“I guess not, as long as that’s all you’re doing here. I’ll make fresh coffee,” she offered. The sooner they got to the real reason for the visit, the sooner they’d leave her in peace. She’d prove to them she didn’t need to run home. After her house getting vandalized, she needed to prove it to herself as well. She was still extremely shaken from her stressful day.
“Nice to know we’re so welcome,” Alex said with sarcasm, but the smile he threw her showed he didn’t have any hard feelings.
“There’s not a whole lot of room but we should all fit around the table,” Chad said, taking over and leading them to her hardly adequate dining area. The men looked at the chairs skeptically, but gingerly sat, letting out relieved sighs when the chairs didn’t break. Chad remained standing against the counter and Bree turned so he wouldn’t see her smile. He was still in alpha-dog mode, protecting her, maybe without even fully realizing what he was doing.
“Getting mighty cozy in this place, aren’t you?” Charlie asked, his entire attitude was yelling loud and clear that he didn’t like Chad and didn’t want him in Bree’s home. It seemed Charlie was a little jealous. He decided to poke him a bit.
“We’re making do,” he said with a lazy smile. His comment earned him glares from all four men. Chad knew he could take them out – or he was cocky enough to think so, but he wouldn’t want to do that to Bree – they were her family.
“Okay, enough of this posturing. I don’t know what the heck is going on in this room, but the testosterone is flowing in sickening waves. I thought you were the ones who hired Chad in the first place,” Bree said, her tone full of irritation. No one spoke for several moments, then Trenton let out a chuckle and soon Max and Alex joined him. Charlie continued to glare.
“Sorry, sis. Dad wanted Chad to babysit… I mean act as a bodyguard,” he quickly corrected. “None of us were thrilled to have someone so… well… um…” Trenton trailed off, seeming at a loss for words for the first time in his life. Chastity finally put the puzzle pieces together and her grin spread in victory. Oh, the fun she was going to have for all the crap her family put her through.
She walked away from the coffee pot and stood right in front of Chad, who looked at her suspiciously. He knew she was up to something, but he had no idea what. She could see the concern in his eyes. Good, he was messing with her hormones; it was time to mess with his.
Before he could stop her, Bree leaned into him, pressing her body tightly against his and landed her lips on his frowning mouth. Her arms reached up and pulled his head down to hers. He was so stunned, he allowed her control over him for about two-seconds. Then, his body took over.
The electricity between them caused him to forget all about their surroundings and her family being in the room. He forgot everything and focused solely on the way he felt with Bree in his arms. She felt better than a cool lake on a hot summer’s day. His arms snaked around her and he immediately deepened the kiss. Just when he was ready to pick her up and cart her to the bedroom, she pulled away on shaky legs.
Bree took a breath, her heart pounding as she tried to control her reaction from the kiss. She hadn’t known it would cause her head to spin. She was trying to make a point and instead she felt like she was on a boat in the middle of the perfect storm. She turned to see all four men shooting daggers at both her and Chad. Good – she’d gotten the reaction she wanted. It helped calm her thundering heart.
“So, what, Trenton? Young? Masculine?” Bree mocked. She gave them a Cheshire cat smile as she turned back to the counter and pulled down six coffee mugs. She set them on the table as if nothing was wrong, then began pouring hot liquid into each cup.
Trenton was in shock at Bree’s behavior but he finally pulled himself together and sent first her and then Chad a smile. It was obvious Chad didn’t appreciate being used. He could instantly see Bree was playing them all and he wasn’t giving her the victory of knowing she’d done a great job of causing him more stress. He grabbed his cup and took a large gulp, not even wincing when the hot liquid burned his tongue and throat.
“I don’t care how you react, Bree. You need someone to protect you and Mark and Uncle Joseph both vouch for Chad so it looks like you’re stuck with him. If you want to act that way, have at it,” Trenton said, calling her on her bluff. Her shoulders slumped as her plan backfired. She forgot how good her brothers were at one-upmanship.
“Fine, as you can see, we’re just comfy cozy here. There’s no need for all of you to hang around, too,” she said as she sat down.
“Sorry for hassling you, Chad, but we tend to worry about Bree,” Max said, further shocking Bree. It seemed they were deciding it was smarter to team up with Chad than to fight against him. She figured they knew if he was their buddy, she would no longer want to side with him. He’d become more of an enemy than a friend. They were right.
“I’d feel the same way if it were my family. Mark is like a brother to me, and Bree being his cousin is a good enough reason for me to want to protect her,” Chad answered, all his animosity seeming to evaporate. Great, just great, Bree thought, next they were going to sing ‘Save the World’ and start a bonfire.
“Has anything happened since you got here?” Alex asked. Bree tensed, not wanting Chad to talk about the break-in. He ignored her as he looked at the men.
“Someone broke into her house,” he answered, which had all four men sitting up straight in their seats again.
“What the hell, Bree! Why didn’t you say anything sooner,” Trenton shouted. She expected that kind of response from him.
“First of all, I didn’t tell you because it just happened today. Secondly, I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. Finally, you guys hired this over-the-top bodyguard for me, so no one has a chance of getting near me, anyway.”
“Someone came pretty damn close,” Max interrupted.
“I wasn’t here,” Bree fought back.
“This is getting ridiculous. I should just throw you over my shoulder and drag you home, whether you like it or not,” Trenton threatened.
“Over my dead body,” Bree shouted.
“You’re not going to be acting so tough when some maniac knocks you over the head and drags you away,” Charlie said, speaking up for the first time in a while.