Page 38 of Boss with Benefits

He silently cursed a blue streak beneath his breath. Why couldn’t she go back to the kitchen and leave him alone?

“I know you aren’t mad Axl spilled orange juice. Did you explode because we’ve invaded your home and you want it back? Do you want us to leave?”

That was exactly what he wanted.

Well, it was what he thought he wanted, but he knew if she walked out the door, he would miss her like crazy. He still wasn’t bored with her. If anything, their sex life had become more exciting since exchanging vows. More enticing. He could barely keep his hands off her.

“Please, talk to me.” She moved a few inches over and turned sideways, facing him. “Even if I can’t help, talking will make you feel better. I promise.”

“You’re not going to leave me alone about this, are you?”

She shook her head. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me. Bridget is coming for Axl to take him to school, so we can sit here all day if you want. We aren’t leaving this house until you tell me why you hit the ceiling over nothing. Something is weighing on you. What is it?”

Brady couldn’t sit still another second. He paced in front of her and tried to think of something to say, something that wouldsatisfy her curiosity without giving her too many gory details. No one in his present knew about his past except for Deacon, and his best friend didn’t even know everything.

“My father wasn’t the nicest guy in the world,” he said. “Can we just leave it at that?”

“What does your father have to do with anything?”

“The spilled orange juice brought up some bad memories.”

Jessica met him in the center of the room before he realized she had moved off the bed. She blocked his way. He folded his arms in defiance, determined not to tell her more than he already had. She put her hands on top of his arms, and her tender touch almost broke him. Her wide eyes were filled with concern. For him. He couldn’t remember having anyone care about him like that before.

He didn’t want to upset her, but maybe keeping quiet was making things worse. If she knew the problem was in the past, perhaps she’d feel better. He bent a few inches and kissed her soundly on the mouth. Desire stirred in his heart. It was too bad they had an afternoon meeting. If they didn’t, he would take her back to bed for the entire day.

“I try not to think about my childhood,” he said. “Axl brought a bad memory up that I don’t want to dwell on. Can we go to work and forget this morning ever happened?”

Her eyes narrowed. “We can if you tell me one true thing about your past. Open up to me. Please.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and groaned. “What one true thing? What do you want to know?”

Would she ask him about the beatings? He wasn’t sure he could take it if she knew the truth. She might see him as weak for putting up with an abusive father and not fighting back. Or worse. She might pity him.

“Is Brady your first or your last name?” she asked out of the blue.

Relief flooded his system. “When I was born, my mother named me Michael. Brady was the last name of the man who raised me after my parents died. I had it legally changed to Brady after I moved away and started a new life. That’s it. I don’t have a first name or a last name anymore. It’s just Brady.”

Her brows drew together in a deep scowl. “So what does that make me? I mean, technically we’re married. I thought my last name would change to whatever your last name is, but you don’t have one. What is a girl to do?”

His lips twitched, itching to smile.

The thought of her taking his last name, if he still had one, filled him with an odd sense of warmth. “Guess you’ll have to keep your name the way it is.” He shrugged. “Sorry.”

She continued to frown. “Weird. How do you go through life with just one name?”

Her question tickled him.

In fact, he laughed all the way to his car. The motorcycle needed to stay home today. He only rode it to work when he was wearing jeans. Since he had a lot to do today, he left for work before Bridget showed up for Axl. Jessica needed to finish feeding the kid breakfast anyway.

He headed for work while thinking how odd it was he couldn’t wait to see her again. She was wrong about his day though. He’d explained it to her before leaving. There was a pile of paperwork on his desk he’d been putting off.

Guilt over losing his temper in front of her son settled over him halfway to the office. He turned right instead of left at the next traffic light. If he didn’t deal with what he’d done, he was doomed to repeat it in the future. That was the last thing he wanted.

∞∞∞

“Calm down,” Deacon said. He gestured to the couch. “And sit. Please. You’re making me dizzy with all the pacing.”

Brady dropped down on the couch, but he only stayed there for a second. Popping up again, he crossed the room to the door, ready to storm out. He stopped at the last second and turned back to face his best friend. Deacon was the only one he could talk to at this point, because Deacon knew about his past. He knew things no one else did.

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