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  Now, all he had to do was make sure the woman he loved agreed with his decision. He just couldn’t see living without her one more day.

  Chapter Nine

  Tess wasn’t in the best of moods. She’d tried exercise. The five-mile jog did nothing for her mentally, so she went the opposite route. After spending the morning baking, she made herself sick by eating half a dozen double chocolate chip cookies.

  She felt like throwing up.

  And it had nothing to do with the sweets and everything to do with the man.

  She had been sure that if she could get Bran to agree to friends with benefits she would be happy. Neither of them wanted to settle down, but that didn’t seem to matter to her heart. They had only made love two times, but she was in over her head already. Worse, she hadn’t heard from him since dinner with his father.

  Mr. J had done everything he could do to point Bran in her direction. Bran had joked about it, but he had left in such a bad mood, she didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know why he was so mad at her. Didn’t he have this arrangement with other women? Why was she so different from them?

  Dammit, she had promised herself she wouldn’t sit there and sulk. The fact that she smelled like a gym and chocolate was disgusting. She’d never been one to dwell. Her life had never permitted it. Sure, it had been rough cutting off most of her contact with Bran, but since he’d never noticed her before now, it had been easier somehow. Now though…this was going to be tough. And she didn’t want to brood about it. It wasn’t like her at all. Or cry, which was just what she was doing, she thought as she wiped tears off her cheeks. Crying was for wusses.

  Before she could finish the argument with herself, her doorbell rang. She frowned. It was the middle of the morning, and most of her friends were at work or busy. Also, they usually called before coming over. Being a nurse always left her with weird work hours, so they knew she could be sleeping at odd times.

  The doorbell rang again and was followed by pounding on her door.

  “Open up, Tess, I am not in the mood to stand out here.”

  Bran.

  Dammit. Just not what she needed at the moment. She wanted to pull herself together before facing him again. Since he’d agreed to her friends with benefits, she had to play the part. Or, dammit. He hadn’t. Right? He had her head so screwed up, she didn’t know if she was coming or going. It was pathetic and, with any other man, she wouldn’t take that kind of arrangement. Okay, she sort of had that arrangement, although not agreed to.

  “Tess, if you don’t answer me, I’m going to assume you’re hurt and call the cops. Mr. Beasley across the street said he would call for me.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. Drawing in a deep breath, she slipped out of the chair and headed to the door, grabbing a tissue on the way. After cleaning off her face, she took another deep breath, and opened the door.

  He was frowning at her and yet she still wanted him.

  “What the hell, Tess?”

  She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. “Most of my friends know not to show up without calling first.”

  His frown darkened. “I did call first.”

  Well, damn. She had been ignoring her phone today knowing that the hospital would call her home phone if they didn’t get her on her cell. It was childish, to be sure, but not any worse than him avoiding her the day before.

  “Did your father leave today?”

  He cocked his head to one side and stared at her for a long few seconds. A crack of thunder sounded overhead. She hated that he seemed to have the weather on his side. Of course Bran did. He always got everything he wanted.

  “That was well timed,” he said.

  She said nothing to that, waiting for her answer.

  “Are you going to leave me out here on the stoop to get drenched?”

  “Are you going to answer my question?”

  Okay, that was kind of childish, but she couldn’t help it. She was out of sorts and she needed time to figure it out. But, just like every other time in their lives together, Bran just butted his way into her business. Dammit.

  “Is everything fine over there, sir?” Mr. Beasley yelled from across the street. She glanced past Bran and saw the grumpy man standing on his sidewalk with an umbrella in his hand.

  “It would be if she would let me in the house.”

  “He’s going to get wet, Tess,” Mr. Beasley yelled out.

  When she looked back at Bran, he was smirking at her. She wanted to close the door on his face, but then Mr. Beasley would get onto her for being rude. And that was one thing Mr. Beasley understood.

  With an aggravated sigh, she turned on her heel and marched back into her living room. Someone up in heaven hated her. It had to be the only explanation of her luck lately.

  Bran followed her in. “Mr. Beasley claims you are ever so nice to most people, so he was kind of confused by your actions today.”

  She rolled her eyes then turned to face him.

  “What do you want, Bran?”

  He let one eyebrow rise and she felt her face heat. She had known he had a one-track mind, but she didn’t know it was quite that bad.

  “Other than that.”

  “Not sure there will be anything other than that.”

  She didn’t know what to make of that statement. “I thought you were supposed to report in today.”

  “I did. I had breakfast with Dad then reported in. It’s raining like hell and I said I had something important to take care of so I took my house hunting days.” Then his gaze traveled down her body. “Did you go running today?”

  It was then she remembered she was wearing her workout gear. And she probably stunk. Yep, someone up there hated her. He was standing there looking like Captain Freaking America and she smelled like dirty gym socks.

  Life was just not freaking fair.

  “Yeah, I do that every now and then.”

  “Is there a reason you’re pissed at me?” Bran asked easily.

  Yes. I love you and you just want friends with benefits. But she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Not when she had been the person to suggest it. It was her own fault and that irritated her even more.

  “No. I thought you were mad at me last night.”

  He shook his head. “No. I was mad at the situation and I knew I made a mistake.”

  Her heart sank just a little. “What?”

  “I shouldn’t have agreed to the arrangement.”

  She tried to swallow and found her throat suddenly dry. “Oh?”

  “Yeah, Tess, you deserve more than that.”

  “No problem.”

  She had to get out of there before she started crying again. Was it worse that he agreed or that he was calling it off? Either one sucked. And what he said was true, she did deserve more, but she also knew he didn’t have it to give.

  “Well, if that’s all you came over for, I need to get washed up. I have plans for later.”

  He frowned again. How could a man who had just broken her heart still look so sexy while he was irritated with her?

  “What kind of plans?”

  “A date.” That was a lie, but she needed to save face. She would not let him know how much he hurt her.

  “I don’t like that.”

  She crossed her arms again. “Too bad.”

  If anything his frown turned darker. “You’re not about to go out with another guy.”

  He said it as if his word was law. There was a small part of her that found the tone he used completely and absolutely sexy. Which, in turn, annoyed her. Seriously, if she always felt like jumping the man’s bones, even when he was being an ass, she wasn’t ever going to get over him.

  “I believe you just said you didn’t want to be involved with me.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “Yes you did.”

  “No. I said the arrangement wasn’t to my liking.”

  “Oh for the love of God, you are worse than Jesse
when it comes to being a diplomat.”

  “No. I refuse to accept friends with benefits with the woman I love.”

  “Seriously, one of these days you’re going to piss off…Wait, what?”

  Then, he strode to her, determination on his face. Before she could form a thought, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless. It took her more than a few seconds to get her brain to work again.

  She pulled back from the kiss and both of them were breathing heavily. When she tried to wiggle away, he tightened his arms.

  “Bran, let me go.”

  “Nope. Never. I refuse to.”

  “I know I smell and right now I need some space between us.”

  He hesitated then released her. She took a step back and tried to keep her head screwed on straight.

  “What did you mean by telling me you loved me?”

  She hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but she couldn’t help it. All this time she had been ready to play the game and now, this irritating man had the nerve to lie to her about loving her.

  “I figured since I’m in love with you, I should tell you.”

  “Stop it.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s not fair. Stop lying to me.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and made a sound of disgust. “Dammit, woman, I am not lying to you.”

  “Okay. Maybe you don’t even realize it, but just because I’m not following you around like a puppy dog doesn’t mean you have to use these tactics. I was the one who said we could just—“

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, growling out the words.

  “And you agreed. Then you said no.”

  “Because I don’t want that. You know, it figures you would give me issues with this. Out of all the women I could have fallen in love with, it had to be the one who isn’t easy.”

  She raised her chin. “I’ve never been easy.”

  “That’s an understatement. I could have had any woman—”

  She snorted. “That’s an exaggeration.”

  “What woman in their right mind would get pissed when a guy tells her he loves her?”

  “You don’t love me. And I am not mad.” She wasn’t. If she didn’t get rid of him soon, she was going to lose it in front of him and that was unacceptable. Tess was just trying to hold onto the one thing she had left, and that was her pride. If she let him, he would rip it to shreds and leave it in a heap at her feet.

  “Then what would you call it?”

  “Listen, Bran, I understand your father might have put some pressure on you to say these things, but it won’t help either of us to pretend we love each other.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to tell me that you don’t love me?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but he stopped her.

  “And if you lie, I will have to prove you’re wrong.”

  He stalked her then, following her around her couch. “Stop that. Dammit, Bran, I am not in the mood for your games.”

  “Really? Because I’m sick of yours, that’s for sure.”

  She faked moving to her left, then tried to run around the couch to put some space between them. As always, he was too fast for her. He caught up with her and backed her up against the wall. Placing a hand on each side of her head, he caged her in.

  “Now that we are done with the chase scene, let’s get on to more important things. Tell me why I don’t love you.”

  “You just don’t.”

  Dammit. She hated that he made her feel stupid all the time. She always resorted to teenager arguments with him.

  “Hmm,” he said as he leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. “I think my body disagrees with you.”

  “You’re a walking hormone, of course it does.”

  He chuckled and she couldn’t fight the shudder that ran through her body. “It’s more than that, Tess.”

  He drew back and then cupped her face with both hands. “I was telling the truth about that kiss all those years ago. Do you wonder why I never acted on any of those awkward moments in high school or college?”

  She shook her head.

  “I think deep down I knew that if I did, I might lose you and I can’t have that. Not then, not now. I need you in my life. Every day. I need you in my bed. Every night.”

  Her vision blurred and she realized she was crying.

  “Oh, don’t cry, baby,” he said, brushing his thumbs gently across her cheeks.

  “Don’t call me baby.”

  He smiled. “Because you think I call all women that? I don’t. You’re the only woman I call baby. You asked me to tell you why I love you?”

  “Not really.”

  “Well, here it is. I love you because you challenge me on every level. You’re smart…smarter than I am. Your dedication to your job astounds me, and you’ve always treated my family as if they were your own. And, you can kick my ass when I need it.”

  “That’s because you’re a wussy pilot.”

  He laughed and gave her a quick kiss. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on hers.

  “And that one night we spent in bed told me everything. You’re sweet and beautiful, and honey, I don’t think any woman could compare to you in that area. Just looking at you steals my breath and melts my heart.”

  “Oh.” It was the only thing she could say to him.

  “Yeah, oh. That night I realized I had been an idiot all these years, but truth is, I’m not sure I was ready for you before now.”

  She sniffed.

  “Now, you have to tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Tell me you love me and that you’ll marry me.”

  She frowned. “I might love you, but I never said I would marry you.”

  He looked at her and she couldn’t help it. She laughed in his face. With a growl, he lifted her into his arms and started down the hall to her room.

  “You are going to marry me because I’m not sure you’ll find another man to put up with that smart mouth of yours.”

  Epilogue

  Bran walked through the hotel door into the honeymoon suite and whistled. The drapes were open, presenting them a view of DC sparkling in the night. The sitting room had a couch and chair, along with a dining set that had champagne and strawberries chilling on top of it. Flowers filled the room, along with candles. “Not bad, Johnson,” the women in his arms said. He grinned at her.

  “Dad pulled some strings and got it for us. I guess I could take credit for it, but I won’t. The candles and flowers were all his doing.”

  She giggled and his heart danced. He didn’t think he would ever get used to the sound of it, or the fact that she was his.

  “I love you very much, Ms. Keller-Johnson.”

  She slipped her hand over his shoulder to the base of his neck.

  “I love you very much, too, Mr. Johnson.”

  Then she kissed him. Soft, sweet and enough to make him lose what little control he had left. From the moment he had seen her walk down the aisle with her father, Bran had been lost.

  He set her on her feet and stepped back to look at her. When she had chosen not to wear her navy uniform, he had been somewhat confused. That is, until he saw the slinky ivory dress. It hugged her curves and showed just enough of her breasts to drive him insane. He’d wanted to tear it off of her the moment he’d first seen her in it.

  “What?” she asked as her smile dimmed.

  He shook his head but didn’t even try to hide his feelings. “You take my breath away.”

  Her face pinkened and she grinned at him. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

  “I’m glad your parents gave up on the idea of a Florida wedding and came up anyway.”

  “First, not very sexy talking about my parents before we’re supposed to have hot monkey sex for the first time as a married couple.”

  He laughed.

  “And secondly, it wasn’t my mom, just my dad. Mom hates Florida so she was cool with it.”
<
br />   “Ah.” He pulled off his dress jacket and laid it on the chair. Then, he started to undo his bow tie and shirt. “Now, Tess, about that monkey sex.”

  She squealed and turned to run. He waited only a second before he followed her into the bedroom. He easily caught up with her. Bran pulled her into his arms then tumbled them both onto the bed. She was laughing when he kissed her.

  “I love you, Tess.”

  Her eyes shimmered with happy tears. “I love you too.”

  Then, he went about showing her how much he did love her.

  * * * *

  If you loved Tess and Bran, be sure to leave a review!

  About Melissa Schroeder

  From an early age, Melissa loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book. Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the best seller lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She was recently named Author of the year and most Accessible Author of the Year by the Authors After Dark Bookies.

  Since she spent her childhood as a military brat, Melissa swore never to marry military. But, as we all know, Fate has her way with mortals. She is married to an AF major and is raising her own brats, both human and canine. She spends her days giving in to her addiction to Twitter, Facebook, Doctor Who, and theBig Bang Theory. She is very thankful her airman is retired and they can live where the bugs die in the winter.