Page 54 of Fight for Me

“What? No. I mean...” I roll my eyes and gesture toward his face. “You’re all... that. And you have the house, the car, you’re the nicest person I know, and you have a big dick...” The last one makes him grin, but then he smooths his expression and waits for me to continue. “Why don’t you have some gorgeous woman strutting around pregnant with your fourth offspring? Why would a flawless and handsome guy be here all on his own and then allow a fucking stray like me under his roof?”

With each of my words, Brody’s eyebrows rise higher with surprise, but when I finish, he looks downright furious.

“What the fuck, Jen? Is this how you see this?” He motions between us. “Me taking in a stray to my bed? Fucking said stray because I have nothing else to do? Binding my time until someone else comes along? Fuck!”

I flinch back a little and cover myself when Brody sits up abruptly, breathing harshly. I know he wouldn’t hurt me, but old habits die hard. I do it unconsciously, but of course, he notices and my reaction makes him even angrier. He shakes his head with disgust and mutters, “Fucking great,” before getting out of bed and grabbing his discarded underwear from the floor.

I sit up quickly and demand, “Where the fuck are you going? I was only curious, okay? I’m sorry!”

I lower my voice remembering that Henry sleeps next door, and repeat, “I’m sorry, Brody.”

Brody puts his pajama bottoms on, then hangs his head with a heavy exhale.

I find my T-shirt in the dark room and put it on before walking hesitantly toward Brody. I stop right in front of him and tilt my head, so I can find his gaze. I take one of his hands in mine and pull it gently with a shy smile. “Hey, I’m sorry if I stepped out of line. I won’t ask again.”

Instead of the smile I’m anticipating, I receive an even more displeased expression marring his face before he laughs indignantly.

I drop his hand in surprise and step back, but Brody grabs me before I can retreat and presses me to his body.

“Jesus Christ, you make me mad, woman.” He shakes his head and kisses my forehead before looking straight at me, his eyes narrowed. “Jen, you can ask me whatever you want, whenever you fucking feel like it. You don’t ever have to be scared of questioning me or demanding anything.” When he sees my doubtful expression, he takes me by the shoulders and squeezes me gently, and then states forcefully, “What does make me fucking furious though is you speaking about yourself in a derogatory way. Or you thinking that you’re not important to me. Because, baby, if I haven’t been obvious enough about it, then let me assure you. You are important to me.”

I stare at him, not knowing what to say, and blink at him like an idiot.

“And to address your question, before you come up with more stupid shit in your head, the reason I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend here is that I don’t allow just anyone into my house. There’s a small number of people I care about in this world. This space is mine, and it’s reserved for only the important ones. Since I never met a woman before worthy of such a privilege until you, it never happened. Moreover, I’ve been kind of preoccupied with a certain pain in the ass.”

He slides his hands from my shoulders to the back of my neck, squeezing lightly. “Does that answer your question, Jen?”

I nod slowly and swallow, not knowing if I want to wail or throw myself at him. Unwilling to ruin the moment with my tears as I unpack everything that was said, I decide on the latter and kiss Brody hard, surprising him with the motion, if his startled hum is anything to go by.

We make out for some time and then decide to clean up together in the bathroom. I check on Henry, who managed to kick off his blanket in his sleep, but otherwise didn’t even change his position, and I go back to a half-asleep Brody. I curl into his warm, strong arms and quickly fall asleep. For the first time, dreaming about things unrelated to my past.

It’s one week later as I drive my newly repaired car like a mad woman through the curvy dirt road before stopping right in front of Brody’s house, still in my waitress uniform.

I knock on the door impatiently and almost fall into Brody in my haste to get inside.

“Come on in,” he says sarcastically, still dressed in his work clothes. I halt in my step and eye the paint-stained jeans, black steel-toed boots, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. Damn, Brody is always hot but this... I have no words.

“Sweetheart, not that I’m not happy to see you, but what...?” He stops in the middle of the question when I reach to the back of my dress and unzip it. The material pools at my feet, leaving me only in black underwear.

“I gave Rita money to take care of Henry for two extra hours. Since it took me,” I look down at my watch, “twenty-five minutes to get here, I would say we have a little more than an hour to enjoy ourselves,” I finish and look at him expectantly.

Brody eyes me and licks his lips but stays in place. “I...”

“Unless you’re not up for it. I know at your age...” I don’t get to finish because I’m being lifted in the air and thrown over Brody’s shoulder in a blink of an eye. I yelp in protest, and then again when I feel a hard slap on my exposed ass just as we’re starting to move up the stairs.

“Brody! Put me down!” I say, but it’s laced with my gleeful giggles when my body swishes upside down on his backside.

“This will happen every time you test me,” Brody says calmly, his voice is laced with humor.

We enter the bathroom, and I’m being disposed of on the cold countertop.

“So, that would mean always because I’m all about testing you, big guy,” I smart with a sultry smile.

Brody grins and leans toward my face with a grin. “And I’m here for it,” and then taps my nose before turning around to start the shower.

Okay, I always loved broody Brody with his dark looks and scowling face, but I think I may love playful and sweet Brody even more. Whom am I kidding? That man is always sexy, regardless of what he does.

After Brody makes sure the temperature in the shower is right, he undresses, with me thoroughly enjoying the free show, and after I step out of my underwear, we both get into the big shower stall.

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