Once she came down to earth, he yanked his swim trunks down and plunged inside her with one stroke. She cried out his name, and her nails burrowed into his skin again. He welcomed the pain almost as much as he welcomed the pleasure.
Cupping her hips with his hands, he positioned her against the wall in a way that her clit brushed against him with each thrust. He gripped her hips harder, moving even deeper inside her. He usually held some part of himself back when he was with a woman, but this wasn’t just any woman. It was Anna.
His Anna.
If only he could see her face right now, everything would be perfect.
She arched her hips, her muscles clenching around him. He deepened his thrusts, making sure to tilt his hips. “Brett,” she moaned. “Please…”
His balls tightened, warning him of his impending orgasm. He plunged deeper, completely lost to the haze of pleasure consuming him. Every thought and sense was buried in Anna.
Her scent.
The sound of her cries.
The feel of her skin.
She clung to him, her muscles convulsing around him and squeezing his cock. With a hoarse cry, he slammed into her one last time, joining her.
They both clung to each other, their breathing in tandem.
Her legs unwrapped from his hips, and she stood on wobbly legs. When she swayed in front of him, seeming for the entire world as if she’d had too much to drink, he caught her hips and held her still.
Holy fuck.
What happened in this dark room seemed to be so much more than a quickie. It was almost as if he’d given her something else just now. Something besides an orgasm. It was almost as if he’d given her…his heart.
Or even more frightening?
His trust.
She rested her head on his chest, gasping for air. “Wow. That was…wow.”
He swallowed hard, not speaking.
What if he said something before he could fully understand it himself? He needed to back away from her a little bit so he could figure out what he felt for her without distraction. When he was around her, he couldn’t think about anything but her. The way she felt, smelled, laughed. It was time for some fresh perspective, and for that…
He needed some fucking distance.
He released her hips and yanked his trunks back up, his teeth clenched tight enough to crack one. “We should go take a dip in the lake to clean up, and then go back to your brothers. They’re probably looking for us right now, and if we don’t look like we just went swimming, then they’ll know something was up.”
“All right.” Even though he couldn’t see her, he could practically feel her confusion at his cold tone. “Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yeah.” He straightened his shoulders. “I just want to get back before they rip apart the beach looking for us.”
She let out a breath. “Let’s go, then.”
She reached for his hand, but he stepped aside and opened the door for her. The bright sunlight blinded him, but not so much that he couldn’t see the hurt in her eyes before she picked up her shades and slid them up her nose.
It hurt to hurt her…
But it was the only way he could figure his shit out.
Then, and only then, he would tell her what it was, and what it meant to give her a piece of himself like he had back there in that changing room.
Once he knew what the hell he was doing.
Chapter Thirteen
Anna looked across the dinner table through the thin veil of her hair. Brett sat with Christopher, purposely ignoring her, just as he had all night long, ever since their excursion at the beach. She might be in the same room as him, but he could have easily been in a different state for all the attention he had given her tonight.
But why was he acting strangely?
What had passed between them in that tiny room had been so real, and intense, and raw. Even though it was explosive and quick, it had felt different somehow.
Perhaps that’s why he was acting strange.
Maybe he’d felt it, too.
“Are you all ready for the wedding tomorrow night?” the man sitting next to her asked. “I saw you at the rehearsal, and you looked beautiful up there next to the altar.”
Had this guy even been at the rehearsal?
All she had seen was Brett.
Brett ignoring her. Brett laughing. Brett frowning.
He consumed her every thought, even when he ignored her. So not fair.
Anna turned to the guy next to her and smiled politely. She couldn’t remember his name for the life of her, but she was pretty sure he worked with Cole. “I am, yes. I can’t wait to see Nina in her dress.”
“I can’t wait to see everyone in their dresses.” The man placed his arm over the top of her chair, coming far too close to touching her shoulder for comfort. How much had he drunk tonight that he thought his arm on her chair would be welcome? “I’m sure you’ll look stunning as well. Probably the prettiest girl at the altar. Didn’t you ever hear it’s frowned upon to be prettier than the bride on her wedding day?”