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  I had to look away from Katelynn, because her tears mixed with the emotions I was feeling it had all become so much.

  “When I met Brynn, I tried to continue on with that facade. But that was impossible when I was with the two of you.” I took in a deep breath, before slowly releasing it.

  “Is it because we’re awesome?”

  I chuckle and look up to find Katelynn smiling back at me.“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head wondering how I ever thought I could walk away from either of these girls. “It’s because the two of you are amazing, and that scared me.”

  “I wanna trust you,” she tells me as she rests her head against the back of the chair still looking directly at me. “But if you ever hurt her again—”

  “I won’t,” I assure her, “you’re both safe with me, that’s a promise.”

  “Don’t make me regret letting my guard down.”

  I nod, wondering how this kid was only twelve years old. She seems so much wiser, but then I remember the life she’s lived and I vow to change it all. I’d show her a life she’s only ever imagined and I’d cherish both her and Brynn to the point that never again would they ever fear what the next day may bring. They were mine now, I just had to do everything possible to convince them of this too.

  I wake with a jolt, as something collides with my jaw. Peeking one eye open I see what’s responsible for the impact. Brynn’s hand rests upon my cheek, her other stretches out against the back of the couch we lay on.

  Slowly scanning the room, I see Katelynn curled up on the recliner. The television appeared to be paused on a movie I don’t recognize and now the sound of two girls snoring fills the quietness of the room. I never thought such a sound would seem soothing but it was. They were here, exactly where I want them, not just tonight, but every night that follows I’d be sure of that. Though it may take time, in the end I would have them here with me always.

  “Mm.” Brynn shifts again and twists her body. The position she’s in, moving her body the way she continues, is doing some damage to control. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She mumbles the words, her eyes still closed as she snuggles back in against my chest. Her hand now curls around my side almost like she needs to hold onto me as much as I need her to. “We should go.”

  “You should stay,” I reply without a moment of hesitation.

  Her eyes flutter open and she finds me looking at her, which doesn’t seem to surprise her as a smile stretches out over her lips. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” I don’t say anything, only shrug playfully which makes her face light up even more. “Get us here, feed us, wear us down, and then supply me with a comfy couch and warm body.”

  Damn it, why does everything she say at this point sound sexual?

  “Well, played, Mr. Reynolds.” She laughs. “I see some things don’t change.”

  “What?” I play innocent but I know exactly what she’s referring to.

  “The excitement in your eyes when I called you Mr. Reynolds was clear.” If she wasn’t smiling and looking up at me with that smoldering look in her eyes I may worry. “I suspect Sir is still something that excites you too.”

  “Maybe.” I lift my hand to trail my fingers over her side and notice instantly the way her breathing grows uneven. “I do still like control, Brynn.” I wait for her to react, but I think she is entirely too focused on my hand as I continue to let it ride up her body and skim over the side of her breast.

  “I can’t be that person, I couldn’t then and I can’t now,” she confesses and even though inside I feel a sense of panic, I continue to stare at her, touching her and showing her that things are different.

  “This is nothing like before baby,” with my fingertips skimming over her shoulder, along the side of her neck and then to her cheek I enjoy the struggle she has to keep her eyes alert. They droop and threaten to close. “There are no rules, Brynn, just two people that are extremely attracted to one another,” I cup the side of her face and she looks up at me, her eyes widen once more. “You hold the power, Brynn, I think you always have.”

  “I’ve never felt like I have, not with you.”

  For a moment we simply stare at one another as I wait for her to say more, and I think she waits for me to respond. But I couldn’t, because I wasn’t sure what I could say to make her understand the things I feel and have felt inside since I first saw her at the club.

  “When I’m with you I forget everything,” she finally continues. “I forget the girl I am, the trouble I have, it all just disappears.”

  “You’re strong, and beautiful.” I tell her and find that when she dips her head to hide her face I need to see her accept this. More than anything I need Brynn to realize just how amazing she is. “I’m the one that feels inferior to you,” her eyes widen just enough to notice. “You’re so much more than I ever bargained for but I’m thankful I found you. Because you’ve changed everything, and now the only thing I want is to be the man that you deserve. I wanna make you happy, Brynn, at this point the only thing that matters to me is the smiles you and Katelynn wear. I wanna be the man that put them there.”

  I slouch as much as I possibly can and once Brynn realizes my movements are to bring us closer she arched her neck, meeting me halfway. Pressing my lips to hers, I show her just how gentle I can be. Though inside I want nothing more than to ravish her, I rein in that hunger and just feel. Feel the way her mouth moves against mine, or the way her body relaxes within my hold.

  “I want it all, Brynn,” I confess, feeling like a man so unlike the one I’ve been for far too long. “And I want it all with you.”

  When she sighs against my lips I take it a little further and nip her lower lip as she parts hers. Sliding my tongue over the place I’d just bitten I’m pleased to feel her own seek mine as we continue to taste and tease.

  “Stay with me,” I whisper between kisses not giving her the opportunity to deny me without being forced to at least think about it. “Right here, just like this,” I add, followed by yet another kiss.

  “On the couch?” She pulls away, and instantly I find that I miss her lips on mine.

  “Yeah.” Again I give her a playful wink and match it with a smile. “You not comfortable?”

  My couch was large and plush, and made for lounging, it felt more like laying on a cloud than a sofa. I’ve spent many nights crashed here after a long day, though most nights it was filled with a lot of deep thinking versus movies.

  “It’s difficult to be completely comfortable with all this hardness beneath me.” She realizes the way her words sound a moment too late and I arch my brow trying to hide the humor as her face reddens. “I meant your body, but there’s that too.”

  I take it upon myself to roll her over and tuck her in close at my side. “Is this better?” I wrap my arm around her middle, resting my palm over the place that held our child. I was still floored by the idea that she was carrying my child. I told myself I’d never go down that road again, it was all too hard. Yet here I was, and I couldn’t be more happy.

  “Yes,” she whispers, “better.”

  “I won’t push, Brynn.” I move the hair back away from her face and allows my fingers to skim over her jaw in the process. “But I want this, the two of you here with me.”

  “Alec, I just—”

  I press my finger against her lips. “I said I won’t push. I just wanted you to know what it is I’m aiming for here.” She nods, accepting that I have this goal. “You know how strong willed I can be too, so I’ll get you here, one day.”

  “Strong willed?” She smiles. “Pushy and demanding is more like it.” She snuggles in closer and I actually hear her breathe me in which makes my heart race. “Yet I find that, that is a part of you I honestly love.”

  We grow silent as I mull over her words. I want this woman so deeply, so intensely that I felt almost as if that alone was taking over every other thought in my mind.

  Chapter 24

  Brynn

  “We have Mrs. Hi
nder coming in at eleven and Winston at one.” Rose taps away on the keyboard as she looks over our schedule for the day. If you’d like to prepare rooms four and nine for the massages that will be here in less then twenty, I’ll grab Helena for Mrs. Hinder’s pedicure.”

  “Okay.” I grab two towels off the shelf and step back out of the supply room and pause near the end of the counter. “What’s Winston having done today?”

  I immediately see a smile cover Rose’s mouth. “What do you think?”

  “The works, darlin’,” we say in unison which only then leads into a fit of laughter. Winston works in the fashion industry, he is all about frilly and chic. The man knows his designers and is friends with at least ninety percent of them, he is amazing. Fun, hyper, and oh my hell a heap of trouble. We simply adore his visits.

  I’ve been working for Serenity for close to a month now and each day I only love it more. The clientele we have is more like family with the exception of a few that believe we are beneath them. Those are the few we sit around and talk trash about after they leave, and most of the time it’s conversation shared with our more amazing clients.

  Things were good, here and outside of here. Alec was still surprising me daily with his kindness. We’ve kept things very slow as in it’s killing us both, but we don’t want to rush things. Me, I was ready to tackle him to the ground and demand he give me a little something, something, if you know what I mean. A woman could only take so much cuddling and kissing before she needed more. As in I was damn horny and the man needed to put out already because my hormones were a raging.

  “Good morning, ladies,” I turn around just as Aric sweeps through the door with a brunette hooked beneath his arm. “Thought I’d bring in my girl for a little pampering session while I have lunch with a potential agent.”

  His girl? Aric didn’t have just one, the man was a straight up whore.

  When he sees the questioning in my eyes he simple winks as he pulls the girl in a little tighter. Girl meaning I wasn’t sure she was much older than eighteen.

  “I’ll take her in to see Corrine,” Rose says, standing up from her desk. “She just finished up with her last client and she doesn’t have another coming in until two.”

  “Perfect.” Aric releases his hold on the girl and gentle pats her on the ass which makes her giggle. Yes, I said giggle, that annoying girlish way that again only makes me question if she is legal.

  As Rose leads her off she looks back over her shoulder and offers Aric a little wave and I cannot help it, I roll my eyes. “Real mature, Brynn,” Aric adds and I glare up at him. He of course grins, seeming very pleased with himself.

  “Mature? What about you?” I place my hands on my hips when he shrugs as if he’s done absolutely nothing wrong. “Did you pick her up right off the local high schools front steps?”

  “She’s a model.”

  “For what, the new teen clothing line of Old Navy?”

  He shakes his head. “No, silly.” He hooks his arm over my shoulder and pulls me in close. “Victoria Secret, and let me just say, there are now absolutely no secrets between her and I.”

  I punch him in the side and he lets out a groan.

  “You wanna let go of my woman, Aric?” We both spin around and part as if we’d been doing something wrong and find Alec standing just inside the front door. He didn’t have a pleased look on his face while staring at his brother.

  “My?” Aric teases him and I see this going nowhere good, fast. “I think it’s safe to say that she is ours.”

  “I think it’s safe to say that Rose is about to clean you up off the lobby floor of your spa if you don’t step back and place some room between my woman and you.” Again he lays emphasis on the word my. They were like two little boys fighting over the basketball on the playground. Yet all I could focus on was the part where he said this was Aric’s spa. Now that could mean his as in the spa he comes to often, or it could mean his as in his.

  “That won’t please your clients much when they find such a mess in your fine establishment.” Alec doesn’t even seem the slightest bit phased by the words he spoke but Aric, he looks like he’s a little green around the gills.

  “You own this place?” Aric looks to Alec, and it’s then his features change to one of concern. I don’t need him to replay, I can see the answer written on both of their faces. “So when you set up this interview for me it was all some type of hoax that was played out because you already knew I had the job?”

  “I own it yes, but Rose runs it.”

  I didn’t buy it. “And you—” I point to Alec. “You knew about this too, didn’t you?”

  “I, we just—”

  “Thought that you’d throw this job in my face and hope I’d take the bait.” Again the two of them look at one another for help. “I cannot believe you two.” I turn around and grab the towels from the place I’d left them on the counter and hear both of them say my name almost simultaneously.

  “No,” I say holding up my hand to stop them. “I don’t want to talk to either of you right now.”

  “Brynn, please, the job was perfect for you.” Aric moves forward and I hold on a little tighter to the towels to keep from throwing them at him. “Fine,” I said, “so why lie, both of you? You led me to believe that you had no control over the matter when in fact, I’m sure the two of you came up with this plan together. So why not just tell me to begin with that you own a spa that has an opening you think I may benefit from? Instead of sitting around over drinks and deciding together that you’d sneakingly plan my life for me.”

  The widening of each of their eyes is confirmation enough. “Unbelievable,” I mutter as I storm off and leave the two of them standing in the lobby confused as to what they should do next. Men especially the Reynolds men and their need for control.

  It had been twenty-four hours since I last talked to Alec. I was still irritated over he and his brother’s need to lie. Or omit the truth, but same difference in my eyes. Damn Reynolds boys, and I say boys because they are acting like them. They are controlling, manipulative, and on most days I ask myself why I put up with their behavior.

  Then Alec goes and does something to remind me of why I’m falling for him more and more each day. Kind of like now.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask as he steps into the room where I lay upon a table with my shirt hiked up to my chest and warm gel pooled on my stomach.

  “You told me about the appointment last week.” He offers the technician a nod before stepping up to my side. “I put it in my calendar to ensure I wouldn’t miss this.” He takes my hand in his before leaning over to place a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Besides, you can’t be mad at me forever.”

  “Yes I can.” I definitely could not.

  “Okay babe,” he winks before sitting on the small stool at my side and focuses on the screen before us. Suddenly the sound of our baby’s heartbeat fills the room and the smile that spans out over his face makes it all worth it. Oh my god, it was beautiful.

  “Nice strong heartbeat,” the technician says yet I continue to watch Alec’s reaction. I tried to imagine how anyone could ever put him through what that woman did. Telling him he had a child only to rip that little boy away from him in the end. It still broke my heart.

  “You’re still measuring the same and the original due date of March nineteenth seems accurate.” A look of alarm takes over his face and he quickly tucks it away. I want to ask him what’s going on, only I decide to wait for us to be alone.

  “Here are a few pictures,” she holds them out, and Alec reaches out to take them, as he looks over them closely.

  “Amazing,” he whispers the word a grin covering his lips.

  “I’ll leave you to get cleaned up and when you’re finished I’ll be right outside to take you up front.” I nod as she exits the room though Alec never once looks away from the pictures.

  “What’s March nineteenth?” I ask him the moment the door is closed and I can visibly see his shoulders ten
se. “And before you decide to tell me that it’s our child’s due date, do me a favor and just answer the question I’m asking truthfully.”

  I allow him a minute or two, sensing that whatever it is, it can’t be easy. “It’s Caden’s birthday.” Silence settles over us and Alec still has yet to look at me. I can see him worrying his lip and he still stares ahead at the sonogram photo. “Sorry to bring it up.”

  “Hey.” I reach out and grip his shoulder and it’s then he looks at me. “I asked you, and even if I didn’t, I would never expect you to not mention him. You loved him, Alec, and I suspect that you still do. It’s not his fault or yours that his mother did what she did. That space you hold for him inside your heart is a place I’d never ask you to let go of.”

  He nods, and it’s evident that this is all still such a sore subject for him. I realize then that it is possible to hate someone you’ve never met, because I hate the woman that made this man feel the way he does.

  “So you still mad at me?” He asks after a few more passing minutes and when he lifts his head he’s grinning. I know it’s to break the tension and I assume the smile he is wearing is related to the fact he knows that I can’t stay mad at him long.

  “Yes.”

  “Such a liar,” he says as he rises up out of his chair and leans in very close. “You cannot resist me and my charm.”

  “Charm is something you have plenty of,” I tell him, “but I think it’s more because I know the things you do, you do with the best intentions.” He doesn’t say anything, only continues to watch me close. “You have a good heart, Alec, and I thank you for letting me see that.”

  “You make me a better man,” he whispers before kissing me softly, and just like that I forget that he and his brother are so god damned pushy and controlling.