Page 25 of Hero: Claimed

She stands in front of me, my arms wrapped around her shoulders, resting my chin to the soft curve of her neck, taking in the grandeur of the vista surrounding us. Brin sucks in a sharp breath. “I never knew anything so beautiful existed.”

I smile, pressing a kiss to the hinge of her jaw, wrapping my arms a little tighter.Me, either, Brin… Me, either. Maybe it’s because of the view or maybe because she seems to appreciate the view as much as I do, but I feel compelled to share more of myself with her. Something no one else knows because I don’t get deep. Always careful not to let people in too close. “I found this place during my wandering after Pops died. Before I found the brothers. It reminded me of him—bigger than life.” She cocks her head to look at me, I meanreallylook at me, and it’s like a sucker-punch to my soul. “Stupid, right?” I say, chuckling uncomfortably.

“No,” she says seriously. “Your dad sounds like he was an amazing man. I wish I had those kinds of memories to connect with mine. I think of my dad when I see cigarette burns in the sofa fabric, smell cheap beer or hear someone shout ‘stupid’, ‘fat-ass’ or ‘cunt’. What a legacy, eh?”

Ihateher dad and if I ever meet him, my brothers might seriously have to hold me back from killing the motherfucker.

“Is there someplace you’ve always wanted to travel to?” I could totally see us roadtripping on my bike and I like the thought of giving her things she’s never had.

She shakes her head slowly. “Not really a place. But I always wanted a big family Christmas, like with a tree and a decoration explosion of massive proportions. Inside and out. You know, like that movieChristmas Vacation?”

“Fucking love that movie,” I mutter.

“Like that. Only… without the dead cat or overcooked turkey. Watching little kids’ eyes grow huge with excitement from just receiving a pretty, wrapped package.”

“Oh, yeah? Did little Brinley’s eyes grow huge?” I ask and right away, wish I didn’t.

“No. I never expected too much. Mom did what she could, but after she left…” Her thought trails off. “What about you?”

“Pops was more of the wrap-it-in-the-store-bag-and-stick-a-bow-on-it kind of guy, but we always had a tree. And healwaysmade sure Santa’s gifts were wrapped by the elves who worked at the department store. That way I knew the difference.”

“Do you think he would’ve approved… you know, of what you’re doing to help me out?”

Wow.

Way to put it out there, but I know exactly how to answer because I knew my pops through and through. “He’d have been beside himself meeting you, bird. Proud that I finally got my head out of my ass and brought home a girl worth bringing home.”

“Levi—you don’t have to say that…”

“Say what? The truth? What do you think’s happening here, Brin? Am I an asshole, like do you honestly not feel anything for me? Not saying you’ve got to profess your undying love or any of that shit, but really? Nothing?”

God, then she does it, she turns in my arms to wrap hers around my neck and pulls my head down. When our lips touch, when our tongues brush, she shifts, rubbing against me, and I need to feel her even closer, bringing one hand up to burrow through her hair, filtering the dark, silky strands between my fingers. The other leaves her ass to touch the heated skin beneath her blouse at the small of her back, dipping just below the waist of her jeans. When my fingertips hit the lace of her panties, I groan into her mouth.

What was I thinking? When I thought she wasn’t sexy? I’m a fucking idiot. “C’mon, bird.” I grab her hand, leading her back to the bike. I need to be inside this woman. I need to feel her wrapped around me. We’re too far from home. I don’t want the mood to cool, to give her the chance to change her mind. How she kissed me, how she holds me as we ride, I know she wants this as much as I do.

We’re not too far from the Cumberland Gap. Instead of heading back to Thornbriar, I turn us in the direction of Cumberland. She’s on board even as we hit a hotel parking lot. “This good?” I ask.

She nods, and I smile, kissing the tip of her nose, then I cut the engine and help her off the back. We hold hands heading into the lobby. It’s a nicer joint. I mean, I’m not fucking her for the first time in a shithole. But the closer we get to the lobby doors, the more hesitation there is to her steps.

“Something wrong, bird?”

“Nerves, I guess.”

“Do you not—”

“No.” She cuts me off. “I… well… I want to. Just, you know.”

Yeah, I think I do know. “Leave it to me, okay? I’ll take care of you.” When she nods a second time, I can breathe easier. “Let’s get the room first.”

Check-in goes smoothly, not that I thought it would go any other way. We get our keycard and then I walk her to our room.

“Go on in,” I order, kissing her lips as I tear myself away from her. She tastes that good and looks so vulnerable, those big eyes wide with want and even a bit of fear staring at me through those sexy-as-sin glasses. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, baby.”

“Sure,” she whispers.

“Lock the door, yeah?”

Brinley smiles and breathes out a small laugh at the same time she shoves me away. I wait to leave until I hear her lock the door. There’s a Kroger nearby, where I buy us meats and cheeses, and some of those fancy crackers. Then I head to the bakery section for chocolate croissants. I round the trip out with grapes, apples, and hazelnut spread. All things Brinley likes. It’s amazing what you can find out when you take the time to talk to a woman instead of just getting drunk with her and fucking. And speaking of fucking, I grab a box of condoms at the checkout—somethingIlike because it means I’m getting laid. Before I leave, I pop into the liquor store to pick us up a fifth of Bourbon. We are in Kentucky, after all. The challenge is getting it all to fit inside my saddlebags without crushing or bruising the food.

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