Chapter 14: Out The Window

Lexi

The doorbell rung, making me jump. He was on time? That seemed so…un-Brady-ish. I snuck a look at my watch, it was six. He showed up right on time, not a second late. Was he suddenly taking this seriously? I was impressed but determined not to show it. I could tell that something between us had changed. I was nervous; my hands had been shaking since the plane touched down in Washington. Aside from biting all my fingernails off on the flight, I had almost forgotten my ticket on my mom's counter.

I was a wreck.

I didn't know how to act, what to say, or even how to begin to approach Brady right now. No clue. None.

I chewed the red stub that was once my thumbnail as I let the front door swing open. Brady stood on the front porch, freshly showered and smelling like rain.

That's because it's raining outside, dipshit, I chided myself. But as he brushed past me over the threshold, I snuck a little sniff and grinned to myself.

Nope. That was all him.

He snuck a smug glance at me over his shoulder that both enticed and pissed me off.

Damn.

"So," I started.

"Um...so Patrick knows you kissed me," he stated simply, hovering next to me in the entryway. My head spun slightly as I fought his new proximity. I could hear my dad and Patrick moving around in the kitchen, and I couldn't be sure how much privacy we would have.

"Wait, I...wait, you kissed me," I pointed out with a hiss, my mood suddenly ruined.

He smirked. "You kissed me. Don't lie," he laughed. Cocky.

I tilted my head and sized him up, instantly irritated. I hated how he made me feel so hot and cold all the time. I had hardly been able to control myself waiting for him to arrive, and here I was, ready to toss him back out onto the driveway for being such a cocky bastard. And just when I thought he was starting to show me a different side of himself, he went back to how he used to be. Some things just never change, I thought as I shot him my best glare .

"Fine. We kissed each other. Friends?" I hissed.

Brady's eyes narrowed playfully. "Friends," he said finally.

I spied a bruise on his cheek. "What happened to your face?"

"Bar fight."

"Really?"

"Lexi!" Patrick called.

"Coming!" I hollered back.

"No," Brady chuckled.

"Ass."

"You're right. I'm an ass. But we still have to talk later," he added as I dragged him into the kitchen. My dad looked up with surprise and Patrick abruptly stopped talking.

"Oh, Brady. Thank you for joining us," he welcomed.

Brady nodded. "Thanks for having me."

My dad looked at Brady curiously as if he was seeing him in a new light as Patrick chattered on.

"It's so nice to...meet some of Lexi's...friends."

Brady raised one eyebrow as the word 'friends' hung in the air. I glanced nervously at Patrick to try to get him to can it, but he continued to rattle about nothing in particular.

"And the carriage house is just...gorgeous so far," he said nervously, glancing out the window in the direction of the garage.

"We can erm...call it a 'garage' I think," my dad finally muttered as I placed four plates on the table. Brady sat at the kitchen counter and shifted nervously, trying to stay out of their debate. I met his gaze and gave him a slightly apologetic look.

"Well, either way..." Patrick trialed off, giving Brady a tight smile.

Brady bobbed his head and gripped the Coke can in his large hands. "Um...sure. The design is done really well," he offered meekly. "You did a great job with it. I was worried it wouldn't match the house, but..."

"How so?"

"Well….most people can't design a free standing structure that matches the true style of the original building. Sometimes it looks faked and forced and…just wrong. I've seen a lot of buildings that were an afterthought be disasters, but you really nailed it. Like I said, the design was what drew me to the project."

My dad looked up in surprise. "You know architecture?"

He shrugged. "A bit. My dad has a flair for the aesthetic even though he's a contractor. Most people just think he throws up buildings, but he's always had an eye for design. He taught me to not only build things but make things that people would want to keep around for years to come and…and maybe even someday preserve."

"And what about you?" my father asked.

There was a pause in the room as we awaited his answer. I shifted in my chair as Brady got the third degree.

"What about me?"

"Well, what do you have a flair for?" my dad asked, picking up a dish from the counter. He walked it over to the table, setting it down in the middle. Brady gave him a blank stare as though this was the first time anyone had even bothered to ask him.

"I just...figured I would go into the family business," he said. "I think that's what my dad wants."

"What do you want to do though?"

Patrick smirked and brushed past my father with a knowing smile. "He's asking what you want to be when you grow up."

Brady chuckled. "Um...I'd like to do what you do, actually. I love...designing things. That's why I took this job. I saw your plans and really got into it," he admitted slowly.

"Dad," I chided, finally breaking in. "Leave him alone, will you? Not everyone has to know their plans for when they grow up."

Brady gave me a questioning look before Patrick reached over and mussed my hair. I growled at him and darted out of reach, carefully tucking my already slightly frizzy curls back.

"Lexi is still undecided," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm in high school, I'm allowed," I snapped.

Brady didn't say anything else as we sat down to dinner. He surprised me with good table manners. I shot him a perplexed look as he ate, wondering where those came from. All the afternoons he had spent scarfing down sandwiches in our kitchen during his lunch break and I had never seen manners like that. He made polite conversation with Patrick and my father throughout, smiling politely when my dad brought up all the possibilities for careers in architecture. His smile was almost...sad...maybe...hopeful. I couldn't put a finger on the strange expression that danced across his features when my fathers pressed him about his future.

Strange.

After dinner, I was surprised when Patrick waved me away from the dishes and suggested we go down to the basement to hang out.

"Should you really be pushing me down to an unsupervised area with a man you hardly know?" I questioned him. Brady tromped down the steps, already letting out a whoop of excitement to see a pool table.

Patrick tilted his head to the side as he peered down the steps after him. "He seems nice. Too old for you, but nice. You're a good girl," he mused, patting me on the head. I rolled my eyes and followed Brady down the steps as Patrick shut the basement door. It was pathetic really – my stepfather of sorts was practically shoving me at a good looking, available guy like I was on an episode of The Bachelor. I knew my father was probably upstairs having a field day, but...I wasn't about to complain. I wanted to talk to Brady in private.

I padded down the steps in my socks and found him circling the pool table of our finished basement slash rec room. Patrick had insisted on finishing the basement so they could have a place to entertain should the occasion ever arise. However, two gay men weren't exactly having the best luck finding friends in a small town, so I wasn't sure when such a party would take place. Brady looked up and gave me an innocent little smile when he saw my frown.

"What?"

"Well...we...we need to talk," I stuttered, wincing slightly. I needed to sound like I was in charge and in control but damn it. I always lost my control around Brady and I hated it.

"Who are you, Dr. Phil?"

I frowned. "Wait, w-what?"

"Never mind," he chuckled, grabbing a triangular shaped object off the wall. "Pool?"

"Forget pool, I thought we were going to talk about this."

"About what?"

"Um, you know."

"Fine, then talk."

I crossed my arms in an effort to look a tad sterner and narrowed my eyes at him. "What you said in the entryway upstairs. You kissed me, not the other way around."

Brady snorted as he grabbed a pool cue. "Justify it however you want, Lex."

I stomped my foot like a petulant child before I could stop myself. "I...I did not, you were there, you know what happened. You kissed me, and then you blamed it on me to tick me off because that's what you love to do to me for some reason, Brady, and you know it!" I sputtered out. "You kissed me!"

He paused, leaning on the pool cue and looking at me expectantly.

"Well, say something!" I spat.

"Are you done?" he asked. I felt like I was in kindergarten, and the teacher was asking me if I was ready to come out of the time out corner. Truthfully, after my little outburst, I knew it was where I belonged, but I didn't care. I didn't want him to think I was the one throwing myself at him when that really wasn't the case.

Not at all.

"Yes," I said quietly.

"Fine," he said. "Now let's be honest. We kissed each other."

I suddenly couldn't look at him. "We...I guess we did, yeah."

He sighed, walking over to the other side of the pool table where I stood. "Friends kiss, Lex."

I inhaled lightly, getting a whiff of his fresh rain scent. He was a foot in front of me now, and I still couldn't look at him. He just made me so damn unnerved.

"They do?"

He shrugged. "They can do whatever they want. We didn't do anything wrong. We wanted to kiss...so we did. Did you want me to kiss you now?"

"No...yes...I mean...I don't know," I huffed. "This is all so confusing."

He shifted in front of me, his size suddenly a little daunting. I felt like a kid next to him in all his tan, burly godliness, and it was unsettling. I risked a glance upwards and immediately knew it was a mistake. One look into those pools of chocolate brown, and I was suddenly unable to look anywhere else.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Lexi. That's not what I'm here for."

I sighed, my brain getting a little fuzzy. "Then what are you here for?"

I heard him sigh as his shoulders slumped slightly. "Whatever you need me for," he replied softly.

I blame the magnet thing this time.

The pull towards him was inescapable and any attempt I made to avoid his mouth against mine was feeble at best. He kissed me sweetly, his bottom lip wedged between my two lips, and I actually squeaked; it was so unexpected and new and nice.

Who knew that kissing an asshole could feel this nice?

As he pulled away with that smirk I loved too much, all I could think of was one thing.

I was falling for the bad boy.

Well, okay, two things.

Fuck friendship. I want the bad boy.

He stepped back to look at me like he would a painting on a wall that he didn't quite get. He was gauging my reaction, and I intended to play it cool. Despite what the stampede of butterflies in my stomach were doing, I said the only thing I could think of.

"Uh..."

Brady raised an eyebrow. "Uh?"

"What was that for?"

He shrugged. "To get it out of the way. You were obviously thinking about it, and so was I, remember?"

My mind flashed back to our conversation the other night when he had been thinking about the kiss. Coincidentally, I had been obsessing over it as well. And he was right – I did feel a tiny bit better now that we had just gotten it over with and kissed. I felt completely mind-fucked, but better nonetheless.

"Why were you thinking about us kissing?" I asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

"I told you," he said simply, walking back over to the pool table to pick up his cue. "I think we should be more than friends. But you don't, so..."

"So you just randomly kissed me instead?"

He shrugged. "I kinda do whatever I want," he explained, pulling his shoulder back. I saw him wince a little before rubbing his shoulder.

"Ass," I muttered under my breath. He looked up as if he had heard me.

"I only wanted us to be just friends because I...I don't always know how to handle you, Brady."

"There's nothing to handle, Lexi. If you were with me, it would be the easiest thing in the world. It would be like breathing," he said cockily. "But...I'll just let you figure that one out on your own."

I crossed my arms and watched him take a shot, sinking a ball right off the bat. I watched him play pool with himself for a few more minutes in silence before I noticed something.

"Why is the bridge of your nose bruised? And I saw you wince when you pulled your shoulder back...what's with you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked nonchalantly, setting up another shot. He pushed the cue forwards, cracking another ball into the corner pocket. I rolled my eyes and tried not to let his behavior irritate me as it usually did.

"Your cheek looks yellow...like there was a bruise there."

He eyed me curiously, raising a dark eyebrow in a sexy, saucy manner. "You gonna stare at me all night or are we gonna play pool?" he asked before sinking another ball.

I fiddled with the pool cue in my hand and licked my lips. They still tasted like him. Huh. I never thought I would want to have the taste of Brady's lips on mine. Honestly, I hadn't expected to feel so pleasantly surprised to discover that. I wanted to kiss him again.

"I just...did you like...get into a fight or something?"

He sighed exasperatedly, standing up straight. "Why do you always assume the worst with me?"

I bit back a laugh. "Is that bad?"

He shrugged, lining up his shot. "No, I guess not. You're probably right to assume...bad things."

"Asshole, remember?"

Brady grinned to himself as he made another shot. "You got it."

I laughed loudly, unable to control it. He was outright admitting what he was, and I guess that was a good thing. It was funny, that was for sure. Somehow his self-deprecating humor struck a chord with me.

"So..."

"So what?"

I sighed, scratching my head in frustration. "Well, are you going to tell me what happened?"

He looked over at me and smirked. "What do you want me to say, Lexi? Come on, you want me to lie? Fine, I walked into a door."

I couldn't hide my eye roll. "You need to be slapped."

This time it was Brady who burst out laughing. "What? So I had a little scuffle, is that what you want to hear?"

My eyes widened as I pictured it, or tried to. Was it in a bar? Had he been drinking? Was it over some other girl? I couldn't ignore the jealous surge that raced through me at the thought. I didn't know where we stood, and I didn't know if I wanted to know. It was all so complicated that it made my head spin, and this added information certainly didn't help me clear my mind. In California I had been a nobody; now I had a hot, older man kissing me in my basement. I had never had this particular problem before, and I wasn't sure how to deal with all of it.

"I want you to tell me the truth."

He sighed again, staring at the pool table. "Fine. A um...friend of a friend came to town, and he was showing me some fighting techniques."

"You expect me to actually believe that?"

"It's the truth!" he cried, holding up his hands. "He's a master in a style of fighting, and I wanted to learn more."

The whole thing sounded so ridiculous I was close to fuming. "So...why do you even need to know how to fight? You could get hurt!"

He snorted indignantly. "I won't get hurt."

"Yeah, well, your face tells a different story."

"I was learning! I asked him to teach me, and sometimes you get a few bumps and bruises along the way! What's the big deal?"

"You come to my house all beat up and ask what the big deal is? You asked some guy to teach you how to fight and it looks like he kicked the crap out of you!"

Brady sighed exasperatedly. "He did not beat the crap out of me. He got a few good hits, but that's okay. I know what to do next time to defend myself."

"What on earth do you need to defend yourself from? That's ridiculous!" I shot back.

"You don't know what could happen, Lexi. I'd rather be safe than sorry! There's some crazies out there, and I like to be prepared."

"You're an idiot."

I couldn't imagine who or what would want to attack Brady – ever. Besides being built like a brick house, he had the ability to look mean as fuck if he wanted to. The few times I had seen him angry had been enough for me, and it wasn't something I wanted to repeat. Ever.

"It was stupid, alright? I get it, you don't like it."

I sighed and leaned on the pool table opposite him. "If you knew it was a dumb thing to go and learn how to fight or fight this guy or whatever, then why did you do it? Brady..."

"Look Lexi, I have...friends that are into that. We like to horse around and be rough sometimes – that's just how we've been since we were kids. It's nothing personal, alright?"

His tone was clearly frustrated as he walked around to my side of the pool table. "Are you actually...worried about my well-being?"

I shrugged, entranced by his proximity for the second time that evening. "Maybe."

He grinned, his hands finding their way to my shoulders. "You shouldn't be. I can take care of myself."

"Doesn't look like it," I argued back. I lifted my head to look at him squarely. I could see the faint yellow skin where the bruises had been, and his bottom lip was still a little swollen like he had been jacked in the face. "Friends worry about each other."

His eyebrows rose a little as his hands slid down my arms, their warmth radiating all the way through my long sleeved shirt. I shivered internally, unable to control the reaction my body had to him. I cursed it silently, not wanting him to know how much I secretly craved his touch. I had missed him in California; there was no denying that. I missed our fights, our talks, and mostly the way he made me feel when he was around. He made me feel...awake, which was weird because I had always thought of myself as a very...well...'awake' person. Now, I sounded crazy. I shook my head and reached up to touch his cheek where it was still slightly yellowed.

"Don't fight," I said softly.

He leaned his face into my touch, the rare tender moment catching me off guard. His gaze suddenly turned trusting, and before I knew it, his forehead was resting against mine.

"I can't promise that. But I can try. That is, if you're worried about me."

My breath came out slow and shaky as he lowered his face closer to mine. I felt the heat of his lips before I actually felt them on my own, which was strange. But then, there they were, pressed up against mine like that was where they were meant to be. I leaned against the pool table as he kissed me, his lips strange but inviting against my own. This kiss was different from the other two; it felt like it had more purpose.

I should have stopped him.

I really should have.

But I didn't.

I couldn't.

I didn't want to.

So I didn't.

When his tongue slowly slid against my top lip asking for entrance, I didn't think twice about opening my mouth and letting it enter mine. It felt foreign and weird, but not entirely unwelcome. I touched my tongue to his, experimenting with the pressure. He smiled without breaking the kiss and flicked his tongue against mine.

Okay.

I had been kissed before, sure whatever. It was nothing special or meaningful or worth any fireworks, that was for damn sure.

Kissing Brady was different.

Very, very different.

I felt his arms slip around my waist and I mirrored his action, letting him press me harder against the pool table. My mouth opened further, far further than I would have ever thought was appropriate or non-gross, and soon our tongues were mingling like old friends. I was partly disgusted, partly mystified, and partly so enthralled with this new experience that I could barely see straight. I didn't want to stop and that should have frightened me.

It didn't.

Instead of pushing him away, my hands found their way behind his neck, pulling him closer.

Instead of rejecting his kiss, I think I kissed him harder.

Instead of stopping, I let it go further.

His hands slid down my hips, over the small of my back and over the curve of my non-existent butt. He groaned into my mouth, and it excited me. Like...sexually. It was all new and thrilling, and suddenly, I didn't know what to do with myself. He was there and hot and just so into me that it didn't seem real. I didn't want it to stop. My body began to tingle all over and then—

His mouth left mine and I panicked for a split second, the brief emptiness a shock. Then, there they were again – pressed against my neck, sliding over my jaw, over to my ear...

Oh God.

His tongue flicked my ear, and I heard myself make a noise I wasn't proud of.

We both laughed before his mouth crashed back to mine, greeting me like an old friend. Hot damn, we are good at this, I thought as we kissed. Our lips tangled and molded together like they had done it a million times. He pressed his body up against mine, the heat rolling off of it in waves. Brady felt like he was on fire as his almost hot body heat seared mine. I attributed it to our passionate kissing and shrugged off the strange feeling that he was abnormally warm. My fingers found themselves grasping at his short, inky black locks as he kissed me fiercely. I felt his hands slide from my ass around to the front of my shirt and lightly lift up the hem. His fingertips were blazing hot against the skin of my stomach. I could feel his calluses against the sensitive skin, and they tickled lightly as they moved up my stomach.

A sudden clanging noise from upstairs made us jump apart, wide eyed. I was panting in terror as I glanced at the stairway, worried that Patrick or even worse – my dad – had come downstairs suddenly.

"They're both in the kitchen, doing the dishes. Someone dropped a pan in the sink," Brady hissed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. His face was red and flushed as he stood in front of me, panting slightly. I nodded, hoping my own face wasn't too red.

"We should um...um..."

"I know," he said breathlessly, nodding. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm...I'm sorry, I just um...glad we didn't get caught," I said slowly. I smacked myself in the forehead and winced. "Brady, we shouldn't have been doing anything that we were afraid we would get caught doing. Shit, um..."

He nodded, his jaw tight. "You're right, I...I'm sorry. I got carried away. I can't lie, it...that was nice. Right?"

I gave him a weak smile and tried to ignore the way my heart was slamming against my ribcage. "Yeah, um...yeah."

Brady shifted in front of me, licking his lips. His gaze lingered on my lips for a split second before he lunged forward and kissed me – hard. He pulled away and gave me an apologetic stare.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning his forehead against mine. "I'm so sorry."

My breath came out in another shaky pant, and I didn't know what to say. His warm hands cupped my cheeks and lingered there for a second, his thumbs reverently stroking my cheekbones.

"You're gonna kill me, you know that?"

I smiled. "Sorry," I added weakly.

Brady shook his head in defeat and let his hands drop. "I should probably go," he stated sheepishly. "Can we hang out tomorrow?"

I shrugged, speaking before I could think. "I was going to go to the mall that's a few towns over."

I expected him to wince, back out and make up other plans, but he simply nodded officially. "Great. I'll drive you. Pick you up around eleven?"

My jaw dropped open slightly. "Um...sure?"

"Good," he said softly. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead and let them linger for a second. "I'll be here to pick you up then. Sleep tight," he murmured, reaching down to squeeze my hand. I mumbled something intelligible in response and nodded, my head still cloudy from well...everything.

After he bounded up the steps, I listened to the sound of his truck roaring down the driveway. I walked upstairs in a daze, ignoring the curious looks of my dad and Patrick as I drifted up to my bedroom. I dressed in my rattiest t-shirt and pants and dove into my comfortable bed with my mind still spinning.

His words from earlier rang loudly in my head until the wee hours of the morning.

I'm here for whatever you need me for.

The whole 'just friends' thing had flown out the window tonight, and boy did I know it.

Oh Lexi...looks like our cute, quirky little Lexi has her hands full. And no worries...for those of you who are dreading what is in upcoming chapters, relax. I'm going to let her enjoy her wolf for a whole before things, ahem, 'change'.

Please review and let me know what you thought.