Instead of going home after his date with Alicia, Brad decided to drive around for a few hours until he ended up at his favorite place. Turning off his car, he stared out at the pond near the campsite where he usually spent most of his summers as a kid camping with his older brothers. It was the one place that he considered a second home because of the tranquility. Anytime he came here he always felt at ease like he didn’t have a problem in the world and nothing could get him down no matter how big the issue might be.
He was still on a high after his dinner date with his woman. He wouldn’t have been able to sit still at home and not call Alicia to wish her good night again and maybe hint if he could come over for a another kiss or two. Instead, he came here hoping the fresh air and quiet would give him time to think about his next step when it came to her.
Alicia’s response to him tonight was fantastic. He had only wanted a small goodnight kiss. He never imagined something so sizzling hot bursting between them. Now that he had gotten her this far, he couldn’t let Alicia crawl back into her shell.
A passionate and loving woman was dying to break through that stonewall Alicia had built around her for protection, but he was going to be the man who broke it down. He wasn’t about to go another damn year without his woman in his home and bed. All of his brothers had fought hard to get their wives and so would he.
The love he carried around for Alicia only came around once in a lifetime and he wasn’t about to lose it…not without a hell of a fight on his part.
Why couldn’t Alicia see the intriguing and unusual relationship that they shared with each other? All she had to do was just accept their differences and appreciate what they could have with each other.
He would never forget the first time that he bonded with her. It was during their first tennis lesson. He had tossed a joke out at her and she laughed. Most people, even his brothers, usually groaned and walked away.
At that moment, he started thinking about what it would be like to date a smart, sexy and appealing woman like Alicia Hart. A woman who had a five year plan and didn’t mind telling anyone that she had big dreams she wanted to accomplish in her life.
Sure, she had been in love with another man, but that wasn’t a huge concern of his. All three of his brothers hadn’t allowed any obstacle to stand in the way of them winning over their women, so he was going to do the same thing.
Didn’t Alicia see the same spontaneity, spunk and adventure that he saw in her? Alicia’s potential was something that could explode if she had more confidence in herself and her abilities.
All she had to do was crack open that wall a tiny bit and he would burst through it full force without hesitation. Together, the two of them could show the world how a hot chemistry between two intelligent adults grew into a loving and caring relationship.
Brad doubted that Alicia knew how much he admired her ability to be able to pull a person into her from her spot behind the desk on television. He found Alicia’s unique wit compelling and her sharp mind captivating.
He had to respect that he might not be able to fully understand or control Alicia because she was her own woman, making her a mystery that he wanted to be around each and every day.
The more time that he was around her Brad was positive he could use some seductive foreplay to heighten her desire for him showing her every pleasure imaginable.
Patience…he just needed more patience and everything would turn out the way he wanted in the end.
After a long soak in the tub, Alicia relaxed in a chaise by her bedroom window with her hands wrapped around a hot cup of Chamomile tea. She knew she should be in bed, but her thoughts were still racing with images of her date with Brad.
He had shown her so much depth and complexity over their dinner. She never knew that Brad didn’t think he was as accomplished as his brothers. Why would he believe that? He worked side by side with Lee at his marketing firm.
There was no way that Lee would give Brad a job if he didn’t think he couldn’t handle it and do it very well.
Against her will, Alicia’s curiosity had been peaked by Brad’s insights. She loved how Brad introduced her to new things like fun.
Honestly, at first she was overwhelmed by Brad’s intensity and a little annoyed by the way he was picking at the security blanket around her heart. It had taken such a long time for her to build it up and he was ripping it to shreds faster than she could think of ways to rebuild it.
His interest in her was as plain as the nose on her face, but she could tell that he was upset by her lack of emotional response in the past to his advances. However, tonight a part of her took over and she had forgotten all about her promise to stay away from Brad.
When Brad kissed her tonight all she could think about was getting lost in the emotions, yanking him into her house and having her way with him. Which was very surprising since she tried to keep her feelings tightly under wraps at all times.
Since the first instant she had laid eyes on Brad there was an attraction hovering which had turned out to be very surprising, since she had only taken the tennis lessons to impress a man who had shown no interest in her.
Max was a fantasy that she shouldn’t have gotten caught in. He was a self-centered asshole that felt every woman should fall under his polished charisma. Unfortunately, she had been one of those asinine females, but thankfully she came to her senses and got over him. The few times she had allowed herself to be around Brad showed her how a man was suppose to treat a woman that he cared about.
Sharing and being playful were things that made Brad so different from any other man she had ever known. He was the type of guy who would want to express feelings and thoughts a woman wasn’t brave enough to share with him yet.
It wouldn’t be nice to talk to someone who could listen to her hopes or what was going on in their relationship without making an instant judgment about who’s right and who’s wrong.
Taking a sip of her tea, Alicia wondered if Brad would be the type who would like to cuddle and talk after sex or the type to roll over and fall asleep right after he was finished.
There were so many things she wanted to find out about Brad, but was scared to do because of her bad track record with men. God, her past encounters with men should have sent her to a relationship therapist, but it hadn’t yet.
How was it possible for such an intelligent and successful woman to have such horrible luck with the opposite sex? It was almost like someone had placed a curse on her without her even knowing it.
She desired the same thing every other woman did in the world. She wanted to feel that rush of emotion when she looked at her man-an intense, hot emotion like there was a speeding car behind you and you weren’t sure that you would make it out of the way in time.
One of her best friends used to tell her not to worry because she would find the love of her life. She shouldn’t settle for a guy just to get a ring on her finger. Instead hold out for the man who is the other half of herself and it would happen. Just date and go with the flow of things until it did.
Everything would come to her in the end if she’d calm down and be patience enough to work for it. Sometimes, she had a hard time expressing what was going on inside her when she was around Brad. Just his presence sent her heart into a tailspin and almost made her tongue-tied, however she was always able to control it but just barely.
Alicia took another sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose at the cold temperature. She placed the mug on the floor by the chair and stood up. Stretching her arms above her head, she tried to relax some of the stiff muscles in her lower back. Slowly, Alicia dropped her arms sliding them into the pockets of her robe.
Tonight being with Brad showed her what had drawn Traci, Dawn and Cherise to his brothers. Brad offered the intimacy and closeness women longed for when it came to the men in their lives. She was pretty sure that Brad wanted the same things too. Because he was a man didn’t mean that he didn’t.
Was she really ready to acknowledge she had been very reluctant in giving Brad a fair shot? Getting intimate with him would require her opening her heart and to take whatever might happen because of her decision. It was such a huge risk and one thing she wasn’t was a risk taker. She wasn’t fond of the unknown.
Would Brad try to change her after they got together? No, he didn’t come across like a controlling guy. He had constantly accepted her no matter what was going on in her life. Okay, she would do it. Brad deserved for her to give him a real chance. Their relationship wasn’t going to happen overnight because change took time, but she was willing to work at it and see where the chips would fall.