Chapter 31

CHAPTER31

“Stupid Christmas cookies,” Cayley mumbled sadly as she took in the sugar cookies that she’d spent that last two hours making and couldn’t help but wonder why the icing that she’d made kept sliding off, taking the colored sugar and candied Santas along with it.

At least they tasted good, Cayley told herself as she picked up the one closest to her and-

Immediately turned around and spit the bite of cookie that was going to haunt her for years to come into the trash. That was followed by quickly making her way over to the kitchen counter where she’d left all the ingredients out, only to wince when she spotted the empty bag of sea salt that she may have inadvertently mistaken for sugar.

Grumbling because she really just couldn’t seem to catch a break today, Cayley picked up the plate of cookies and dumped them in the trash. That was followed by standing there for several minutes, debating whether this counted or not only to decide that it definitely counted as she made her way back to the living room, grabbed her iPad, dropped down on her couch with a pathetic whimper, and opened her list so that she could check off another item on her list.

Once she was done, Cayley tossed her iPad back on the coffee table, released a heartfelt sigh, and dropped onto her side so that she could stare at the Christmas movie playing that she really wasn’t in the mood to watch. That was followed by her releasing another sigh as she reached up and grabbed a throw pillow and pulled it closer so that she could get more comfortable as she lay there, wallowing in self-pity over her ruined Christmas cookies.

At least, that’s what she was going to tell herself was the reason why she was pouting. Cayley told herself as she shifted so that she could glance at her apartment door and-

God, she was pathetic, Cayley thought, still wondering about Bryce’s reaction to her question earlier. One minute, he was watching her, his expression warm, and the next, he couldn’t quite seem to look at her as he told her that it was time that they got back to work. Before she could wonder about that, he was walking her back to his truck, only pausing long enough so that he could lean down and brush his lips against hers, further confusing her.

The drive back to the office was quiet with Bryce absently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb as he looked lost in thought and-

She never should have asked him about Christmas, Cayley thought, sighing heavily as she returned her attention to the Christmas movie that she was pretty sure that she’d already watched and found herself wondering what could have happened to make him hate Christmas this much. She tried to think back to when they were little, but nothing stood out.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true, Cayley thought as she settled in more comfortably on the couch. Bryce had always been the more serious of all the James boys, but when Christmas rolled around, he was quieter, his smiles looked forced, and he never seemed to leave his room except to glare at her. She’d never thought much of it until now, Cayley realized, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she wondered about that.

She should also be wondering why Bryce was walking into her apartment, looking really determined for some reason as he made his way to the couch. As he reached down and grabbed hold of her ankles and gave them a gentle pull that had her rolling onto her back, Cayley took in his damp hair, the muscles flexing in his chest and arms as he pushed her legs apart before taking in the unbuttoned fly of his jeans as he settled himself between her legs just as his mouth found her neck.

God, that felt good, Cayley thought, unable to help but moan as she tilted her head back to make it easier for him. “I thought you were mad at me,” she found herself saying, only to moan when Bryce reached down and cupped the back of one of her legs and pulled it over his hip so that he could settle more comfortably between her legs.

“Does this feel like I’m mad?” Bryce asked, groaning against her neck as she wrapped her arms around him, even as she had to admit that this definitely didn’t feel like he was mad at her.

“No, but-” Cayley began to say, only to end on a moan when Bryce took her mouth in a kiss that made it difficult to think about anything other than just how good it felt when he touched her.

She loved the way that he touched her, alternating between soft caresses and running his hands over her with reverent touches that set her body on fire. Last night, he’d taken his time with her in the shower, running his hands over every inch of her body and looking absolutely enthralled by the action. He’d watched as his hands moved over her shoulders, down her arms and sides, looking as though he couldn’t quite believe that it was happening and determined to burn every caress into his memory. When it became too much for her to handle, she’d focused on exploring his body, amazed by just how good it felt to touch him.

She loved touching him, Cayley thought as she gave into the need to touch him now and ran her hands over his back, enjoying the feel of smooth, warm skin against hers. As he kissed her, slowly devouring her mouth with teasing caresses and groans that had her breath catching, she slid her hands down his back and beneath the waist of his jeans, only to moan when the move caused him to flex beneath her touch, making the hard bulge between his legs slowly grind against her.

Needing more, Cayley pressed her other leg against the couch to make more room for him as she ran her hands over him, cupping his ass and encouraging him to keep going with soft moans that had him groaning in approval as he rolled his hips against her as he broke off the kiss so that he could press his forehead against hers as he moved.

“Do you have any fucking idea how much I want you?” Bryce asked, only to groan when she tilted her head back so that she could lean up and take his mouth in another hungry kiss.

Since it actually terrified her to think about just how much she wanted him, Cayley decided that she wasn’t going to think about anything other than just how good it felt when he touched her. She was going to-

“Where are they?” came the angry demand that had them both going still.

Frowning, Cayley broke off the kiss and found herself biting back a sigh when she spotted Sean standing in her living room glaring down at them and-

“Why are you covered in flour?” Cayley asked as Bryce dropped his head against her neck and muttered, “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“Focus, woman!” Sean snapped, looking incredibly pissed as he reached up and wiped what she was assuming was flour off his face. “Where are they?”

“Where are what?” Cayley asked as Bryce reluctantly moved off her so that she could sit up and glare at her best friend.

“The Christmas cookies that you were supposed to make tonight,” Sean bit out, giving up on waiting for an answer and made his way to the kitchen, looking angrier every step of the way.

“I threw them out,” Cayley said, watching as Sean’s eyes narrowed on her accusingly before shifting his attention to her kitchen trash where he stood glaring down at the ruined cookies as a muscle in his jaw clenched, making her wonder what happened because she’d never seen him this pissed before. “What happened?”

“You want to know what happened?” Sean demanded as he shifted his attention to her freezer and grabbed the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that she’d really been looking forward to before grabbing a spoon and viciously stabbing it into the ice cream. “That woman…” he started to say, only to shake his head in disgust as he scooped up a large spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in his mouth as he walked into the living room and, after sending Bryce a glare that had him reluctantly moving aside, dropped down on the couch next to her with a muttered, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I see,” Cayley murmured as she took in the flour…or was that powdered sugar? making its way onto her couch.

She threw Bryce a questioning look only to find him looking at her with something close to regret as he got up and-

Glared down at his brother when Sean took advantage of the move and laid down so that he was taking over the couch with his head on her lap, effectively trapping her. When Cayley moved to push him off, Sean turned his head back to glare at her as he slowly shoved another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, all while sending her a look that dared her to do it. Not really knowing what else to do, Cayley sat back with a heavy sigh as she glanced back at Bryce just in time to watch him leave with a quietly murmured, “Goodnight.”

“What the hell just happened?” Cayley found herself asking, only to roll her eyes when Sean shifted pointedly and cleared his throat until she took the hint and rubbed his back.

With a grumble, Sean shifted his attention back to the television, grumbling between bites of ice cream while Cayley sat there, staring at her apartment door. An hour later, Sean moved on from the grumbling stage and was firmly settled in the glaring stage and devouring a box of cereal while she sat there, staring at her door, unable to help but wonder about a few things like when the large bastard that should be kissing her was going to come back. That led to her wondering about his reaction to her question earlier and the reminder that she’d never had a chance to finish her interrogation.

Her eyes narrowed on the door as she thought about all those things that she’d been wondering about before shifting her focus on his brother to find Sean still glaring at her while she debated her next move. Bryce was surprisingly difficult to interrogate, but his brother…

Was about to answer all of her questions, Cayley decided, biting back a smile.