Free Christmas Break by Boroughs Publishing Group Page B

Obviously, the man
wasn’t used to a woman not going all gaga over him, and my feigned
disinterest seemed to fascinate him. I couldn’t decide if that was
good or bad. Well, guess what, Mr. Big Man on Campus? If you don’t
recognize me, then I’m not recognizing you.
    Walking behind the bar, I poured a beer and
pushed it across to him. When he reached for it, our fingers
touched. A little shiver of sexual excitement slid up my spine.
    I stared at my smaller hand next to his
large one, mesmerized. Braxton coughed. I looked up and blinked a
few times. His dark eyebrows climbed up his forehead to hide in his
shaggy hair, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
    I snapped out of my fog and jerked my hand
away. “I’ll get that food right out to you.”
    He was so gorgeous, an unwanted smile
threatened to ruin my scowl, but obviously, Braxton had no such
reservation about smiling. His sexy lips tipped up, revealing
straight white teeth, the kind only money could buy. “Take your
time, I’m not going anywhere.”
    He leaned over the counter and grabbed the
remote off the shelf, as if he were sitting in his own living room,
then flipped through channels until he found ESPN. I mumbled
something totally stupid and ran for the kitchen to cook his
burger.
    Damn. I leaned against the wall for a
moment and stared at my trembling hands. What the fuck? Guys did
not make me tremble or run from the room like some scared virgin.
This was so not me.
    My phone played Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop”,
my text message tone. I pulled it out of my pocket with one hand
while I slapped a patty and bun on the grill. The text was from a
number I didn’t recognize.
    Slut. Just try getting a job in this
town.
    This could not be happening. Not after all
this time. My heart climbed up my throat, and I stopped breathing.
With a shaking hand, I tapped on the picture to enlarge it.
    Oh, my God. No.
    The phone fell from my fingers and clattered
on the floor, but I didn’t give a damn if it broke or not. I slid
down the wall until I was sitting on the floor. I’d hoped the
pictures were gone, disappeared into cyberspace. I should’ve known
better.
    Drawing my knees up to my chest, I felt a
big sob rise inside me. Not just because of the damning picture on
my phone, but because I was all alone in the world with no one in
my corner. I missed the one person who would’ve cared, the one who
always made me laugh and hugged me tight to make it all better. And
missing her , knowing I’d never get a chance to talk to her
again, hurt worse than anything any fucking picture.
    My chest tightened and my throat closed up.
You’d think after five years it wouldn’t hurt like it happened
yesterday, but it was almost Christmas, and Christmas had been
Mom’s favorite time of year. I clutched at my throat and pulled my
collar away from my neck. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and gasped
for air. Sobs were wrenched from my chest, as if some invisible
hand had reached down and yanked them out.
    “Are you okay?”
    A deep voice laced with sincere concern
penetrated my brain. Oh my God. I’d totally forgotten about
Braxton. I viciously rubbed my eyes with my knuckles.
    “Here, use this.” He knelt down beside me
and handed me a paper napkin. I took it from him, dabbing at my
face and around my eyes, certain my mascara had run. He stood and
reached out. I grasped his big strong hand. His fingers were so
long they wrapped completely around mine. He tugged and gently
pulled me to my feet.
    I sniffled and gazed up into his concerned
blue eyes. Way up.
    “I’m Braxton, but you can call me Brax. All
my friends do.” He leaned down, cocking his head, and peered at me.
“And you are?”
    “A mess,” I quipped.
    My attempt at a self-deprecating joke didn’t
draw a chuckle from him. He continued to stare at me intently.
    “Aubrey. My name is Aubrey. I know who you
are.”
    “Most people do,” Brax said. His voice held
total honesty, absolute