Yours to Savor (25 page)

Sandra pretended to be asleep when she heard Brandon moving through the room. She opened her eyes just a slit to see him lower himself by the table. He sat there, watching her, a faint smile on his lips. Then he suddenly rose and rifled through the kitchen drawers. Sandra watched, careful not to give herself away, as he scribbled something on a piece of paper and stepped toward her. She shut her eyes then, and felt him lower the paper on her lap. She heard his footsteps moving away, and then the opening and closing of the suite doors.

Puzzled, she opened her eyes and realized he was gone. But he’d left the folded piece of paper behind. She took the note and read it through sandy eyes.

You looked so beautiful I couldn’t wake you.
Thought of something you might like. Gone to get it.
Be back soon,

Brandon.

Sandra smiled and brought the note to her chest. She had no idea what Brandon intended to bring to her, but she couldn’t wait to see it

“I got you something,” Brandon announced as he walked into the suite.

Sandra opened her eyes to find Brandon standing before her with his hands behind his back. “Oh?” she mumbled. She’d dozed a little while she waited, so it took her a second to comprehend his words fully. But when she did, she bound to her feet. “Let me see.”

“You have to guess first.”

“Guess?” She tried to peek around him, but he laughed and stepped back.

“I’m not giving it to you until you guess.”

“Well, I’m not very good at riddles.” She made a pouty face. “Can you give me a hint?”

“A hint? Well, you could say it’s symbolic of our relationship so far.”

Sandra narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Oh, this I
have
to see.” She feigned left, and went right, trying to get behind him. Grinning, Brandon kept his distance, matching her step for step.

“You’re not even trying to guess!”

“It’s more fun this way.” She tried to jump around him. “I like to see you frazzled.”

He laughed, and held out one hand, the other still gripping the mysterious object behind his back. He stopped her in place. “Don’t laugh, now.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

He smiled, and slowly—ever so slowly—brought his other hand around.

In it he held a lidded paper cup.

Sandra frowned and reached for it, but he jerked it back. “Nuh-uh,” he warned. “You have to guess what’s inside, first.”

“Um, coffee?”

Brandon tilted his head to the side. “Come now. I’ve got more creativity in me than that.”

“Come on, you’re just teasing,” Sandra accused. “It can be anything!”

“Maybe you’re right. But I wanted some way of marking one week of knowing you.”

“So you got me a coffee?” she asked.

Brandon shook the cup, and Sandra heard something solid rattle inside. “Oh, I don’t think I’d trust you with any hot liquids around me after what happened when we met.” He wore a grin of pure mischief. “The cup is just a symbol. It’s what’s inside that matters.”

“Brandon! Just tell me.”

“See for yourself.” Without warning, Brandon tossed the cup to her. Sandra fumbled to catch it. She gave a sheepish grin before peeling back the lid. Inside were two tickets.

She took them out, but before she had a chance to see what they were for, Brandon stepped up to her. He covered her hand with his. “I figured I owed you at least a single coffee for the one you wasted on my shirt. But then I had a better idea. Two tickets, for a show tonight. At the Pacific Northwest Ballet. I thought I’d show you I have some culture in me yet…” The final words were a bare whisper against her ear. “The dancers are beautiful, just like you. The costumes, the music, the performance will take your breath away. Like you take
my
breath away.” Brandon swept around her, and Sandra suppressed a groan and shuddered as he brushed her hair aside and began to place soft, sweet kisses on her neck.

“Brandon…” Sandra moaned. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of the powerful man behind her. Her hand went back to take his, and he gripped hers tight.

“You stayed up for me. Did you think I wouldn’t come back?”

“I trusted you—
Oh!
” His hands went to her hips, and he tugged her into him. Beneath his warmth, she could feel him growing hard.

Shivers ran down her back, and her eyes fluttered closed as the parade of kisses turned into sharp, small bites. She took a breath in, and was swept away by the all-encompassing aroma of Brandon: the musky scent of his cologne, the faint hint of aftershave, and—underneath it all—the pure masculine essence that was
him
.

“Sandra,” he whispered in her ear, “you’re trembling.”

“I am?” The question came out as a near-moan as Brandon’s hands slid up the sides of her body and stopped just on the outside of her firm, supple breasts.

“Yes,” he said. “And I love it when you do.” Without warning he spun her around. The cup she held fell to the floor as his mouth latched onto hers. There was no sweetness in his kiss now—only pure, testosterone-fueled aggression. It was a release of the passion he’d been harboring, and a complete contrast to the sensual kisses that had graced her neck seconds earlier.

His tongue forced its way into her mouth and pressed against her, searching, seeking, possessing. She opened herself up to him, feeling the warmth spread between her legs. A rush of heat exploded in her body as she was consumed by the unbridled
power of Brandon’s kiss. Her hands reached up to grab his hair, pulling him down for more, offering herself for the taking. He responded by pressing into her,
his
hands running up and down her back as he pulled her closer, tighter against him.

Then he was forcing her back, back until she was pressed against the wall and kissing him like a woman dying of thirst. She could feel his growing erection
against her stomach, and had to suck in a breath as her lustful mind imagined what would come next. The heat of his body collided with hers, and even though it was overwhelming, smoldering, the layer of clothes between them was getting in the way.

She found her hands moving of their own accord. She started tearing off Brandon’s shirt, ripping blindly while she continued to be ravished by his powerful kisses. His hands were at her waist, undoing the front of the robe she had on. He lifted it off her shoulders while his mouth stayed on hers.

Sandra’s hands ran over the hard, large muscles of Brandon’s back. His fingers molded into her breasts. Excitement and exhilaration coursed through her body. She arched back, exposing herself even more. Brandon’s hands trailed down her skin, and she parted her legs in anticipation of his touch.

But just before his fingers reached her throbbing core, he pulled back, and grazed the inside of her thigh, instead.

Sandra moaned his name. “Take me, Brandon.”

He answered by lowering his mouth to the hollow of her collarbone. “Last night I was supposed to be yours,” he whispered, fingers making faint circles on the sensitive part of her leg, “but this morning, you belong to me.”

She answered by shifting her body to press herself against his hand.

But instead of following through, he grasped her hips, lifted her up onto him, and made her wrap her legs around his waist. “And this morning, I’m going to do things right.”

He carried her to the bedroom and she clung onto him, loving the feel of his hard body against her, loving the feel of his warm skin pressed against her bare stomach. Before she knew it, he dropped her on the bed, much like last night, and stood back, towering over her.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered. His voice rustled in her ears, the words sounding almost reverent.

She took a breath, and realized her heart was racing. Her arms felt shaky, and now,
now
she started to feel something gnaw inside of her… something a lot like nervousness. She’d been ready to give herself up to Brandon, ready to relinquish control… but she hadn’t been with a man for so very long. And even if her desire was there, the inevitability of what would happen next made her clench up inside. She wasn’t some scared virgin, but as Brandon loomed over her in all his masculine superiority, Sandra felt just a little bit… anxious.

Brandon widened his stance so her legs were between his, and put one knee on the bed. Sandra’s chest was heaving now. Brandon leaned down and positioned himself over her, their bodies separated by a thin layer of air. He bent his head, kissing her again.

But Sandra twisted away after only a second. Her heart was pounding now, and not entirely from arousal. “Brandon. Brandon, wait,” she cried. “I have to tell you something.”

He stopped instantly. “What is it?”

Her chest heaved with every breath. “It’s… it’s been a while for me.” She cringed even as she made the admission. She was afraid Brandon might take it the wrong way and assume she didn’t want him, or make light of her vulnerability, or ignore her and push through it…

Instead, he surprised her by lifting himself off her, not far enough to ruin the intimacy but enough to make her feel more comfortable. His voice, his eyes, and his expression were all serious when he asked, “How long?”

“Two and a half years,” she admitted quietly.
Sex with Henry had kind of fizzled out after the first few months in Dallas.

“Then we’re going to do this slow and gentle,” he promised.

Sandra hesitated, then closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m going to take care of you, baby,” he soothed. “All I need you to do is trust me.” She gulped. “Do you trust me?”

“Y-y-yes,” she responded tentatively.

Brandon answered by lowering his mouth onto hers in a slow, languorous kiss. His tongue stroked over hers, and after a moment, Sandra felt her insides ease up again as she fell deep into his steady kiss. The unhurried way his tongue explored her mouth let her know, somehow, that he valued the connection they shared. That he understood
her
, that he
respected
her, and that he wouldn’t rush things if she wasn’t ready. It made her feel special and pampered. It made her feel ready—
really
ready—to trust him.

“I just want you to relax, Sandra,” Brandon whispered in her ear when he parted. “Do you think you can do that for me?”

“Yes.”

He smiled, and began to work his way down her neck, landing soft kisses along her sensitive skin, angling toward her breasts. Sandra’s breathing had steadied, and she closed her eyes and focused on the tenderness of Brandon’s touch. Her nipples tightened into buds beneath her bra. When Brandon’s hands went to her back to undo the strap, she lifted herself up to help him. As he slid the bra off, the rush of cool air against her nipples made her gasp. But then Brandon’s mouth was there, suckling her breasts and raining kisses all over her skin. Sandra moaned and raked her fingers deep into Brandon’s hair, taking immense pleasure in having her breasts fondled.

Brandon started spiraling kisses down her body, along the midline of her exposed stomach. As he got lower and lower, Sandra felt herself tense again. She tried to take deep breaths to steady her nerves, but when Brandon moved past her bellybutton and hooked his fingers into the string of her panties, a jolt of anxiety
made her eyes snap open and her head jerk up.