Exposed (11 page)

Tamia stared at him for several moments, silently weighing his words. She knew there was more than a grain of truth to what he’d said, and it bothered her.

Dropping her gaze to his chest, she sighed.“It’s getting late. I should go.”

“It’s up to you,” Dominic drawled, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.

Tamia felt a stab of disappointment. Before she could respond, he added, “But I’d rather you stayed. In fact,” he murmured, his eyes flashing wickedly as he rolled her onto her stomach,“I insist that you do.”

“Tamia.”

The deep, familiar voice penetrated the thick fog clouding her brain.“Brandon?”

“Who else?” He chuckled softly.“I’m glad you finally answered your phone.”

Tamia blinked in the moonlit darkness of the bedroom. She was so disoriented, she didn’t even remember crawling across the empty bed and fumbling her cell phone out of her handbag.

“You sound tired, like you were asleep,” Brandon said. “Is that why you didn’t hear the doorbell?”

It took a delayed moment for his words to register. When they did, a wave of alarm swept through her, jolting her wide awake.“Where are you?”

“At your house.”

Shit!
She panicked.“I-I’m not there,” she stammered.“I’m still at the office.”

“This late? It’s almost eight-thirty.”

“I have to finish a project by tomorrow. I’ve been stressing all day, which is probably why I sound so tired.” She gulped a shaky breath.“Didn’t you realize I wasn’t home when you didn’t see my car?”

“You usually park in the garage,” he reminded her. “And the living room lights are on, so I just figured you were here.”

Her mind raced. It was Monday night, which meant
Shanell had choir practice at church. But she’d be home any minute!

“I’ll be leaving the office in about twenty minutes,”Tamia said, striving to sound normal as she bolted from the bed and scrambled around the room gathering her discarded clothes. “Why don’t I meet you at your place?”

“Why?” Brandon asked, sounding baffled. “Since I’m already here, we can just hang out at your house tonight. I’ve got my laptop and several case files to review, so I can get some work done while I wait for you to get here.”

“It might be awhile.” She had to take a shower, scrub Dominic’s scent from her body.

“I don’t mind waiting.” Brandon’s voice softened.“I really want to see you tonight.”

Tamia stared down at the rumpled bed, then at her naked body, and the guilt she’d suppressed for days finally broke free, rushing over her like floodwaters breaching a levee.

Closing her eyes, she tried one last time to appeal to Brandon. “I don’t want you sitting out in your car that long. Besides, you know I always prefer hanging out at your place. So just meet me there. Okay?”

There was silence on the other end.

She imagined him frowning into the phone, wondering, speculating. She held her breath, heart pounding, skin perspir-ing. Waiting …

“Okay,” he finally acquiesced.

She breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Great! Let me finish up here and I’ll be on my way.”

“All right. See you soon.”

She snapped the phone shut, then held it to her thudding chest.

“I thought you weren’t taking his calls.”

She whirled around.

Dominic stood in the doorway, a shadowy figure silhouetted by the moonlight streaming through the windows.

Tamia swallowed audibly.“I need to take a shower.”

“Washing away evidence?” He sounded amused.

She didn’t respond.

He came toward her slowly and purposefully, his naked, muscular body flashing in and out of the moonlight.

She stared at him. She was hypnotized, caught in the sensual web he was spinning, ensnaring her. When he reached her, he cupped her face in his hand, stroking her cheek with lazy circles of his thumb. She shivered.

“I have to go,” she whispered almost pleadingly.

He bent, sweeping her into his arms as if she weighed next to nothing. “We can kill two birds with one stone,” he mur-mured.“You get your shower, and I get one for the road.”

“What took you so long?” were the first words out of Brandon’s mouth when he opened the door ninety minutes later.

Tamia held up an overnight bag.“Stopped home first and packed a change of clothes. Just in case your alarm clock decides to go on strike during the night.”

Brandon chuckled, taking the bag from her and closing the door. “It didn’t go on strike. The power went out that night, which means my clock is absolved of any and all blame.”

Tamia laughed.“A defense attorney to the end.”

“Damn straight.” He swatted her playfully on the ass before heading down the hall to deposit her bag in the master bedroom.

While he was gone, Tamia toed off her sandals and padded into the kitchen in search of liquor. She was still shaken up by how close she’d come to getting caught tonight. She needed a glass of wine to help calm her frayed nerves.

She’d just removed a bottle of merlot from the refrigerator and set it on the center island when Brandon appeared. He pulled her close and kissed her, his tongue tracing her lips before dipping inside her mouth. She moaned, curving her arms around his neck. One thing that definitely hadn’t changed was the power of Brandon’s kisses to melt her insides.

“If you’re spending the night,” he murmured, nibbling her full lower lip,“does this mean you’ve forgiven me?”

“Hmm.” She pulled away reluctantly.“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what I’m forgiving you for.” She eyed him warily.

Brandon frowned.“It’s not what you think.”

Tamia arched a brow.“So you’re
not
about to make a confession regarding Cynthia?”

“Sorta,” he hedged, turning to retrieve two wineglasses from the cabinet, “but it’s not the kind of confession you’re thinking about. I’m not sleeping with her, baby. I respect her tremendously as an attorney and, yes, we’ve become good friends over the past two years. But I’m not attracted to her. When I told you there was nothing going on between us, I meant every word.”

Tamia considered him for a moment. He looked and sounded so sincere, there was no doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth. Which was more than
she
could claim.

She smiled at him.“I believe you.”

He grinned, relieved.“Good.”

She watched as he uncorked the bottle of merlot and filled their wineglasses, then handed one to her. She took a long sip, savoring the smooth, rich flavor in her mouth before swallowing.

“So … what’s your confession?”

Brandon grimaced, staring into the twinkling ruby contents of his glass. “About a month after you and I started dating, I took Cynthia to the governor’s state dinner.”

Tamia’s eyes narrowed.“You did
what?
”

He winced at her sharp tone. “Months before you and I met, I invited Cynthia to the dinner with me. My parents always expect me and my siblings to attend so they can show us off and brag about our accomplishments. I didn’t want to go alone this time because I knew my mother and her friends
would spend the entire night trying to find a wife for me. So I asked Cynthia to be my date, strictly to keep my mom and the other matchmakers off my damn back. She was kind enough to agree. She canceled a previous engagement, even went out and blew a small fortune on an evening gown. Once you and I started dating, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Cynthia, ‘Thanks, but your services are no longer needed.’ Not after she’d rearranged her schedule to go with me.”

“And you think she’s not interested in you,” Tamia muttered into her glass.
“Ha.”

Brandon deliberately ignored her. “Last week you asked me whether she’d ever met my parents, but you didn’t give me a chance to explain the circumstances. So there you have it.”

“Let me guess,”Tamia said sullenly.“They absolutely
adored
Cynthia.”

Brandon hesitated, then nodded reluctantly and took a gulp of wine.

Tamia’s lips twisted with displeasure.“So now your parents think you and Cynthia are dating.”

“No.” His tone was emphatic. “I’ve made it clear to them that we’re just colleagues. Nothing more.”

“It doesn’t matter. If she made such a positive impression on them, they’re going to keep hounding you about her, hoping your answer will eventually change. And from now on, every woman you introduce to them will be compared to Cynthia and found lacking.” Dejected, Tamia downed the rest of her wine, set the empty glass on the counter with a sharp
clink,
then stalked out of the kitchen.

Brandon followed her into the sunken living room, which featured rich earth tones, sleek Italian furniture, hardwood floors, and original artwork that vividly captured a kaleidoscope of subjects. A wall of picture windows revealed spectacular views of downtown Houston, best enjoyed from the private terrace situated off the living room. Tamia loved Brandon’s
condo and often fantasized about living there with him. But at the rate she was going, Cynthia would be taking up residence before she did.

Heaving a deep sigh of frustration, she turned from the windows.“It’s getting late. I think I’ll just—”

“Close your eyes and hold out your hand,” Brandon instructed her.

Tamia gave him a puzzled look.“Why?”

“Just do it.”

When she complied, he dropped a small metal object into her palm.

Her eyes flew open. “Oh my God! Is this what I
think
it is?”

Brandon smiled. “Only if you think it’s a key to my condo.”

“Oh, baby!” Elated, Tamia threw her arms around his neck. It wasn’t a diamond engagement ring, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. A
huge
step.

Brandon kissed her forehead.“I’ve been planning to give it to you for almost two weeks now, but one thing after another kept coming up. I think this is the most time we’ve spent together since we had dinner at Vic and Anthony’s.”

“I know.” Tamia grinned, shoving aside the reminder of how and why that particular evening had been cut short.“You know, when you told me that Dre and Leah were moving in together, I wondered whether you’d get—”

“Inspired?” Brandon chuckled wryly. “Yeah, it went through my mind to ask you to move in with me, but honestly, I don’t think we’re ready to take such a big leap. Even Dre and Leah waited three years before … What’s wrong, baby?”

Tamia was frowning at him.“I don’t understand. I thought you
were
asking me to move in with you.”

“You did?” Brandon looked surprised, then painfully em-barrassed.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression
. I just thought it’d be nice if we took the next step in our relationship and exchanged keys. For instance, if I’d had a key to your house tonight, I could have just waited inside for you.”

Tamia stared at him.
This
was his idea of taking their relationship to the next level? Swapping keys? At this rate, they’d be senior citizens before he proposed to her!

“I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly.

She waved off the apology.“You don’t have to keep saying that. You’re right. It’s a great idea for us to have access to each other’s homes.” Not that she had any intention of giving him a key to Shanell’s house!

“Hey, you never know,” Brandon said cheerfully.“One day we’re leaving toothbrushes at each other’s cribs, the next day we’re roommates.”

Tamia forced a jaunty smile.“You never know.”

An awkward moment passed.

“It’s been a long day,”Tamia blurted abruptly. “I think I’ll hit the sack now.”

Brandon nodded. “I’m gonna finish up some paperwork, then take a shower.” He winked at her.“You’re more than welcome to join me.”

Her mind flashed on an image of the steamy, decadent shower she and Dominic had shared, and she blushed.“Maybe next time, baby. I’m exhausted.”

As she started toward the bedroom, Brandon said,“Tamia.”

She turned back.“Hmm?”

His expression was earnest. “I know you’re disappointed, and I’m really sorry about that. But I want you to know how much you mean to me. At the risk of sounding like some corny Hallmark card, your face is the first thing on my mind when I wake up every morning, and the last thing I see before I go to bed every night.”

“Oh, baby.” Tamia gave him a gentle smile, sincerely touched by his words.

“I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what you said the other night,” he continued. “I can’t believe you’d think, even for a second, that I’m only interested in you for sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. So just to prove it to you, I’ve decided to keep my hands to myself unless you say otherwise.”

She stared at him in surprise.
“Excuse me?”

He exhaled a deep breath, as if to shore up his resolve.“I’m not going to initiate anything between us unless you want me to. As much as I enjoy making love to you—and as much as I’ve missed doing so these past two weeks—I want to prove to you that there’s more to our relationship than good sex.”

Tamia arched a brow.“Good?”

He groaned.“Amazing.”

“That’s better,” she said with a laugh.

He grinned. “So here’s what I’m saying,” he continued, spreading his hands wide.“If you want me, you’re gonna have to make the first move.”

Tamia cocked her head to one side, lips pursed as she silently assessed him, pondering his proposal. After a few moments she nodded.“Okay.”

Brandon looked surprised.“Okay? You’re on board?”

“Sure. You’re trying to prove a point, so I should let you. Right?”

“Right.” But his voice lacked conviction.

Smothering a smile, Tamia said appreciatively,“What you’re offering to do is incredibly unselfish, putting my needs and concerns above your own. Not many guys would make such a sacrifice. I’m a very lucky woman.”

Brandon grinned at her, reminding her of a puppy hoping for a treat after performing a neat trick.

She smiled at the thought. “Well, I’m off to bed. Good night, baby.”

His grin faltered.“Good night,” he said halfheartedly.

Tamia made her way to the bedroom, secretly grateful for the reprieve she’d just been granted. After spending half the day in bed with Dominic, she was too worn out to even
think
about giving up any more pussy.