Brandon saw that Worth was even darker, if anything, and he was eating it up. He scooted his chair closer to mine and chirped, “So, let’s see what kind of planning you had in mind.”
I hesitated only a second and then began stacking things up. “You know… I’m sorry, but I’m getting a monster headache. I think maybe we’ll continue this another time? Worth, would you take me home?” I didn’t dare look at Worth and I knew he hadn’t even begun his lunch.
“Oh, what a shame,” Brandon cooed. “But listen, Worth there hasn’t even begun eating. Why don’t I run you home, Auggie, and let Worth eat in peace?” Brandon stood up and slurped the end of his coffee. “See, I’m ready to go.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” I demurred.
“Oh, it’s no problem, none whatsoever. We can catch up on the ride back. I’ve wanted to get in touch with you for some time.”
Worth stood and picked up our food-laden plates, chucking them both into the garbage before slapping the empty tray on top of the trash bin. “We’re all done eating, Brandon,” he snarled the name. “I’ll take Auggie home and you don’t need to give it a second thought.”
Brandon looked at Worth’s expression and gave a cocky half-smile. “Like that, is it?”
“You got it,” Worth said simply.
Brandon shrugged and looked at me. “That okay with you, Auggie?”
I nodded immediately and Brandon smiled again, that knowing smile that said everything and yet revealed nothing about the extent of his speculations. “Good enough,” he said and stood there, tapping the back of his chair, waiting while we packed up our things. I guess he was using that time to rub it in a bit more and he knew very well that Worth and I would be having a fight about this when we left. He was getting in one last, subliminal punch at Worth, all the while pretending chivalry.
Worth’s entire body was stiff with anger, but he could say or do nothing. I felt my heart go out to him and knew it was all my fault.
Brandon stood next to the door, waiting for us and as we approached, he swung it open and stood back to let us pass. It was yet another subtle alpha move to indicate he was in control of the door and was allowing Worth to leave.
I was completely helpless. A skilled trial lawyer and a highly-educated psychologist; how could I even begin to compete? The headache was no longer a fabricated excuse. It was building in the stress center of my brain.
Brandon insisted on walking us out to Worth’s car. There was no opportunity to turn around and go back into the restaurant. I thought it couldn’t get worse, but it did.
Brandon piped up. “Auggie, I’m going to be tied up with a trial next week so I’ve got some papers at the office I’d like to get you to sign today. That way I can finish everything up and take it with me to the courthouse on Monday morning to file. I’ll drop by your house this evening and get that little detail taken care of.”
What could I say? Oh, the tangled webs…
“Brandon, I think my parents are having guests tonight.”
“Perfect! Always room for one more at the table, isn’t there? Dinner at seven, as always?”
I was breathless at his audacity. Worth, on the other hand, looked ready to kill him.
I smiled weakly and Brandon saluted the settled deal as he walked down the street, whistling. Worth opened my car door and I slid as gracefully as a sinking ship can manage into the seat.
Worth got in next to me. “You and I are going to have a little talk, young lady.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what, Auggie?” his voice was loud and angry.
“Don’t begin that interrogation attitude. I get it from my mother, but I will not tolerate it from you.” Okay, so perhaps I went a bit strong but sometimes the best defense is the unexpected offense. Regardless, we had better start this marriage thing out with an understanding about who was in charge of me.
Worth was furious and started the car, pulling out and doing a one-eighty degree turn from the parking space. We were headed back toward my house. I hung on to my seatbelt but was too frightened to say a word. He passed the sign for the city limit going a solid eighty. I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
“You have some anger issues, you know that?” I popped off at him.
Fifty feet later, I found myself sitting at the end of someone’s driveway. I’d never seen a car turn ninety degrees to a screaming stop like that before. I tried to open the door, but Worth had his finger planted firmly on the child-proof lock. I was trapped and began to panic. Worth was staring a hole into the side of my face.
Without warning, he slammed the car into reverse and retraced his path. We were now headed back toward Shelbyville. At least this time, I had the presence of mind to keep my mouth shut.
Two minutes later, we were pulling into the parking area of the bed and breakfast. Worth leapt from the car and before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, he had my door open and was pulling me out. He threw me over his shoulder like a bag of feed and strode into the door of the quaint inn. After tossing a five-hundred-dollar bill on the reception desk, he took the stairs two at a time. He threw me on the four-poster bed and slammed the door. The lock clicked a second later. How did he even know which room was ours? I barely had time to mentally condemn him for being a regular customer when he approached the bed and began tearing my clothes off… literally.
I began to fight, slapping him across the face and pushing at the arms that pinned me to the bed.
“Lie still,” he said in a low growl through gritted teeth.
Within seconds, I was naked, and so was he. His mouth came down on mine and it hurt, but it was a wonderful hurt; a possessive hurt that told me everything I might have ever questioned. He was erect and throbbing, entering me not forcefully, but with a smooth movement that allowed no foreplay. It, too, hurt, but it was the same wonderful, possessive pain as his kiss.
Worth lunged into me over and over and I cried with the joy of it. His face relaxed from the anger it had held to an adoration and triumph. He was the hunter and now he was taking possession of his prey — me. I let myself get swept away in the momentum of transitioning emotions. The tears streamed down my cheeks and through them, I kissed his face, his eyelids and finally his mouth. “I love you, I love you,” I murmured into his ear just before I pushed my tongue into it to hold the words in place in his mind.
“I love you too,” he rasped and took over my mouth, building us both to the summit. The world exploded and we fell into a fetal position, clinging to one another in desperation of losing the moment and the touch.
We lay this way for an hour, only a coverlet above our naked bodies had changed.
Worth held me tightly. “You swear to tell me the truth?” he whispered.
I nodded and folded into his body more closely.
“Who is he to you?”