And that I will never love anyone else.
His fingers scratch lightly down my back, stopping at my hips and lifting me briefly while he slides out of me. I whimper in response and nestle in close to him. My cheek is on his chest, his heartbeat pounds in my ear. My breaths ease, coming slower and softer, and my eyelids are heavy as I drift off to sleep.
Brady
She fell asleep on me. Sleeping with girls I’ve done; falling asleep with them is something totally new. Something entirely different, and it’s unreal. This girl is completely intoxicating. My thoughts are a vise on my heart. I’m bound to screw this up. I can’t stomach the thought that I’ll eventually hurt her.
I finally have her, and I’m not about to let her slip away. Maybe I’ll kidnap her and keep her in this room with me forever. There are worse places to be, like home. Inevitably, my past is going to rear its ugly head and attempt to destroy what we have if I’m not honest with her about it. I’m determined not to let it happen. As soon as I tell my parents that we’re together, I’m baring my soul to her. I’ve been a womanizing, hot-tempered ass most of my life, but she makes me want to be a better man, a stronger person, capable of standing up to my mother rather than covering up my pain with booze and sex. My mother’s reaction to this is going to affect Tori. She may even ask Tori to leave the house, because God forbid that anyone finds out she’s flawed.
Tori begins to stir in her sleep, and I prop myself up on one elbow to watch her. Her eyes flutter open. Her sleepy face and messy hair are adorable. She rolls on her side, facing me cradling her arms to her chest. When I sweep her hair away from her neck, it falls over her shoulder, and I kiss her bare skin. I meet her soft blue eyes. They are full of warmth, and I know, I’d rather die than cause her a single minute of pain or let my mother hurt her.
“Brady, what is it?” She reaches up and runs her fingers along the stubble of my jaw.
I hold my hand over hers, leaning into her touch, and frown. “My head’s messed up right now.”
She rolls her eyes. “So you’ve said.”
I sit up and turn from her, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I rub the back of my neck. “I’m going to mess this up somehow. I need you to tell me you’ll forgive me when I do.”
She crawls over to me, and hugs me from behind, her warm cheek rests on my bare back. “There is nothing you can do to mess this up.”
I wish I could believe her.
I trace the soft skin of her arms with my fingers. “I didn’t ask you if I would mess this up. I will, Sunshine. I can’t lose you. I need you to say it.”
She crushes me tight. “I will forgive you, Brady.”
Her arms leave my waist, and the pads of her fingers skim down my back. When she stops at my hips, there’s more pressure from her right hand, and I know she’s sees it. To my surprise, she doesn’t ask about the small tattoo bearing my ex’s name. Instead, she snakes her arms around my waist and gently presses kisses into my back.
With my elbows propped on my knees, I lock my hands together and hang my head. “My family is going to hit the roof, but I promise I’ll take care of you if anything happens.”
She pulls away from my back and lets out a soft laugh. “What are you talking about, Brady? Liv will be totally psyched for us. Tug will tease us until I want to choke him, but he’ll be fine with it… Oh…your parents? Brady, are they going to be angry?”
My shoulders sag, and I shake my head. She doesn’t understand. And it kills me, knowing she is going to have too eventually, if we are going to be together. “They are going to go ballistic, Tori.”
“Because I’m not good enough for you?” Her voice cracks.
I spin around quickly, kneeling on the floor in front of her, splitting her thighs. Looking up at her, my jaw twitches, and I hate knowing I’m responsible for how hurt she looks. My heart crumbles in my chest. “Do you honestly believe my parents don’t think you’re good enough for me?”
Her lips turn down, and she sighs. “Well, you said your mom holds up this picture-perfect family to everyone. My family is not exactly one that fits in that frame, Brady. She and my mom haven’t been close for years because of my mother’s mistakes.”
“Don’t, Tori,” I say firmly. “We live in a glass house like everyone else. My mother may have put up more shades than most, but you can see just as many mistakes when you draw them back.”
There I go, being cryptic again. I don’t want Tori to fall victim to my mother’s games. I’ve had twenty-four years of her manipulation. I hate the fact that she admires my mother so much.
“That doesn’t explain why they'll be so upset."
I sit down on the bed next to her, move her hair to the side, and massage her neck. “My parents are going to be pissed because they don’t think I’m good enough for you. Not the other way around. My parents love you. They think the world of you. In fact, I’m sure they’ll say I’m corrupting you.”
She turns her head to me, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth. She smiles. “I kinda like how you corrupt me.” She bats her lashes once.
Jesus, she’s a little minx. “Hmm… Oh, I like doing it, too. And I have no plans to stop any time soon.”
She leaves the bed and drops to her knees in front of me. I bend down and press my lips softly to the corner of her mouth. She gently pushes me back and starts kissing a path up my inner thigh. I lean back, resting on my hands, and swallow my next breath. She curls her delicate soft fingers around my hard length and begins sliding them up and down. My head falls back, and I exhale slowly. Her tongue swirls around my tip, and then her lips close around me. My breath shudders. The sensation of her warm mouth moving over my most sensitive skin is unbelievable, and I’m already about to erupt. Unexpectedly, something warm and wet hits my thigh, and I’m almost positive she’s crying.
I sit up quickly, and grip her shoulders, pushing her back. As I suspected, tears are cascading down her cheeks, and she won’t look at me. My heart pounds against my chest, and I struggle to breathe. “Jesus Christ, Sunshine. What’s wrong? What did I do?”
She shakes her head vehemently. “Nothing…Brady. You didn’t do anything.”