Relief washed over him when he saw her put her phone back down on the nightstand. She picked up her purse from the floor next to the bed and dug through it, finally pulling out a small white card. “This is my insurance card.” She let him know what pharmacy she was already registered at. He took it from her, remembering her mention of anxiety pills in the emergency room and why she’d already be registered at a local pharmacy. “Thank you,” she said softly. “This is very sweet of you.”
Clenching his jaw, he nodded and began to the door. “Get some rest. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Hearing her say this was very sweet of him brought a bothersome thought to mind, one he’d been trying not to think of since last night. Had he already turned into one of the pathetic chumps he’d scoffed at who barely knew her and were already doing sweet things for her?
The only time off he’d ever asked for was when he found out his dad was dying and then again for his services. He hadn’t even done so for his mom’s since there’d been no services for her. The only thing he’d done with her ashes was what she’d told him she wanted him to do when they’d discussed it just weeks earlier at his father’s funeral. He’d handled that as unceremoniously as she’d requested in less than an hour on the weekend. Now he’d asked for the day to take care of a girl who, up until yesterday, he’d sworn he wouldn’t so much as acknowledge if he ever ran into her again?
He shook it off as he reached the door. He wasn’t a sap, and he’d never been easily taken by anyone. Regina didn’t strike him as the kind of girl who would do what she did last night, even if she was high on her meds, with just anyone. If he’d agreed to drop off her keys with those guys at her office, she wouldn’t be thanking them in the same way, especially not allowing them to follow up with the kind of kiss Brandon had last night. He wasn’t sure why, but he truly believed this. Brandon was no fool, and he’d be damned if any girl would make one out of him. He’d always said as much when he was against getting attached to anyone, including his brother Marines, even if he’d gladly take a bullet for them any day. Regina may not be a fellow Marine, but she was a person in need of help just the same. Taking a day off to help her out wasn’t a big deal. Her family could take over after today.
~~~
Sergeant Carter, as expected, didn’t even ask for details of his personal issues. He only asked if there was anything he could do and assured Brandon his taking the day off was not a problem.
The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly. After going back home to change into jeans and T-shirt, Brandon dropped off Regina’s prescription at the pharmacy where she was registered. Then he stopped by an auto parts’ place nearby. He went back to his place and changed the oil in his Jeep as he planned on doing this weekend anyway. By the time he was all done with that, he realized it was almost noon and he hadn’t eaten anything.
Figuring Regina would likely be waking up soon if she hadn’t already, he headed out to pick up her meds and grabbed some food on his way back to her place. He didn’t want to chance her getting up and trying to get downstairs on her own.
Her place was quiet when he walked in, and he was relieved once again that she wasn’t downstairs. It felt a little surreal that here he was making his way up to this girl’s bedroom as if he knew her well enough when he hardly knew her at all.
Halfway up the stairs, he thought he heard movement, and then he heard her voice. “Brandon? Is that you?”
Her voice still sounded strained, but his thoughts went immediately somewhere else. Who the hell else would it be? Had she called someone else while he’d been gone?
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said. “Did I wake you?” he asked as he reached the top.
She was sitting up, and the phone in her hand immediately caught his attention.
“No,” she smiled weakly, obviously still in pain. “I was starting to toss and turn about a half hour ago, so I checked my phone and noticed I had a few texts.” Her eyes were on the bags in his hands and then back on his face. “What’s all that?”
“These,” he handed her the smaller of the bags, “are your pain killers. This,” he shook the other bag, “is lunch.”
“Ooh, whatcha get?” She reached for the bag, and he handed it to her. “I am hungry. Thanks. And remind me by the way,” she said, pulling out the container. “I forgot to give you money for my medicine, and I’ll need to pay you for this too, as well as your gas and time.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, pulling the chair by her dresser closer to the bed and sat down. “Your insurance covered most of it, and I told you I’m around the corner. So no worries about my gas either. As for my time, you’re nuts if you think I’m gonna let you pay me for that.”
Regina was staring at the label on the container. “Grilled chicken salad, no tomatoes or eggs, with light thousand.”
She looked up at him, her mouth falling slightly open, and he knew what she was thinking, so he cleared his throat. “I also got you a turkey sub and some chips in case you’re hungry for more than just a salad.”
“You remembered,” she said, ignoring his comment about the sub and chips.
He shrugged, pulling out the Coke Zero from the last bag he’d been left holding and his iced tea. He handed her the soda. “Did I get it right?” he asked as if he didn’t already know he’d been spot on.
The smile on her face now was going to make his deadpan expression crack if he didn’t stop looking at her, so he reached for the bag she’d set aside. “I got a tuna melt,” he said, beginning to feel like a real sap now. He hadn’t even noticed the lady place the order on the container the way he very specifically had ordered her salad. “We can switch if you prefer that to turkey. I can go for either.”
“I’m good with the salad,” she said, still smiling when he dared glance at her. “It’s exactly how I would’ve ordered it.”
Great. He was definitely going to make her chump list. Desperate to change the subject now, he pointed at the top of her bad foot. “Why’d you take off the wrap? Didn’t the doc at the ER say you’re supposed to wear it for a few weeks?”
She frowned, opening the lid to her salad. “It got wet when I took a shower, so I tried to change it with a dry one, but it was such a pain I gave up.”
Brandon stared at the tattoo curiously. He’d already appointed himself as her caregiver for the day. And since things had gotten pretty personal last night, he figured how bad could it be to ask. “What’s that mean? Boot and Uni?”
Her frown softened into a small smile. “I got it years ago in honor of my late grandpa, Boot.”
A bit relieved to hear the heart was for her grandpa and not some dude, he was still confused. “His name was Boot?”
“No,” she laughed softly but stared down at the tattoo thoughtfully. “That’s just what I called him.”
Brandon un-wrapped his sandwich, even more curious now, and well aware this was personal, but talking about her dead grandpa seemed harmless. “Okay, why?
“One summer when I was too young to attend summer camp with my older siblings, my grandparents decided to help out by keeping me and my younger sister, who was just a baby, during the week for the entire summer. My grandmother tended to my sister most of the time while my granddad entertained me.” She smiled bigger now. “One of my favorite things to do and what we did together every morning was watch Sesame Street. My absolute favorites were Bert and Ernie only I couldn’t pronounce my r’s so it sounded more like Boot and Uni. By the time summer was up, I was his Uni, and my grandpa was my Boot.” She waved her hands in front of her flooding eyes. “It’s been years since he passed, and I can’t believe I still get choked up.”
She cleared her throat as the emotion seemed to pass, and she continued, “I always knew the bond between my grandpa and me was special.” She laughed again, wiping what was left of a tear at the corner of her eye with her finger. “My grandma used to scold him when he’d call me his favorite, but everybody knew it. When he passed, I took it especial
ly hard.” Her lips quivered now, and she frowned. “Jesus!”
Swatting this time at the tears that had started up again, she looked genuinely angry all of a sudden.
“It’s okay,” Brandon said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“No, it’s not.”
She leaned over to the box of tissue on her nightstand and yanked tissue out, dabbing her eyes in an annoyed way. Even though Brandon couldn’t really relate personally, he’d had enough training and experience dealing with new recruits, who could be very emotional at times, so he gave it a stab.
“It is okay to feel emotional, even after all this time. If you guys were that tight, then of course you’ll always get choked up thinking of him.”
She shook her head defiantly but didn’t offer anything more. Brandon knew all about not wanting to talk about certain subjects. Obviously, while she started off talking about her grandpa willingly enough, she didn’t want to anymore. So he figured it was best to change the subject.
“I can help you get that ankle dressed again when you’re done eating.”
She nodded but said nothing, and they continued eating in silence for a few minutes until she spoke up again. “I’ve never dealt well with loss,” she whispered, staring at her salad.
“Most people don’t,” he said, shoving the last of his sandwich in his mouth and sat back taking a swig of his bottled iced tea.
Finally, she looked up at him, her eyes a bit weary now. They’d lost that sparkle he’d seen in them earlier when she realized he’d remembered how she ordered her salad. She started to say something but then seemed to catch herself. “I guess,” she said then looked back down at her salad. “This is really good.” He watched as she stabbed some lettuce and a piece of chicken. She looked up at him with a sad little smile. “Thank you for remembering how I like it.”
Chapter Twelve
Regina
Indebted wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how Regina felt toward this man she’d referred to as a pretentious jerk just a week ago. As if last night hadn’t been enough, Brandon had taken the day off work and was apparently going to wait on her hand and foot.
She watched as he undid the extra wrap they’d given her at the ER. “This is barely enough for a few days if you plan on changing it daily,” he said without looking up. “I’ll make another run to the drugstore and grab you some more.”
“That’s okay, Brandon,” she said quickly, feeling like such a burden. “It should last me the weekend, and then I can get some on Monday on my way home from work.”
He looked up at her. Regina was already recognizing some of his expressions. The one he wore now was the annoyed one he got every time she rejected his help.
“Okay,” she conceded, preferring the smiling even serious Brandon over the annoyed one. “I guess if it’s not too much trouble you can get it for me before then.”
“No trouble at all,” he said, lifting her ankle gently then taking a seat on her bed and lowering her ankle onto his thighs.
Regina watched how gentle he was when he removed the splint, trying to focus on that and how she would’ve never believed this last week. Sergeant Billings was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed with her legs technically around him. It was a silly thought, even rang a little of middle school immaturity, but she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.
“I was gonna make a run to the drugstore anyway to get you a shower chair.”
Her silly thoughts were instantly warped, and she looked up from her ankle to his very serious face. “What?”
Taking his eyes off her ankle for a moment, he glanced up at her. “Yeah, I saw the mess you made in your bathroom. Even after all these hours, the floor is still wet. It’s a wonder you didn’t fall trying to get out of there.” He shook his head and went back to concentrating on wrapping her ankle. “A shower chair will be a lot safer.”
Normally she would’ve said something snarky—retort sarcastically that he was taking an awful lot of liberties with decisions that should be hers. She’d never been one to need someone to take care of her, much less come in and just take over. But something about his concern for her well-being warmed her. And she had to admit there had been a few scary moments in the shower that morning.
“A chair in there is a good idea,” she said softly. “Thanks, but I won’t let you pay for it.”
She saw his jaw tighten as he continued with the wrap. “All done. The swelling’s gone down a bit too.”
He leaned down to pick up the splint and began putting it back on her. Unable to stand it anymore, Regina inched her butt up little closer to him, hoping he wouldn’t notice since he was busy with the splint. When he was done, he looked up and pulled his face back when he realized how close she was.
Smiling nervously, she licked her lips, and bingo, her lips had his undivided attention. “Can I thank you again, Brandon?”
With his eyes still on her lips, he nodded but said nothing, so she pecked him softly. “That’s for taking the day off.” She took his face in her hands and kissed him again this time sliding her tongue in his mouth, and he kissed her back softly, gently. It wasn’t at all as ravenous as last night’s kiss, but she still felt her heart speeding up. She pulled away, licking her lips, loving the taste of him still on them. “That’s for bringing me my meds and fixing my wrap.” Diving in again, the kiss took a turn with him leaning into her as she kissed him much deeper. He moaned and practically ate her mouth up just as he had last night, as if he couldn’t get enough, and now his fingers were in her hair. It went on for what seemed like forever, but even then she didn’t want it to end. The kiss alone had her so wet and aroused it was embarrassing, but she couldn’t bring herself to end it. Finally, he pulled his lips away and hugged her tightly, breathing heavily against her neck.
“What was that for?”
Regina smiled against his shoulder. “For remembering how I ordered my chicken salad.”
His body seemed to tense for just a moment, and then he relaxed and pulled away to look at her. “I have a good memory, I guess, but even I surprised myself that I remembered every detail of that,” he said, indulging her with one of his almost-never-seen smiles. “I walked into the deli for sandwiches and then saw the salads on the menu, and it just came to me.”
She slipped her hand in his and laced his fingers through hers. His smile instantly vanished, and she saw alarm in his eyes. They’d just shared one of the most passionate kisses she’d ever experienced, and this alarmed him? She started to let go of his hand, but he squeezed it and kissed her again, bringing his other hand behind her neck. This kiss was slower yet deeper somehow, their tongues dancing beautifully in perfect rhythm like a couple who’d been doing this forever.
Sucking on her bottom lip one last time, he pulled away to look at her, but his hand remained on the back of her neck. She hoped that meant he wasn’t going to stop because she could kiss him all day and into the night. “You know,” she swallowed, looking deep into those intense eyes of his. “For a while there, I thought my holding up the line at the airport because of my special order of that salad might’ve been the reason you didn’t like me.”
His blue eyes disappeared underneath that heavy sheath of thick lashes as he looked down for a moment. “That was really shitty of me to treat you that way. I shouldn’t have. I’m real sorry about that.”
“Can you tell me about her?” she said, lowering her voice a little. “The girl you said I reminded you of?”
His eyes were on her again, and she saw something different in them now, only like before, she couldn’t decipher it. To her disappointment, he did pull his hand back from behind her neck. But as much as she wished she hadn’t asked, a part of her really wanted to know now.
“There’s not much to tell,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s just a girl from my past. Way back.”
“A girlfriend?”
“Nope.” He frowned. “She wasn’t even a girlfriend. She was just someone I knew most my life and tho
ught I had feelings for. It didn’t end well, and I haven’t spoken to or seen her in years. That’s about all there is to tell.”
“What about me reminded you of her? I noticed the distaste from the moment I saw you at the airport, so I take it I resemble her?”
He nodded with an apologetic smile then kissed her softly. “I saw the dark hair.” He touched a strand of her hair. “The big brown eyes.” He smiled then went serious again. “I heard you on the phone with your dad, and I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to listen, standing right behind you. I picked up on how maybe he was going a little overboard, making sure you were okay, and that’s how this girl’s entire family was.” He frowned now, the look of distaste exactly as she remembered it at the airport and those first several times she’d run into him here. “Her family was way over the top, and then you referred to your grandma in Spanish to boot. This girl was Hispanic too, so it brought back memories of someone I hadn’t thought about in years. It was just a little irritating.”
Without thinking, Regina’s brows shot up, and Brandon kissed her again quickly. “The memories, that is, not you.”
Smiling, she kissed him back and chewed her lip. “Well, you were right about my dad. He can go a little overboard. My whole family can actually. That’s why I didn’t wanna call them today. They’d waltz in here and just take over.”
She said that as if that weren’t what Brandon was slowly doing also. Somehow having Brandon pamper her, even if he had started taking liberties with what he thought was best for her, seemed a lot more fun than having her overbearing but well-meaning family doing just the same.
That last comment didn’t seem to go over too well with him. Maybe she was a little too much like this girl he didn’t like thinking of. She was about to ask exactly what he meant by “didn’t end well” when his hand on her thigh distracted her.