Instantly, Brandon was on his knees reaching over to his nightstand for another condom.

~*~

Regina

The outcome of Brandon overhearing Regina’s conversation with her sister Friday night couldn’t have gone better if she’d planned it that way. In fact, with her rotten luck, if she had actually done that on purpose, she was certain it would’ve backfired on her and ended with an ugly fight instead of ending the somewhat unnerving yet thrilling way it had.

Over the past several weeks, Regina had been privy to that softer, sweeter side of Brandon. But what secretly thrilled her was that, as sweet as she knew he could be now, he still hadn’t lost that dark bewildering side. That side was still there when he was on duty at the base and resurfaced every now and again even around just her, though she could tell he did his best to conceal it. As nervous as it made her, there was something so incredibly sexy about it. She especially loved the power she had to lessen his tension with just a few kisses.

Today’s visit with her family wasn’t the usual Sunday brunch. She’d casually mentioned her nephew’s baptism to Brandon weeks ago. The way the guy remembered even the smallest details of things she’d told him so long ago she’d been certain he hadn’t forgotten. Yet, up until Friday’s incident he hadn’t mentioned anything about going with her. She knew him well enough to have picked up on one thing. He wasn’t anxious to meet her family. Regina knew this was all new to him. Just making an attachment was a huge step for him, so she knew meeting her family would only reaffirm just how attached they were becoming. When she mentioned her nephew’s baptism, she hadn’t wanted to make him feel obligated or forced to go, so she left it on the table but didn’t so much insinuate that she wanted him there.

He already knew that her family Sunday brunches meant just that. Her whole family would be there. This was a little different, and she hoped it would make it a little less intimate so he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed on his first meeting with them. Since it was her nephew’s baptism, it would be at her sister’s, not her parents’ place like the usual brunches. There would also be other people there besides her immediate family: extended family, friends, and her brother-in-law’s family. Brandon wouldn’t be the center of attention as she knew he’d be had his first visit with them been at one of their brunches.

Running her fingers through his hair, she stared at her new love as he slept soundly. He shifted at the touch of her fingers and wrapped his arms around her even tighter. A soft moan escaped him, but he didn’t open his eyes. “How much time do we have?” he murmured.

She smiled, continuing to run her fingers through his hair. “A few hours. I’m gonna get in the shower, but you can sleep longer if you want. We have time. I just take long getting ready.”

Fortunately, since her sister had chosen a Sunday to have her nephew baptized, those Masses were held in the wee hours of the morning at their church before all the other Sunday Masses began. Her sister had told everyone who wasn’t an actual mandatory part of the ceremony they needn’t be there at the early Mass and the family gathering at her home wouldn’t be until noon. They were having the ceremony professionally taped anyway, and no doubt Regina would be watching it over and over as she did the other videos of her niece and nephew.

Brandon ran his hands up and down Regina’s naked body as he squeezed one eye open. “I could join you in the shower if you want.” The corner of his lip tugged as he nudged her thigh with the erection she’d already felt earlier. “It’s not like I’ll be able to go back to sleep now anyhow.”

Un-wrapping his arms from around her, Brandon jumped out of bed suddenly and headed to the bathroom. She knew what he was in a hurry to do more than actually use the bathroom—brush his teeth. She’d already brushed hers and knew it was just one of the things he was obsessive about. Within minutes, he was back and crawled in next to her again with a very mischievous smile. His hands were already roaming her body.

Staring at him with a smirk, she knew it was a risk but one she’d chickened out of too many times already. She’d waited so long for him to bring it up on his own. A few weeks ago she noticed that the tote with the handcuffs, the riding crops, and the paddle was gone. As exciting as their sex life was, this past Friday was one of the few times they’d done anything out of the ordinary in bed or in the shower. He was as meticulous about making sure she was absolutely satisfied each and every time as he was about everything else he did, so she had no complaints there. Still, a part of her was very curious about his naughty tote and especially why he hadn’t introduced her to it. Now with it gone, she was fairly certain and slightly disappointed that he wasn’t going to ever.

“I have a confession to make,” she whispered.

His roaming hands stopped midway down her back. The mischievous smile flattened, and both his eyes were on hers now. “What’s that?”

Suddenly a little nervous and tempted to take it back, Regina felt her heart speed up. Biting her lip, she tried to continue smirking playfully, but the way he was staring at her now made it tough to do. “You have to promise you won’t get mad.”

Brandon’s brow creased as he adjusted himself and sat up a little. “Is it about Ricardo?”

“No,” she said, surprised he’d even go there. “I told you I haven’t seen or heard from him in over seven years.”

He didn’t appear at all remorseful to have jumped to that conclusion. His expression remained vacant, but his eyes searched hers still. “Then what?”