“Honey, it was an honest mistake,” I tried to reassure him, but the mood shifted when he brought his heated gaze to mine.
“Say that again,” Brock demanded, his voice low and rough.
“Honey,” I said breathlessly, suddenly aware of his tight muscle beneath my hand. Feeling turned on and totally unfazed by our surroundings, I leaned in, brushing my breasts deliberately against his bicep, so that I could bring my lips closer to his ear. “I’m wearing a new garter, just for you.”
His eyes turned molten, and his fingertips began to caress my knee, moving slowly upwards.
“Okay, everyone, since the men vetoed games, we’re going to go ahead and get started on presents.” Sasha’s voice was like cold water, causing Brock and I to jerk back from each other and sit back on the couch in an attempt to look normal. I saw Sasha narrow her eyes at TJ and Cal, who just grinned back at her, then settled back to watch the opening of the gifts.
I could tell Brock was bored, since he was restless in the seat next to me, but I loved watching Shelly open the pretty packages. When she got to mine, her eyes misted over as the pristine white pram was revealed, and I stopped worrying over the fact that I’d bought an overly extravagant gift. I could tell she loved it, and I smiled at her when she gushed, “Thank you, Victoria, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“You did good, Tori,” Brock said loudly. He’d known how nervous I was over the gift.
I was watching, so I saw Scott’s look of surprise over Brock’s nickname, and it registered when Scott smiled and nodded that he was happy for me. I smiled back, then averted my eyes to watch Shelly open the next present.
At the earliest possible opening to leave, Brock turned to me and whispered, “I’ve taken all I can, babe. Let’s get outta here.”
We were saying our goodbyes and about to escape out the front door when Sasha stopped me with a hand on my elbow.
“We were talking about doing a girls’ night this weekend, hitting up the Whiskey Heat show. Do you want to go with us?”
I tried to hide my surprise at the offer, but was sure I failed. And, although I was excited that she was extending the olive branch, I was still nervous about being alone with just the girls.
“Can I invite my sister along?”
“Sure, the more the merrier,” Sasha replied with a smile.
“Okay, then.”
“Great, I’ll let you know where and when we’re meeting.”
I smiled genuinely at her, then succumbed to Brock’s urging, and let him drag me from the house.
“Thanks for encouraging me to come,” I said to Brock before taking his hand to get into the truck.
“Babe, I’ll encourage you anytime,” he said with a wink. And as I thought back to our fight and subsequent hot sex on the chaise, I climbed into the truck, the laughter coming from deep inside my belly.
Chapter 17 ~ Brock
Things had progressed quickly, and smoother than expected, which was why I was currently meeting Carson Brandt at my office. Victoria had been working tirelessly with her crew all week, and the redecoration was almost complete. All that was left were the final, cosmetic touches, so when Brandt wanted to meet, I figured it would be better to do so in an almost decorated office, rather than my living room.
I wanted to send the right message, after all … That I was a professional, and he should hire me.
We were just finishing up, and I knew in my gut that the meeting had gone well, so it was with a smile that I stood and shook Brandt’s hand.
“Thanks, Mr. Brandt. I appreciate you stopping by, and I’m sorry for the disarray.”
“Call me Carson,” Brandt said, his bright blue eyes never leaving mine. I had to respect a man whose grip was like steel, and whose gaze never wavered. He was a strong and powerful man, and I was eager to work with him. “I appreciate you allowing me to meet with you here, even though you are in the middle of decorating. I wanted to see where you work, and get a better idea of your operation, and I couldn’t do that if we’d met at my office.”
I walked him toward the reception area, trying to keep my excitement over the coveted project in check.
“I’ll ta
lk with Brady, get the site survey set up, and get the timeline to you by tomorrow,” I assured him. There was no way I was going to drop the ball on this; we were making Brandt Industries out top priority.
“I look forward to hearing from you,” Brandt was saying, then Victoria walked into the room, and he paused to ask, “Victoria?”
Victoria looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, before she gave Brandt a genuine smile.