Page 78 of Strictly Pretend

“You won’t hit him, will you? Because I just bought a great little swing set for the kids so I can’t afford the bail money.”

My mouth twitches because nobody loves their kids more than Linc loves his. Okay, all my brothers are the same.

“I don’t even know if she likes me,” I say.

“Of course she likes you. She’s been kissing you. Touching you. The woman’s falling for you. So for God’s sake please stop talking to me and go catch her.”

I blink, the words slowly sinking in. I’m an idiot. There are no two ways about it. I’m falling for a woman who howls at the moon, who learns about sex positions from the karma sutra. Who looks at me like I’m a god and I thought she was just an excellent actress.

But what if it’s real?

What if I end up hurting her?

“I have to go,” Linc says. “Abigail just picked up another Lego brick. Talk to her, for your own sake.”

He hangs up and for a moment I stand there, thinking about everything. About the way I missed her so goddamn much today. The way I panicked when I thought she was sick.

The way she looked so upset when I stormed out of the yurt.

And I turn on my feet and practically run back to her.

EMMA

I’m standing at the door to the yurt, deciding whether I should finally go after him when it opens, almost knocking me off my feet.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Brooks reaches for me, his hands curling around my waist to steady me. His eyes roam over my face, as though to check that I’m okay.

This man is always checking that I’m okay. That’s what I’m realizing. And I like it, way more than I should.

I also enjoy staring into his eyes. I feel like I’m lost and found at the same time. The way they narrow slightly then dip to look at my mouth sends a shiver down my spine.

Neither of us says a word for what seems like an eternity. He just holds me and looks into my eyes, and I stare right back. I can feel a pulse steadily drumming in my throat. Can feel the warmth of his hands through the cover up I’m wearing over my bikini.

I can feel the need for him in every single cell of my body.

“Are you okay?” I whisper to him.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” His expression is softer than I’ve ever seen it before. There’s a vulnerability there that touches me deeply.

“Did you hit Will?”

He shakes his head. “No, but I wanted to.”

“Because of Lianne?” I ask, feeling my stomach tighten. “Because he talked to her?”

Brooks frowns. “No, not because of that. I don’t care if he talks to Lianne. But I do care if he hurts you.”

How many times has this man been my knight in shining armor? How many times has he tried to take care of me?

I’ve spent a lifetime having to do it for myself. I’m not used to it, yet I could definitely get used to it.

Running the tip of my tongue over my dry lips, I reach for him, touching the strong plains of his chest through his shirt. He isn’t wearing a tie, his sleeves are rolled up. I want this man more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

His thumbs caress my skin as he pulls me closer to him, then he slides his hands down my ass, to the tops of my thighs, where the fabric of my cover up barely skims them. The contact of his warm palms against my skin makes me gasp. My body clenchesas he splays his hands out against my thighs, then curls them until his fingertips graze the sensitive flesh right below the core of me.

“Brooks…”

“I’m sorry I walked out,” he says, still caressing me. I feel my whole body heat at his touch. “I’m sorry I went to Will instead of talking to you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Lianne. Or about me… not being able to…”

---