Chapter 6:
Dean felt the heat on his face from the open curtains. It was almost a small comfort from the chaos in his mind for a moment. He was afraid to open his eyes—afraid she would have run from him—afraid she'd still be there beside him—afraid either way. He knew he hadn't dreamt the previous night's events. He swore he could still feel the after-effects of the intense intimacy. But he was torn between being simply satisfied and ready to duck out on her and feeling like a douche bag for fucking his new medical trainer.
Slowly, Dean cracked open his eyes and stared at the beautiful woman sleeping beside him. As much as he felt the need to pull her close and hold her, he knew he didn't do relationships. He's witnesses too many fucked up relationships through his mother to ever want to experience that shit for himself. He knew what he needed to do. He was going to run away.
Brenna stayed sleeping peacefully as Dean pulled on his pants and headed into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection, contemplating his next move when he caught sight of the bite on his shoulder. A small mark, but a tell-tale sign that she had him for a moment. It was a reminder of how satisfying and surprisingly rough she was in bed. Dean chuckled as he pulled on his shirt. He took one final glance at Brenna's sleeping form before heading back to his room. She was either going to be hurt or pissed. He couldn't decide which he preferred.
Brenna was a little more than satisfied when she awoke. Her body ached in a way that she would only associate with being fully fucked. She was however, slightly hurt when she realized Dean had already left before she woke up. But before she let her mind go into overdrive, she reminded herself that she was positive that Dean wasn't a relationship-type guy. She couldn't decide why she thought hooking up with Dean was a good idea. He couldn't give her what she needed, and she didn't need to drag anyone into the mess her life had become.
It was mere hours later that Brenna found herself in the front seat of Jessica's Range Rover. Roman was right, she was incredible. Not only had she managed to win over Brenna, but she had found a few homes for her to investigate in a matter of hours.
"If I've read you right, and I usually do," Jessica grinned, "you're going to love this house. It's within your budget and it's very spacious." Jes had taken Brenna to lunch at a local café to et a better feel of the woman. They'd fallen into conversation and comfort like long, lost friends. Brenna just felt the warmth flow right off of Jessica. She'd never felt so comfortable with someone she just met, but she could certainly see a long-term friendship with this woman, and she certainly saw why Roman had fallen in love with her.
Brenna smiled brightly at Jessica. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."
"Well, I may have an inside on this place." Jessica looked at Brenna from her side view before continuing. "So, Roman and I actually own this place. We bought it as a foreclosure and I slowly worked on it while Leila was in school over the last year. I put a lot of sweat and tears in this place, but it's finally ready. I've been putting off selling it because of the work I put into it. I want to make sure that whoever buys it loves it as much as I do. You seem like just the right person."
Brenna was a little surprised at Jessica's DIY personality. She cocked her eyebrow and smirked at Jessica, "So, you're like the man of the house—fixing shit and bossing Rome around." Brenna nodded her head and raised an eyebrow, "I like it."
Jessica laughed, "Yeah, but don't tell Roman. I sometimes let him think he wears the pants." The girls laughed. Brenna was sure they were going to get along just fine.
Jessica pulled into the driveway of the house and Brenna was stunned. It was a beautiful 2 story home with a wrap-around porch. There were flowers bordering the house and mature trees in the yard. There was even a porch swing that faced the quiet street. She honestly didn't need to see any more to say for sure that this was going to be the house for her.
The inside was even more amazing. The first floor was semi-open concept. The living room was off to the left once she entered from the foyer. To the right was the dining room. Behind the dining room was a large country-style kitchen. Brenna couldn't wait to cook in there. Cooking was a release for her. The kitchen in the house, alone, was the selling point.
After finishing the tour of the house, Brenna turned to Jessica with a bright smile, "I want it. Where do I sign?"
Jessica sensing her excitement, "I might have the documents in the kitchen…if you're sure." Brenna only nodded. "You did the hard work calling your bank before I picked you up. We just have to sign the documents and wait for closing. It should only take a week to close. The good news is that Rome and I don't care if you go ahead and move-in whenever you want."
Brenna was overwhelmed, but in a good way. She embraced Jes in a tight. "This is the first thing I've been able to do on my own. I couldn't have done it without you." Brenna had tears in her eyes as she spoke.
Jessica hugged her back before they signed the necessary documents. "Roman and I actually live next door. We have a guest bed that we can move over until you get your furniture is moved in."
Brenna liked the idea of having people she knew close. It would be comforting to have a friendly face. She nodded excitedly and circled the home once more before she heard three loud male voices arguing in the living room.
"Seth, stop trying to move to the right! If we knick the doorway, Jes will kill you!" She could spot Roman's deep voice anywhere.
"How come Dean's not helping?" Brenna would have laughed had the mention of Dean not stopped her in her tracks. She didn't want to face him. She was embarrassed that she had given in so easily—technically she had initiated it with the kiss. But he'd ditched her so fast that she wondered if he was embarrassed about having been with her for a moment.
"I am helping! Jes made me carry the sheets and shit." Dean didn't sound any different—as though completely unaffected by the previous night's events. That indifference stun more than thinking he would have been embarrassed.
Brenna decided to metaphorically put on her big girl panties and face the men. She smiled brightly as she entered the room. "I'm going to spend tomorrow looking for furniture, so you can just set it up right in the living room. You'll probably be moving it again tomorrow."
Seth groaned. "I think I deserve a massage after all this work."
Brenna smirked at him, "You can take out 300lb men in the ring, but moving a bed is a problem. And it's only the mattress. I won't need the rails and all that for one night here. I don't even need the box spring."
Seth looked thoughtful. "What if I help move your new furniture around? Would I get one?"
"Only if your fiancé doesn't get angry with me. I'm not about to have your woman hunting me down." She smiled. "Sweet, little Sethie… You need to get written permission from your girl before I touch when I'm off the clock."
"YES!" Seth looked like a kid at that.
Dean looked less than pleased as he gracelessly dropped the sheets and blanket on the floor.
Seth was eyeing Brenna. "So, Bren, what did you do last night?" He looked suspiciously at her form.
"I watched some shitty horror movies. Why?" She could hear something off in his voice.
"Well, then how did those love bites on your neck get there?" Seth pointed at the small bruises under her ear and at the base of her neck.
Brenna's eyes went wide. She'd forgotten about her newly formed marks when she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "I may have had some company last night, but it's certainly not something I'm gonna talk to you about."
Seth wasn't letting it go. He'd put the pieces of the puzzle together and he'd be damned if he was going to keep his mouth shut. "Between your hickies and the bite mark on Dean, I think you guys may have spent some time together."
They were busted. Dean rubbed the back of his neck, opting to not speak. That only spurred Brenna's disdain for his indifference even more. Brenna grew kind of solemn, her mood shifting a bit darker. "Yeah, well, it was obviously a mistake anyway, so let's just forget about it." She gave no one else a chance to speak as she headed upstairs.
Seth and Roman looked at Dean as he watched her walk away. He wasn't sure why her statement bothered him, but it had.