My Lucky Charm (9 page)

Leah

His hand slides to the nape of my neck, and I feel the light circles he’s drawing with two fingers. The air in my lungs is being pressed down, weighted from his mere touch.

“I don’t kiss ugly girls.” Torturously, he pulls my head toward him by my neck as slow as he possibly can before his warm lips are on mine again. They linger there for what feels like forever but
for a time that could never be long enough.

Resisting the urge
not to tackle him like last night, I stay still, our mouths exchanging the air we fight for as they hover over each other’s. He still has one hand over mine and is now drawing circles along it.

Hi
s mouth skims across my jaw before he moves it to my temple. He kisses it lightly, staying there, and it feels so intimate. “What are you doing to me?” he asks.

Leaning over, I plant one soft kiss to his neck. He needs a taste of what he’s doing to me, which is making me fall for him in a near painful way.

“Come on, let’s go,” he says.

Brandon doesn’t know it, but he lives fairly close to me. I’m relieved to see that even though his family is not worth billions, they have dough. His home
has to be worth at least a million. I’m hoping this will make things less awkward when he knows the truth. If he were poor, it seems like it’d be harder for us to relate to each other.

He holds my hand as we stroll
into the house. It’s unique inside. The ceilings are tall in the great room, and there is a lot of wood throughout from the oak floors to some beams that cross the ceilings. The kitchen has unique cabinetry and a large island. I hang my purse on one of the chairs.

Alth
ough decorated elegantly, his home is comforting. Maybe it’s the wood that ties in with nature, or maybe it’s the soothing earthy colors on the walls. Whatever the reason, I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s not stuffy, which is what I expected after seeing the outside.

He walks me to th
e back of the home, and peering outside the large windows, I see a hot tub on the covered deck. The yard is well manicured, and there are some nice size trees around the perimeter. Their property is fairly secluded, and Brandon informs me that they have a couple of acres.

We’re standing at the back door, hand in hand, when I hear a chuckle. We turn around, and a younger, teenage boy is staring at us with a smirk on his face. I watch him check me out from head to toe. Awkward. I mean like really check me out.

“Who you got here, Bran?”

Leah

“This is um, this is my girl
friend, Leah.” Brandon tightens his hold on my hand. Awww, that sounded amazing coming out of his mouth.

“Wow, bro. You don’t waste any time.”

“Tyler, shut up. Leah, this is my obnoxious brother, Tyler.”

“Hi, Tyler.”

He gives me a wicked grin. “I’ve seen you around school. You’re hot, and your hair is cool as shit. I can’t wait to hear what Mom and Dad think about it. I’m sure they’ll love it.” He wiggles his eyebrows, a wickedness spreading to his gaze.

He’s a cutie
but definitely a pill. Instead of Brandon’s deep green eyes, his are more hazel but have the same charming gleam in them. His brown hair is lighter, and his smile is perfect like his brother’s.

Shorter and lankier, Tyler is
still taller than me, and I imagine he’ll be filled out like Brandon when he’s older. He doesn’t think his parents will like me. I hadn’t thought about that since I haven’t met any parents as Leah.

“Um, I–I should probably get home. I need to t
ext my mom real quick, too.” I go to my purse and pull out my phone, seeing I have a missed call from Paul and two messages. It’s been almost three hours since I left the salon, and I forgot about texting him.

Me:
So sorry. I’ve been distracted. I’m fine. Brandon is showing me his house. Can I come home soon?

Paul:
I think the coast is clear. There were some reporters here, but they’ve given up for the evening. Just watch it.

Me:
OK, be home within the hour.

Paul:
Don’t say I didn’t warn you; aunt Dottie is here.

I inward
ly groan. I love my mom’s sister, Dottie, but she’s loud and flamboyant. Casey is a tad more subdued. As I’m texting Paul, I hear Brandon reprimanding his brother, but I haven’t been paying attention to what is said. I throw my phone back into my purse.

“OK, I’m ready to go.”

“Hey, Leah, I’m sorry I said that about my parents. Don’t go. Bran will try to kick my ass if you leave already,” Tyler says. He’s smiling again, but it’s a more reserved, nervous smile.

I really don’t want to meet his parents today.

“Um, OK, but I shouldn’t stay long.”

“I forgot to feed you dinner,” Brandon says, seeming very flustered. “Do you like pizza
, and if so, what do you like on it?”

“
Anything except mushroom and olives.”

“
Tyler, order some pizza, and I’ll pay for it when it gets here.”

Tyler rolls his eyes. “Only
because you’re feeding me will I let you order me around.”

“Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.” Brandon takes my hand and pulls me behind him.

“Did you get your dirty mags and underwear up off the floor first?”

“I swear, Tyler, you’re in deep shit when Leah leaves,” he
shouts without turning around. While leading me up the stairs, he keeps speaking. “See what I have to deal with. You’d think he was an older brother the way he torments me.”

I can’t help but giggle. It is kinda cute. I was lonely growing up since I’m an only child. I think
that’s why I enjoy teasing Paul. It makes me feel like I have a sibling.

My driver in LA was old and grumpy. He was overly professional and only spoke to me when absolutely necessary. I didn’t need a bodyguard there the way I do here.

I was always with other wealthy people, and we were in our own little bubble. Our private school was guarded, and most of my friends had bodyguards or drivers.

We we
re seldom in environments that would put us into danger since we were rarely outside our social circle. Whereas here, I’m in a pretty secluded area, and I attend public school.

Paul’s right. I am a hug
e target to be hurt or abducted, when you consider the amount of money Maxwell would have available to hand over for ransom.

“
Do you have any siblings?” he asks.

Oh no. I don’t want to lie to him.

“Um, can we talk about my family dynamics later?”

“S
orry, it’s messy,” he says as he opens the door, seeming distracted by his room. It’s fairly large but still only about half the size of mine. Along with team photos on display, he has trophies sitting on his dresser and on a bookcase.

I
pick up one of the photos and recognize some of the players. Most of them are the bunch he sits with every day. His friend, Anthony, is next to him in the photo.

“Are you close to Anthony?”

“Yes. I guess you could say he’s my best friend.”

“Cole and I used to be really tight, but the older he g
ets, the more of an asshole he becomes.”

“Is he the one that yells at me?” I a
sk, unable to hide my disappointment. I should only be angry, but since they’re friends, it makes me sad that Cole wants to treat me like crap.

“Yeah, it’s him. I’m really sorry, Leah. I get after him for it, and I’ll do what I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again, but I can’t be with him every second.

“His dad is rough and drinks heavily, so he puts a lot of expectations on Cole. I think his dad has even hit him. It’s no excuse, but I believe it’s why Cole behaves the way he does.

“I wouldn’t normally share that, but I know I can trust you, and I guess I want you to see that he’s aware he’s not better than anyone. He just tries to give off that impression since school is the only place he feels he has any control or power.”

Everything that comes out of Brandon’s mouth leaves a print on my heart. I walk toward him and cup his face with one of my hands.

“It looks to me like I’m not the only deep thinker. I see that you’re a loyal friend, Bran.”

His hands latch onto my hips, and he yanks me closer. “You’re getting more comfortable with me, and I like it.” His lips twitch like there’s something funnier he’d like to add. “But don’t get too comfortable yet. I enjoy the fact that I make you nervous.”

He’s taking glances at my lips, and I k
now he wants to kiss them. “I don’t make you nervous?” I ask.

His boyish grin returns as his face reddens.

“Yeah, you do. I don’t know what to make of it, either. I can’t say I’ve ever felt this way around a girl before.” He looks away, and I think it’s the first time he’s done that, so I take hold of his chin and turn it back.

“Don’t look away, I like to look at your eyes, too.”

I must’ve said the word go because his lips are smashing onto mine as his hands grip my hips tighter. My lips helplessly part, wanting his tongue inside so it can tangle with mine.

He still
smells incredible like he just showered, and I can’t help but dig my fingers deep into his thick, dark hair. Grunting, he walks me backwards until I feel my legs hit his bed. Oh, no. I don’t know how much self-control I can have on his bed.

There’s a pounding on the door that causes me to jump. “Pizza’s here. Come pay. That is if you can get your pants back on fast enough,” Tyler says.

Brandon releases me and practically growls before marching to the door. He doesn’t look back as he leaves. I have a feeling his brother really will be getting his ass kicked later. I decide it’s not safe for me to be in his bedroom, so I head downstairs, too.

I’d love more than anything to make out with him on his bed, but it’s only our second date, and
also, I need to slow things down until he knows who I am. He might not want me then. I don’t think that will happen, but I can’t say for certain. The thought saddens me.

B
randon frowns when he sees I’ve come downstairs.

“I was going to bring it up,” he says.

“Maybe it’s better we stay down here. I’m a bit of a troublemaker,” I say jokingly.

Tyler appears out of nowhere and
gently squeezes my bicep. “You’re my kind of woman. Got any girlfriends as cool as you?”

Brandon heads straight at us and shoves the pizza box into Tyler’s chest. “Kitchen, now, douche bag.”

“Fine, but she’s too cool for you, Brandon,” he says after he’s out of his brother’s reach.

Greedy hands are back on my hips.

“If you think you’d cause trouble in my room, then that’s exactly where you need to be,” he says with a sinful grin.

“I don’t trust myself with you, and although you might be OK with that, I’m not.”

His playful expression disappears.

“I’m sorry I moved you to my bed. I can’t lie. I would’ve pushe
d you onto it, and I would’ve ended up on top of you. I’ve never wanted to touch a girl as much as I want to touch you.”

I look away from him. “I’ve never wanted a guy to touch me as much as I want you to.” I don’t know where this boldness comes from, but he’s super easy to talk to.

“You can’t talk to me that way, Leah, and expect me to keep my hands to myself.” He turns my chin back to him. “Seriously.”

I
feel as if I’m becoming chained to him, tethered by his stare alone. Can you love someone you barely know? “I’m sorry, sort of.” I give him an inviting look. I can’t help it. I’m only kinda sorry.

I know
I would’ve let him get on top of me in his bed, and I would’ve loved every minute of it. Yeah, I would’ve let it go on for minutes.

He shakes his head at me and twists a section of my hair around his fingers.
“I haven’t figured you out yet. You’re mysterious, Lucky Charm, but I’m looking forward to peeling away the layers. For now, let’s eat.”

Tyler
is forced out of the kitchen with his pizza but not before getting in a few more jabs at his older brother. Brandon and I eat and talk about our childhood. I have to be selective at what I share.

I’m having a good time with him, so
another hour passes before I realize how late it’s getting. I excuse myself to the restroom and message Paul, letting him know I’m going to be later.

Leah

Dammit
. Brandon’s parents are standing in the kitchen when I walk back in. They turn and eye me.

“Who are you
, and where did you come from?” his dad asks with a smirk.

Brandon jumps to his feet
and gives me a sympathetic look. “They just walked in. Mom, Dad, this is Leah. She was in the restroom. She’s my new girlfriend. Leah, this is Bill and Teresa.”

His dad stretches his hand out to shake mine. I take it and smile at him. His smirk turns into a
mega-watt smile, and I discover where Brandon and Tyler get their charm. For an older man, their dad is handsome. I’m guessing the way women think Maxwell is.

His mother shakes my hand, but I’m
not getting the welcome reception from her.

“Your hair is quite interesting, dear.”

“Oh, thanks, I guess.”

“Mom, Leah is the one who thinks I might
have dyslexia. She’s very smart. She can speak like four languages.”

“Are you new to the school?” Teresa
asks.

“Yes, I transferred at the beginning of the year.”

“So, are you thinking my son isn’t as intelligent as other students?”

“Absolutely not, ma’am
. That’s one of the reasons I suspected dyslexia. I knew there had to be an explanation other than his intelligence as to why he was struggling.”

“Mom, I explained this to you. You should look it up before you accuse Leah of something.”

“Well, being you told us today, I haven’t had a chance, dear.”

His mother never takes her pretty
eyes off of me. Brandon gets his stunning pools of green from her. She appears to be in great shape and has dark hair that is dyed blonde.

She’s d
ressed in designer clothes, and I spot her Coach bag on the counter. Oh no, my bag. She might recognize my Valentino Rockstud Satchel.

“I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sure you have good intentions with my son.” Her voice is condescending, and the look she’s giving me says that I better watch it and not hurt her baby. It’s very frustrating that she’s obviously judging me based on my appearance alone.

This change in my look
has been a big eye opener for me. I knew the people I used to associate with judged and ridiculed those who were different, but to be on the receiving end of it really drives home how mean and unjust it is.

“I need to
get home, Brandon. Can you take me?” I ask, needing out of here, ASAP!

“Sure.
” Brandon is visibly upset, but I need to get home regardless. Paul will never let me out of his sight again if I don’t follow his rules. I turn to Brandon’s parents.

“It was nice meeting you.”

“Please come back and see us,” Bill says.

“Yes, please,” Teresa says before studying
her son’s face. I sense she’s trying to weigh how serious he is about me.

T
rying to be slick, I grab my bag and hold it behind me. Luckily, she’s too concerned with my hair to notice it as I start toward the door. This should be an interesting ride back to my vehicle.