As soon as I was alone, tears immediately filled my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. My chest heaved as I tried to wipe them away. But they were coming so fast I couldn’t see anything but blurry spots of light and dark.
I wanted to call after him, make him come back so I could apologize. I think my temper had died the moment the door had latched closed behind him. And now...now I just felt stupid and alone. And miserable.
God, why did I always try to push sex on him? Admittedly, this time hadn’t been about sex as much as it’d been about him taking a chance on us, trusting me, and sticking around no matter what.
Except he hadn’t stuck around, he hadn’t taken a chance, and he hadn’t trusted me.
Unable to stop shaking, I hugged myself and wept harder. I was so busy heaving out a sob that I barely heard the tap to my window.
Pausing, I lifted my head and strained my ears. The tap came again.
With a gasp, I crawled that way and peered out to see Brandt standing with his head bowed and hands in his pockets.
It took me longer to open my window than usual because my left arm was pretty much useless, but I swear, sheer determination got the job done.
“Let me guess,” I said, sniffing up the last of my drying tears. “You knew I was in here crying, so you had to come back.”
He lifted his face. “You know me; can’t let you cry alone.”
Lips tightening from the grin I was fighting, I sat back as he crawled inside. “So?”
Sighing, he closed the window and turned to me, his blue eyes swirling with the same unreadable gaze he’d had the night he’d come here after learning about my first date. Then he shook his head and his shoulders fell. “I don’t know if I’m just a selfish bastard because I want you so much or an idiot for believing you when you say you’ll be okay, but...fuck it. I can’t live the rest of my life without ever having you again. I’m sorry. I—”
I cut him off by kissing him. Hard.
He groaned and kissed me back, pressing into me eagerly, his tongue thrusting and hands cupping my face.
“God, one kiss,” he broke away from me to gasp. Pressing his forehead to mine, he trailed a finger down my cheek. “One kiss and I’m already throbbing to get inside you.”
“Then get naked,” I demanded, my body tingling for him to be on top of me.
With a grin, he shook his head. Then pulled his face back. “I will. But not tonight.”
“What? No! I—” I gripped his face in my hands, desperate not to lose him again.
But he only shook his head and grasped my wrists. “Shh. No, I’m not turning you down. Not ever again, I swear. I’m just asking for a raincheck. It’s only been a few weeks, and I’m still spooked as hell. Let’s give it a little more time, okay? And then...”
“Then you’ll try?” I asked, holding my breath.
After a noisy swallow, he nodded. “Yeah. Then we’ll try it.”
I blew out a breath, relieved he wasn’t saying no, but still a little scared because he was still holding back. “So...what now?”
His chuckle was full of hot sensuality. “How about making out until we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms?”
Oh, God. That sounded just as good as sex. It’d been forever since I’d gotten to cuddle and sleep with him
And more kissing? Yeah, I could handle that.
“Sold,” I whispered, grabbing his shirt so he’d follow me toward the pillows so we could lie down and get more comfortable.
His eyes heated as he followed me. “I’ve missed this too.”
SARAH
“Oh my God! Quinn’s taking off his shirt!”
At Caroline’s excited prattle, I looked up from the supply list I was studying at the picnic table in Noel and Aspen’s backyard to find the guys on the lawn were starting a game of touch football, and they were dividing the teams shirts against skins.