing it to the floor with the intent of
doing laundry later, then laid there for a few minutes as I rode
out the pleasure.

I pushed up
into sitting position, flinging my legs over the side of the
mattress and taking in my sparse bedroom. If I didn’t take that job
in France, it was probably time for me to look into getting some
actual furniture.

I shook my
head, still confused as to what I was going to do, when I heard a
pounding at the front door.

“Just a
minute,” I shouted down as I rooted around for a pair of basketball
shorts and a T-shirt. I grabbed the knit cap off of the post when I
got to the bottom of the stairs and threw it over my hair.

Whoever was at
the door was going to have to take me as I was, unbrushed teeth and
all … That’s what they deserved for stopping by my place before
noon on a Saturday.

The knocker
started going off again, and as I pulled open the door I yelled,
“Hold your damn horses…” Then said, “Sorry,” when I saw Shelly
standing there with Timmy in her arms and little Sophie holding on
to her hand.

“That’s okay,”
Shelly said with a pretty smile. “You didn’t know it was us.”

I cupped the
back of my neck and asked, “What can I do for you guys?” Trying to
think back and remember a time when Shelly had ever been to my
place, and coming up blank.

“I need to ask
you a big favor,” she said, pushing her way past me, so all I could
do was close the door and wait to see what her favor was.

“Shoot.”

“Well, it’s
embarrassing to say, but an appointment opened up with my
female
doctor,
” she whispered the last two words and her cheeks turned
pink, and realization dawned.

“
Oh
,” I
said stupidly, not really wanting to discuss gynecological
appointments with Cal’s wife.

“Yeah,” Shelly
said as she surveyed the disaster that was my apartment. “Um,
they’re really hard to come by, and there was this last-minute
cancellation … It’s right by here, and I was wondering if you’d
mind watching the kids for a little bit for me.”

I felt
immediate relief that she was just asking me to babysit, not take
her to
that
place for her appointment.

“You know I’d
love to help you out, but,” I looked purposefully around the room,
“My place isn’t exactly ‘kid friendly’ right now. I’ve been going
through a bit of a rough patch since Bronagh and I broke up,” I
explained, embarrassed to have Shelly think I lived like this all
the time.

“No worries,”
she said, handing me Timmy, who came into my arms without a peep.
“I’ll get this sorted out real quick, then get out of your hair and
be back before you even miss me.”

“You don’t have
to…” I began, but she was already coming out of the kitchen with a
trash bag and gathering up all of my empty boxes and throwing them
away.

I looked down
at Timmy, who was showing off his gums, then smiled when I felt
Sophie’s little fingers in my hand.

“Bwenen,” she
said sweetly, her little pigtails adding to her charm. “Can we
sing?”

As the oldest
of all the kids, Sophie held a special place in my heart, and her
love of music only widened that space.

“Sure thing,
Soph. Let me just help your mom…”

“No need, I’m
all done. Let me just run down and get the play set for Timmy,” she
said, leaving as quickly as she arrived, causing me to survey the
room in shock.

“Your mommy
works fast,” I told Sophie, who was busy trying to pull me toward
the chair my guitar was leaning against.

“I know,” she
said with a nod, then dug in her heels and pulled with all her
might. “
Sing!
”

“Here you go,”
Shelly said, re-appearing with the Pack ‘N Play. Before I could
blink she had it set up and was rushing out the door with a small
smile. “Thanks so much, I won’t be too long, I promise.”

Before I could
say, “No problem,” she was gone.

I set Timmy
down on his tummy in him play set and spread some of the toys
around to keep him entertained, then sat down and placed Sophie on
my lap.

“What do you
want to play first?” I asked her.

“Mountain!” she
shouted with the exuberance of a two-year-old.

I started
playing, and before I knew it, Shelly was back and ready to take
the kids home. I said my goodbyes and shooed off Shelly’s thanks,
and was totally honest when I told her I was happy to do it.

I walked into
the kitchen to grab some lunch and grimaced when I saw the dishes
in the sink, but before I could get started on them, the doorbell
rang.

“What the
hell?” I muttered. I never had this many visitors in one day. Not
unannounced at least.

I swung the
door open, surprised to see the petite, long-haired blonde standing
there with a toddler on her hip.

“Hey,
Gaby.”

She flashed a
huge smile at me and responded, “Hi, Brendan, I hope we aren’t
bothering you…”

“Of course
not,” I said, my voice full of suspicion.

“I have a huge
favor to ask you,” she said sweetly, and when I didn’t answer, she
continued, “I was able to get a last-minute dental appointment. I
have this cavity that’s been bothering me for weeks … and I just
couldn’t pass it up. You would be a sweetheart and watch Emma for
me for a little while?”