But Lenna only grinned as she reached inside his pants and cupped his testicles. “How could you turn a perfectly innocent goody-two-shoes like me into a complete nympho?”
Grinning in relief, Braxton kissed her lips and murmured, “Because I’m damned lucky.”
* * * *
Late that night, Braxton woke in the wee hours. After having a nasty dream about Tom Davenport stealing Lenna away so he could never find her again, he couldn’t get back to sleep. Next to him, she slept on, looking too peaceful to be experiencing her own disturbing nightmare.
Hesitantly, he touched her bare back. As he absorbed the rise and fall of her lungs moving in and out under his palm, he relaxed, glad he had this physical contact to reassure himself she was here and okay. He planned on keeping her that way for as long as possible.
Though he didn’t want to leave her, his bladder needed emptied, so he slipped quietly from the bed and crept across her small apartment to the bathroom. He made sure to fully close the door before he flipped on the light. After finishing his business, he flushed. But as soon as the loud crash of water drained down the pipes, he winced.
Hurrying toward the door, he cracked it open, hoping he hadn’t roused her. Lenna began her new job in the morning. She needed a good night’s rest without interruptions.
Braxton bit his lip as he peeked into the apartment. But as he watched the light from the bathroom spill over her sleeping form, he paused and straightened.
Oh, mother of God, she was breathtaking. He opened the door a foot wider and studied the resting woman. He knew he could gladly stand there for the rest of eternity, just watching her.
Wanting to capture this moment forever, Braxton tiptoed toward her desk where he knew she kept the camera he’d given her. Since Paris, they liked to pull the thing out and snap pictures of each other.
Slipping it from its case, Braxton flipped the on switch and turned all the settings to silence.
Then he set about snapping the most amazing shots he’d ever seen. When he was satisfied with the amount he’d taken, he turned off the power and ejected the memory card.
Deciding he’d get a few of the Paris shots printed off and framed for her, Braxton tucked the card away in his wallet and turned off the bathroom light before he eased back under the covers next to Lenna and curled his body around hers.
He sighed and closed his eyes, inhaling the familiar fragrance of her hair. Moments later, he was blissfully asleep, cuddled around the woman he loved.
* * * *
Monday morning, Lenna started her job at ProTech. Greg spent the first part of the day showing her around the office and introducing her to everyone. More than once, she had to hold in a giggle because she’d recall Braxton’s description of that person. He was so accurate it was hilarious.
Barely managing to keep her poise professional and her attitude receptive to meeting everyone, even the people he hadn’t given such a favorable review, she sent each new acquaintance the same friendly greeting.
Finally, Greg led her to the cubicle that housed her new desk and computer. There, he already had a stack of work for her to start.
Relieved to see her first assignment was to translate a French website, Lenna was so thrilled she sped right through the site and had a complete report translated and typed before noon.
When she took it to Greg’s office, he looked at the outstretched information, blinked once, and gawked at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? There’s no way you’re done already. I’ve had three people working for two months trying to decipher that site.”
Lenna could only shrug. “This one was easy. I actually knew the language.”
Greg scowled. “I have never given anyone a raise on their first day. Don’t make me break my rule.” Then his frown slipped into a smile, and he congratulated her.
Lenna returned to her desk, glowing. Hyped and ready to fly through the next site, she opened the next file. But it was in Spanish and she had to pause a lot to look up different words.
Near the end of the day, she gathered her purse and coat and tidied her desk—oh wow, she really had a desk. It was electrifying. She wanted to find Braxton and tell him about her entire day.
So, she was delightfully surprised to find him camped out on the floor in front of her apartment door, balancing a pizza on his bent knee when she got home. He glanced up as she approached, and the grin he sent her was full of pride and boyish sincerity.
“How’d it go?” he asked, pushing to his feet.
She went straight to him for a hug. Once he had an arm securely around her waist, and she buried her face snuggly against his chest, she murmured, “I liked it.”
He pulled away and gave her a solemn look. Slowly, he traced her cheek with a few fingers. “You don’t sound as excited as you did yesterday. Was it not what you expected?”
“No,” she answered and closed her eyes, sighing against his caress. She’d been so eager to see him and tell him everything. But now he was here, she just wanted to forget life and focus on him. “It was so much more than I expected. It was perfect, Braxton. I’m in awe I actually have a job I like. I keep expecting Greg to tell me he made a mistake and send me on my way.”
Braxton scowled. “He wouldn’t dare.”
“Why not?” Lenna gasped. “Oh, God. You
did
force him to hire me, didn’t you?”
He rolled his eyes, but grinned. “No, I did not force him, or twist his arm, or pay him off, or blackmail, or even beg him to hire you. You got the job yourself. I’m just saying he wouldn’t dare fire you because I know you. You’ll work your butt off until you do a phenomenal job.”
Her shoulders eased. “Thank you,” she said, pausing to unlock her door. As she moved inside, he followed.
She went straight to her closet and pulled out a hanger before slipping off her coat. Braxton carried the pizza into the kitchen. Lenna hung her coat and un-wrapped the scarf from around her neck. She turned to watch Braxton open a cabinet and take down a drinking glass.
“So, where did Greg stick you?” he asked as he filled the cup with ice. “Do you have your own corner office yet?”
Lenna stared in amazement as her lover made himself right at home and pulled one of her diet sodas from the fridge. He opened the tab and commenced to pour its contents over the ice.
“I have my own desk in one of the cubicles in the main part of the work room,” she said, still watching him as he carried the drink to her.
He winced, holding the cup out. “So, he stuck you out in general population, huh? Scanlon always was stingy about who he gave an office.”
“Oh, and I suppose you had your own office when you worked there, hmm?” she asked, accepting the proffered drink.
Braxton winked. “You know it.”
He returned to the kitchenette and took a clean plate from the cabinets. After placing a slice of pizza on it, he sprinkled it liberally with Parmesan cheese, just the way Lenna liked. He carried that to her next.
Her breath caught. “Thanks.”
She settled cross-legged on her bed and dove in. And as Braxton asked more questions about her day, he fixed his own supper.
He bypassed plates and cups, opting to drink a regular cola straight from the can and eat his pizza off a paper towel.
What she found so touching wasn’t his guy mentality that plates and cups were overrated, but the fact he’d fed her first and had known exactly how she preferred her meal.
For some reason, it made her want to cry.
He knew her so well, the man damn near completed her. Sometimes, Lenna couldn’t even remember how her life had been before he’d come into it. She was so content with him.
Everything else dimmed in comparison.
Their days together felt like stolen time though, and when the two of them were apart, Lenna’s doubts and fears rose. Once her dad found out about them, he would become a total butthead, making it completely clear how much he disapproved. It’d put a strain on everything. That was what she dreaded most: a strain heavy enough to break her and Braxton apart.
But there was no way they could keep their relationship a secret forever. What she had to do was sit her father down and tell him what was what. He would not interfere in her and Braxton’s future together, and he would not take anything out on Brax; she’d disown him if he did.
Lying to her family was starting to wear on her. She wanted a normal relationship with her Prince Charming. She wanted to be able to brag about him to her mother and take him home for Sunday suppers. She wanted the world to know he was hers.
Somehow, some way, she’d make Tom see things her way.
Braxton plopped down on the bed next to her and took a huge bite of pizza only to have a string of hot cheese drip down his chin.
Forgetting Tom, Lenna laughed and leaned forward to lick the cheese off his chin. He murmured approvingly and bent his head to retrieve the string from her mouth. But she teasingly pulled back. Seeing a challenge where one was offered, Braxton pounced.
And Lenna learned just how creative and exciting sex with food could be.
Friday afternoon, Ben entered Tom’s office with a solemn expression. In the midst of typing a correspondence email to a client, Tom glanced up, saw who was visiting, and promptly returned to typing.
“Look, I don’t care. Stop bothering me with this shit.”
Ben was really getting on his nerves with his unrelenting quest to discover Braxton Farris’s secrets. Sure, Tom wouldn’t mind knowing if the boy had any more surprise business decisions hiding up his sleeve, like going international. But Ben was taking it too far when he even investigated the kid’s private life.
Without speaking, Ben settled into the chair across from Tom and watched him type. Tom continued to ignore him. He hoped Ben would get the hint and leave. He didn’t care what kind of Boss Boy report his friend delivered today. Farris had probably just used the bathroom, and Ben was running around like crazy to spread the news. Yes, Braxton Farris did relieve his bladder like everyone else on earth. What a shocker.
“I know who she is,” Ben said. “I know who Farris took to France with him.”
“Good for you.” Tom continued to type. “Still don’t care.” He didn’t even bother to look interested.
Ben tossed a CD onto Tom’s desk; it landed on the keyboard, obstructing his typing. Tom looked up in surprise. “What—”
“I was snooping in Farris’s computer and found this,” Ben said. “Thought you should see it.”
Tom’s eyes sprang open wide. “You were
what
? Are you crazy? What were you doing, getting into his
computer
? Do you want to be fired, Ben? Good Lord.” Tom wiped his hand through his hair and glanced nervously at the CD, wondering how to get the thing off his desk without touching it with his fingerprints.
Ben rolled his eyes. “I know how to cover my tracks, okay? He’ll never know I was in there.”
Then he surged to his feet and leaned over Tom’s desk, his eyes gleaming with urgency. “Forget about the computer. It’s not important.” He snatched the CD off the keyboard and he waved it in Tom’s face. “You
need
to look at this.”
“No,” Tom said, shoving Ben’s hand away. “I don’t want to see anything you took off Farris’s computer.”
“But they’re pictures of Lenna.”
Tom froze. “What?” He snapped the CD out of Ben’s hand. “What the hell do you mean, pictures of Lenna?”
“There’s hundreds of them,” Ben said. “In some, she’s in front of the Eiffel Tower, smiling at the camera. Some pictures have her and Farris both in the shot. Some of them were taken here in town. You name it. There are even some of her in a bed, sleeping...I’m guessing it’s
his
bed.” Ben paused and rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily. “His computer’s full them, Tom.”
Tom stared at the disc, unable to speak.
“Tell me honestly,” Ben said. “Did you know about this?”
Tom merely transferred his frozen stare to his friend. “They’re...are you sure they’re of Lenna and
Braxton
together? Not...not the younger brother? Not Tyler?”
Ben sighed as he patted Tom’s shoulder. “There’s no mistake. Our boss is definitely dating
your
daughter.”
Tom made a choked sound, but otherwise didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry,” Ben murmured, looking truly regretful. “I hate like hell that I’m the one who had to break this to you.”
* * * *
Tom followed Braxton home from work. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d been able to wait until after hours, but he’d managed to keep his temper cool throughout the day. Then again, he’d purposely avoided running into the boy too.
This didn’t have anything to do with business, though, so he couldn’t do it at work. It was personal. It was very personal. That slimy piece of shit had touched his baby. Nothing hit closer to home than that.
He wasn’t sure what to say to the backstabbing little asshole but he knew he couldn’t let this slide. Lenna was his pride and joy. She didn’t need someone like that smug bastard ruining her and using her just to irritate him. And, yes, that
had
to be why the kid was after her: to get back at Tom for being a belligerent employee. The son of a bitch had even told her he loved her during that phone call. He had brainwashed her and would probably end up breaking her heart.
Unacceptable.
Finding a parking spot half a block down from Braxton’s brownstone, Tom killed the engine as Braxton parked his Land Rover. Prepared for confrontation time, he reached out to open his driver’s side door when the front door to the kid’s place opened. On the sidewalk below, Braxton lifted his face to find Lenna skipping down the steps to meet him.
Unprepared to see her, Tom paused and gaped as the girl he used to rock to sleep and scold for talking too much at dinner time leapt into his nemesis’s arms. Braxton dropped his briefcase to catch her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as she kissed him, and the punk put his hands on her ass to support her while he kissed her back.
Tom’s hands curled into fists. The boy might’ve brainwashed his child, but she’d let him.