She dug her fingers into his skin, letting out a jagged breath. “I’m yours.”
He dropped his head on her shoulder, drawing in a ragged breath, and thrust his fingers inside her again, harder. “Anna, I…” Pulling back, he opened his mouth, and then closed it with a shake of his head, withdrawing his touch without finishing his sentence. He closed down the emotion in his face, watching her without giving away his thoughts. “Are you ready to go up?”
She wasn’t sure whether to hug him or hit him.
Maybe both.
Trembling from the spiraled emotions and desire swirling inside her, she nodded and hopped off the counter. She followed him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, her hand oddly empty without his inside it. What had he been about to say? Would she have wanted to hear it, or would it have broken her heart?
They climbed the stairs in silence and entered her room without a sound. She locked it behind her and leaned against it, not sure what to say next. He headed straight for her bed, his steps sure and steady. He sat down on the edge and set the cookies on her nightstand. She watched him, wanting to remember this night forever.
Because it wouldn’t happen again.
This was a onetime deal.
When he held up an open wine cooler for her, she pushed off the door and crossed the room. The closer she came to him, the darker his eyes became, and the faster her heartbeat sounded in her ears. She stood in front of him, her thighs brushing his knees. Grabbing the bottle out of his hands, she saluted him with it. “Thank you.”
He grabbed her by the hips and yanked her into his lap. She threw a quick glance at the drink in her hand, but it hadn’t spilled all over the floor. “No. Thank you.”
She swallowed hard and set down her drink. “Don’t thank me yet. We have all night.”
He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Right. We shouldn’t waste a second of that time together, right?”
“Right.” She swallowed hard. “We have to enjoy this before the guilt sets in.”
“Guilt?” His brows rose, and he looked at her as if she’d asked him if he knew where Noah’s lost ark was. “I feel a lot of things I’m not familiar with after being in your arms, Anna, but guilt isn’t one of them. I think I mostly held you at a distance because…” He broke off, his jaw flexing. “Because I knew if I let you get too close, I might not be able to forget how good it felt. How good you felt. I’m scared as hell, and not sure what to do with you, or this, or the way you make me feel. But I’m not feeling guilty.”
She hesitated, not sure what to do with all that—especially since he sounded so pissed off about it all. “Good. Me, either.”
He choked on a laugh. “Don’t talk about the future. Not now.”
She nodded, but she already knew what came next. He went back to his penthouse in the city, and she went back to loving him from afar. “You’re right. We should just enjoy our night, since it’s our first and last together.”
His brows slammed down, and his hand stopped exploring the curve of her thigh. “What do you mean?”
“Because we agreed to one night.” She blinked at him, caught off guard at the anger in his voice. “Remember?”
“I remember our conversation perfectly fucking fine. But that was before I kissed you. Before I made love to you,” he growled. “You’re mine. You said it.”
Her jaw miiiiight have just hit the floor. “B-But you told me all you could give me was a night–”
“I was trying to scare you away. I wouldn’t have touched you if I only wanted a night. I wouldn’t use you like that.” He hesitated, his mouth held tight. “Unless that’s all you want?”
She shook her head slowly, hope taking flight in her chest. “I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me, Brett. I’ll take it all.”
“I’ll give you everything I can, even though it probably won’t be enough.”
She kissed him. She just wanted to bask in this moment before he ruined it all by saying he could never love her like she loved him.
Pulling back, she smiled up at him with tears clouding her vision. She didn’t know how long this version of Brett would last, but she would enjoy it while it did, thank you very much. “I don’t need anything more than this.”
“I’m serious.” He flexed his jaw. “I want to see how far this thing can go.”
Her heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to ignore those words. Sure, he meant them right now, but would he feel the same way tomorrow? “You don’t have to say these things because we slept together. It’s just sex.”