More Than Friends: Brad Read online

  Pulling up in front of her house, Brad cut off the engine. “There isn’t much to tell,” he confessed as he got out of the car. He came around, opened her door and helped her out. Closing the door, he held her hand a little tighter and escorted her to the front door.

  For a while now, she’d fought actually going out on a real date with Brad because she didn’t want to get too close to him. Her main focus was moving to the top of her field as a reporter, but now she...hell, she wasn’t sure what was going on in her head.

  “I think you’re wrong,” she said.

  Brad touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m wrong about a lot of things, but not that. Do you know that half the time I got invited anywhere it was because of my brothers? They are the three famous Drace brothers and I’m not. I understand and I’m not upset about it.”

  “It’s only because they’re older,” Alicia corrected. She didn’t want Brad to think he wasn’t worthy because he was. “Don’t let it get you down. You have to know how unbelievable you are.”

  Cupping her chin in his hand, Brad leaned closer to her until their mouths were almost touching. “I know something that you can do to cheer me up.”

  Alicia had a hint of what it was, but she’d play along. “What can I do for you, Mr. Drace?”

  “A good night kiss would be a perfect finish to the night.”

  A warning voice whispered in her head that if she let Brad kiss her tonight that there would be no turning back, but she just pushed the fear to the back of her mind. God, it was only a kiss and it wasn’t like that Brad hadn’t kissed her before.

  “I’d like that,” she answered a second before Brad nibbled at her bottom lip softly in a tantalizing way. The firmness of his mouth drew her body and mind into the kiss even more.

  He pulled away slightly and glanced down into her eyes and then lightly licked her lips before kissing her again.

  Alicia was trying to draw a thought into her mind; however, with the way he was kissing her fast and then slow, it was driving her need up the charts. Who knew that kissing could be so arousing? Standing on tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around Brad’s neck drawing him closer to her.

  Sliding his hands down her back, Brad cupped her ass and lifted her up pressing her back against the front door. The thickness of his hard erection against her underwear made her purr in the very back of her throat.

  “Do you know how much I want to pull out my cock and bury myself inside of you until neither one of us can think straight?” Brad whispered against her swollen lips.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her heart pounding in her chest when she saw the smoldering look in his beautiful eyes. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “I’m so fucking hard right now that my whole body is aching to be with you.”

  Alicia didn’t know what to say right now. She was fighting with every fiber of her being not to beg Brad to take it to the next step. Damn it! How could she lose control like this and on her front porch with all her neighbors to see? From now on she would have to guard her own actions as well as his.

  “Brad, please put me down.”

  “I was afraid you might tell me that,” Brad confessed as he let go of her ass and lowered her back down to the ground.

  She quickly fixed her clothing and pulled her skirt back down to a respectable level. Awkward silence filled the air as one of them tried to think of something to say. This was new territory for the both of them.

  Brad was finally the one to take the huge leap. “I wish I could apologize for what happened, but I can’t. I love the taste of your mouth. It’s sweet, spicy and a temptation made to get a man in trouble. I’ve always considered a kiss the first sexual contact that will introduce me to a possibility of a lover. Haven’t you ever heard that you can tell a lot from how a person kisses?”

  Of course she had heard that before but she hadn’t even given it much thought until now. The way Brad just kissed her proved that he knew his way around the bedroom.

  “Before we go down a road that I shouldn’t tonight, I’m going to tell you goodnight.” Alicia turned away from Brad and unlocked her door. Going inside, she turned back around to look at a man who had given her such a wonderful night.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow after work.”

  “Sweetheart, I’ll be there,” Brad told her in a deep and sensual voice that sent a ripple of awareness through her. Turning on his heel, he strolled away from her back to his car leaving her staring at his back and perfectly tight ass.

  Chapter Nine

  Instead of going home after his date with Alicia, Brad decided to drive around for a few hours until he ended up at his favorite place. Turning off his car, he stared out at the pond near the campsite where he usually spent most of his summers as a kid camping with his older brothers. It was the one place that he considered a second home because of the tranquility. Anytime he came here he always felt at ease like he didn’t have a problem in the world and nothing could get him down no matter how big the issue might be.

  He was still on a high after his dinner date with his woman. He wouldn’t have been able to sit still at home and not call Alicia to wish her good night again and maybe hint if he could come over for a another kiss or two. Instead, he came here hoping the fresh air and quiet would give him time to think about his next step when it came to her.

  Alicia’s response to him tonight was fantastic. He had only wanted a small goodnight kiss. He never imagined something so sizzling hot bursting between them. Now that he had gotten her this far, he couldn’t let Alicia crawl back into her shell.

  A passionate and loving woman was dying to break through that stonewall Alicia had built around her for protection, but he was going to be the man who broke it down. He wasn’t about to go another damn year without his woman in his home and bed. All of his brothers had fought hard to get their wives and so would he.

  The love he carried around for Alicia only came around once in a lifetime and he wasn’t about to lose it...not without a hell of a fight on his part.

  Why couldn’t Alicia see the intriguing and unusual relationship that they shared with each other? All she had to do was just accept their differences and appreciate what they could have with each other.

  He would never forget the first time that he bonded with her. It was during their first tennis lesson. He had tossed a joke out at her and she laughed. Most people, even his brothers, usually groaned and walked away.

  At that moment, he started thinking about what it would be like to date a smart, sexy and appealing woman like Alicia Hart. A woman who had a five year plan and didn’t mind telling anyone that she had big dreams she wanted to accomplish in her life.

  Sure, she had been in love with another man, but that wasn’t a huge concern of his. All three of his brothers hadn’t allowed any obstacle to stand in the way of them winning over their women, so he was going to do the same thing.

  Didn’t Alicia see the same spontaneity, spunk and adventure that he saw in her? Alicia’s potential was something that could explode if she had more confidence in herself and her abilities.

  All she had to do was crack open that wall a tiny bit and he would burst through it full force without hesitation. Together, the two of them could show the world how a hot chemistry between two intelligent adults grew into a loving and caring relationship.

  Brad doubted that Alicia knew how much he admired her ability to be able to pull a person into her from her spot behind the desk on television. He found Alicia’s unique wit compelling and her sharp mind captivating.

  He had to respect that he might not be able to fully understand or control Alicia because she was her own woman, making her a mystery that he wanted to be around each and every day.

  The more time that he was around her Brad was positive he could use some seductive foreplay to heighten her desire for him showing her every pleasure imaginable.

  Patience...he just needed more patience and everything would turn out the way he wa
nted in the end.

  ****

  After a long soak in the tub, Alicia relaxed in a chaise by her bedroom window with her hands wrapped around a hot cup of Chamomile tea. She knew she should be in bed, but her thoughts were still racing with images of her date with Brad.

  He had shown her so much depth and complexity over their dinner. She never knew that Brad didn’t think he was as accomplished as his brothers. Why would he believe that? He worked side by side with Lee at his marketing firm.

  There was no way that Lee would give Brad a job if he didn’t think he couldn’t handle it and do it very well.

  Against her will, Alicia’s curiosity had been peaked by Brad’s insights. She loved how Brad introduced her to new things like fun.

  Honestly, at first she was overwhelmed by Brad’s intensity and a little annoyed by the way he was picking at the security blanket around her heart. It had taken such a long time for her to build it up and he was ripping it to shreds faster than she could think of ways to rebuild it.

  His interest in her was as plain as the nose on her face, but she could tell that he was upset by her lack of emotional response in the past to his advances. However, tonight a part of her took over and she had forgotten all about her promise to stay away from Brad.

  When Brad kissed her tonight all she could think about was getting lost in the emotions, yanking him into her house and having her way with him. Which was very surprising since she tried to keep her feelings tightly under wraps at all times.

  Since the first instant she had laid eyes on Brad there was an attraction hovering which had turned out to be very surprising, since she had only taken the tennis lessons to impress a man who had shown no interest in her.

  Max was a fantasy that she shouldn’t have gotten caught in. He was a self-centered asshole that felt every woman should fall under his polished charisma. Unfortunately, she had been one of those asinine females, but thankfully she came to her senses and got over him. The few times she had allowed herself to be around Brad showed her how a man was suppose to treat a woman that he cared about.

  Sharing and being playful were things that made Brad so different from any other man she had ever known. He was the type of guy who would want to express feelings and thoughts a woman wasn’t brave enough to share with him yet.

  It wouldn’t be nice to talk to someone who could listen to her hopes or what was going on in their relationship without making an instant judgment about who’s right and who’s wrong.

  Taking a sip of her tea, Alicia wondered if Brad would be the type who would like to cuddle and talk after sex or the type to roll over and fall asleep right after he was finished.

  There were so many things she wanted to find out about Brad, but was scared to do because of her bad track record with men. God, her past encounters with men should have sent her to a relationship therapist, but it hadn’t yet.

  How was it possible for such an intelligent and successful woman to have such horrible luck with the opposite sex? It was almost like someone had placed a curse on her without her even knowing it.

  She desired the same thing every other woman did in the world. She wanted to feel that rush of emotion when she looked at her man—an intense, hot emotion like there was a speeding car behind you and you weren’t sure that you would make it out of the way in time.

  One of her best friends used to tell her not to worry because she would find the love of her life. She shouldn’t settle for a guy just to get a ring on her finger. Instead hold out for the man who is the other half of herself and it would happen. Just date and go with the flow of things until it did.

  Everything would come to her in the end if she’d calm down and be patience enough to work for it. Sometimes, she had a hard time expressing what was going on inside her when she was around Brad. Just his presence sent her heart into a tailspin and almost made her tongue-tied, however she was always able to control it but just barely.

  Alicia took another sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose at the cold temperature. She placed the mug on the floor by the chair and stood up. Stretching her arms above her head, she tried to relax some of the stiff muscles in her lower back. Slowly, Alicia dropped her arms sliding them into the pockets of her robe.

  Tonight being with Brad showed her what had drawn Traci, Dawn and Cherise to his brothers. Brad offered the intimacy and closeness women longed for when it came to the men in their lives. She was pretty sure that Brad wanted the same things too. Because he was a man didn’t mean that he didn’t.

  Was she really ready to acknowledge she had been very reluctant in giving Brad a fair shot? Getting intimate with him would require her opening her heart and to take whatever might happen because of her decision. It was such a huge risk and one thing she wasn’t was a risk taker. She wasn’t fond of the unknown.

  Would Brad try to change her after they got together? No, he didn’t come across like a controlling guy. He had constantly accepted her no matter what was going on in her life. Okay, she would do it. Brad deserved for her to give him a real chance. Their relationship wasn’t going to happen overnight because change took time, but she was willing to work at it and see where the chips would fall.

  Chapter Ten

  “God, what a morning,” Alicia screamed as she raced through her house searching for her car keys. She had been up most of the night thinking about Brad and her growing feelings for him. Now, she couldn’t figure out why her car keys weren’t in her purse. She always tossed them back into the side pocket after coming into the house.

  Shit! I’m running late and I would kill for a cup of coffee.

  Picking up her purse off the couch, Alicia dumped the contents out of it on the table and searched through it again for the missing keys and came up empty again. Damn it!

  “Great! How in the hell can I get to work without my car keys?” Today was the first day she was going to start outlining the ground work for her Drace brothers’ story. What kind of first impression would she be giving off by showing up late?

  She didn’t have time to stay at home looking for them. Alicia tossed all of her stuff back into her purse. She had to go. Maybe if she hurried up she would be able to catch the bus that was about two blocks from her house. It had been such a long time since she had ridden it, so she prayed that the schedule was still the same. But before she left she would take one last look in her bedroom and check there for the keys.

  Alicia got off the couch and headed for her bedroom at the end of the hallway. What had she done to make her day start off so badly? She never imagined when she woke up this morning things would go so downhill. She was in the middle of the hallway when the doorbell rang, stopping her. Spinning back around, she hurried back to the front door and flung it open.

  “What are you doing here?” Alicia asked eyeing the delicious man standing on the porch with a bag in his hand along with two cups of coffee in a cardboard holder.

  “I came here to see you. Do you want to eat breakfast with me? I have donuts and coffee. I hope you have a little time before work.” Brad grinned at her as he waved the bag in front of her face. “You know that you want to invite me inside. I know how much you love coffee and donuts.”

  Alicia couldn’t deny the truth. She did adore coffee and donuts, so her diet was going to get tossed out of the window. She was dying to have something sweet and fattening this morning. She had to do something to fix the horrible way her day was starting off.

  “Come on in. I need something good to move this dark cloud over my head.” Moving to the side, Alicia waved Brad to come inside. She would just apologize for being late. Maybe after she got some food in her stomach, she would be able to think more clearly and spending time with Brad might help settle her nervous too.

  “What’s wrong?” Brad asked the second he came inside and she closed the door. “I know that you usually like to get to work early. So, I was on my way to see you at the station, but when I drove by your house I noticed your car was still in the driveway. I was surpris
ed to see you were still here.”

  “You know my schedule,” Alicia said, clearly surprised that Brad knew so much about her.

  “Sweetheart, I care about you. I want to know about you. I’m hoping that you will let me in so I can learn even more.” Brad placed the food down on the living room table. “Now, are you going to tell me why you’re still here and very upset?”

  “I lost my keys and I’ve been looking for them for over ten minutes. I called and told Tiffany that I was going to be late for our meeting about the ground work for the special. It’s a good thing that I wasn’t scheduled to be on television this morning.”

  “Why don’t you take the food into the kitchen and let me call Tiffany to see if I can get her to cancel your meeting with her. I was going to take you by Lee’s house, so you can talk to him. He doesn’t have any clients until late today. ”

  She loved the idea and doubted that Tiffany would have any problems with it, but more than getting to interview Lee, she was actually excited about spending this morning with Brad. He was constantly surprising her with his knowledge of her and she liked it.

  “Do you need me to give you Tiffany’s number?” Alicia asked as she picked up their food.

  “No, I got it from Lee. He still had a copy of it at his office. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Alicia looked at Brad one last time before she headed in the direction of the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, she placed everything on the table and grabbed one of the coffees. Wrapping her hand around the container, Alicia took a sip of the warm liquid allowing it to ease some of the stress from her body.

  How did Brad know this is what she had been missing this morning? She never talked about a lot of personal stuff when they were together, yet he seemed to know so much about her likes and dislikes.

  Brad’s kindness touched a part of her that she didn’t know was there. Brad relied on his feelings and instincts more than any other man that she had ever known in her life. Her past boyfriends had been extremely private and secretive about everything going on with them. Which made it extremely hard to get to know them any deeper than what they decided to tell her about themselves.