Sheryl Lister - Giving My All To You

“Thanks. What’s going on with that problem?”

His smile faded and he turned slightly to stare out of the large window that took up almost an entire wall. “There’s no change. We need to give it another two or three weeks before deciding anything.”

“You always said that I’m pretty good at negotiating, so like I said before, I’d be happy to help speed things up.”

Facing, Brandon, he said, “Not all things can be done that way, Brandon. Just be patient and enjoy your afternoon off.”

Sighing inwardly, Brandon nodded. “See you on Monday.” Patience had never been his strong suit and, at thirty-three, he didn’t think he’d ever develop the virtue. He stopped at home first to change into shorts and T-shirt, still bothered by his father’s words. His father had assured him that nothing would change pertaining to Brandon assuming the role of CEO. But Brandon couldn’t rid himself of the nagging feeling that whatever was going on would impact him. And in a big way. However, by the time he made it to the hospital, his thoughts had shifted to Faith. He had enjoyed talking with her last night and was uncharacteristically excited to see her. Shaking it off, he tried to tell himself he was just being friendly. Yet, there wasn’t anything friendly about the sensations that spread through him when she greeted him with her amazing smile. Brandon did his best to ignore them.

“Hi, Brandon.”

“Hello, yourself. I see you’re all ready.” She had on the same pants she wore the day of the accident and one of the short hospital gowns. He assumed her top had been ruined in the accident.

Faith frowned. “More than ready to get out of these clothes, take a real shower and do something with this hair.”

He smiled inwardly at Faith’s attempt to smooth down the straight, shoulder-length strands as best she could.

“I’ve already signed the discharge papers, but I need to stop at a pharmacy to fill the prescription.”

“I’m sure we can find one on the way to the hotel. Is there anywhere else you need to stop?”

She sighed. “Yes. I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping, so if we can find a store, too, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure.”

A nurse came in with a wheelchair and asked Brandon to meet them at the entrance.

He took her bag and the flowers, retrieved his car and pulled into the circle driveway in front of the door. He had the door open and waiting when Faith appeared. Seeing the difficulty she had getting in, Brandon was glad he’d decided to drive his car rather than his truck. She would not have been able to climb into the cab with her injured shoulder.

Brandon reached in and carefully fastened her seat belt. “Is that too tight?” She lifted her head and their faces were mere inches apart. The air between them shifted.

“No. It’s...it’s fine.”

His gaze dropped to her gorgeous mouth. Would her lips be as soft as they looked? Her eyes widened and he heard her sharp intake of breath. What am I doing? He straightened, closed the door and went around to the driver’s side.

“Um, so where are we going first?” Faith asked as he exited the lot.

“I thought we’d drop off your prescription. It may take a while to fill. We can go to the store to pick up whatever you need while we wait.” Since her hotel was near the airport, he figured he’d find a pharmacy and grocery store somewhere along Century Boulevard.

“Can we stop at the hotel before going shopping? I really need a shower.” She gave him the name and street of the hotel.

“No problem.” As he drove, Brandon stole glances at Faith. He could tell she was still in pain so he didn’t offer any conversation. She sat with her head against the seat, eyes closed, and he noticed that she grimaced every now and again. When they reached the drugstore, the pharmacist told them the prescription would be ready in an hour, which gave them plenty of time to finish the other errands. He drove to the hotel and parked as close as he could to her unit.

Faith groaned when they arrived. “I forgot about the stairs.” Her room was on the second floor and the elevator in this particular section of the complex was out of order.

“Just take your time and I’ll carry everything up.” Once inside, Brandon debated whether to wait in the car or the room. He didn’t want either of them to be uncomfortable. But his protective side won out. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll wait here in the living room in case you need help.”

She stared at him for a long moment, and then said softly, “Thank you.”

A few minutes later, he heard water running and tried his best not to think about Faith naked with the water streaming down her body. He’d gotten the first glimpse of her shapely bottom in those clingy knit pants when she walked up the stairs in front of him, reminding him just how long it had been since his last sexual encounter. He scrubbed a hand down his face. First he was thinking about kissing her and now imagining how it would feel to run his hands over her body. “Get it together,” he muttered.

Putting sensual thoughts of Faith out of his mind, Brandon fished out his cell and checked his work emails. He opened one from the marketing department providing him with an update on how the bath rails were doing. After the lawsuit last year where a couple claimed one of the rails had broken and resulted in injury to the man’s elderly wife, the numbers had gone down. Morgan had taken the lead on the case and proved their company hadn’t been at fault, and now things were finally starting to turn around.

“I’m ready, Brandon.”

Brandon’s head popped up at the sound of Faith’s voice and he came to his feet swiftly. She had on another pair of knit pants and a loose top that buttoned down the front. She’d brushed her hair back and secured it with a headband. Her face wasn’t as swollen and the cuts appeared to be healing. “Feel better?”

“Much,” Faith answered with a smile. “Although, it took some serious maneuvering to shower and get dressed.”

They made another careful trip down the stairs to the car and he drove her to the store. As they shopped, her steps grew slower and slower. “How about you just get enough to last for the first few days or so?” he suggested. “That way you can go back to the hotel and lay down. You look like you’re fading fast.”

She gave him a wan smile. “Who would’ve thought I’d be ready to quit shopping after ten minutes?” She glanced over at the basket Brandon carried. “That should hold me until I’m able to get back.” At the register, Faith let out a frustrated sigh. “Brandon, can you please hold my purse open so I can get my wallet?”

He did as she asked and helped her slide the card. “I take it you’re right handed.”

“Yes. The only thing I can do with my left hand is type. This is a mess.”

Brandon chuckled softly as he bagged the groceries. The drive back to the drugstore and the hotel took less than twenty minutes. He set her bags on the counter in the kitchen. “Do you want me to put this stuff away for you?”

Faith angled her head. “If you could just take care of the things that need to be refrigerated, I’d appreciate it. I’ll put the rest away later.”

“Okay. You should probably take one of those pain pills.” He opened the container and a bottle of water for her and started putting the food away.

“Thanks.” She swallowed the tablet and stood off to the side.

Brandon checked the bags to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. “I think that’s it. I opened a few bottles of the water and left the caps loosened for you, same with your medicine.” With the difficulties she’d had getting her wallet out, he wondered how she would manage to cook using her left hand, but didn’t ask. It wasn’t his business. It’s not like I’m going to cook for her.