Hide & Seek - Nicole Edwards Page 0,33
heated flesh into his mouth, and drew on him with enough suction to have Reese’s hips thrusting forward.
“Oh, fuck, yes. Brantley … oh, fuck.”
With a litany of profane encouragement as the backdrop, Brantley proceeded to work Reese right up to that precarious edge, held him suspended there for long minutes, easing back when he was too close, working more vigorously when he would begin to relax somewhat. And when he sent Reese over, it was with his name tumbling from those beautiful lips.
True to form, Brantley’s parents showed up at eighteen thirty—half an hour early. Evidently his father knew how to sweet talk the diner into letting him have the meal earlier than planned.
Thankfully, Brantley had given Reese a heads-up, not wanting the man to be taken off guard when Iris and Frank Walker pulled into the drive sooner than expected. Not that it mattered. The instant their footsteps sounded on the front porch, Reese began to pace the kitchen, making circles around the island. His shoulders lifted and lowered, his chest rising and falling as though he was prepping himself for a big game.
“Relax. They’re gonna love you,” Brantley told him, then pressed a quick kiss on his lips and went to help his father bring in the food.
When he looked back, Reese was still doing his pregame routine, once again pacing the floor while Tesha stared up at him in confusion. But she didn’t sit there for long. Her ears perked up as she turned her attention to the front door.
“Mom. Dad,” Brantley greeted, opening the screen door. Lowering his voice, he tacked on, “He’s nervous, so be gentle.”
His mother’s eyes glittered and a sweet smile formed. “He has nothin’ to be nervous about.”
No, he didn’t, but Brantley knew Reese wouldn’t believe him.
Brantley took one of the paper sacks from his father, held the door until both parents were inside, then led the way to the kitchen.
“Still no dining room table, I see,” his father noted as they moved past the empty dining room.
“Soon,” he assured the old man. “Reese insists on furnishing this place.”
“At least one of you knows how to make a house a home,” Iris said, stopping just inside the kitchen to wait for Brantley.
He moved past his mother, smiled over at the handsome man with the terrified expression.
“Mom, Dad, this is Reese Tavoularis. Reese, meet Iris and Frank Jr.”
His father barked a laugh, stepping forward to set his sack on the table before moving toward Reese and holding out a hand. “We’ve met a couple of times. At Curtis’s,” Frank said easily, pumping Reese’s hand twice. “And please, just call me Frank.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Reese said, his voice cracking slightly. “Again.”
When Iris stepped up to him, she batted away his hand and went right for the hug. Brantley realized he probably should’ve warned Reese she was a hugger.
“Look at how handsome you are,” Iris mused, cupping Reese’s face in her small hands before glancing back at Brantley. “You did good.”
That earned them a strangled laugh from Reese.
“And who do we have here?” Frank asked, peering down at Tesha, who was sitting obediently at Reese’s feet, obviously not knowing what to think about their guests.
“This is Tesha,” Brantley told them. “We adopted her a few days ago.”
“Aren’t you a sweet girl?” Iris said, bending down to offer her hand to Tesha.
They all watched as Tesha took a hesitant step forward, craning her neck for a sniff. She must’ve deemed Iris trustworthy, because she took another step closer, then another until Iris was able to give her bony head a scratch.
“She’s a little underweight,” Iris said when she stood tall again.
“It’s a long story,” Brantley explained. “But she’s in a much better place now. The weight will come in time.”
Iris nodded, understanding glittering in her eyes. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“We thought we’d eat on the back patio,” Brantley informed them. “Since it’s a nice evening.”
“That would be lovely. Why don’t you and your father properly dish the food. We will not be eating out of Styrofoam. Reese and I will carry out the drinks.”
“Be nice, Mom,” Brantley warned, although he said it more to help Reese along than anything. One would’ve thought he was going before a firing squad, not meeting his future in-laws for the first time.
That thought had Brantley pausing as he lifted one of the Styrofoam containers out of the sack. That was … not where he’d thought he would be going so early in this relationship. But oddly enough,