On Dublin Street The Bonus Material - Samantha Young Page 0,21

him. He laughed as he reached into turn on the shower and for no reason at all but happiness, Jocelyn laughed with him. They stumbled into the shower together and Braden made it his business to turn her laughter into gasps of pleasure.

And when he was deep inside her he growled, “Again.”

Jocelyn’s fingers bit into his arms as she undulated into his thrusts, and she gazed into his eyes, her own smoky with desire. When the words came, they were a promise, almost a vow. “I love you, Braden Carmichael.”

In awe that he’d finally won her love and trust Braden pressed his forehead against hers as he moved inside her. “I’ll love you forever, Jocelyn Butler.”

6

Braden – Before Jocelyn

PRE-ON DUBLIN STREET

The rain was beating hard against the windscreen of the driver’s black cab and Braden sighed heavily as they journeyed down Queen Street toward Dublin Street. He didn’t have an umbrella, it was past dinner time, and he was in one of the many custom tailored suits his father had insisted he spend a fortune on. Braden was much more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt, but his father was of the opinion that appearance was everything. Sometimes, he wasn’t wrong.

Braden sighed again. He didn’t want the suit getting wet. It was bad enough he was late for the high school musical Ellie was performing in – and by performing in, he meant hiding in the chorus – and had to sit through a high school musical, but to do so in a wet suit?

Fuck.

There’d better be a bloody leak at the flat on Dublin Street.

As the cab driver turned left onto the street, Braden tried his wife’s mobile phone again. He’d been trying to contact Analise for the last twenty minutes to make sure she was at least on the way to Ellie’s musical, but so far his wife was A.W.O.L. He swore under his breath and hung up. Braden’s dad wasn’t going to be there for Ellie so he needed to be. She’d been going on and on about the musical for months, if he didn’t turn up he’d be the biggest dick in Edinburgh. And since his father lived in Edinburgh that would be some feat.

“Just here, thanks,” Braden directed the driver and he pulled up behind a vaguely familiar-looking car. Braden paid his fare and jumped out, flinching against the rain. He was just about to run up to stand under the small porch of the main door of the apartment building when the license plate of the familiar car caught his attention.

It was his friend Gavin’s Audi. The one he could barely afford.

Braden glanced up at the building and saw a light on in the flat he and his dad were in the middle of renovating to rent out.

His heart rate picked up as he stared up at it, barely aware of the rain soaking the heavy material of his suit to his shirt to his skin. He licked his lips of the rain water and felt his trepidation build…

“Braden, I need you to run over to the flat on Dublin Street and check to see if there’s any water damage.” His father, Douglas Carmichael, demanded gruffly as soon as he picked up the phone. “I just got a call from the landlord of the flat upstairs. They’ve got a pipe leak and wanted us to know.”

Braden ran a beleaguered hand through his hair. “Dad, I’ve just finished up with the meeting for the Bellview Heights development and I’m running late for Ellie’s musical as it is.”

“Is that tonight?”

Bastard.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Well, I’m working, Braden, and I’ve got no one else to do this. You were the one that wanted to renovate that flat so you’re the one who needs to take care of the problems that arises with it."

“Does it need to be this minute?”

“Yes, it does,” he snapped, meaning the possibility of water damage must be high and he was worried.

“Fine. I’m on it.” Braden hung up without saying goodbye. After years of rebellion, he and his father had finally gotten to a fairly good place. Most of the time Braden could see past all of his dad’s bluster and bullshit, but when it came to Ellie he wanted to punch the man through a brick wall…

Braden knew how his father’s mind worked. He knew he was the kind of man who was aware of everything and everyone in the city he considered his.

There wasn’t a water leakage.

Legs heavy, pulse throbbing at his neck,