Page 34 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
She pressed her forehead to his chest. His scent had already taken on an aura of familiarity and safety even though he was the least safe person for her heart. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she lifted her eyes to his.
“Please?” he said softly.
“God, I can’t say no to you,” she whispered. “That makes me weak and pathetic, and I’m not either of those things.”
“It makes you right there with me, Sophie, not weak or pathetic. Just too strong to walk away from whatever this is, because you feel the power of it, too.”
Her heart was racing, but for his honesty, not because he was jerking her around. He was right. She didn’t want to walk away, despite knowing she might get hurt. “This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever agreed to. It feels like I’m setting myself up to be let down.”
“I don’t want to let you down. These feelings are all new to me, and I’m trying to figure out how to handle them. The one thing I’m certain of is that I’ll never purposely hurt you.”
“Hurt happens accidentally. You hurt me when you handed me that bag.”
He winced. “I told you I’m not wired for love stories, Soph. But I didn’t mean that I only wanted you for sex. I was trying to think ahead, just in case. To protect you.”
“Just in case,” she said with a laugh, because she believed him. She understood that part of him. That was the easiest part to understand. “What are you wired for?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never known.” Something harsh flashed in his eyes—longing, regret, sadness?—she didn’t know which.
“Maybe together we can figure it out,” she suggested.
“I’ve gone thirty-plus years not knowing. Don’t take this wrong, but don’t hold your breath.”
“I’m done holding my breath,” she said. “I have to jump in with two feet and accept that this is what you can give me, but I don’t have to give up on making this the year you figure things out.”
He exhaled as if he’d been the one holding his breath. “Thank you.”
“Now kiss me and make all my thoughts go away before the legal girl in me reads us the riot act.”
Heat rose in his eyes again. “Does this legal girl wear tight black skirts and fuck-me heels?”
Smiling, she said, “Shut up and kiss me before I change my mind.”
He lowered his lips to hers, and despite all the unknowns, the power of their kisses worked their magic, easing the tension that had been running so high between them and turning into something much bigger, hotter. Something inescapable.
BRETT HAD BEEN gutted when Sophie had said she couldn’t be with him, and for the first time in his life, he hadn’t hauled ass to the gym or taken off for a head-clearing run. He hadn’t been able to walk out the fucking door—and he hadn’t wanted to. Now, as they hurried to catch the comedy show and he helped Sophie from the cab and pulled her into his arms, he thanked his lucky stars that she hadn’t sent him packing.
“I thought we were already late,” she said as he gazed into her sparkling eyes.
“We are, but this’ll just take a sec. I’ve never met anyone like you. Some people hold grudges; others walk away and never look back. Thank you for not doing either. You make me want to be a better man, and I want to try. I might be miswired, but I’m not an ass on purpose. I’ll make up for hurting your feelings. I don’t know how, but I’ll figure it out.”
Her gaze softened. “Thank you.” She wound her arms around his neck and said, “You can start by kissing me again.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you. Why are you so forgiving?”
“Because I believe in following my heart, and after listening to all the things you said to me tonight, my heart tells me that you’re worth believing in, even if it’s hard.”
Several passionate kisses later, they made their way to the back of the building.
“Why are we going in the back?” she asked as they approached an unmarked door.
“We don’t have tickets, but my company handles security for the theater. We have a standing invitation.”
