Page 25 of Do Me
Smiling, she returned to the kitchen. It took her a quarter of an hour to restore it to its former state. She turned off all the lights and walked down the short hallway to her bedroom. The light was blinking on her cell, indicating messages. Her parents had emailed a few photos of them on the beach and on one of the tours they’d taken. Their faces held so much joy. They had worked hard and deserved this time. She deleted the two spam emails. Braxton had sent a text an hour ago to see if she’d decided on a movie. She had narrowed her choices to two and sent the reply. When she had initially suggested they play it by ear and select one once there, he’d countered with sending her the movie selections for three nearby theaters. Londyn got the feeling that he didn’t do much on the fly. A thought popped into her mind. It was time to shake things up.
* * *
Friday afternoon, Braxton sat at his desk thinking about Londyn. It had only been two weeks since their dinner, but he’d missed spending time with her. She ‘d gotten under his skin so effortlessly, reminding him how monotonous his life had become. Outside of work, spending time with his family and two friends, Braxton’s routine rarely varied. Each week looked exactly the same. Although, as of late, he, Cole and Axel had started canceling their weekly meet ups because they each had found that potentially special woman. He just hoped none of their newly established relationships ended in heartbreak. Especially his own. Londyn had danced herself into his life and was steadily working her way into his heart. He tried to rationalize that they’d only known each other a month, that he couldn’t be falling in love in such a short period of time. Apparently, his heart hadn’t gotten the memo because everything in him said she was the one. Logic had ruled his life up to this point. However, he had a strong feeling that this time would be different.Rotating toward his computer, he checked his schedule. His last appointment had been canceled, which meant he could leave a little earlier.
Braxton picked up a folder and a brochure from the center where Londyn worked fell out. Once again, his mind traveled to his past. After talking with her, he’d googled pornography and sexual addictions and got the shock of his life. While he had never progressed to that level, reading all the information cleared up a lot of things for him. It had taken an old college classmate’s obsession to change Braxton. The guy had wanted to celebrate the end of senior year with a movie marathon. After less than an hour, Braxton left and never watched another adult film again. That had been almost fifteen years ago, and the urge had not come back. For that he was grateful.
His cell buzzed. Seeing Tonya’s name on the display sent a chill down his spine. His niece never called him during a workday. “Hey, baby girl.”
“Happy birthday, Uncle Braxton,” Tonya sang.
He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, baby girl. But what are you doing calling me at work? You almost gave me a heart attack.”
She giggled. “Oops, I’m sorry. Can you come over tonight? I made you a cake.”
“I appreciate that, Tonya.” He didn’t want to cancel his date, but he didn’t want to offend Tonya, either. “I have plans for tonight, but I can come by early tomorrow, and you can sing and everything.” She had inherited her father’s off-key voice, but she sang with so much enthusiasm that no one had the heart to tell her.
“Do you have a date?”
“Yes.”
“Really?Mom, guess what? Uncle Braxton has a date tonight,” she yelled.
Braxton scrubbed a hand down his face.Great.“Tonya, why are you calling for your mother?”
“So, little brother has a date, huh? That’s what I call a great birthday present.”
“Hey, sis. I was telling Tonya I could come by tomorrow for the cake.”
“She’s going to a sleepover later tonight for the weekend. Can you just stop by for a minute around seven? You don’t have to stay long and you can even bring your date. We’ll sing, you blow out the candles, then you two can be on your way. It wouldn’t happen to be the woman you were dancing with at the wedding, would it?” Debra asked slyly.
“What makes you think it’s her?”
“Isawyou on the dance floor with her, Braxton. You were totally into her. Now, answer the question.”
“Yes,” he muttered.
“So, you’ll come.”
“Yeah, I’ll stop by for a few minutes.” What else could he say?
“I can’t wait to meet your date. See you later.”
Disconnecting, he groaned inwardly. He didn’t think he and Londyn had reached the meet-the-family stage yet. But he couldn’t disappoint his niece, either. She’d had him wrapped around her little finger since birth. And if his mother got wind of it… He groaned again. Braxton picked up the phone and sent a text to Londyn asking if she minded a short stop before their movie. He deliberately didn’t mention his birthday. For him, it was just another day and he didn’t need a celebration.
As he powered down his computer an hour later, Londyn’s reply came through:Sure. No problem.
Braxton had enough time to shower and change into jeans, a long-sleeved tee and boots before picking up Londyn. When she came toward him wearing body-hugging black jeans and an off-the-shoulder fitted gray top, with a sexy runway strut, he was glad he’d suggested meeting in the lobby. Had he gone up to her place, he wouldn’t have left until he had touched, kissed and tasted every inch of her body. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi, yourself,” Londyn said, coming up on tiptoe to meet his kiss. Hand-in-hand, they walked out to his car. “Both movies start after eight, and with all the advertisements at the beginning, we should have more than enough time to go by your sister’s house.”
“Hopefully, it won’t take long.” However, knowing his sister, she’d find a way to delay them leaving until she finished her interrogation. “How was your week?”
“Long,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m glad it’s the weekend.”
“Same here.” They’d acquired two more projects and he’d taken up the slack because the other architect still hadn’t returned from his leave. They passed the thirty-minute drive conversing quietly interspersed with moments of silence while music played softly. Braxton parked in front of his sister’s house and debated whether to ask Londyn to wait, but his sister appeared in the doorway before he could utter a word.
Londyn shifted in her seat to face him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want me to meet your family.”
