The man’s a god.
Gripping the doorway for support, I swallow hard when I hear Brandon’s deep, confident tone in conversation with my Dad long before I set eyes on him.
Taking a second, I do my best to pull myself together, forcing my mouth into a tight smile. I swing my head into the room and try extra hard to sound normal.
“Hey, Dad. Hey…Brandon,” I squeak, stifling a sigh at the sound of his name on my lips.
So quiet, I’m sure neither of them really hears me. But before my Dad even turns in his seat, Brandon’s eyes have already locked onto me.
Whatever he was in the middle of saying to my Dad is suddenly interrupted by yours truly.
I feel my face getting hot as I flush deep red, Brandon’s dark and penetrating eyes settling on my chest before he grunts a low sound of greeting.
I try to look down out of habit. But it’s like trying not to look at the most beautiful, perfect thing in the whole world.
Jesus, I swear he gets hotter every time I see him.
It’s the same brooding look he gave me the last time I saw him, the day I graduated from college late last year.
And it’s the same look from Brandon that sees my Dad have the same reaction he had that day, too.
He does a quick double-take, sidelong glance at his best friend before swinging himself around in his seat.
“Hiya, sweetie, just talking to Brandon,” he begins, but noticing my undeniable reaction, Dad asks me if I’m okay.
“Honey?” he asks me a second time when I get tongue-tied for the third time in as many seconds.
Brandon’s eyes narrow, and his jaw tightens when that seemingly endless gaze of his starts to scan me, head to toe.
I feel my fingers scratching at the door frame, watching Brandon’s huge Adam’s apple bob and pulse as he swallows hard, too.
Dad’s nervous chuckle breaks the long silence, and figuring I must just be in another of my ‘moods,’ he swings back around to Brandon, commenting on his best friend’s expression.
“Whatisit with you two?” he asks his bestie, forcing a dry laugh.
“Seems like you two gotta dirty secret or something,” Dad adds, his tone shifting from half-joking to serious in a second.
Brandon doesn’t even seem to hear my Dad, and with his eyes still on me, I watch his perfect mouth curl into a smile.
His perfect gleaming white teeth peek through those lips, and that dimple he gets on his stubbled cheek whenever he smiles is still adorable.
His whole expression shifts once he senses my Dad’s suspicion, but I still can’t join the dots myself about how or even why Brandon’s been giving methe looksince graduation.
It was supposed to be the most important day of my life because I had finished college.
But with Brandon there, the way he looked at me. And finally, when he hugged me in congratulations….
Well. That day is etched in my mind forever for a whole bunch of other reasons now. And all of them put together spell one word.
Brandon.
He’s a huge guy and all muscle. At the time, I thought him grabbing me so hard after I got my diploma was just him being caught up in the moment.
But when I felt his whole hard body pressing right into mine as he leaned down, I knew it wasn’t your regular type of hug.
“I’m so proud of you, May,” he whispered in my ear. And although I didn’t hear what he said next as clearly, I’m certain he said something else that day.
“…You feel so fucking good….”