Made for You (The Best Mistake 2)

“Why are you really here, Brynn?” he asked. It felt strange to cut through the bullshit with her. They were all about the bullshit. But he didn’t know his way around this new Brynn. And losing his footing now would completely derail his plan.

“I wanted to talk. And you live next door.” She didn’t meet his eyes.

Will crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter before making a rude buzzing noise. “That’s not it. Try again.”

Brynn licked her lips slightly. Lips that were just a shade brighter than her usual look, and more kissable than ever. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Yes, you do.

He itched to go to her, but he had to know what she was after first. Jogging her memory seemed a good place to start. He let his eyes go slightly sleepy as they raked over her, lingering on her mouth once more. “Really? So you don’t remember the last time we were alone together in a kitchen?”

She picked at a fingernail—a sure sign she wasn’t herself, because the Brynn Dalton he knew would never settle for a less-than-perfect manicure. “Sure, the day you moved in. I brought homemade cookies.”

“They weren’t homemade, and you know it. You also know that’s not the kitchen encounter I was talking about.” He pushed away from the counter and began moving carefully toward her. Decisively enough to let her know he wasn’t fooling around, but not so quickly as to scare her off.

“Well, you said the last one,” she said primly.

He resisted the urge to grind his teeth as he oh-so-slowly backed her against the counter. “Sorry. I should have said the last one that mattered. You know, three years ago…a different kitchen…a certain surprise drop by…”

Will slowly moved his arms until his hands were on either side of her hips on the counter. Watching her closely, he was ready for anything. Ready for her to scamper away. Ready for a scathing cut-down. He was even ready for the potential slap, because maybe this new Brynn wouldn’t tolerate being backed into a counter. God knows the old Brynn hadn’t.

But of all the things Will was prepared for, it wasn’t for her to stand on her toes and kiss him. Hard.

Before he could register her soft body against his, she was on him, her fingers sliding around his neck at the exact moment her tongue slid against his.

And if maybe there was a tiny voice warning not like this, he didn’t pay it the least bit of attention. Instead he took what she was offering, because Goddammit, it had been too long.

Will slid one hand up along her side, letting his palm brush the outside of her breast before clamping a hand around the back of her head and jerking her mouth closer so he could take control of the kiss. He heard her little gasp of surprise as his tongue pushed into her mouth and slid hotly along hers before he drew back and raked his teeth along her bottom lip. His other hand remained planted on her hips, his fingers digging into her tight little butt as he let himself rub against her once, twice. Three times. Refusing to kiss her again until she moaned in acquiescence. And when she let out a low frustrated moan, he gave her what she was looking for, taking her mouth again and again in hot, drugging kisses.

Distantly he became aware of her doing a little claiming of her own. The woman who was tugging at his hair and writhing against him was not the refined, cautious Brynn he knew.

He’d seen only glimpses of this Brynn once before on a night all too similar to this one. A night that had ended with her treating him like a tawdry one-night stand to be ashamed of.

The memory had him pulling back. Hell, it was the only thing that could have him pulling back.

It took her a second to realize that his mouth was no longer on hers, although he couldn’t bring himself to take his hands off her. Not yet. His fingers slid around the back of her neck, tipping her head up and forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Brynn.”

She touched the tip of her tongue to her swollen upper lip, and her eyes held a beguiling combination of confusion and want, and he almost dove in again.

But first he had to know. “What are you doing here?”

He waited for her to tell him that they’d made a mistake. Another one. Waited for her to tell him that she wanted another one-night stand with no strings attached. Waited for her to break his heart. Again.

But Brynn wasn’t done with the surprises tonight.

Her blue eyes lifted to his, made slightly edgy with a dark smudge of makeup. “I was kind of thinking you might be part of my midlife crisis. You know, as a fling.”

Will forced himself not to respond. It wasn’t as much as he hoped and yet was more than he feared.

He didn’t want to be her rebound. Or at least not just her rebound.

And yet, God help him…

He was going to say yes.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN