Enchanter (16 page)

The hateful woman sneered at me before marching out the
doors and disappearing.

“What the hell is her problem?” I asked, livid that she’d
provoked me the way she had.

“Jealousy is a very powerful emotion, my dear.”

“No kidding.”

“Brandon only has eyes for one lady, and she stands here
before me.”

“I can’t be sure about that.”

“Oh?”

Exasperated, I let out a sigh and turned my attention to
staring out the glass doors to the extensive hallway beyond the room.

“Brandon has told me very little about his life. We recently
starting talking again after a sixteen year break, and I don’t know what kind
of person he grew up to be. I came here tonight thinking I was going to share
something special with him. The possibility that he was part owner, or that he
designed this place from scratch, or that he was in charge of overseeing how
the place was going to be constructed never even occurred to me. He mentioned
none of that. If he considers me to be so important to him, then how come he
keeps things from me?”

“Brandon is a very private person, and he has his reasons
for being so. He is also not the type to boast over having influential friends.
If you really want to get to know him, then you should understand him first.”

“I do understand that, but it also makes me question what
else he’s hiding.”

“You have reason to believe that he hides something more?”

“I have no reasons to believe it, but I do.”

Dmitri’s eyebrows shot up briefly. “You’re a very intuitive
person.”

That was not a question, and we both knew it.

“I don’t know if I am, really, but something doesn’t quite… add…
up.” Like the need to always wear long-sleeved shirts, even in the summer.

“Perhaps you are overthinking things,” he said.

It was not exactly and accusation, so I did not take it as
one.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

A sound by the door drew my attention to Brandon’s tall
form. He walked in with Mr. and Mrs. Torres and smiled the second he caught
sight of me. The look of excitement and appreciation that crossed his features
took my breath away.

“Leah, there’s one more place I think you should see.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, the garden.”

“This place has a garden?” I asked in astonishment.

He nodded. “Out back.”

“Oh, wow, this place is filled with marvels, isn’t it?”

Dmitri laughed next to me. “Yes, and he designed most of
them with you in mind.”

Brandon blushed.

“Really? I have to see this place then.” And I was going to
make sure that Brandon elaborated on Dmitri’s words for me.

I walked over to him, smiling at the Latin couple as I
sauntered on by them, and took the hand Brandon had extended for me. Within a
minute or two, Brandon and I made it to the very back of the building and out
the huge wooden doors that opened up to an elegant garden the likes of which I
had only seen in magazines.

“Oh, wow! This is beautiful! So incredibly breathtaking!”

Brandon led me through a brick path barely illuminated by
the small lamps that were evenly spread throughout the yard. Entranced by the stunning
and elaborate design of the beautiful garden, which transformed what would have
been a dull backyard into a fairytale-like patio, I squeezed Brandon’s large
hand and continued down the path as he directed his strides to a huge white
gazebo at the end of the tiny trail.

“That’s what Dmitri meant when he said I designed this place
with you in mind.”

His admission caused my heart to perform several
summersaults inside my chest.

“Just how many people have heard about me?”

“I’ve only told Dmitri about you.”

“Then how is it that Duke and Mia know who I am?”

“I made the stupid mistake to bring Duke to work one day and
he eavesdropped on our conversation. There was no point denying how I felt
about you after that. And Mia—”

“What
do
you feel for me?” I said as we reached the
gazebo.

Brandon took my hands in his and drew me closer. “I’ve been
in love with you since we were in kindergarten.”

Talk about a direct admission! There was no hesitation, no
preambles. He went straight to the point.

“Love?” The word sounded foreign to me. How could he be in
love with me after the way I had treated him? And was there such a thing as
love? I had certainly never experienced it before. Well, of course I loved my
friends and my parents, although my mother and I had never been close. But I had
never been
in love
with anyone.

“I know you don’t feel the same way about me, which is why
I—”

“And you’re sure about this? About how you feel?”

“Of course.” He sounded confused.

“Brandon I—”

“You don’t have to say it, Leah.”

Although my opinion of Brandon was rapidly changing, I could
not say that I was in love. That was too big of a word.

“I’m sorry I can’t say what you probably expect from me.”

He smiled, but the action did not quite meet his eyes. “I’ve
never expected to hear that from you.”

Oh, God! Is it too late to run out of here?
I wanted
to escape the disappointment I saw behind those eyes. True, he was beginning to
grow on me, but I was still far from the concept of love.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked.

“You didn’t like me before,” he said with a teasing smile.

“I like you now.”

“Which is why I’ve confessed.” Before I could form a reply,
he pulled me in, wrapped his strong arms around my midsection, and said, “Maybe
things will change soon, maybe they won’t, but I’m not asking you to love me,
Leah. Love isn’t something you can force on someone. It grows with time and
that’s something we haven’t had together, time to get to know each other
better.” He planted a quick peck on my forehead before continuing, “If you
decide that you don’t want to see me anymore after what I’ve told you, I’ll
understand. I’m sure we can work on some kind of agreement so that we can
finish the class assignment. But before you make up your mind one way or
another, kiss me just one more time.”

How could I refuse that request? Especially when I wanted it
just as badly as he did? “I’m not going anywhere, Brandon.” That was all the
answer I provided before reaching up for him and fusing our lips together.

The familiar sparks of electricity coursed through my body
as we kissed. His hands, so big and comforting, held me in place as I took the
initiative and explored the insides of his mouth with my tongue.

Though my feelings for him were strong, they did not exactly
equal what I thought love should be. However, keeping a distance from him was
not something I wanted. Brandon was too special of a man to let go, and he made
me feel as if I was the only girl on earth.

Before I realized what was happening, Brandon had me pinned
to one of the gazebo’s walls. Distracted by our make-out session, I easily
complied with his silent request to stay to the dark, and moaned when he
intensified the kiss. Although the garden was slightly illuminated, the lamp’s
lights did not quite reach the gazebo, so we were in complete darkness and
totally alone. Light noise coming from the crowded restaurant drifted toward us,
but by that point our ears were mute to any other sound aside from the ones we
were making.

Brandon tore his lips away from mine so he could explore my
neck, nipping and nibbling as he traveled the length of it. Deliberately,
gently, passionately, he kissed a path down my skin and paused only when he
reached my naked shoulder. “So soft,” he murmured, the hoarseness of his voice
forcing my body to break out in goose bumps.

My fingers intertwined in his hair, forcing the long locks
out of the black bow keeping it neatly tied at the nape of his neck. As soon as
it came loose, his dark hair cascaded around his face like a curtain, making
him look like some exotic creature of the night.

“Brandon…” I glanced up at his pale blue eyes, admiring the
beauty of them. “Kiss me… please.”

He immediately obliged, devouring my lips with so much
intensity it caused my knees to wobble. Heat, fast and powerful, spread through
my body in rapid sequences as our tongues playfully toyed with each other and
our bodies touched. I moaned when the feel of his strong, hard, and warm body
pressed against mine. I did enjoy his masculinity and how wonderful it felt to
have his hands massaging my back.

Feeling the need to explore, I untangled my fingers from his
long mane and slowly allowed my hands to glide down his neck, and to his upper
torso where they paused just over his pectorals. The tips of my fingers slowly
slithered over his hard-as-steel chest and there they lingered for a while,
exploring, touching, and feeling. Ever so slightly, they lowered to his abs,
which despite the jacket and white shirt, I detected to be just as defined as
the rest of him.

My greedy fingers worked their magic over Brandon, who
immediately groaned and pulled away from me. His breath was ragged, his eyes
filled with lust, his body language tense.

“Leah… I…”

A movement over his left shoulder caught my attention and I
no longer focused on him or on what he was saying.

“Brandon, I don’t think we’re alone anymore,” I murmured as
another flash of whiteness rushed from one side to the other, some ten to
fifteen feet from us. It was too dark for me to determine who it was, but I was
certain of one thing: we were being watched.

“What…?” The meaning of my words did not immediately dawn on
him.

“Turn around.”

Brandon did as he was told and as soon as he was facing
forward, he sucked in his breath and backed up against me. At first I thought
it might be Blondie stopping by to pay us an unannounced and very impertinent
visit. But something about the way he tensed up alerted me to the fact that
whoever was out there was not Mia. Neither was it anyone friendly.

Without a single word of explanation, Brandon turned to me
and took my hand in his, pulling me down the path we used to get to the gazebo.
In a rush, he towed me along without leaving much room for a protest to slip
out of my mouth. As soon as we turned to leave, a weird hissing sound emanated
from somewhere behind us. It startled me enough that I was tempted to glance
over my shoulder, but Brandon’s next words stopped me.

“Don’t look back, Leah!” His tone of voice was as serious as
I had ever heard it.

“What’s going on?” The fact that we were practically running,
and that he would not let me peek back, was freaking me out. We were being
followed by someone he obviously did not want me to see. “Brandon—”

He did not stop, but instead continued to pull me through
the brick path as if our lives depended on it. When we reached the back doors
of the restaurant, we found them locked from the inside, and Brandon cursed in
such a way that made me blush.

 “Why’re they locked?” I asked, trying my best not to panic.

“They lock automatically.”

I was about to suggest he use his phone to call Dmitri, when
Brandon pinned me against the doors, with my face nearly flattened on it, and
shouted, “Close your eyes, Leah!”

“What?” My mind went berserk. All kinds of wild and
completely disturbing scenarios played out in my head in less than ten seconds
flat.

“Just do it!”

The hissing sound got louder and although I was dying to
turn and see what was coming, I did as Brandon ordered. I could feel one of his
hands holding me against the door, but I had no idea what he was doing with the
other. I wanted to believe he was using it to fetch his phone and call 911, but
somehow I doubted that.

When the half-hissing, half-growling sound got even closer,
I wanted nothing more than to open my eyes, look back, and see what the source
of the horrible shrieking noise was, but I was too scared to actually disobey
Brandon’s instructions. Whatever or whoever it was had Brandon in a huff.

Despite the fact that my eyes were squeezed shut, I could
actually make out a bright blue light emanating from somewhere very close to
me. It was strong enough for me to distinguish the brightness of it even behind
closed eyelids. The hissing turned into full-blown snarling, and then to
something that sounded like a wounded animal in obvious pain and distress. A
sizzling sound, much like that of frying chicken when in the fryer, filled the
air just before everything went deadly silent.

Oh, God, what’s happening?

The only thing that kept me from panicking was Brandon’s big
and warm hand still holding me in place. Had it not been for that I would have screamed
bloody murder already. When the nauseating squeals died down, Brandon’s hand
released its strong hold, only to grab my arm and pull me to the side of the
building.

“What’s going on? What’re you doing?” I shouted as he practically
dragged me through the side of the huge structure and to the front.

“We’re getting out of here.”

“But why?” I yelped. “Say something!”

“There’s no time for an explanation.”

I heard another echo of squeals that caused my heart to
speed up and my blood to run cold.
There are more!
Whoever was following
us was not alone. I tried to look back, but Brandon was moving too fast for me
to have enough time to sneak a peek.

As we approached the front of the restaurant, I noticed that
the parking lot was not nearly as full of vehicles as it had been upon our arrival,
and that frightened me even more. With the restaurant’s activities dying down, there
was less of a chance for witnesses to see anything should we suffer an attack. Then
again, there was also a good chance that someone else might get hurt too.

Damn it! Does this place even have cameras?
I glanced
around, searching for anything that came close to resembling some sort of
security device, but was unable to see much as I ran. I did, however, notice
that the parking lot in front of the restaurant was free of passersby.