Rough Edges (12 page)

Allie brushed her thumb over his bottom lip, taking in a moment she knew would not come again. Braden was strong, unfailingly so; it was almost nice to see this other side of him. Even if the vision tore at her heart. “It was just a dream, Braden. I would never take Terrance back. Never. And I don’t feel like …” She blushed, causing Braden to lift a brow. “I think we’ve been moving at a perfect pace.” She grinned, glancing down at his hands. One at her waist. The other locked around her thigh. “Until this morning, anyway.”

Braden’s shoulders sunk a bit, the tension seeming to ease off him as he exhaled a deep breath. The act looked an awful lot like surrender. With a partial grin, he glanced down at her legs pointedly, the way they wrapped around his waist, securing him in place. He lifted his hands to either side, his eyes wide and innocent. “Well,
you’re
the one doing it all.”

Allie laughed, loosening her legs until they dangled at either side of him. “Yeah, I wonder what got into me.”

He shook his head while straightening his shirt. “My thoughts exactly. There I was, merely waiting for you to come into your shift, and you drag me in here, throw me against the bar, and seduce me.”

She laughed again, glad to see that playful side coming back. The concern fading from his face. With a quick push, she hopped down from the bar and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Well trust me, it won’t happen again.” Yet just as she began strolling away, Braden grabbed her arm.

“Well maybe it
will
happen again.” He curled a solid arm around Allie’s back, dipping her low while hovering just inches above her face. “When the timing is right.” That confident gleam was back in his eye.

Allie gave him a smile, still basking in the effects of his touch. “Definitely.”

“Is it ready?” Allie’s question, coming from behind the dividing wall, made Braden smile.

“You’re not a very patient person, are you?” He traced the brush back up the final leg of his project before taking a step back. Perfect, even if he said so himself. Braden couldn’t remember being so proud of a job. Endless drafts of their design had finally led to one, incredible stand. Display case was more like it.

“C’mon,” Allie groaned, “it’s been the longest week of my life. I’ve been patient enough. I’m dying here.”

Braden chuckled. She hadn’t been patient at all. Constantly nagging, trying to sneak peeks around the sheet he’d used to block off this corner of the shop.

“Okay.” He gripped hold of the black sheet and wadded it into his hands. “It’s ready.”

In a rush, Allie came scurrying around the wall and into the room. She stopped short once she caught sight of the stand. Her hands flew to her face as she gasped. “Braden, Paige is going to love this.” Her voice was choked with emotion. She walked slowly, almost reverently toward the piece. “It looks exactly like the sketch. Only … more incredible than I could have imagined.”

He allowed for a humble smile as a burst of gratitude filled his chest. Twelve full-sized drawings would fit into the black, standing display case. He’d used narrow beams of wood to create a rotating piece that stood like a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower. Paige’s birthday was less than two weeks away. The piece – nearly as tall as Allie – would stand in the front room so all visitors could see Paige’s latest work.

“I love the finish,” Allie added, circling it as she went.

“I used this matted paint to make the surface flat. You don’t want glossy when you’re going to have all that glass to display her work. ‘Course I ordered non-glare glass but it’ll still catch the light a little. We want it to show off her work, not compete with it.”

“You’re right,” she said, throwing her arms around him. “I love everything about it. And I’m glad I put some extra work into our picnic, because I plan to reward you handsomely.”

He liked the sound of that. Not only did it have him looking forward to a nice lunch out back, the comment also told him that Allie had finally accepted his work as a gift, and that she was done trying to pay him for it. Cash, he’d never accept. Food was a different story. Braden ran the tip of his nose over her neck, pulling in a breath of her magnificent smell. The tropical scent had him recalling the lotion he’d seen her spread over her hands and arms time and time again. It had become a drug to him. Something he depended on throughout the week to make him feel right.

A loud crack of thunder boomed outside, followed by a light pattering on the glass skylight overhead. Allie’s eyes went wide as she looked up. “Oh, no. We can’t have rain today. I’ve got everything planned out.”

Braden eyed the dark clouds coating the sky. “Don’t worry,” he said, “we can still have that picnic. C’mon.” Taking Allie’s hand in his, Braden led the way.

~+~

“This wasn’t a bad idea,” Allie said, motioning to their indoor picnic. “In fact, I’ve really enjoyed it.” A thick blanket covered the center of Braden’s family room while rain pelted the rooftop. The sound of it, along with the swirling wind at the windows, made the room feel like a cozy shelter. The candles he’d lit had a similar effect. Their flickering light dancing along the walls in tones of orange and gold.

“Me too,” Braden said. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind if it rained all week long if it meant we could do this every day.”

Allie slid the pizza box to the corner of the blanket before stretching over the length of it next to him. “Me too.” She nestled in close, resting her head against his warm, solid chest. The T-shirt he wore was thin, warm, and smelled of fresh laundry and sawdust. She pulled in a deep breath of it and sighed.

After a few evenly paced breaths, Braden spoke up once more. “I can’t tell you how happy I was about that pizza,” he said. “Can’t believe you remembered that place was my favorite. And that you got them to deliver.”

Allie grinned. “Of course I remember. And the delivery part didn’t take too much coaxing.”

He reached an arm around her, took a lock of her hair and began spinning it lazily around one finger. The sensation made her scalp tingle. “Did you talk with them over the phone or in person?” he asked.

“In person. I went in last night.”

“And did the worker happen to be male or female?”

Allie thought back on the man who’d helped her. “Male.”

He let out a laugh. “Figures.”

“
What
figures?” She lifted her head off his chest to look at him. Once their eyes met, he eased into a grin.

“No red-blooded male is gonna say no to a face like this.” He moved his hand from her hair to cup her chin.

She laughed this time, raising herself up from his chest a bit more. “You can just keep on flattering me all day long. I promise it’ll never get old.”

Braden smiled in return before reaching for the bowl next to them. He grabbed a handful of Jelly Bellys and popped one into his mouth.

Allie held her hand out, smiling when Braden dropped a few into her palm. “What flavor was the one you just ate?” she asked.

He tilted his head. “I think grape.”

“Lucky. Let’s see what I’ve got.” She scanned the few in her hand, searching for a cream colored one with yellow specks – buttered popcorn, her favorite. “Don’t see anything I recognize,” she finally said, looking them over one last time.

Braden eyed the bunch in his hand. “Me neither. Let’s just toss them all in at once and see if it tastes good.”

Allie grimaced. “Really?”

He propped himself with the other elbow and gave her a slow nod. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Allie giggled while bringing a cupped palm up to her mouth. “Ready, and… go!” The small candies hit her tongue and Allie began to chew. She noticed hints of sweet watermelon, tart, green apple, and other familiar flavors she couldn’t quite place. “Mmm… mine was good. I think I got a bunch of fruity ones.”

“I have no idea what mine were,” he said. “Just tasted sweet.”

She smiled. “No idea?”

Braden’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “None.”

She hadn’t noticed that her hand rested over Braden’s heart until that moment, when the beat of it picked up pace. Began a mad sort of thump against her palm. She glanced back to him, watched the way his gaze lingered over her face. The way he’d looked at her before kissing her out in the back yard the first time. Allie had spent a lot of time considering the contrast in that kiss versus the ones he’d given her in the workshop. Each had held their own appeal, no doubt. But this was the Braden she was used to. Slow. Methodical. And capable of setting her ablaze with far more subtly than he’d used that day. Still, she looked forward to the time the two could go to that place again. It gave her a whole lot to look forward to.

Braden slid his hand along the back of her neck, encouraging her to come closer. Allie moved in, wondering if her heart was pumping as fast and furious as his. She was certain it was. She licked her lips, pulled her face into his neck, and pressed a kiss to the slightly scratchy surface of his skin, the masculine smell of him filling her mind.

Braden’s mouth was at her ear next. “I’m falling in love with you, Allie,” he said in a raspy whisper.

Now she knew her heart was racing. It felt as if it might break through her chest. Weeks back he’d whispered that he wanted her. And while that had a powerful effect of its own, this new sentiment knocked Allie off her intellectual feet entirely. She was floating on a set of clouds now. And loving it.

His lips grazed her ear, the heat of his breath causing goosebumps to spread up her arms. “I’m falling in love with you too,” she admitted. The words were soft-spoken, and shy-sounding too, but sincere. The truth of them causing her soul to lift with the rest of her.

The short, coarse scruff along his jaw teased her skin as he glided it over her cheek. And suddenly, his kiss was hers. The conviction of it like an all-powerful spell. She’d experienced his gentle and coaxing side already. The way he’d eased into deeper kisses; all patience and pace. The workshop – that had been more hunger and need. Today was a perfect fusion of both. Passion, a sure and steady pull of it. She reveled in the heated bliss, moaning slightly as she tasted hints of sweet candy on his lips. And then his tongue.
Mmm.
Better than any candy she’d tasted.
So much better.

He broke from the kiss for a breath, shifting until Allie was flat on her back, and looked at her with much more than his eyes alone. The connection drawing her in deeper. Making her weak. She watched as he laced his fingers through hers, toying with her hand before straightening her arm above her head. He did the same with her other arm, rested it flat above her, the frayed yarn from the blanket tickling her inner arms as she waited. Vulnerable. Ready.

With his gaze fixed on her, Braden traced down the length of one arm with the slightly calloused tips of his fingers. Another set of goosebumps rippled over her skin at his touch. Her breaths coming staggered and shaky. He moved down the next arm, tarrying at the ticklish spot along the hem of her short sleeve, teasing her there before trailing back up to her wrist.

With his eyes still set on her face, Braden lowered himself over her. Carefully. Shouldering his weight before brushing his lips over hers. Feather soft. Silky smooth. And smoldering hot. She’d never longed for something so deeply. Her desire for him went beyond mere wanting. Felt more like instinct. An awareness that he was just what she needed in every way. While fisting the blanket beneath her hands, Allie lifted her head to take more of him, pleased when his mouth finally locked on hers. She relished the full and masterful push of his kiss. The heavenly pull of his lips. And the soft graze of his tongue.
Mmm.
A drawn-out whimper sounded low in her throat. At last she lowered her arms to take even more. One hand raking through his hair. The other moving down his back, pulling him closer. Encouraging him further. She’d been waiting for this, and wanted it to last.
Please,
she pled inwardly.
Please don’t stop yet.

Braden seemed to sense her plea; his magnificent kiss was persistent. A quest. He wanted to know if Allie meant what she’d said about falling in love with him. She did. And Allie made her kiss a promise in return. Assuring him of the truth of it. Accepting, receiving, committing.

A groan sounded from low in Braden’s chest as he brought their kiss to a slower exchange. Another long, drawn-out kiss. Deep and lingering. And then a series of softer, shorter kisses. “I could do this all day,” he said between kisses. “Just keep you here.” Another kiss. “Like my prisoner.” A longer, deeper kiss.

Allie sighed. She could think of nothing better. “Okay,” she whispered once her lips were free.

Braden gave her one final kiss and then rolled onto his side, leaving Allie flat on her back, dizzy from the bliss of it all. It took her a moment to open her eyes. And to calm her breath. Once she rolled onto her side as well, propping her head with a bended arm, Braden reached over, began spinning her hair around his finger once more. “Bree wants us to come fishing with her and the kids this Saturday. You up for it?”

His question seemed like a distraction more than anything else. She wondered who needed it more. Him or her. Allie smiled. “Fishing? That sounds nice.”

“Think Paige and Jillian will come?” he asked.

She pulled her eyes from the alluring sight of his lips to consider what he’d asked. Braden had taken Allie to meet Bree and her kids just last week; Allie had been charmed by the small family. “I think so. I told the girls all about Sophie and Carter. I think Jillian would go crazy for those kids. And Paige really likes to fish. Not that she eats any of it.”

“Did Terrance ever take them?” Braden asked.

Allie nodded. “When they were young. But it’s been years. Paige goes with my dad sometimes. Their uncle Alex took them a time or two as well, when they were younger.”

Braden’s brows furrowed. “How old were your girls when Alex died?”

“About eight and ten, I think” she said.

“Hmm. You know, Terrance and I – while fishing together back in the day – we used to talk about teaching our own kids to fish – once we had them. ‘Course we both pictured having at least a couple of boys. But I was always good with the idea of girls too.”

Allie pulled in a deep breath, saddened by the idea that Braden still didn’t have kids of his own.

“With Sophie and Carter,” he said, “I’ve got one of each. Those two sure bring a whole lot of light into my life, I’ll tell you that.”

“I bet.” She was glad he had them at least. And that they had him too. “How often do they see their father?” she asked.

“Every other weekend. They alternate holidays and all that too. Her ex remarried.”

“That’s good that he’s still in their lives,” Allie said. “I was thinking the other day… didn’t I hear that Bree had a stalker after her while she was in school?”

Braden’s eyes widened. “Where’d you hear that?”

She didn’t want to tell him her source was the Gossip Queen herself, Allie’s very own mother who knew everything about everyone. “Just… around. Am I wrong?”

He shook his head. “No, you’re right. I was just wondering. I know word kind of got out, but things got a lot worse than people realize.” He held her gaze through narrowed eyes, seeming to contemplate. “It was a pretty dark time in my life. Did you know he stalked her off and on for nearly ten years?”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And within that time I lost my dad to a heart attack, lost my mom to her second battle with cancer, and as if that wasn’t enough, I had to deal with this SOB obsessing over my sister and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” He shook his head. “Felt like the world was caving in.”

“Oh, Braden, that’s awful.” The energy in the room had taken a sudden shift. Allie could sense the weight of the topic in the air, the heavy burden it must’ve placed on Braden. She imagined reaching out, smoothing the furrow at his brow with the gentle stroke of her thumb, but resisted the urge as he spoke up once more.