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Much faster than I expected, he returned with a package in his grasp and a suspicious smile on his face. “Looks like your secret admirer strikes again.”
I bolted upright, the lingering effect of my orgasm making my head spin a little with the action. “This has to be the last one, right?” I took the box from him and pulled open the flaps to reveal yet another perfectly wrapped gift.
Although I still worried a bit about what Brendan thought of a mystery man sending me daily presents, each one helped to bring back the excitement I’d once felt for the holiday. I tore the paper off with just a little more fervor than the task required, apparently channeling a bit of my childhood enthusiasm.
A lamp in the shape of the moon, but swirling with the purples, pinks and blues of the galaxy with a few sparkles for stars. Taped to the item was a small tag, ‘Always have the courage to shoot for the moon. You might miss, but then you have a chance to dance among the stars.’
Brendan wrinkled his nose as I read it out loud. “That is pretty corny.”
I lightly tapped his arm with the back of my hand. “It’s a paraphrase of a famous inspirational quote. I’d expect you to be cultured and refined enough to know that, or did you miss that day in boarding school?”
Brendan took the gift and set it gently on the coffee table, moving on top of me until I was lying flat on my back, and he braced himself on the arm of the couch on either side of my head. A low, primal roar rumbled in his chest and sent a shiver racing through me.
“I’ll have you know, I had perfect attendance through all four years of high school.” He rocked his hips forward, the evidence of his own arousal obvious, even through each of our clothes. “I think I have been a very understanding boyfriend while you’re getting piles of mystery presents.”
I smirked up at him. “It isn’t exactly piles. I mean, I’ve already polished off those chocolates, and there’s only enough tea for maybe three more cups.”
Brendan groaned and buried his face against my neck. “Your smartass mouth should not be such a turn-on, but damn, it is.”
I gripped his shoulders as he pushed my pajama shirt up and lavished attention on my chest, cupping one weighted breast while he sucked on the opposite nipple. I sighed and relaxed deeper into the sofa as he worked his wicked talents on my body, knowing we wouldn’t be moving any time soon.
Chapter Sixteen
Brendan
I frowned at the cameraman desperately trying to get me to give him ‘the look’, even though I didn’t know what the hell that meant. A studio was the last place I wanted to be on Christmas Eve. My top choice was to be buried deep inside Leah, teasing out the whimpers and moans I’d become addicted to.
I also wanted to be there when she got the next-to-the-last gift, but it had been delivered to her doorstep an hour earlier, and it wasn’t looking like I’d be freed from this hell hole of a promo shoot soon. Her assurances of rewarding my good behavior when she begged me to do the last-minute session to get a few necessary pictures of both my dad and I replayed in my mind for the tenth time since I’d shown up, and it soothed a fraction of my irritation.
“Yes!” The overly excited photographer shouted the single syllable with so much glee that I nearly jumped. “That is the expression I’ve been looking for. Make love to the camera.”
It took more self-control than I knew I possessed to keep from laughing at the fact that the one time my face was giving him the results he was looking for was when I was fantasizing about all the dirty things I wanted to do to my girlfriend and all the wicked promises she’d made that would all end in the same results—both of us falling apart in the best way possible.
As I moved like a puppet with the photographer’s words being the pull on my strings, thoughts of the next-to-the-last present managed to somehow supersede my lusty imagination. Size-wise it was one of, if not the smallest gift I’d given her, but it was one of the more sentimental ones. And, damn, had I really wanted the voyeuristic pleasure of seeing her face when she opened it.
“This is the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time, son,” my father remarked when the photographer finally released us from the torture chamber. The me who had loved the attention of being heir to a communications throne and all the cover stories done on me had definitely changed.
I snorted and reached into the mini fridge, snagging a bottle of water and taking a large swig. “If you think I’m having fun with this”—I gestured to the chaos swirling around me—“then you must have forgotten what happiness looks like.”
My father chuckled. “Just because your mother is gone doesn’t mean I have forgotten a moment of the joy she brought to my life.” He nudged his shoulder to mine. “And she gave me you, so I will never be able to.”
If I’d ever wished a giant, gaping hole would magically appear and swallow me up, it was now. I winced and dropped my head. Although it had been nearly a decade since my mother had passed, I knew the pain was still so real and strong for him. And I’d been a bit callous in my humor. “Sorry, Pop. I didn’t mean—”
He waved his dark, weathered hand, silencing my words before I could even finish speaking. “My point is that you have the face of a man in love,mi hijo.” A nostalgic sparkle lit up his eyes, and his entire countenance took on a dreamy expression. “I know it well because I’ve worn it well.”
As the bustling crowd around us began to put away all the cameras, tripods and various other equipment, I reached for mine and my father’s coats and handed his to him. “You andMamáset an excellent example for me.” The biting December wind hit us as soon as we pushed out into the cold. “Leah was worried you’d disapprove.”
The creases that lined his face deepened as he offered a broad smile, laced with a unique blend of arrogance and wisdom. “Knowing the ins and outs of every department in Lanza Broadcasting is more than simply important, it is essential to the success of our business. It was something my ownpapádid to me, and I was always grateful for the broad knowledge base it gave me, but did you not wonder why I insisted on you spending more time with the marketing team? Or why I suggested sharing an office with Leah rather than keeping you on the floor with the rest of the staff as I had done in every previous division?”
My steps halted as my father burst into deep, rumbling laughter. “You set me up?Usup?”
He lifted one shoulder and tugged on his gloves. “You wouldn’t have been nearly as interested in her.” He tapped his temple. “Yourpadreknows and sees much more than you would ever believe.”
I hope you haven’t seen too much. The thought nearly immediately popped into my brain followed quickly by a mental note to check for cameras before stripping Leah down in the conference room. That was my latest fantasy that I was dedicated to making happen without a doubt…until he’d made that comment.
“And here she has been worried you’d disapprove, no matter how much I tried to reassure her that you wouldn’t. Now I find out you are more than okay with it, that you tried to orchestrate it.” I shook my head with a light laugh. “You’ve always liked Leah.” It was a statement and not a question. His admiration for the woman—something wholly well deserved—had been a point I was well aware of. He bragged about her talents, her cool, level head and her charming, but firm way of handling problem people, whether on staff or talent they were using.
My father pulled the key from his handmade wool coat and clicked his luxury sedan to start so that it would be warm when he reached it. “Leah is a strong and capable leader who doesn’t act like an overlord who treats anyone as if they are beneath her. She respects others and, in turn, commands respect.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “She is a smart and capable woman, certainly, but she has a tender heart. She reminds me a hell of a lot of your mother.”
