He gave her a soft kiss. “You thought wrong. We have all night. What’s the rush?”
Right. All night. “Okay.”
That was an impressive word right there.
Okay.
He withdrew from her body and agilely jumped down off the high bed to his feet, and she scooted up into a sitting position to hug her knees. She couldn’t believe how much he had changed over the years. When she first saw him standing on the doorstep, she could see that he obviously took good care of his body and worked out.
But every muscle on his body stood out in definition, making her want to start back where they had begun, before she found out just how wonderful his skin felt pressed against hers. Bending down, he picked up his fallen glasses and slipped them onto his nose. She’d always loved him in his glasses.
They suited him.
Everything suited him.
Some small part of her wished she could hate him for that, but she couldn’t. She’d tried a few times, every time he refused to see her when she visited his office. “You must live at the gym to maintain those killer abs.” She thought of her own un-toned stomach. It was flat, but it didn’t look like she could wash laundry on it like his did. “I don’t know whether to be jealous or whether to thank God for such miracles on earth.”
He shrugged. “I just wanted to get rid of the scrawny kid I was.”
“I liked you ‘scrawny,’” she said softly. “But I like you now, too.”
“I know.” He shifted on his feet. “And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.”
She canted her head. “Because you’re you. You make me laugh and don’t treat me like I can’t think for myself. You bring out a side of me I like. And more importantly, you’re the most caring, kind man I’ve ever met.”
“Right. Me. Kind.” He laughed uneasily and looked at the floor. Did anyone ever say anything nice to him? “Last week, I acquired a company that had been in the McAllister family for over two hundred years. I gave them a good deal, but I still closed it down without blinking an eye. Is that kind?”
“That’s business.”
“Yeah.” Eyeing her rumpled nightgown, he lifted it up with his finger, a smirk tipping the corners of his mouth up. “I like this. You need more of these in the future. They’re hot.”
Way to change the subject, Brett.
She forced a smile, but it fell flat. They both knew there was no future with them in it together. “I’ll remember to buy some more.”
“Good.” He sat down next to her, her nightie forgotten and balled up in his hands. He ran a finger down her cheek tenderly, and in a direct contradiction, the softness in his eyes disappeared. His hand fell to his lap, and he clung to her clothing as if it were a flotation device and he was stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. “Are you okay? You’re not…regretting this already, are you? If you want to go, you can.”
“No! Of course not.”
He pressed his lips tight. “It’s okay. You can tell me the truth.”
“The truth is…” She crawled into his lap. Her gown fell to the floor forgotten. He buried his hands in her hair and held her tight against his chest. She blinked back tears at the gesture. He acted as if…as if he needed her. As if she mattered. “The truth is I’m happy right here. With you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He took a deep breath and then tapped her nose in a lighthearted manner. “Good. Because I think we need to eat the cookies you brought. And I believe you mentioned something about wine coolers?”
She chuckled and eyed the broken pieces of chocolate chip cookies that littered the carpet. They must’ve knocked them down at some point in their lovemaking. “Uh, I think I’ll pass on the snack.”
He pouted. Only he could look so freaking masculine while literally pouting like a child. “But you promised me cookies.”
“I know.” She patted his chest. “At least this time there’s no blood on them. Just carpet dust…and who knows what else.”
He eyed the cookies. “I guess it’s been longer than five seconds?”
“I’m afraid so.” She hopped off his lap and picked up her nightgown. Sliding it over her head, she bent down and grabbed her robe. His fingers slid up her nightgown and inside her thighs. She slapped his hand away playfully. “If you want more cookies, you’ll stop right there. We’re going to go get more cookies first.”
Brett stood up and retrieved his pants, his brows lowering. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”