Braydon (Alluring Indulgence #6)(94)
Author: Nicole Edwards

She plated the food and then carried Braydon’s into the living room first. He was sound asleep on the couch, his neck in an awkward position, but she didn’t wake him. Instead, she returned to the kitchen and got her own food before going back to join him.

When she took a seat beside him, his eyes opened and he turned his head to face her. This time when he smiled, it didn’t look quite so forced.

“Surprising what a short nap can do for you, huh?” she asked.

“I think it’s the company,” he replied, sitting up straight and glancing at the table where she had placed his food. “This smells great.”

“You act like it’s a wonder I know how to cook,” she teased, keeping her voice low.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman cook for me. I mean just for me. At least not a woman who wasn’t my mother or my sister-in-law.”

Jessie liked the idea of being the only woman to have ever cooked for him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while they both dug in. After the first bite, she realized just how hungry she really was. And this was nice. After last night, after what she had witnessed between Braydon and Brendon—namely Brendon’s breakdown—Jessie hadn’t been sure she would ever get an opportunity like this again. Insecurely, she’d thought that Braydon would take Brendon’s side and she’d be tossed to the curb.

She really needed to work on that. Her insecurity was an issue, she knew. Not that she was going to mention that to Braydon.

“How was work?” he asked when he’d cleaned his plate.

“Interesting,” she said simply. “Want more?”

“If there is more,” he answered. “I can get it though.”

Jessie put her plate down on the coffee table and took his before he could stand. “You sit. I’ll get it.”

She returned a minute later with his plate once again full. She had dished up what was left, grateful that she’d thought about his healthy appetite when she first started. She’d purposely tripled her normal ingredients, making sure she made enough for him.

He ate slower this time, and they chatted briefly about what had happened throughout the day, neither of them bringing up Brendon or how he was doing, although Jessie desperately wanted to ask. She was worried about him. Just about as much as she was worried about Braydon. It wasn’t just the headache that seemed to be bothering him, but she was a little scared to inquire as to what else it might be. She couldn’t seem to get the question out, because she was fearful that he would tell her something she didn’t want to hear. Like how they needed to move this back to just friends.

Yep, those insecurities were getting the best of her these days.

“Anytime you want to bypass the restaurants, I’m more than willing to come over here,” he told her. “That was fantastic.”

“Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t all that hard.”

“Well, I still appreciate it all the same.”

Without missing a beat, Jessie retrieved their empty plates and took them to the kitchen. Rather than sliding them into the sink to worry about later, Jessie turned on the water and proceeded to hand wash all the dishes she’d dirtied in the process.

Avoidance much?

“What’s up, Jess?” Braydon asked, his voice sounding from right behind her.

Jessie stiffened, then tried to disguise the automatic response.

“Nothing,” she lied. “I just wanted to get this out of the way.”

Braydon moved up against her, the heat of his chest warming her back, his big hands sliding to her hips. “I missed you last night,” he said, his mouth close to her ear. “Is it wrong that I wanted to spend the night with you? I wanted to roll over in my bed and find you there.”

No, it wasn’t wrong. She’d wanted the same thing. But she didn’t tell him that. She didn’t tell him anything.

Unable to pretend to wash dishes all night, Jessie turned off the water and dried the last dish with the hand towel reserved for the job. Braydon didn’t move away as she did.

When she was finally finished, he took her hand and turned her around to face him.

“How’s your headache?” she asked as she looked up into his face.

“Miraculously, it’s gone.”

Jessie smiled despite herself. It was hard not to smile when he was around.

“Oh well,” she replied, pretending to look disappointed.

“What’s that look for?”

“I guess I don’t need to try out my other cure for a headache if you’re all better.”

“Hold up,” Braydon said, followed by an exaggerated moan. “I feel it coming back. What’d you have in mind?”