Return To Me

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He broke into a grin. “It’s nice to meet another well-rounded individual.”

Laughter rang out between them.

After dinner, they returned to his condo.

Austin had teased over dinner that he had a surprise for her. Bree couldn’t imagine what it could be, and could hardly contain her excitement.

Before taking a seat in the living room, she caught glimpses into other rooms. A formal dining room and an office with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

In the room where she sat, a wall beyond the fireplace was covered with bookshelves filled with books. Bree settled back in the chair. It was a very nice house, shabby and comfortable, clean but not too neat. All it lacked was the warmth of a woman’s touch...

“I’ll be right back,” Austin said before disappearing into the kitchen.

Moments later he returned with two slices of banana chocolate chip cake on plates. “Is this from Ashley Bakery?”

Nodding, he smiled. “Now, I have to confess that I asked Jordin about your favorite dessert, but the restaurant was my idea.”

“This is the perfect way to end the night,” she murmured. “Thank you, Austin.”

He seemed to be peering at her intently.

“What is it?”

“You are so beautiful.”

Austin looked at her as if he were trying to photograph her with his eyes.

“You should try the cake,” Bree said. “It’s really delicious. It’s also Emery’s favorite.”

She shifted her focus from his face to her plate. Her body ached for his touch and she didn’t want to get too caught up in her own emotions. What she felt—her feelings for him had nothing to do with reason.

This is a first date. Slow down, girl.

Austin sampled the dessert. “This is really good. I’ve always been a carrot cake lover, but this is good.”

“A new convert...yeah!”

They laughed.

“I’ve already packaged up half of the cake for you to take home with you.”

“You’ve just made my baby a very happy little boy. He was asking for some earlier. I’d promised him that we’d pick up a cake this weekend.”

Bree was impressed with Austin’s unselfish actions. He hadn’t known her long, but he was interested in her likes and dislikes. He was considerate in including her son, which scored him major points with her.

* * *

Austin brought the half of the cake he’d packaged up for her. “Here you go.”

Bree didn’t want to keep her babysitter up too late as it was a weeknight and she usually went to bed early. She rose to her feet. “Tonight was amazing,” she said. “Thank you for everything.”

He moved closer, challenging Bree to deliberately shut out any awareness of him.

“I have another confession to make.”

Looking up at him, she asked, “What is it?”

Bree was lifted in the cradle of Austin’s arms. “There’s something I’ve wanted to do all evening,” he said, his voice just above a husky whisper.

Her body tingled when he touched her.

His lips were warm and soft, and she let go of any misgivings and kissed him back, her heart leaping. Austin was gentle and devastating as his mouth slid from hers and dropped fleeting kisses on her cheeks and her eyes.

When they parted, Bree’s lips still burned from the delicious sensation of his kiss.

He walked her down to her car.

“Call or text me when you get home,” Austin told her. “I want to know that you made it home safely.”

“I will.”

He planted another kiss on her lips.

Bree sang along with the radio all the way home.

When she arrived, a full-figured woman wearing a T-shirt and jeans came down the stairs.

“I can tell you had a good time. You practically floating right now.”

Bree smiled despite herself. “Miss Sara, what are you talking about?”

“What’s that in your hand?”

“He surprised me with a banana chocolate chip cake for dessert,” Bree announced. “He gave me half to bring home.”

“High Cotton for dinner and then your favorite cake...now that’s my kinda man. I’m liking this boy already.”

Bree held up her phone. “I need to text him to let him know I’m home safe.”

“I made some tea,” Sara announced. “Want a cup?”

She handed her neighbor the cake. “Sure. Feel free to have some cake. It’s from Ashley Bakery.”

“Girl, you talking my language. I’ma have a tiny slice of that cake with my tea and then I’ma go home and get in the bed.”

Bree sent a quick text to Austin, then sat and talked with her neighbor while they drank tea.

When Sara left for her place, she made sure all the doors were locked, turned on the security alarm and checked on Emery. He was sound asleep, clutching a Spider-Man toy. He always took a superhero to bed with him.

She ran her fingers softly through his curls, then kissed him on the cheek.

Bree stifled a yawn as she navigated to her bedroom, where she turned on the TV and prepared a bath.

Stepping out of the bubbles fifteen minutes later, she wrapped a thick blue towel around herself and stared in the mirror. Austin’s kiss still lingered on her lips. Bree closed her eyes, reliving the way he smelled and the feel of his muscles. His touch was imprinted in the places he’d touched her. It amazed her that a good-night kiss could awaken her in areas that had lain dormant since Caleb’s death.

She’d gone on dates in the past, but none lasted more than a couple of months at best. Bree’s focus stayed on her son and building her client base. She wanted to remarry, and had no doubt that she would when the right man came along. After an entertaining evening with Austin, she felt that he had a lot of potential in terms of a relationship.

The sound of the television in the bedroom infiltrated her musings. One of those reality shows was on. Give me a good book any day, she thought.

Stifling a yawn, she slipped on a nightgown, then padded into a bedroom decorated with a soothing color scheme of purple and silver-gray with black accents.

Bree was more than ready to dive into the four-poster bed. Her day had been a long one, but so worth it, she decided.

Her summer was off to a great start.

Chapter 5 (#ud2730ed7-6948-5946-aa73-f126c43397aa)

He tossed an ink pen on his desk before leaning back in his chair. For the umpteenth time that day Austin was reminded of the kiss he’d shared with Bree the previous night. A kiss he had taken before she’d been aware he was about to do so. He sucked in a sharp breath as more memories swept through his mind. Never had a woman’s mouth tasted so delectable, so irresistibly sweet. He’d also learned more about his little boy. Unshed tears pricked Austin’s eyes when Bree had shown him the photographs of Emery.

His arms held the memory of how she felt in them. She was warm, comforting and solid. This was the type of woman he wanted in his life. Someone he could lean on and not fall. And there would come a time when he would need her strength—Austin couldn’t explain how, but he knew it to be true.

The more Austin pondered the thought, he realized that it most likely came from a conversation with his mother. Irene used to always tell him that he needed a life partner who would stand strong when he couldn’t. One who would not see it as weakness.

Jasmine had called him weak once. She didn’t think he could stand up to his mother. Austin could never get her to understand that he alone made the decision to break up with her—it had nothing to do with Irene. Truth was that he never would’ve been with Jasmine had he listened to his mother.

Austin knew that Irene would approve of Bree. She was the type of woman his mother always said he deserved.

He felt a thread of guilt snake down his spine. Irene didn’t know she was a grandmother. For that matter, Etienne knew nothing about Emery, either. Everyone was in the dark and this secret was beginning to weigh heavily on him.

An hour later Austin had finished an important document his cousin Ryker needed. He had one more file to read, which wouldn’t take long. Then, before leaving for the day, he would call Bree to check in. She would be spending the evening with Jordin, Jadin and Garland—it was their girls’ night out.

* * *

Bree plopped down on the sofa in her living room after a long day at work. She needed to take some downtime before heading over to Jordin’s house. She was really looking forward to a night of food, drinks and merriment.

She had already stopped in at Sara’s house to check on Emery. He was too busy with his new picture book to pay much attention to her.