Redeeming Brianne (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) by Shauna Allen & Operation Alpha

Author:Shauna Allen & Operation Alpha [Allen, Shauna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aces Press, LLC
Published: 2019-03-11T16:00:00+00:00

Brianne was stunning in a simple pale-lavender dress that fit her like a glove, minimal makeup, and her long, platinum hair loose in curls down her back. She was a goddess, and for a few short moments, I was lost in the fantasy that she could be mine.

She also had no reason to worry. My mom and sister adored her. I think they loved her more than they loved me, and it was immediate. From the moment she joined us in the truck, they chatted like long-lost friends, and it didn’t stop, all the way down to the restaurant.

Over appetizers and a dinner of seafood and steaks, my sister did all the typical sisterly things—asked about her family, her past boyfriends, her favorite things.

My mom listened intently, adding to the conversation and chastising DeAnna when she got too personal.

Neither of them probed into the nature of our work together, if they’d gathered any hint of it at all. I hadn’t said, they hadn’t asked, Brianne hadn’t offered. We pretended it was a normal friendship, and my family clearly wanted it to be more.

“So, you’re dating?” DeAnna finally got to the point over dessert.

Brianne blushed from her ears to her breasts. “Um . . .” Her baby blues zipped to me. “No. Um, we . . .”

“We’re friends, and we work together,” I clarified. “There is nothing romantic between us.” I nearly choked on my words.

“Bull hockey,” my mother spat, making all of us snap around.

I lifted a brow. “Ma’am?”

“You heard me, young man. That is a load of horse manure, and every one of us at this table knows it.” She reached over and clasped Brianne’s hand. “Sweet girl, I don’t know what’s going on between you and my boy, but I surely do hope he treats you right, because I can tell you have a fragile heart of gold under there.” She looked to me, steel in her eyes. “And you can fool a lot of people, maybe even yourself, but you cannot fool your mama. You have feelings for this girl that are more than professional, and definitely more than friendly, so don’t disrespect any of us here by trying to say otherwise. It’s unbecoming and surely not how your daddy and I raised you.”

I cleared my throat. I’d been firmly put into my place by my mother, but somehow, I couldn’t find it in me to be embarrassed or angry. She was absolutely right. I met Brianne’s eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

The waiter appeared with the bill—thank goodness—killing that uncomfortable conversation. I paid the tab, and we stepped outside into the salty beach breeze. “Would you ladies like to walk by the water a little bit?”

“Yes, please,” my mother said, the sparkle back in her gaze as she eyed the moonlight hitting the ocean.

We strolled on the sidewalk for a while then she and my sister slid off their shoes to walk in the sand while Brianne and I stayed on the walkway.

I felt her shiver next to me, so I offered her my jacket.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.