Page 21 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
Her legs dropped to the mattress, and he cradled her beneath him, both of them panting. Their bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat, and he was still buried deep inside her, experiencing every aftershock as it rattled through her.
He didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to break their connection.
Her eyes fluttered open, soft and sated, with so much emotion swimming in them, the pit of his stomach dipped.
“More kisses,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed again.
Their mouths came together slowly and sweetly, and all those noises she’d made turned into sleepy, spent sighs that made his insides melt. She was warm and soft as she nestled into the lines of his body. He didn’t know how long he lay there soaking in her sleepy kisses and enjoying the feel of her safely cocooned in his arms, but it was long enough for him to note those things, which was too long.
He got up to take care of the condom, and when he came out of the bathroom he picked up his briefs, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirrored headboard. He’d thought those mirrors would come into play during their interlude, but he’d been so entranced by Sophie, he’d forgotten all about them. Until now, as he put on his briefs and mentally prepared his exit speech.
He wasn’t sure he liked what he saw, and he definitely didn’t like the idea of an exit anything with Sophie. He swallowed against the truth of the man he’d become, or the man he always had been, feeling remorse about it for the first time in his life.
Sophie rolled onto her back, resting her arm across her forehead. She looked beautiful, with her eyes at half-mast and her hair a tousled mess from his hands. She made no move to cover herself up, and somewhere in his mind he cataloged that with satisfaction.
“Stay?” she asked sleepily.
“That’s not a good idea,” he answered tightly. Like his father, Brett had turned into a bitter, angry guy after Lorelei died. It wasn’t until he was older and poured that rage into working out that he learned to rein in his temper. Even still, unresolved anger lingered just below the surface, making him agitated and restless. That agitation hit him hardest in the mornings, and the only way for him to get through the day was to run or work out hard enough to settle his ghosts. As a rule, he never spent the night with women, but even if he did, he wanted to keep those morning hauntings away from Sophie.
The slightest frown curved her lips. “Then just hold me until I fall asleep?”
She lifted her hand in the sweetest invitation he’d ever been offered. He knew it was a bad idea, but as he stood beside the bed watching the woman he’d pursued for longer than he’d wanted anything in his life, how could he not accept it? He climbed into bed and gathered her in his arms.
As he drew the covers over them, he told himself the ache he felt at the thought of leaving meant nothing, that the warmth spreading through him was meaningless. But Brett had told Sophie the truth when he said he didn’t lie, and he couldn’t pull it off, even to himself.
She rested her fingers on his cheek and murmured, “You lied to me.”
He froze, wondering what she could possibly mean. He couldn’t remember ever lying to her. “I’d never lie to you.” He respected Sophie and genuinely liked who she was and how she treated people. He’d never risk hurting her.
She sighed again and snuggled in closer. “You said you’d give me everything, and then you wore me out so you didn’t have to.”
“So I didn’t have to?” He tipped up her chin and pressed his lips to hers. “You can’t really believe that. I’m ready to go again if you are.”
“Too tired,” she said with a yawn. “You owe me another night.”
In his heart he knew one night with Sophie would never be enough, but he also knew he wasn’t the white-picket-fence kind of guy Sophie wanted and deserved.
As he lay battling emotions he didn’t want to feel, Sophie dozed off.
A short while later he made his silent escape.
Chapter Four
SUNDAY MORNING SOPHIE ran on the treadmill like her life depended on it, and it sort of did. If she couldn’t outrun thoughts of Brett, which came with equally hefty doses of regret and desire, how could she possibly act normal when she saw him at the office tomorrow? She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The determined woman looking back at her didn’t appear any different from the one she’d seen in the mirror yesterday morning, but she felt nothing like that person. She felt raw and emotional. She’d known being intimate with Brett would be amazing, but she hadn’t expected to feel so much or that he’d leave with a piece of her heart in his hands. She saw Grace approaching and tried to convince herself not to share any more details about her and Brett’s tryst than she already had.
