Page 66 of Rescuing Brinley

He was a lucky man, and he vowed to enjoy every second he got to spend with Brinley. Life was short, he knew that better than most people, and he was just so damn happy to have found a woman who got along with his teammates, was as hard a worker as he was, who got along with his mom, and who was his match in the bedroom.

Honestly, Brinley was a unicorn, and he was going to do his best to keep her in his life for as long as he could. He envisioned them doing exactly what they were doing right now, snuggling on the couch, watching TV, when they were old and gray.

Except she’d have his ring on her finger, and maybe they’d have a few grandkids hanging out in the room with them.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Brinley scowled at her cell.

Tamika just wouldn’t give up! Another two weeks had passed since she’d “met” Dash’s mom and everything else in her life was going extremely well.

Except for the damn woman who wouldn’t accept the word no.

Apparently it wasn’t just a guy thing. The beauty queen clearly thought that if she asked enough times, if she threatened Brinley enough, if she browbeat her and harassed her, she’d eventually give in.

But Brinley was made of sterner stuff. She’d grown up being bullied and harassed and wasn’t about to take the bitch on, no matter what she said or did.

Though, it was getting extremely old having to screen her calls. Having to delete the emails that came in through her website.

Having to hide what was going on from both Cypress and Dash.

Both her best friend and boyfriend would lose their minds if they knew how bad things had gotten with Tamika. Brinley was copying every email before she deleted it, adding it to a file just in case. So far the woman hadn’t actually crossed a line from vague “you’ll regret it” kinds of notes to “I’m going to kill you” threats. She didn’t think the police would be able to do much other than tell her to stay alert and don’t engage.

Until the woman did or said something more specific, all Brinley felt she could do was keep track of the harassment and continue to live her life.

But if Cypress or Dash knew how often the emails and calls were coming in, they wouldn’t be happy. Cypress would do something rash, like threaten Tamika back in a way that the police wouldn’t be able to ignore. And Dash was so protective, he’d probably lock her in her apartment and hire a full-time bodyguard or something.

While she appreciated the concern both would likely have, the last thing she wanted to do was bother or worry either of them. They both had their own busy lives. Cypress was working long days and nights on her climate projects, and Dash was, of course, busy with training other Army platoons who flew to Alaska for the skills only he and his Delta team could teach them.

Beyond Tamika, work was going great. Her new client, Natasha, wanted to order two complete pageant wardrobes, which would bring in a lot of income. They were slowly working through the details…what kind of outfits the woman wanted, what colors she liked. Brinley had suggestions after doing more research. She’d studied more clips she’d found online and on the woman’s social media sites, and she had thoughts as to how she could improve both her stance, and on colors and cuts that could enhance her assets.

Brinley took great pride in doing her research before she met with a client to take measurements—which she always did in person. She didn’t trust anyone else to get them right. She was very particular, and so far that had worked out well for both her and everyone she’d ever worked with.

She and Natasha had decided on a date for the girl to fly into Fairbanks, so they could meet each other face-to-face and Brinley could take measurements. They’d go over the preliminary sketches of the gowns and outfits at that time, and then the real work would begin for Brinley—actually making the clothes.

Currently, she was sitting at the dining table in her apartment, material swatches all around her, as she worked on sketches for Natasha and other clients. Doing her best to keep her mind on her work…and not on how Dash had woken her up earlier that morning.

They’d fallen asleep on the couch watching another season of the baking show that Dash now freely admitted he was addicted to, then moved to the bedroom around two in the morning.

The next thing she knew, she was awakened to the feel of Dash sucking on her nipple. He’d pushed her sleep shirt up, and all she could do was moan. What followed was fast and furious sex, which ended with her on all fours and Dash entering her from behind. They’d had sex that way before, but she’d been almost insatiable that morning for some reason. Needing him to take her hard. And he had.

They’d dispensed with condoms, and Brinley had to admit she loved the feeling of Dash bare inside her. Even though it was messy, the feel of his come leaking out of her afterward made her feel…loved.

It might seem stupid to some, but she couldn’t help how she felt.

He’d then taken her hand and towed her to the shower, where she’d gone down on her knees and taken him into her mouth. She loved the power she felt when she did that for him. Knowing she could bring this huge strong man to his knees was extremely satisfying.

He’d returned the favor by pulling her up and pressing her chest to the tile wall, fingered her to another orgasm.

Being with Dash made her forget about all the things other boys and men had ever said about her. How she was weird-looking. How she’d never find anyone who’d ever want to wake up to her ugly mug every day for the rest of their life. Especially when, more than once, she’d woken up to find him propped on an elbow, staring at her, twirling a lock of her too red, too curly, too frizzy hair around a finger with an expression that had her believing happily ever afters could actually be real.

She loved him. So much it was scary.

And it wasn’t because he was her first sexual experience.

Or because he was the first guy to tell her that she was beautiful.

Or because he complimented her all the time.