A Storm Is Coming Page 13

  The rain was now falling softly as she turned around in a circle to see the utter destruction left by the tornado. Homes had been leveled for as far as the eyes could see.

  Where was their car? It certainly wasn’t on the curb where they’d left it. It was gone. Hell…where was the street? So much debris littered it that it was hard to find.

  People were coming out of what was left of their homes and milling about in the rain…walking around like zombies.

  Braylee’s teeth chattered as her body began to tremble most likely from the cold rain, but quite possibly from the shock of her situation. Alex rummaged through the emergency bag he’d pulled from the trunk of the car and took out a plastic sheet. He drew Braylee into the crook of his arms, as he covered them with it, hoping to shield them from the rain.

  “Oh my god, Alex. This is crazy. It looks like a bomb has been dropped on us. How in the world are we going to get home from here?”

  That was a good question, “Let me try my phone.” He pulled out his cell and by some miracle was able to get a signal. He called Cecily first. She was home safe with Fabi watching the devastation on the news.

  The storm had turned towards the lake and wasn’t a threat to them. Cecily told him that they were just getting some rain.

  It was probably best not to tell her that he’d seen the storm up close and personal. Once Alex reassured his niece that he was okay, he attempted to call into his office. It had taken several tries before he got through, but everybody seemed to be good there too. Finally, Alex could breathe. Everyone who meant something to him was safe.

  Braylee attempted to use her cell too. The first time her call didn’t go through. She tried it again and was able to connect with Nate.

  He was worried, “Where the hell are you?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I’m with Alexandro. We didn’t make it to our destination.”

  “You’re phone is spotty. You’re coming in and out. Are you safe?”

  “Yes.”

  Nate raised his voice, “What…I still can’t hear you. Say it one more time.”

  Braylee yelled as she tried to plug her ear to drown out the outside noise, “Yes! I’m safe. Obviously, I won’t be back into the office today. As a matter of fact, tell everyone to go home right now. Whatever is not finished just leave it and go home.”

  “Will do. Are you sure you’re safe?”

  “Yes. I’m sure.”

  “Well, I’m keeping my cell close. Call me as soon as you make it home.”

  “Thanks, Nate.”

  They disconnected.

  Braylee called her IT guy. The call didn’t go through. She waited a moment before she tried it again. It connected. His phone rang and rang, but there was no answer.

  Then she remembered, he lived in the north suburbs where they’d had a tornado touch down too. Braylee hoped that he was okay and that the information he’d had for them wasn’t lost in all of this chaos.

  Alex looked around again at the utter destruction. He was contemplative, pensive, “It’s going to be dark soon.” Sighing, “We can’t stay here. Give me your shoes.”

  “Gi…Give you my shoes? Lord…Why?”

  “I’m guessing we won’t get very far with you walking in those heels. Who knows how long it’s going to take for emergency services to get to us. Look at these streets. We’re going to have to go to them.”

  Hesitantly, Braylee thought about that. But, still…what did he want with her shoes? She couldn’t walk in all of that glass and debris barefoot.

  She held on to him as she gave him one of her favorite pairs. They were no good anymore now. Alex took the shoe and broke the heel off and then he did the same with the other one. While still very uncomfortable, at least she’d be able to walk in them.

  “We should get moving. Hopefully, we’ll run into someone before too long.

  Chapter 22

  It had taken hours for Alexandro and Braylee to make it home. They’d walked and walked seemingly for endless miles. Luckily, the rain stopped shortly after they began looking for help.

  And, as they walked out of the neighborhood, Alex would intermittently stop to assist when someone would call out for help.

  Darkness had fallen upon them. Alex made sure Braylee stayed close. She was exhausted, cold, and dirty. “My god Alex…remind me never to live in the boonies. We would have had emergency responders in place had this nightmare occurred in the city.”

  Alex spotted flashing red lights, “I think our prayers have been answered. Look…” He pointed towards what he hoped were first responders, “And…remind me to make a huge donation to whatever the hell outfit they’re with.”

  “Oh…thank god! I hope you’re right. And, I’ll be right behind you writing out a big fat check.”

  They walked faster in the direction of the lights. As soon as they rounded the corner there it was…a Red Cross truck.

  Braylee bent over with her hands touching her knees, “Wait…just give me a second to catch my breath.”

  “Come on baby. You can do this. We’ve walked this far salvation is just a few steps away. If I need to, I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”

  She was tempted to let him try especially since she couldn’t even feel her feet anymore. “Right. I’ve got this. I just need a breather.” She stood, “Let’s go.”

  Alex could see the pain on her face as she attempted to walk. They weren’t that far from the truck, so he swooped her up into his arms. “Come here.”

  Braylee’s eyes widened in surprise, “What are you doing? Put me down. Are you crazy?”

  “Stop squirming. It’s obvious you’re in pain, and we’re almost there.”

  He was right. She did feel a little guilty because he was exhausted too, but there was no arguing with him. So, Braylee just wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

  For just a second, she closed her eyes. And in what seemed like no time at all, they’d made it to the makeshift disaster relief area.

  After being checked out by an EMT and given a blanket, they were finally loaded onto a vehicle. It took them to a school parking lot that also doubled as another emergency relief area.

  Braylee was a mess. Not only was her hair all over the place, but so were her nerves. She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear as she made a call, “Everybody is probably worried about us. I promised Nate I’d call him when I got home. That was hours ago. I hope he called Lisa.”

  Alex chuckled, “If Nate weren’t gay, I’d almost be worried about how close you two are.”

  She furrowed her brows, “What? Nate’s not gay? Whatever gave you that impression?”

  “Nate’s not gay?”

  Braylee shook her head and mouthed the words, “no” as she spoke into her phone.

  He was stunned. Nate not being gay put a whole different perspective on things. He had a ton of questions that for now…would have to wait. In the meantime, while Braylee was on her call, he needed to contact his private car service to come and pick them up.

  As they sat on the curb waiting, instinctively, he put his arms around her shoulder. And, she automatically laid her head on his shoulder as if it were the most natural thing.

  There was no place Braylee would rather be than tucked into the safeness of his arms. She could honestly say that she’d never felt more protected than she had being with Alexandro.

  *****

  Alex whispered into Braylee’s ear, “Babe…the car is here.”

  Her head snapped up. Did she really fall asleep in all of this madness?

  It was close to midnight by the time she was finally able to kick off her shoes in the backseat of the car. Her nerves were still shot, but Braylee needed to make one more phone call. She’d hoped that her battery on her phone would have died by now, but no, she still had one bar left.

  Whispering into the darkness, “I need to call my parents. I’m sure they are probably worried sick about me.” Her voice was slightly unsteady. In all h
onesty, Braylee was sure of no such thing. The phone rang several times. Just when she didn’t think anyone would pick up, she heard the sound of her mother’s voice on the other end.

  “Hi…mama.”

  Mrs. Hinsdale did nothing to hide her irritation, “Girl…do you know what time it is? You’re going to wake the whole house up calling this late.”

  Tears pricked her eyes, “I…I know it’s late. I just wanted to hear your voice. It’s been a really long day…”

  Katherine interrupted, “Well, I’m sure whatever it is could have waited until tomorrow.”

  Braylee closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Why did her mother always have to be so cold? Dammit, she just wanted to hear her voice. Weren’t mothers supposed to comfort their children? Braylee spoke softly, “You’re right. I didn’t want anything important. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She quickly disconnected and threw her phone in her bag. Her tears were close to spilling onto her cheeks as she desperately fought to keep them at bay. So, instead she gazed out of the window.

  The questions. She could feel his eyes boring into her. If she looked at him…he’d know.

  After a moment or so, once she felt she had her emotions under control, Braylee did her best to lighten the mood, “You know, I’ve learned so many valuable lessons today. But, the one that will stay with me forever is always to keep a pair of kicks in the trunk.”

  He didn’t know what was said on that conversation with her mother, but he knew that it hurt her. Was that it? Was that why it was so hard for her to let her guard down? All Alex wanted to do was gather her close.

  She turned to him, “Thank you for keeping me safe today.”

  “I’ll do anything for you. I hope you know that.”

  Braylee mustered up a smile, “I do now.”

  Perfect timing. The car pulled up to her apartment. Braylee gathered her shoes and bag. “Home sweet home. I can’t wait to get into a hot bath, and then I think I’m going to sleep for a week.”

  She gazed deeply into his eyes just before leaning into him and kissing him softly on the lips. “Thank you again for today.”

  She was about to get out when Alexandro reached out to take her hand in his, “Stay with me tonight.”

  “Alex….I can’t.” Braylee was too raw. Her emotions were all over the place.

  “Why?”

  “You know why. It’s been a traumatic day…we’re emotional because of it. I…just need to rest.”

  “It’s more than that. We can rest at my place.”

  She gave him a knowing look, “I’m sure we would do a lot of things, but rest probably wouldn’t be one of them. And as much as I know that I’d enjoy it, tomorrow always comes. Not sure I could handle another tomorrow. But…more importantly, Cecily lost her father, and I’m sure she’s beside herself with worry for you. She doesn’t need me crowding her space.”

  As much as Alex wanted to argue, Braylee was right about one thing. He needed to go home and comfort his niece. He exhaled deeply, “You’re right. She needs me, but I need you…desperately.” This time he pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless.

  “I’ll accept this answer for now, but so that you know…I won’t accept this answer tomorrow.” Kissing her forehead, “Come on, I’ll carry you inside.”

  Chapter 23

  After everything Braylee had gone through and as exhausted as she was feeling, she still couldn’t sleep. And, now that the shock of the day was wearing off, her body ached all over.

  However, it was nothing she hoped a good hot bath with lavender oils couldn’t solve. Braylee slowly lowered herself into the hot bubble bath and closed her eyes hoping it would relax her enough to fall asleep.

  She’d been soaking for about thirty minutes when her cell phone vibrated. Braylee sat up. It was almost three o’clock in the morning. A phone call this late was almost never good. Her hands were still a little shaky when she answered, “Hello.”

  “Were you sleeping?”

  Braylee expelled a breath, then slowly slid back down under the bubbles. Just the sound of his voice relaxed her, “No, taking a nice little soak. I’m exhausted, but I think I’m still too wired for sleep. What are you doing up?”

  “I stayed with Cecily until she fell asleep.”

  “I’m sure she appreciated that.”

  “Yeah, so did I. She’s been through so much.”

  “So have you. You must be exhausted.”

  Silence.

  “You know…technically, it’s tomorrow.”

  Braylee closed her eyes remembering his words from earlier. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip, “I…um…guess you’re right.”

  “Think you can let me up?”

  Braylee quickly sat up and pulled her knees to her breast sloshing water everywhere, “Wha…what do you mean? Where are you?”

  “I’m downstairs.”

  Her inner voice screamed YES, but Braylee was only able to manage a whisper, “Yes.” She was pretty sure that her answer was for a lot more than the simple question he’d asked.

  She disconnected the call. Then, quickly hopped out of the bath and threw a towel around herself. It only took a second or two for her to run out of the bathroom to buzz him inside.

  It would take a couple of minutes for him to get from the first level to her floor. In that time, Braylee ran back to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

  “Oh…my…god. I’m still a mess.” She pulled her hair out of her silk scarf and tried to brush it. It was everywhere. Then she quickly brushed her teeth. Just as she was finishing up, he knocked on the door.

  She was still wrapped in her towel, “Oh god. He’s going to think I’m a dog in heat.” Braylee ran to her bedroom to find her terrycloth robe. By the time she’d made it to the door, she was almost out of breath.

  “Just a second.”

  Breathe Braylee breathe. She took a couple of calming breaths and then opened the door.

  Of course, Alexandro was standing there in jeans and a black t-shirt looking all kinds of gorgeous but tired.

  He gave her a lazy smile, “Hey.”

  “Hi.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Oh…of course. Sorry.” Braylee stepped out of the way so that he could come inside her condo.

  Alex had barely closed the door behind him before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. All Braylee could do was wrap her arms around him and kiss him back with everything she had.

  When Alex pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, “I know you said you just wanted to rest. Honestly, I respect that. I just needed to be near you for a little while.”

  Braylee caressed his cheek, “I was just finishing up a bath.”

  “Okay, go finish up. I’ll wait for you.”

  She took his hand in hers and led him to her bedroom. “You look dead on your feet. Why don’t you relax in here?”

  A little mischievous smile crossed his face, “The bedroom…huh?”

  She tossed a coy little smile right back at him, “I’m taking pity out on you. Rest. That’s it. I’ll be right back.” Braylee went into the bathroom and let the water out. Then, blew out her candles. By the time she returned, Alex had taken off his t-shirt and kicked off his shoes while laying barefoot across her bed. He was asleep.

  Braylee stood at the threshold of the bathroom door just admiring him. There was not an ounce of fat on this man. His athletic body came in handy today. That smooth olive skin was too tempting. She turned off the soft lights and blanketed the room in near darkness.

  She let her robe fall to the floor and was about to put on something to sleep in when she heard the low rumble of his voice, “Don’t. You’re beautiful. Let me just admire you.”

  Braylee froze and whispered, “I thought you were sleeping.” Feeling exposed but wanting to please him.

  “Come here.”

  Slowly, Braylee walked over to Alex. She knew this was a mistake but couldn’t help herself.


  “I’d planned to come over and just sleep next to you.” He pulled her naked body down into the bed and onto him. She straddled his waist.

  Alex touched the side of her face with his fingertips and continued his downward exploration touching the softness of her neck and collar bone.

  Braylee’s breathing became uneven as his fingers went lower to touch her breast. His eyes were blazing as he studied her. His fingers were so feather light as they circled the tips of her nipples. She threw her head back from the sheer agony of pleasure of his near touch. It didn’t take much to get her juices flowing when she was around him.

  He sat up and that movement rubbed against her core. Involuntarily, she pressed into the fullness of him.

  Braylee moaned and gripped his arms for balance, “Alex….”

  “I promise, I just want a little taste.” He held onto her back then bent his head low as he captured a needy peak into his mouth.”

  She dug her nails into his arms, “Yes!”

  Involuntarily rocking into him at the same time he rocked into her. Alex kissed and loved on each of her breasts as the fire continued to build between them.

  He stopped abruptly breathing in little short pants. None of this had been in his plans for when he came over. Braylee looked so vulnerable and alone in the car tonight. He couldn’t get that look out of his mind. That was why he’d shown up on her doorstep unannounced. His intent had been to come over and comfort her.

  If he continued…it would be impossible to stop. It was already impossible to stop. Slowly, his hands moved to her waist as he laid his head in between her breasts. He did his best to still his movements and hers.

  “Braylee…baby…please be still…do not move. I came over here trying to be a gentleman. You’re making it hard. Literally.”

  She whispered, “You started this and now…I’m burning up.”

  “I promised you…I’d let you rest. This has already gone farther than I intended.”

  Braylee was so frustrated she wanted to cry. She wanted him. She didn’t want him. Her body was betraying her. Here she sat naked straddling this man…was he not going to make love to her after all of this?