Releasing Raven [Braden Security 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Brad had just stood there and listened to the conversation between the two women. He was mesmerized when the woman in the chair turned her bright blue eyes his way. They seem to reach something deep inside him that he had thought was iced up after his relationship with Brenda. Shaking himself, he put his hand out and introduced himself

  “I’m Brad Conway, I live in the house across the road. It’s nice to meet you.” Brad felt a little tongue-tied and stumbled over his words. Where had the smooth talker gone, he wondered, usually he was able to sweet talk the ladies, but it seem to have deserted him this morning.

  Her blue eyes were back on him now and looking him up and down. He felt like squirming, but stood still and let her look her fill. After all fair was fair and he had been checking her out, as she talked to Mary. She looked to be around 5 ft. 2 with long mahogany-colored hair and an elfin chin with just a touch of stubbornness. Her blue eyes almost seemed too big for her face, but Brad though the whole package was just right. Brad finally realized that she was talking to him and stopped his perusal of her body. Even though she was sitting in a chair, Brad could tell that she was curvy in all the right places.

  “Sorry, what did you say?” Brad asked her, feeling his face flush.

  “I said that I’m sorry we put you out, and that we scared you. Mary is used to me falling around, because I’m just a little bit impatient.” Mary made a humph noise at her when she said it. Raven just gave her a quick look and a smile, then turned back to Brad.

  “Don’t mind Mary, she worries too much. Would you like to sit down and have some coffee?”

  “Sorry, can’t right now, but thanks for the offer. Can I take a rain check?” Brad was unnerved by Raven and wanted time alone to sort out what he felt. He could see the disappointment that she tried to hide and he almost took his words back.

  “I’ll show you to the door, and thank you again for your help,” Mary said as she picked up the plastic popcorn bottle, setting it on the counter on her way to the door. Brad followed her, his mind still on the lady he left sitting behind him, and made his way out of the house.

  Chapter Three

  Raven watched Brad leave and wheeled her chair to the living room window to watch him walk up his driveway and into his house. Giving a sigh, she turned back to Mary, who was watching her watch him.

  “Quite the young man?” Mary said to her as she reached out and took the curtains out of Raven’s hand and put it back in place, covering the window and her view.

  “What a dream boat.” Raven said as she followed Mary back to the kitchen.

  “Have you been reading another of your historical romance books? Your description seems to come from one of them.”

  “You’re right, I have, but with his long blond hair and build, couldn’t you see him riding up on a stallion to rescue a fair maiden?”

  “You and your whimsical musings. I don’t know how you can think like that, but write all the steamy stories that you do.” Mary turned with a cup of coffee for both of them and sat down at the kitchen table.

  Raven wheeled to the table on the other side and took the cup from Mary. “My writing is completely separate from my own wants. Yes, I want the steamy sex that I write about, but I also want a man of old to sweep me off my feet.”

  “Well I hope you find him someday,” Mary told her as she looked over the rim of her coffee cup.

  “Oh, who are we both fooling, we both know that I will never attract a man like that being in this chair,” Raven told her as she slapped her hand against the chair in question.

  “I think you’re selling yourself too short. You have a lot to offer any man. Don’t let the excuse of being in that chair stop you from going after what you want. It’s not the way you walk that catches a man, if you know what I mean. You just have to get out more and mingle. You’re not going to find someone sitting all day at home writing.” Mary got up from her chair and started to walk into the spare bedroom, where their workout equipment was set up.

  “You coming?”

  “Yes, I’ll be right there.” Raven wanted to believe the words that Mary was telling her, but she knew she couldn’t compete with any whole girl. Her brother told her time and again that she was useless. He always made her feel that she was just a burden to him and anyone else having to look after her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let it out. Her therapist had told her the same things that Mary had. Maybe she was selling herself short. With a guy like Brad just across the street, maybe it was time to get out more. Raven wheeled her chair away from the table and followed Mary into the bedroom, a hopeful expression on her face.

  * * * *

  Brad let himself into his house and flopped down on the couch that sat just in front of his big window that looked out across the street. Moving the front curtain aside, he looked at the house across the street. The woman he had just met had his mind in a jumble. He couldn’t get over his reaction to the first time he held her in his arms. He felt an instant attraction to her and his body had started to come alive with her nearness. He had to think of all the army statistics he knew to keep his cock at half-mast and not have Raven or Mary notice his state of affairs. He had wanted to accept her invitation to stay, but knew he had to get away and think things over. Pushing himself off the couch, he made his way back to his bedroom, throwing his clothes off as he went, and made his way into the shower. As the steamy water hit his body, he felt his body responding again to his thoughts of the warm bundle that Raven made in his arms. Her breasts had brushed back and forth on his chest as she laughed, he could almost make out the feel of her hard nipples brushing him. He had never has such a knee-jerk reaction to anyone. And he had never had his cock raise so quickly for anyone, it had left him a little light headed and speechless.

  Taking the soap in hand, he lathered a hand up and reached down to grab his now throbbing cock. Imagining it was her tight grasp instead of his hand, he remembered her scent and sped up his movements. Within minutes, an unusual thing for him, he spewed his cum against the tiles of the shower. Briskly he grabbed the soap again and washed himself quickly, standing on unsteady legs. Turning off the shower, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his hips and walked into the bedroom still dripping water. Taking the towel from his hips, he ran it over his hair and down his body quickly and grabbed clean clothes out of the dresser. Picking up his wallet from his bedside table, he hurried out of his bedroom and to the hall table and grabbed his keys. He had to get away from the house and go for a ride on his bike to clear his head. If he didn’t he would spend the day thinking about the woman across the road and getting nothing done.

  He had a date with Avery and Cyn at the local furniture store to pick up some pieces for his house. Now that everyone had left with their sleeping bags and other odds and ends, the rooms were empty and the girls thought he should have something to fill them. Picking up his leather jacket and helmet, he locked his front door and jumped on his bike and roared down the road on his way to the mall. Brad found the girls in the baby section of the furniture store looking over cribs. Both woman were a few months pregnant and were giddily looking at the small furniture. When they spotted Brad they turned and both hooked onto one of his arms and lead him to the bedroom furniture. As they looked over all the beds on display, he asked the girl’s opinion if the beds were too high and if a person in a wheelchair would be able to get into one. He asked them the same question every time he was interested in one.

  Avery finale clued in and had to ask “What’s this sudden interest in a person in a wheelchair being able to use your furniture?” She matched James in wanting to know every detail.

  “I met a woman this morning that is in a wheelchair and it got me to thinking about all the obstacles that they have to deal with,” Brad said as he sat down on one of the beds, testing the softness of the mattress under him.

  “Are you thinking of inviting this woman to your house?” Cyn asked now as interested as Avery to hear his reply.

  “Not r
ight now. But if I did, I would want her to be able to be comfortable.” Brad blushed a little at the woman’s questions.

  “Well if you are worried about that, the first place you should start is with a ramp to your door. She will never see the furniture if she can’t get into your house.”

  “God I never thought of that. I guess I’m not the right person to ask her out. If I can’t even think of the most bases like you did right now,” Brad told them as he stood back up.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Brad. This is something new to all of us. I just think you should take a minute and ask yourself if this woman is worth all the trouble. After all, you might never ask her to your house and it’s a lot of expense to go to until you’re sure,” Avery added as she moved between the bed displays.

  “Yeah, you’re right, but if I ever decide, I should be ready. Don’t you think?” Brad tried to keep his interest in Raven out of his voice.

  “I think you have already decided, so let’s pick out furniture that would be suitable,” Avery said, giving Brad a knowing smile that had him trying to ignore her interest.

  Brad spent the afternoon with the girls and they helped him pick out furniture that was suitable and would fill up his empty rooms. Before letting him go home they made him stop at the paint store. Colors that he normally wouldn’t pick out, the girls said were perfect for his house. So he ended up buying the paint also. Finally Brad escaped from the shopping fest when he said he had a prior engagement for supper. The girls kidded him about who his date was with, but he just smiled and left.

  Arriving home, he parked in his driveway and got off his bike and noticed a different car parked across the street. Maybe she was already taken. Maybe he was thinking about some man’s wife, and didn’t know it? He didn’t like the feeling he got when he thought of her with some other man. Why hadn’t he taken the time this morning to find out more about her? As he walked up to the house, he noticed a tall man wearing a suit step out on the doorstep of her house holding the door open. He was shouting something back to whoever was in the house. Brad couldn’t make out what was being said, but he watched as the man slammed the door and stomped down the driveway to his car. He got in it, slammed its door also, revved the motor, and raced off down the street. Brad was torn with wanting to go over and see if everything was okay, but not wanting to overstep his bounds. After all, he had just met her today and it might seem strange for him to just barge over and ask her if everything was okay. But what if something was wrong? She was all alone over there and might need help. Brad put his helmet and jacket down on his front step and made his way over to Raven’s door. Feeling foolish but determined, he knocked on the door and waited. Soon he could hear the chair making its way to the door and it slid open a gap.

  “Who is it? If you’re a sales man, go away. I don’t have time or money for anything you’re selling.”

  Brad smiled, listening to her harsh words “It’s Brad from across the street.”

  “Oh, come on in.” The door opened a bit more and she told him to push it open as she moved her chair away from it.

  Brad walked into the hallway to find Raven with her hands held in her lap, calmly looking back at him with wide blue eyes. “What can I do for you?”

  “I don’t meant to butt into your business, but I just saw a guy leave here and he didn’t seem to be too happy. I was just wondering if you were okay.” Brad put his hands in his pockets, suddenly nervous.

  “It’s nice of you to check up on me. But that was just my brother and we were having a family discussion. Nothing to worry about.”

  Brad just stood looking at her. He was at a loss as to what he could say to expand their time together. Now he had seen her again, she struck him the same way she had this morning. He didn’t want to leave, he wanted to stay and get to know her better.

  Raven just looked at Brad standing silently in her hallway, “Is there anything else?”

  “No, I guess not, I’ll just go.” Brad turned toward the door.

  “Would you like to stay for supper?” Raven asked, being bold for once in her life.

  “Supper?”

  Brad knew he had been silent too long, by the look that came over Raven’s face. He could tell that she was starting to rethink her invitation. But he had been so lost in thought, thanking his lucky stars that she had made the first move, he stuttered, “No, nothing better, I would love to have supper with you.”

  “You don’t have to stay just because you feel sorry for me,” Raven told him as she turned her chair toward the kitchen.

  Brad shook himself. He would have to get over this stunned feeling every time he was near her. He had been standing in her hallway with his lower body half-turned away from her. He knew his body was betraying him again, showing his interest was in more than food. Pulling his shirt out of his pants, Brad made sure that he was presentable and followed her into the kitchen.

  “No, I want to stay. What are we having?” Brad wasn’t missing this chance to get to know her better.

  “Just stew. Nothing fancy.” Raven had made her way to the stove and was stirring a pot on it. The first thing Brad noticed was the stove was gas and her sleeve was too close to the flame. Rushing over, he grabbed the spoon from her and pushed her chair abruptly away from the stove.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Raven looked shocked and pissed from being pushed almost into the center of the kitchen.

  “What do you think you’re doing, cooking at a stove with an open flame? You could be seriously hurt or burned.” Brad shook the spoon at her, getting stew on the clean linoleum floor.

  “Shit, sorry about the mess,” Brad said and laid the spoon on the counter. Spotting some paper towels, he grabbed a bunch and bent down to wipe up the mess. Brad stood up and took the dirty towels to the trash and put them in. Walking back to her, he told her in a stern voice, “You should be using an electric stove, at least it would be safer.”

  Raven had been watching him wipe up the mess with his blond hair falling into his eyes. God, he was eye candy. She wanted to sink her hands into his hair and pull him to her and have her way with him. It took a while for her to hear what he was saying to her. She had become lost in her fantasies. When she finally realized what he was saying, she got her back up. He sounded just like her brother and Mary. “If it bothers you, why don’t you leave? Then you won’t have to see anything.” Raven turned her chair back toward the door and gave him a glare.

  “Please don’t take it the wrong way. It just scared me, and I’m not used to—” Brad stopped in mid-sentence.

  “You can say it, a disabled person. Isn’t that what you were going to say?”

  “Yes, but not the way you are saying it, like it’s something bad. There’s nothing wrong with you, from what I can see.” Brad gave her a look up and down. “Just give me time to get used to everything. Okay?”

  Raven turned back around. “Okay, maybe I jumped the gun, but I am so tired of people telling me what I can and can’t do.”

  Brad caught the sly look in her eyes. She looked away first, but he had seen it. It gave him encouragement that maybe the attraction wasn’t all one-sided.

  “Let’s just start again, and have supper. I really do want to be here with you. But just humor me tonight, and let me put supper on the table.”

  Raven shrugged. She didn’t want him leaving either, so she wheeled herself to the kitchen table and told him. “Okay, tonight you serve. Get another plate out of the cupboard to your left for yourself.”

  Brad took a plate and cutlery out of the cupboard and set them across from Raven. Going to the stove, he brought the pot over and spooned each of them large helpings. Raven just watched him as he went back and forth to the stove. Sitting down at the table, Brad looked across at her expecting her to still be in a snit, but she had a smile on her face and reached for the bread and told him with a twinkle in her eyes, “I could get used to this.”

  Brad felt ten feet tall that he could do something for her. B
oth ate in silence until Raven asked him what he did for a living.

  Brad replied, as he set his spoon down and looked at her, “I work for Braden Security. We have an office downtown.”

  “What is Braden Security? I think I’ve heard about them and some big cases lately on the news. But what do you actually do?” Raven also stopped eating as she listened to Brad.

  “We mostly offer security of any kind, whether it is personal like a bodyguard or nowadays a lot of our jobs are done on the web, mostly for companies wanting to check out new employees or business dealings, that kind of stuff. What do you do for a living?” Brad asked.

  “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” Brad looked down at his stew. He put his foot in it again. When he looked at Raven, he didn’t see the chair or think of her as disabled. He couldn’t get it into his head that she was in a wheelchair and maybe not able to get a normal job.

  Raven now had that pissed-off look back on her face as she glared across at him. “You think because I’m in this chair, that I can’t support myself?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. God you’re prickly.”

  “Yes, maybe I am, but most people think the way you do and I’m tired of people thinking I’m a drain on the system. I’ll have you know that I make a very good living and support myself and pay my share of taxes.” Raven picked up her spoon and stirred her stew, not taking a bite. She had thought maybe Brad would be different and not see the chair, just see her and who she was. But by his backtracking away from his question, he seemed to be like the rest with their preconceived notions that she was helpless.

  “Sorry, I seem to be piling up a lot of shit with my wayward tongue, but I really don’t mean to. Can we start for a second time?”

  Raven put her spoon down and her hands on the table, leaning toward him with a smile back on her face. There was no way she could stay mad at a guy that made her tingle just by talking. “Well we can try again, but if you pile it any higher, you might need to get a shovel.”