His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason

*
                  “Brody,” she started to refuse. The very thought of him buying her clothes was ridiculous. Before Reyna could say a word, she was interrupted by the sound of his laughter, making her all the angrier with him.
                  “Reyna, hush. Most women wouldn’t think of complaining when a man offers to buy them clothes.”
                  “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not most women.”
                  He clicked the volume up on the television and then reached for her, tugging her back into his arms. “No, you most certainly are not.”
                  Reyna hated to admit it, but it felt good being this close to him. She should feel guilty. After all, her husband hadn’t been gone all that long. She didn’t.
                  She didn’t want to think about why he wanted her so close to him. She wouldn’t worry about the consequences tonight. She just wanted to be with him. What could possibly be wrong with that? For this moment, surely that was okay. Everything was right with the world and nothing needed any explanation anymore.
    * * * *
                  “Reyna, wake up, love. It’s late you can’t sleep here.” Reyna opened her eyes to look into Brody’s dark blue ones and saw them soften as he watched her slowly resurface from sleep.
                  He smiled at her embarrassment when she realized that she was all but lying in his lap. She pushed against his chest in an effort to break free of his embrace, but his arms only tightened around her before he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.
                  “Put me down.” Reyna’s heart slammed against her chest. She struggled, frightened by her own reaction to Brody’s touch. It was pointless to try to get away. Brody did not intend to let her go. His arms tightened around her body.
                  “Reyna, for God sake, relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” He wasn’t smiling anymore. She could hear the strain in his voice as he opened her bedroom door and crossed the room dropping her down onto the bed before he knelt in front of her and took her cold hands in his.
                  “I would never hurt you. Surely, you know that. You do, don’t you, love?” Brody watched her far too closely. Reyna forced her gaze away. She couldn’t look at him and have him see the truth that she tried so hard to deny, even to herself.
                  She wasn’t sure when it had happened. Maybe she’d been in love with him from the beginning. Maybe it took being with him every day to realize that truth. It made her want to cry, to hide away from her own foolish dreams. She wasn’t supposed to love him. Brody didn’t want her love. How could she have been so foolish as to fall in love with her husband’s friend? Brody, who had shown her nothing but kindness, had offered her his friendship at her most vulnerable moments and she allowed her heart to be lost to him. Reyna wanted to be alone with that painful realization.
                  Too late, she realized that everything going through her mind at that moment was being reflected on her face for him to see. He said something under his breath and then he brought her into his arms.
    “I’m so sorry. For a moment, I forgot about Cade. It’s still too soon for you, isn’t it? Dear God, he really didn’t have any idea just how lucky a man he was to have you love him.”
                  Each of his words fell on her tender heart like stones. Brody still believed she was mourning over Cade. Reyna moved away. She didn’t want him to see how much those words hurt. It was all there, all of Cade’s sins were right there, closing the door on any future between them.
                  Brody stood up, looking down at her silently but she refused to meet his gaze. She felt nothing but despair