Free When We Touch by Brenda Novak Page B

shoes.”
    “The shoes?”
    “The trappings, the party, the celebration, the attention. This wedding shines a bright light on her and announces to everyone in Whiskey Creek that Kyle, a guy highly admired, prefers her to every other woman, including me.”
    “The sad truth is…he doesn’t.”
    “I don’t even care anymore.” Pushing her plate away, she leaned back and closed her eyes. “All I want is for this wedding to be over.”
    “You’re exhausted.”
    She didn’t answer. She told herself she could rest for fifteen minutes. Then she had to get ready. She had to get through the rehearsal dinner. But Brandon nudged her before she could drift off. “Come on. Nap on the bed. It’ll be more comfortable.”
    “I can’t move,” she objected, but that didn’t deter him. He simply scooped her up and carried her down the hall.
    When he took her to his room instead of hers, she didn’t have the energy to protest. At the moment, she was worthless as a sex partner. She just hoped he’d curl up beside her, lend her his strength and his warmth. But the next thing she knew, she was facedown on his pillow, breathing in the scent that lingered there—the same scent that clung to his body—as his fingers massaged the tight muscles in her neck and shoulders.
    She groaned. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
    He laughed softly. “Don’t trust it. Considering what you do to me, I have only evil intentions.”
    “Would it make you any less of a villain to lie down with me?”
    “I suppose that wouldn’t hurt my reputation too much,” he said wryly and scooted in beside her.
    With his shoulder as her pillow and his fingers moving gently through her hair, she felt oddly content as she drifted off.
    * * *
    A screech woke Brandon from a dead sleep. One look at Olivia, blinking awake next to him, told him she hadn’t made that sound. She was as startled as he was. So what—
    Then the sound came again—” O-li-via! ”—and he realized what was going on. “Shit! The rehearsal dinner!”
    Olivia was already scrambling off the bed, but she didn’t have a chance to speak before Noelle started screaming again.
    “I know you’re in there, damn you!” She banged on the door. “How could you? How could you do this to me? ”
    “What time is it?” Olivia cried.
    “Nearly eight.”
    Her face went pale. “Oh, God! I overslept.”
    Brandon felt terrible. “I’m sorry. I never intended to fall asleep. I just shut my eyes for a minute.”
    She rubbed her face as if trying to get her bearings. “We have to go.”
    Galvanized into action, he hopped out of bed. “You go change. I’ll answer the door.”
    “No, I’ll answer. She’s so upset there’s no telling what she might say.”
    “Exactly.” He gave her a little push. “Better if she says it to me. She can’t hurt me, and it might blow off some of the steam. Get ready.”
    Although reluctant to let him handle her temperamental sister, she seemed to understand the urgency of showing up at the dinner party—where the rest of the wedding party was waiting for them.
    “I’ve got it,” he assured her, and she hurried into the bathroom.
    “Olivia!” Noelle yelled.
    He opened the door before she could knock again.
    She immediately stepped back so she could look up at him. “Where’s my sister?”
    “Getting ready. You can head back. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
    “You’ll be there? Why weren’t you there an hour ago?”
    He stepped out and closed the door so that Olivia wouldn’t have to hear this. “We fell asleep, okay? I’m sorry about that—”
    “You’re not sorry for anything!” She looked a little crazed with her hair falling out of whatever was holding it up. “You’re busy banging my sister when it’s supposed to be my turn!”
    Knowing she couldn’t have meant that quite the way it sounded, he raised his eyebrows, giving her a chance to clarify.
    “To have what I want,” she said, her cheeks flashing red. “To have