She hadn’t even told her family about her new hairstyle yet, much less her new boy toy. And they’d never be hearing about that tattoo.
“I didn’t mean anyone specifically, I just meant girls in general called the classics gory,” Will said into the phone. Brynn sent him a look of relief, but he didn’t look at her, and his eyes had definitely lost the sex-haze of a few seconds ago.
“Yeah, dinner on Friday sounds great, Soph. Text me the details. I’ve gotta go, ’kay?….and yeah, of course it’s a woman.”
Brynn tensed again, but Will merely said a brief good-bye to her sister and hung up the phone.
They both fell silent for a few painful seconds, although for the life of her, she didn’t understand why.
“I take it you didn’t tell your sister about us?” he asked.
“Us” felt like a strong word, but the tension in Will’s voice had her wary, so instead Brynn demurred. “I haven’t really told my family about any of this. They knew I took some time off, but not all the other stuff.”
“And what is the other stuff, Brynn?”
“You know, the clothes, the hair…the new car…you.”
The last word came out quietly, and she began to feel the tiniest speck of shame unfurl in her chest. She was treating him like a dirty secret to be hidden in the closet when respectable company came over.
Which he kind of was.
“Look, I just don’t want other people in my personal life right now, okay? It’s nothing against you.”
His eyes made a liar out of her, but he didn’t say anything more about it. But neither did he go back to the flirty, kissy Will, and she panicked a little at his withdrawal.
“How about that movie?” he said, standing abruptly.
“Will,” she blurted, standing to grab his hand. “What’s going on?”
He took a deep breath and searched her eyes for what felt like an eternity before very slowly the anger faded from his face. “Nothing’s going on, Princess. Just a little blue balls is all.”
Brynn refrained from mentioning that he didn’t have to answer the phone when it rang, but instead she let herself wiggle closer, intentionally rubbing braless breasts against his torso. “Oh yeah? Think we can find a way to fix that?”
He very gently put hands on her shoulders and moved her back a few inches. “Actually, I think I need a minute. You know, to recharge. You think you can stomach another movie?”
Brynn swallowed in confusion. She was offering sex and he wanted to watch old movies? “Um, sure. Or I could go…”
Will was already nodding. “Sounds good. I’ll grab your coat.”
Ten minutes later, Brynn was standing in her own kitchen, feeling confused.
Once again, Will Thatcher had thrown her a curveball. Something had definitely just happened.
But once again, she had the distinct feeling she was missing something crucial.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jealousy is for the emotionally unstable.
—Brynn Dalton’s Rules for an
Exemplary Life, #30
Brynn couldn’t believe she’d ever had the audacity to think she knew or understood William Thatcher.
She’d pegged him as the quintessential guy—the kind that lived and breathed sex.
But this was twice now that he hadn’t taken what she offered. And not only that, but now he wasn’t calling her back.