Page 21 of Touch My Shelves

Brax leans on his desk before me in a blue t-shirt, black jeans, and brown leather shoes. The shirt is pulled tight across his broad chest and his biceps bulge, threatening to rip the seams of his upper sleeves. I vaguely remember being carried by those strong arms and saying something inappropriate about being held down and fucked hard. Please let that part be a dream.

My stomach rolls, but I know there’s nothing left to throw up. That brings on a whole new level of mortification. I remember throwing up on him.

“Did you have something you wanted to talk about?” Brax’s voice is too loud.

Pain shoots through my brain, causing my mouth to fill with the salty taste of my saliva and I swallow it down. “Could you lower your voice, please?” I beg softly while rubbing my temples. I look up to find a smirk on his face that doesn’t sit well with me. I take a deep breath, feeling perilously close to throwing up. Again.

“I assume you want to talk about your job performance,” Brax growls.

“What? No,” I croak, and reach for more coffee. I sit up as straight as my aching body will allow. This isn’t why I came in here. It is, but it isn’t.

“I trusted you with the most precious thing in my life and you think it’s okay to explore a cave. A cave that you knew nothing about. You both could have been killed.”

“No. That’s not how it happened.” I snap at him because he’s being ridiculous. Did he actually think I led Freeya into the cave? He does have a small point, though. I did allow her to go into the cave. I should have said no.

It’s really hot how his chest heaves with each breath he takes. There’s a scruff of beard on his cheeks and I’m wondering how it would feel between my thighs. I startle when he practically shouts.

“What were you thinking? Caves are dangerous places. You fell down a tunnel. It’s a miracle you didn’t break something in the fall. And then I show up and find you sozzled.”

“I know!” I shriek, tearing my eyes away from his pecs only to look up into his irritated eyes. I have no idea what that means. I assume it means drunk. And I was. “I wasn’t expecting there to be a hole in the floor. Freeya was excited to show me something in the cave.”

His face screws up in ire. “That alone should be enough to fire you on the spot. Do you actually think I allow my daughter to play in caves?”

I wish my head wasn’t hurting so badly. I know I’d have a snappy comeback. “I don’t think that. However, she did have a flashlight stashed there. In a plastic bag, I might add. How was I to know you hadn’t put it there for further exploration?” I’m grasping at straws and he knows it. My brain is still working through a fog of that damned rum. I’d been so panicked at being confined in the room underground and the old bottles called to me. I hadn’t meant to drink so much, but after the first few swallows, it mellowed me out and I wasn’t going freaking insane anymore. That’s beside the point anyway. I came in here to apologize, not to be raked across the coals.

Brax stands, putting his hands in his pants pockets, stretching the fabric tight across an area my gaze fixates on. I have entirely too many visuals going in my mind that I shouldn’t. He’s too close, and it’s becoming too hot in here. I wet my dry lips and tear my gaze away from his crotch just in time to catch his gaze on my chest. My cheeks warm and he looks away, avoiding my eyes.

“Listen, I came in here to tell you how sorry I am for throwing up on you. You’re right. I shouldn’t have allowed Freeya to go into the cave. If you want me to leave, I will.”

By the set of his chin, I think I know his answer. I sigh; I really like being with Freeya. She’s a cool kid and I’m going to miss her. I’ll miss the castle too and not just because it’s the only place on the island I can call home. At least for now. I’ll have to go back to my original plan of leaving Faire Island and finding something on the mainland.

I might as well go pack. I push slowly to my feet, wincing when there’s a catch in my lower back.

“What’s wrong?” he asks with concern and moves closer to stand beside me.

I brush it off. “It’s nothing. I must have landed wrong on my hip when I fell down the tunnel. It’s just sore.”

“You might have broken something.” He reaches out and touches the side of my hip, causing an avalanche of shivers as he gently pushes and prods the area.

“I’m really, o…okay,” I mumble, trying to keep myself from leaning into him. His assessing touch turns to rubs, which turn to deeper massaging. I moan involuntarily; it feels so good. Too good. I shift a bit until I’m standing in front of him. My breasts are diamond-tipped nubs poking at my cotton t-shirt, and his exploring hand keeps moving closer to the point where he’s squeezing my ass.

I know I should stop him. I even reach back with that intention, but instead of ending the delicious torment, I lay my palm over his hand and together we rub and squeeze my ass.

I may have been the one to initiate the squeeze.

He gasps and, with his other hand, pulls me closer until I’m right up on his body. I feel his warmth from my breasts down to my thighs and in between. I feel his hardness pressed into my belly. I swallow to keep from asking him to take me. Right there. In his office. With the door open.

For a moment, I feel dizzy from how strongly I want that to happen. I shiver and he must think he hurt me and moves back. He clears his throat and takes a breath. “Nothing feels broken. You must have bruised it. A few days of rest will help.”

I nod and lick my lips. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s fine.”

Brax slowly exhales. “I’m sorry you’re hurt and I’m sorry for my daughter’s part in it happening. I know she’s a strong-willed child and I should have warned you about her Houdini-like escapades. Unfortunately, her past nannies haven’t always been attentive and she’s taken every opportunity to give me gray hairs by doing things she shouldn’t. I’m sorry for losing my temper earlier too. This wasn’t your fault.”

“You were scared, as you should be. You’re right. I shouldn’t have gone along with going inside the cave in the first place.”

He goes back to leaning on his desk and I feel the loss of his touch and notice the genuine caring in his eyes, along with the worry lines etched in his forehead. I’d never considered how stressful it must be as a father. I also wonder about her mother. Hannah said he is a single dad, so I know he isn’t married, but wouldn’t she at least be in the picture?

“I’m sorry for throwing up on you and anything else I might have said. I don’t drink much at all. I know that’s hard for you to believe. I never knew alcohol could be used as a truth serum.” I cringe and my face warms.

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