Beyond Chance (2 page)

My hands ran through his hair as I threw my
head back in ecstasy with every slight pull and tug his mouth
delighted me with. The feelings inside of me exploded in an endless
need for Aaron as I tightened my legs around his waist. Slowly
releasing his mouth from my flesh made me insane with yearning as
he brought his searing gaze back to mine. I slid my fingers around
his waistband and pushed it down slowly. His eyes became more
heated and wicked as my fingers scraped along his bare flesh.

“You drive me insane,” he murmured, brushing
his lips along the crook of my neck.

I cherished those words as both our bodies
begged for more. He kicked his pajamas off the rest of the way and
slid me off the counter, carrying me to the large couch in the
family room. Placing me down gently, he sealed his mouth to mine
with a soft and unexpected hum of delight as he hovered over me. I
ran my hands down his stomach and felt his arousal as our kisses
deepened. Cupping my face in his hands as if claiming me made my
longing soar to a new level. The heat of his kisses turned
demanding as the realization of his departure lingered between us.
Propping himself with one arm, he slid his other hand down my belly
and over my boy shorts. His fingers slid down to my thigh, along
the edge of the fabric, causing my body to shudder with
anticipation.

Unable to tear my gaze away from him, my
eyes pleaded with him for more, but he only shook his head as he
continued to tease and watch my body respond to him. Seeing his
gaze canvas my body as if I were one of his sculptures destroyed my
self-control, but I knew I was at his mercy.

His gaze tore away from mine as he brushed
his mouth along my belly and moved lower. Using one hand, he slowly
pushed my boy shorts down, and I shifted to move them the rest of
the way. Aaron’s gaze was heated as he brought his eyes back to
mine. My breath faltered with anticipation as he bit his lip and
slid his finger inside me. I ached for more as he watched my body
answer to him as he scattered kisses along my belly. His hands
followed right behind his mouth as I twisted my fingers in his
hair, pulling him up to me. Feeling the warmth of his skin press up
against mine created an aching hunger to feel all of him.

“I love you, Aaron Sullivan,” I whispered,
as my hands reached down to guide him. Without hesitation, he moved
in between my legs and my world began to spin.

“You are my everything, Brandy,” he
murmured, his mouth next to my earlobe. “I love you.”

A low rumble of untamed desire erupted
between us as our worlds collided into one many times over before
his departure. It had to be the best farewell in history.

“I’m going to miss you like crazy,” Lily
said, nearly running into a waitress as she bolted toward our table
with her arms flung out. Gabby snickered and shook her head as Lily
nearly strangled me with me a hug.

“It’s not like I’m going to Paris for the
rest of my life,” I said, gently unwrapping Lily’s arms from around
my neck so I could swallow. “It’s only for the summer.”

“You’re not gonna want to come home. I know
it. Who would? I mean it’s Paris,” Lily said, as she slid into the
booth next to Gabby.

“She’s right,” Gabby said, before taking a
sip of her vanilla milkshake. “It’s a dream of a city and the
food…”

“Friends and family are what makes a home
and happiness, not location. Besides, I’m already getting homesick,
and I haven’t even left yet.” I shifted the paper napkin out from
under my silverware and glanced at Lily who was eyeing Gabby’s
milkshake. That girl could eat.

We had decided to meet at Carol’s Diner for
dinner tonight to say our farewells. The plan was to eat, gossip,
and then run off to watch Ayden’s fight so I could say my goodbyes
to my brothers. Ever since I’d found out about Ayden’s hobby, I’d
been uneasy about keeping it from my parents, but I respected my
brothers’ wishes. We all knew what would happen if my dad found
out, and it was best not to let that happen. Plus, the one fight
I’d seen was pretty telling when Ayden laid his opponent out
flat.

“I forgot when Aaron actually left for
Paris. How long has he been there?” Gabby asked, as Lily flagged
down the waitress.

I held in a sigh. “He’s been there for three
weeks. The pictures of the place we’re staying look pretty
sensational. It’s near a ton of galleries and bookstores. It’s
completely furnished. He says he’s already gained five pounds and
had to stop eating crepes every morning.”

Gabby chuckled. “Sounds like Aaron to be
worried about that.”

“I’m sure he’s already added a few more
crunches to his routine to compensate. I highly doubt he’s willing
to give up the crepes.”

“Yeah. Probably not.”

“What district is it in?” Lily asked.

“The sixth, I think he said. I have no idea
what that means in terms of location. The maps online tell me
nothing.”

Our server came over, and Lily placed an
order for a milkshake, along with several appetizers for us to
split. She was a woman on a mission and apparently very hungry.
Lily turned her attention back to Gabby and then to me and smiled.
“That’s a really nice area to stay in. I love the first and sixth
arrondissements. Great access to all the must-sees and the places
are really posh.”

“Posh?” I teased. “That sounds like me all
the way.” I gestured toward my body, which was covered in a pair of
leggings and a sheer ivory top with a camisole underneath. My hair
was scooped into a clip and if I remembered to even dab mascara on
my lashes, I’d be surprised. Come to think of it, did I even shower
this morning? I’d been so busy packing, I can’t remember. I
showered so late last night that had to count for something, right?
Probably not. “Do I need to wear my wannabe-attorney clothes over
there?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.
You’ll love it. But I have to say…” her voice trailed off.

“What?” I steadied my gaze on Lily.

“The thing I’m going to love most about this
whole thing is when we get to come for our visit. Can you imagine
the three of us in Paris together? They’re not going to know what
to make of us,” Lily laughed.

“Just promise me one thing,” Gabby
begged.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Don’t do the cliché thing and start
smoking. No matter what.”

I smiled and nodded. It was impossible not
to love Gabby. She was the perfect mother for us all. “I promise I
would never dream of doing it. Promise.”

“She’s got a point,” Lily chided in.
“Everywhere you go, people are smoking. I think there are more
people who do than don’t.”

Gabby grimaced and caught my attention.
“Anyway, what time do you want me to take you to the airport?” she
asked.

“I think I’d like to get there around nine
in the morning, if that’s okay.”

“Totally.”

I’d spent weeks getting ready for this trip
and had already shipped the bigger items over. I’d run all our last
minute errands over the past week. I changed our mailing address to
a post office box that my family could check for us; I left a spare
set of keys with Jason and Gabby; I gave Jackie a list of things to
take care of for us; and I sent all of my registration papers to
school again. I hadn’t fully decided if I was going to attend in
the fall, but I wanted to proceed as if I would be going.

Lily’s milkshake was delivered, and she
began sucking on the straw like she hadn’t eaten in a week.

“So this will be it for awhile. All three of
us out to dinner in Seattle…” Gabby mused. “Better soak it up.” She
flashed an evil grin as she dealt another guilt trip.

“I bet you won’t even know I’m missing. It’s
only a few months. Between Katie and the bakery, you’ll be so busy
you won’t even know I’m gone.”

“Nice try,” she retorted.

“How’s Katie doing?” Lily asked, turning in
the booth to face Gabby.

“She’s amazing. Absolutely amazing. I keep
thinking that we’ve got it too good. She’s adjusted so well and
Jason is in love. I mean there are moments when I’ll walk into the
kitchen, and he’s got her on the counter talking to her like she’s
his best bud. Granted her vocabulary isn’t there yet, but that
doesn’t seem to faze Jason as he plots their next big
adventure.”

“That’s so cute,” Lily gushed. “You’ve got a
good guy.”

“I don’t think you’re doing so bad
yourself,” I teased. “My brother’s not so shabby.”

“Very true.” Lily arched a brow and let out
a sigh. “He’s the one.”

“The one?” I asked, thrilled to hear Lily
talk about love, let alone dream about it.

“I know. I know. I never believed in all
that soul mate stuff, but how else can I explain it?”

“It’s true. There are so many different
personalities in the world that when two people are not only
attracted to each other, but are also compatible, it seems like it
has to be divine intervention,” Gabby agreed.

“And persistence,” I interjected. “For those
of us who aren’t always that willing to see what’s directly in
front of us… persistence by the man is always fortunate.”

“To divine intervention and persistence,”
Lily said, raising her almost-empty milkshake glass for a
toast.

We did our toast and placed the glasses back
on the table as the server delivered our appetizers. By the looks
of things, this would also be our dinner. I grabbed a nacho and
took a bite, crunching into heaven.

“Do you think Ayden’s going to stop fighting
soon?” I asked, my eyes narrowing on Lily. “I’ve heard
just one
more fight
over and over again, and I’m not sure what to make
of it.”

Lily nodded, wiping her mouth. “I bought it
the first few times, but I don’t anymore. I think the truth is that
he loves fighting. There’s an intensity about him when he gets in
the zone. I honestly don’t see him quitting anytime soon.”

“I worry about him,” I confessed, and Gabby
nodded in agreement.

“I know,” Lily said, glancing at Gabby and
then at me. “I worry about him too, and I know Mason does as
well.”

She knew my brothers well, and it made me
feel better about leaving. Granted they were my older brothers, but
I still worried about them, and it was nice to think that someone
would be watching over them while I was in Paris.

“I think you’re right about that,” I
acknowledged. “Mason would never forgive himself if something
happened to Ayden, and he hadn’t been there to stop it.”

“Let’s not get all serious. This is your fun
night before you leave. It’s bad enough we’re not having any drinks
to celebrate.”

“It was your idea,” I pointed out,
grinning.

She took a bite off a mozzarella stick and
shrugged. “Touché.”

“Well, I think it’s fantastic that you’ll be
spending the summer in the city of love.” Gabby smiled. “It seems
like a dream. To have my brother’s sculptures appearing in a
gallery in Paris… I’m so proud of him, and I know my parents are
too.”

I nodded, knowing the amount of pressure
that Aaron was putting on himself to make this opening a success,
and it worried me. I wasn’t exactly sure what it would take for him
feel like he’d accomplished what he’d wanted, but I prayed that it
would happen. He was putting so much of himself into these pieces
that the thought of someone not liking them made my heart actually
hurt. I couldn’t imagine creating something and then putting it
into the world only to be torn apart. I shuddered at the thought
and redirected my attention.

“The sketches he’s been working on for the
sculptures are insane. I can’t even imagine what they’ll look like
when he’s finished. He’s meeting with the curator tomorrow. She’s
really excited, and she says the gallery owner is too.”

“Do you know much about her?” Lily
asked.

I knew exactly what she was getting at and
chose to ignore it.

I shook my head. “Not much. I’m excited to
meet her though.” I glanced down at the platters of appetizers and
noticed most of them were almost empty. Gabby’s gaze fell to the
platters, and she smiled wryly before turning her attention to
Lily.

“Is Ayden not feeding you while you two are
at work?” Gabby asked.

Lily blushed and pushed away her plate. “I
didn’t eat anything today and then had a grueling workout. And
since when did you become the food police?”

Gabby chuckled. “Just want to make sure
Brandy’s brother’s feeding you. That’s all.”

The server arrived and glanced at the mostly
empty platters.

“Can we get the rest to go?” Lily asked,
handing the server a credit card without even waiting for the
bill.

“Absolutely,” the server responded, grabbing
the platters off the table.

“Should we head over to the match?” I asked,
glancing at the time on my phone.