Page 93 of Only Between Us

I blow out a breath, trying to organize my thoughts. To slow down, so that this really penetrates that absurdly beautiful, sensitive head of his. Brooks’s gaze is fixed on my face, his attention rapt, and that almost does me in on its own.

Fuckthat woman for making him doubt himself.Fuckher for making him need to hear this in the first place.

“Brooks, what you did for my mom that day, when you owed her nothing, didn’t even know her? She means so much to me. And it meant a lot that you put that much care into looking after her when I couldn’t. You’re dependable, and… the most charming person I’ve ever met. In a really up-front, cocky kind of way. But somehow, it bundles together in this perfect package of…” I gesture at him helplessly. Trying to find a word less juvenile thanamazingness, but I’m on a breathless roll, words tumbling out. “And those cookies you baked her are seriously, without question, the best I’ve ever had. These brownies, too.”

Brooks chuckles at that. “It was my mom’s—”

“Your mom’s recipe. I know, and it doesn’t matter. They’d be burned to a crisp if I’d tried making them. Salty instead of sweet. Youbake, Brooks. Do you know how ridiculous that is? As if you weren’t perfect enough. And—and you dancing with those kid cheerleaders? The way you made their day like that? Equally as ridiculous. But it’s something I could totally picture my dad doing when he was alive. I know you’ll never get to meet him, but God… I really wish he could have known you.”

My eyes burn as I picture it. Dad and Brooks in the tiny yard at home, beers in hand. The way Dad might have talked his ear off aboutthe massive striped bass he’d have caught while we were on the ship earlier in the day. The way Brooks would have indulged his enthusiasm, maybe even suggested they go fishing together next time, even though he can’t stand the open water. Because that’s just who he is.

I’d give anything to see them together even once.

“I’m convinced he’d have loved you as much as my mom does. She won’t shut up about you—keeps asking when I’ll bring you around again. Seriously, if I don’t marry you, she might.” Brooks’s brows shoot up, and I curse myself for the slipup. “Not that I’m going to… It was a… You know what I mean.”

He’s visibly holding back laughter at my stuttering, but nods briskly. “I’m marrying your mom, then. Got it.”

See? This is what I’m talking about. I want to grab him and shake him. He’s so good at defusing tension. Knows exactly when to push, and when to back off.

I take his face in my hands. “And just in case you need to hear this, too… You’re incredible on the field. You’re focused, and dedicated, and talented. Any team would be lucky to have you. I wish you’d be more kind to yourself in the process, but I really do admire your drive and how hard you work at something important to you.” Brooks’s gaze flits across my face while mine does the same over his. “Brooks, you’re a catch from all angles. And you know what? I’m so glad we were cornered into a pretend relationship. Imagine if I never got to know you? What a loss that would have been.”

His brows are furrowed, like he’s in silent conversation with the freckles on my nose. “You like me.”

A laugh bursts out of me. “Yes. In summary, I like you. For about a million reasons besides your job.” My gaze falls to his mouth. His stunning grin goes as big as I’ve ever seen it. Fire ignites under my skin, every inch of it. It hurts. It feels fantastic. “Like that smile. That smile could melt a glacier in the dead of winter, Attwood.”

And I’m falling for you.

And it’s scary, knowing you’re probably moving in just a few weeks.

And we should probably slow this down so I have a shot at recovering when you leave.

Brooks moves closer, and the thunder of my heart drowns out my brain’s insistent attempts at common sense. He sighs dramatically. “Be still my fucking heart, Siena. I knew I’d get you to fall for me. It was only a matter of time.”

I smack his chest, but he catches my hand and keeps it there. His heart is racing.

He can’t feel it, but mine is, too.

“I really needed to hear that,” he whispers. “It’s like you said on that cliff. When you know it’s bullshit deep down, but the bad thoughts just stick.”

I nod, feeling so deeply sad for him, but comforted that I’m not the only one. “Then I’ll do whatever I can to make them unstick.”

“Thank you, baby.”

Baby. It sounds so right rolling off his tongue. Feels so right sinking recklessly into my heart.

He lifts my hand, kisses the inside of my wrist, and how outrageous is it that I’ve never kissed this man?Reallykissed him, without frustration or an audience?

“Hey, Brooks?” I lean in. He looks serious now, but there’s that usual playful spark in his eyes. “You go left.”

The second my lips touch his, Brooks is moaning into my mouth. The sweetest moan, soBrooksin its vulnerability, because that’s exactly who he is. Open and vulnerable. Confident but soft. It’s the same way he kisses me now, guiding my chin with gentle fingers to tilt my head, kiss me deeper.

Brooks’s fingers tangle in the lengths of hair at the back of my neck, and he’s both pulling me closer and pushing me back. Like he can’t settle on how he wants this to go. Whether he wants to staypatient, wait for me to come to him, press my body to his. Or to cut to the chase and take what he wants. What we both want.

God, I want to fuck you.

He seems to have the same thought because he decides for us both, pushes so that my back hits the ship. His hands are everywhere, hips pushed up against mine. His cock digs into my stomach, making demands of its own. My fingers feel the firm muscles at his sides, up to his shoulders, before sliding down to his hips.

I toy with his waistband, even though I know I can’t go further, not here. I may not mind playing a little in the open, but I’ve shared Brooks enough since I’ve known him. This—having him—it’ll be just for me.

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