Chapter 9

CHAPTER9

What the hell was wrong with him? Bryce wondered as he continued glaring up at his bedroom ceiling instead of heading to his sister’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and-

God, she’d felt so fucking good in his arms.

There was something seriously wrong with him, but he’d figured that out two nights ago when he found himself struggling not to turn around and pull Cayley back into his arms. He never should have touched her, never should have pulled her into his arms, but once she was there, he never wanted to let her go and-

“I’m losing my fucking mind,” Bryce said, sighing heavily even as he found himself thinking about her again. He thought about how much he liked having her in his arms, the way that it felt when she laid her head against his chest, how good it felt to run his fingertips over her lower back, and just how badly he wanted to run his hands over the rest of her body, tracing those generous curves that he’d thought about more than he should over the years.

It felt so good having her breasts pressed against him, Bryce thought as he reached down and adjusted the growing erection pressing against his boxers, only to end up closing his eyes on a moan as he thought about Cayley’s beautiful, plump, pink lips and just how good they’d feel wrapped around his cock. He ran his palm over his cock, trying to relieve the pressure as he thought about what it would feel like to have her lips brush against the tip, teasing him before she wrapped those incredibly beautiful lips around it.

It would probably take everything he had not to come as soon as he felt her warm, wet tongue touch him, Bryce thought as he slipped his hand inside his boxers and pulled his cock out, stroking it from the base to the tip. He thought about what it would be like as Cayley slowly took the tip in her mouth, gently sucked it as he reached down and palmed her breast, gently kneading it in his hand as he struggled against the urge to move his hips.

Christ, it would take everything in him to stay still as she moved her mouth over him. Bryce thought about how good her mouth would feel, hot and wet, while her tongue would feel like fucking heaven caressing the underside of his cock while he let her nipple slide between his fingers. As much as he would love to lose himself in her mouth, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he needed more and forced himself to slide his cock out of her mouth so that he could explore her body with his mouth and hands, paying special attention to all those places that he’d been thinking about over the years.

He’d kiss his way down her throat, kissing a path down between her breasts, where he would take his time worshipping them as he slid his hand between her legs and-

Dropped his hand away with a curse when he realized what he was doing. One fucking touch and he was already losing his fucking mind, Bryce thought, sighing heavily as he climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom, where he planned on taking a cold shower. He should have taken that blonde’s invitation the other night, but he’d never been into one-night stands, but Christ, did he need to get laid if he was lying here thinking about what it would take to make Cayley moan in his ear.

He never should have made that deal, Bryce thought as he stepped into the shower. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it was a mistake, which is why he found himself sitting in that bar the other night. He needed a chance to clear his head only to find himself watching Cayley as he thought about everything that she’d said and quickly realized that this was a bad idea, but for a chance to get his hands on the Thomas property, he’d be willing to do almost anything.

Even risk his sanity, Bryce realized, sighing heavily as he stepped into the shower and turned the cold water on. He could do this. He’d spend the next month with the little brat to prove to his sister that the Bradford curse was just a line of bullshit that the men in his family told themselves to explain their weird obsessions with their neighbors.

After that, he’d fix Thomas House, find a buyer, and focus his attention on the Dawson Project. Until then, he would play along with his sister’s rules, spend time with Cayley, and make sure that he kept his fucking hands to himself. He had no idea why he’d reacted to her like this, and he didn’t plan on finding out. He had enough bullshit in his life.

He-

Was late, Bryce realized when he heard his phone chiming from the other room. Sighing heavily, he turned off the shower and grabbed a towel off the shelf, quickly drying off before heading to his room and resigning himself to the long day ahead. Once he was dressed, he went to grab the pie that his sister told him to bring for dinner, only to remember that he already ate it. Shrugging it off, Bryce opened his apartment door, and-

Wondered why he’d agreed to this asinine plan when the smoke detectors went off.

* * *

“Why areyou doing this to me?” Cayley demanded as she struggled not to fall off the chair as she frantically waved the Christmas baking magazine that she’d picked up for inspiration in the general direction of the smoke alarm that wouldn’t stop blaring. It would probably be more effective if she released the death grip that she had on the back of the chair so that she could stand up straight, bringing her closer to the smoke alarm, but since that would most likely result in her falling to her death, Cayley decided that this would have to do.

“Stupid turkey,” Cayley muttered with a heartfelt sigh as she stared at the large turkey that had moved past the lovely golden color that she’d been hoping for and settled on charcoal.

She probably should have taken it out when that little plastic thingie popped up, but in her defense, she didn’t have a meat thermometer, mostly because she’d never had a reason to buy one before, so she decided that the best course of action was to leave the turkey in the oven for a little bit longer just to be on the safe side. That had resulted in regret, the smoke alarm going off, and for some strange reason that she couldn’t understand at the moment, the large man that she’d found herself thinking about over the last two days standing in her kitchen, once again, glaring at her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bryce asked, sighing heavily as he reached over and plucked her off the chair and placed her on her feet before making his way to the small kitchen window and opened it, which, in retrospect, was something that she probably should have done as soon as she realized that the turkey was on fire.

“Proving your brother wrong,” Cayley said as she shifted her attention to the potatoes that she’d been boiling and-

Sighed when she realized that they’d turned to slush sometime in the last five minutes. Damn it. That led to her discovering that the bag of frozen corn that she’d tossed on the counter had thawed and was now a watery mess, which was followed by the realization that she forgot to turn on the burner for the butternut squash, the white sauce that she’d made for the creamed onions was filled with lumps, and her biscuits…

She forgot to make them.

“How’s that going?” Bryce asked as he turned off the oven while she stood there, trying not to wince because she probably should have done that too.

“Great,” Cayley said, sighing heavily as she grabbed her cellphone off the kitchen counter and did a quick search for restaurants that were open near her, deciding that perhaps she’d start a new Thanksgiving tradition, one that didn’t involve burning a turkey.

“Is there a reason why you’re here instead of at your aunt’s house or with your father?” Bryce asked, taking in the mess that was her kitchen while she tried to remember if she’d locked her door last night. Probably not, considering the fact that he’d been able to walk into her apartment without knocking. She should probably start locking it, Cayley decided as she followed his gaze, only to sigh when she saw the mess waiting for her.

“My father made other plans,” Cayley said, deciding not to mention that he’d made those plans after she’d assured him that she was spending Thanksgiving with Kevin and his family since that would only lead to a conversation that she wasn’t in the mood to have right now. “And I’m banned from Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house,” she said with a shrug that had him frowning until she added, “Your brother.”

“Why didn’t you go with Sean to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving, then?” Bryce asked as he reached over and plucked the phone out of her hand.

“Because I wasn’t invited?” Cayley said, blinking up at him and somehow pissing him off more if that small muscle twitching in his jaw was any indication. Well, that and the way that he was glaring down at her really just said it all.

“My brother didn’t invite you to Thanksgiving dinner knowing that you had nowhere to go this year?”

When she only stared at him, his eyes narrowed dangerously on her. “Sean doesn’t know that you didn’t go see your father, does he?”

“I felt that it would be in my best interest to tell him as little as humanly possible,” Cayley explained, plucking the phone back out of his hand as she debated between Denny’s and the Chinese place on Main Street that she hadn’t had a chance to try yet.

“Why?” Bryce demanded, once again plucking her phone out of her hand, only to slide it into his back pocket while he stood there, waiting for an answer that she would rather not give him.

“Because I hate him,” Cayley said, nodding solemnly.

When he only continued glaring at her, Cayley felt her shoulders drop as she mumbled, “Because he would ask questions.”

“And that would be bad because…”

“It would lead to questions that I would rather not answer at the moment,” Cayley said, hoping that would be enough to end this line of questioning.

It wasn’t.

“Like…”

“Exactly,” Cayley said, nodding solemnly only to grumble, “I haven’t told my father about Kevin yet,” when he continued glaring.

“You broke up six months ago,” Bryce pointed out, still glaring for some reason.

“Which is why showing up to Thanksgiving dinner alone would be awkward,” she explained.

“Because you’re hoping that you get back together?” Bryce asked after a slight hesitation.

“No, because he would want to know why I ended things after two years,” Cayley said, shrugging it off as she went to grab a box of cereal from the cabinet next to her, only to sigh when she realized that Sean had already cleaned her out.

“You broke it off?” Bryce asked, drawing her attention to find him frowning in confusion.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Cayley asked, deciding that a bowl of ice cream sounded perfect, only to once again sigh when she realized that Sean had somehow beat her to it.

“I was more surprised that you stayed with the asshole for so long,” Bryce said, making her frown before changing the subject. “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” Cayley couldn’t help but wonder as she watched him run his eyes over her only to sigh, shake his head, and mutter, “This just isn’t going to work for me.”

“What’s not going to work for you?” Cayley asked, following his gaze and took in the oversized Bradford Construction tee-shirt that she stole from Sean, the green flannel pajama pants that were really comfy, and her socks with mini donuts with pink frosting before looking back up at Bryce to find him gesturing towards her bedroom.

“We’re already late,” he said as though that really explained everything.

It didn’t.

“Late for…”

“Dinner at my sister’s house,” Bryce said, once again gesturing for her to get on with it.

“Where Sean is expected to be?” Cayley asked, only to shake her head because that wasn’t happening. “I’m good where I am.”

Nodding slowly, Bryce murmured, “I see,” making her sigh in relief. That is, until he shrugged it off, reached for her, and-

“What are you doing?” Cayley couldn’t help but wonder as she found herself thrown over his shoulder.

“Do you know what happens when you’re late to one of my family’s dinners?” Bryce asked, sighing heavily as he turned around and headed for the door.

“You get a lecture on time management?” Cayley asked, wondering why the men in his family found it necessary to manhandle her.

“You get cleanup duty,” Bryce said, making her wince because she remembered all too well what that entailed from those times that her father had to work late and she’d been forced to have dinner at his house when she was little. “So, unless you want to spend the rest of the night doing dishes, I suggest that we get going,” he said, making her frown in confusion.

“Wait. Why would I have to do the dishes?” Cayley couldn’t help but wonder as he made his way to the door.

“Because you’re making me late,” Bryce said with a long-suffering sigh as she tried to figure out the logic behind that statement.

“But I wasn’t invited,” Cayley pointed out, absently gesturing towards the kitchen as she mumbled, “Aunt Laura made a pie for me.”

“And yet, I’m still going to blame you,” Bryce said, making her grumble as he turned around and headed back to the kitchen, where she was jostled around a bit as he grabbed the pumpkin pie out of the fridge and rummaged through her silverware drawer for a fork before she once again found herself being carried towards the door and-

“This isn’t going to end well,” Cayley mumbled, only to sigh when Bryce said, “Probably not.”