Page 39 of Brand
“I like it. Way too much.”
“I stole your shirt too,” I said as my fingers fisted his hair with one hand. The silky strands felt amazing trapped between my fingers.
“I see that,” he said low and raw as he kissed along my jaw. “Hottest fucking thing I’ve seen you in.”
Then he was taking my lips again. I opened for him and his tongue swiped along mine. Then, in a strange mix of soft and passionate, our tongues danced as our lips molded together.
A whimper escaped me as he pulled away. He rested his forehead against mine and stared deeply into my eyes. Our breaths mingled as I tried to slow down my crazy, racing heart.
“We have to stop now or I won’t be able to,” he said as his body continued to heave with each breath.
“That’s fine. I don’t want you to stop.” I attempted to kiss him again but he halted me with a firm grip as his hands framed my jaw again. A wave of embarrassment overtook my thoughts and my face. I could feel the heat creeping its way up my neck and across my cheeks. I opened my mouth and I felt foolish for it.
“Make no mistake, Cami, I want you. I want all of you. But I won’t take you when I’m covered with dirt and blood and have been sitting on a bench in a room that smells like a drunk homeless man.” I bit my lip and gave him a little nod. “You deserve better than that and I want to give you more than just a fuck fueled by the shaky feelings brought on by the circumstances of tonight.”
Um, well, okay. There was no arguing against that even if I wanted to. It was actually really sweet and I couldn’t stop the smile that toyed with my lips.
He placed light, sweet kisses all over my face as he backed me up toward the bed. Once the back of my legs hit the edge of the mattress, he stopped.
“It’s been a long day. I’m going to go shower and you should try to get some sleep.” He smiled, that sexy, brilliant smile that put his dimples on full display. Those ridiculously sexy dimples. “I will warn you though, I’m going to get in that bed when I’m done and I like to cuddle. Be prepared.”
He left me with his adorably charming threat. I loved how he was able to take the edge off of this whole night. A smile and a few flirty words and I found myself never wanting to leave this room.
The door to the bathroom closed behind him and I tried my best to move my thoughts away from what he was doing in there. The fact that he was going to be naked and wet in the matter of a minute had me nearly panting.
I crawled up the bed and tucked myself beneath the soft, cool sheets. I buried my nose in the pillow and inhaled his scent deeply. Then I couldn’t help but to wonder what side he slept on.
Stupid things like that always made me over think everything. I didn’t know if I should try and figure it out further, the last thing I wanted to do was take his spot. Some people were insane about things as simple as that. I mean, I was all over the place when I slept, so for the most part, it didn’t matter which side I went to sleep on. I would always wake up on the opposite side and sometimes sideways. Yeah, I was a crazy sleeper.
Then I got to thinking aboutthat. I’d never slept in a bed with someone and I couldn’t imagine I’d be a good bed buddy. Would Brand hate it? Would I get on his nerves and keep him from getting the rest that he desperately needed?
See what I meant by my thoughts tended to run wild.
I knew it was completely insane, but I couldn’t help it. I’d always had to question everything my entire life. I had this image I was supposed to fit into and I always wondered if every action I did was within the confines of that box.
When I was in school, I would go over everything I said before it left my mouth to make sure I said it properly. I was afraid to speak out for fear of making my family look bad. When I got older, it became about my looks and who I hung out with. I kept my art friends in the shadows which I realized was pretty crappy. I went to prom with someone my mother set me up with. I wore a dress that didn’t show off anything. It wasn’t even the color I wanted.
So, I had conditioned myself to replay every little thing I did to make sure I didn’t sound or look as weird as I felt on the inside. I over thought things because I had to work hard to hide my true self.
And to be honest, I was tired. It made me a bit of a basket case. Moments like this it really showed through.
I had been so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the shower cut off. I didn’t hear Brand moving around in the bathroom. And I barely registered the door opening. My head snapped over in that direction as I jumped like a caught mouse.
My mouth was suddenly dry.
Like a desert.
Like I couldn’t even swallow.
Like…Oh, fuck me!
Because Brand came sauntering out, ink black towel slung low around his waist, bare chest still sprinkled with droplets of water, hair slicked back away from his face and dripping.
My eyes couldn’t decide what to look at. They roamed the hard lines of his chest, down to his perfectly circled innie belly button. Then over the dark trail of hair that disappeared beneath the cinched towel.
Then I was moving, my bare legs sliding out from under the sheets as I crawled to the edge of the bed. I had no idea what I was doing, but like a moth drawn to a flame, I couldn’t stop myself.
