Page 42 of Without You

I raise an eyebrow and step right into her space. My chest is almost pressed against hers. “You think I’m going to give you space to not?”

She takes a deep breath, her breasts grazing against my chest. I take a deep breath in return. “I certainly hope not,” she whispers.

“Good answer,” I whisper back.

* * *

“This is incredible, Brody. Truly.”

“Thanks, Katie.”

She turns around in the middle of my new garage. The one that’s about to be filled with vehicles that will soon be in country music videos for power house’s like Luke, Eric, Jason, Chase, and Bryant. And that’s just a few of them.

“No. You don’t realize… I’m in awe right now. Look at this place!”

I’m in awe, too. Of everything. The turn my career took, the very fact that I needed a shop this big and nice, the entire reason behind it. The knowledge that I’ll be meeting with some of the biggest names in country music. But mostly, I’m in awe of her. She’s looking around and isn’t excited for me because of the status or money.

“I’m happy with how it turned out,” I say quietly.

“Brody! You should be! I’m just… holy smokes, dude. This is so awesome! How are you not freaking out right now?”

“Gotten used to it, I guess,” I say. “Trust me, I had plenty of moments where I was freaking out. Still do, it’s just that right now I’m trying to take it all in and be grateful this is even happening.”

She nods but isn’t looking at me. She’s walking around and inspecting the lifts that we had installed, the air compressors, and welding machines. The toolboxes and work benches.

“Want to see the office?”

“Of course.”

We walk side by side and I open the door for her to go into the office.

The black and white floor gleams and I know it won’t always be that way, but I love how clean and shiny it is right now. It’s not completed yet, but it’s finished enough that Katie can get the idea of what it’s going to look like. The space is going to double as a break room so there’s a fridge, microwave, and small kitchen area in one corner, a desk, leather couch, and small table in the other.

“This is so great, Brody.” Katie trails a fingertip over the laminate countertop (I wasn’t going to splurge on granite) and turns around to face me. “Really, really great.”

“Thank you,” I say, accepting her praise humbly.

She shakes her head and moves her feet so she’s standing in front of me in the middle of my office. “No. I mean it. What you’re doing here?” Katie throws an arm out to indicate the office then points to the rest of the shop. “It’s awesome. Not because of who you’re working with — even though that’s totally kick ass — but because you’re living your dream. Achieving it. Did you ever imagine?” Her eyes widen and she shakes her head again, letting out a breath of disbelief. “I mean, my goodness, B. You’re doing it. Really doing it. You were recognized because of your work. Do you even understand how amazing that is? Unheard of, really. People have to fight and claw their way to hitting their goals and sometimes, unfortunately, it still doesn’t happen for them. I wasn’t here so I don’t know, but I can imagine you did a lot of fighting and a lot of clawing and in the end, it was worth it because someone caught on to your brand of awesome and they knew it was something that the world needed to see, too. You didn’t have to seek it out or go after this business. It happened because you are the best. But it also happened because you worked your tail off to get here. I know it even though I didn’t see it. It’s easy to see that. Because that’s who you are, B. You’re the guy who’s willing to work day and night on your business, and remodel an old house that you saw potential for even though most people probably would have bulldozed it to the ground, but you knew. You. Knew. It was worth something. And you weren’t willing to destroy a place where a couple made their home and started their family and the old man didn’t want to change anything because he didn’t want to hurt his wife more than she was already hurting. I just —”

I interrupt whatever she’s about to say next by kissing her. Sometime between her calling me B — which is a nickname she actually started when I was a junior and she kept calling me Brady instead of Brody because she couldn’t remember so eventually just called me B — and all the praise she was giving me, something inside me snapped and I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. I had to feel her lips on mine and her body pressed against mine.

I should have asked her. Should have gotten permission to kiss her and touch her and treat her like a man who’s greedy and takes without asking. But I didn’t. Because right now, that’s what I am.

I’m greedy and want everything she’s willing to give me and I hope to God she’s willing to give a lot because I’m ready to take a lot. And I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that I haven’t felt anyone’s hands on me aside from my own in almost nine months. And even then, it was… less than satisfying. That’s not a slam against her, she was far from into it, too. We dated for a few months. There was no chemistry. She and I parted ways after that one night we spent together and it was definitely mutual. Nice girl. But now that I’m kissing Katie, I know why there was no chemistry.

Because it would be physically impossible to have what Katie and I have with anyone other than Katie. The second my lips touched hers, my body felt like it came alive for the first time. My nerves have been zapped with electricity. The blood rushing through my veins has been set on fire.

I want to make sure she’s okay with me kissing her. Should make sure she’s okay with me kissing her. But that would mean I’d have to stop and I can’t do that. Just like it was physically impossible to feel this with another person, it would be physically impossible to stop because it’s too good. Too right.

Fuck, I hope I’m not the only one into this. As I slant my head to kiss her deeper, I finally — finally — allow my tongue to graze her lips.When I wrap my arms around her waist to pull her closer, she arches her back and winds her arms around my neck.

Oh, yeah. By the way her lips mold to mine and the tiny moan that escapes her, I’d say she’s into it, too. Big time. And yeah.

She’s willing to give.

Now that our tongues came to play, there’s no hesitation from either of us.

She releases another moan and I answer with a growl.

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