Page 44 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“You’ve never had a girlfriend? Like, ever?”
“If a week in high school counts, then sure, but when you grow up in a house where one day you’re standing on solid ground and the next everything you’ve ever known and counted on has been ripped to shreds, long-term loses its significance.” He kissed the tip of her nose and said, “Think you can give me a little time to adjust?”
It pained her even more knowing how much losing his sister had affected his whole life. The hurt still practically radiated off him. “You know what? I think we just figured out why you have a hard time with commitment.”
His face clouded with uneasiness.
Realizing he’d just asked for time to adjust and she’d thrown another life changer at him, she quickly added, “We’ll take baby steps.”
He captured her mouth in a powerful kiss that rolled through her like thunder. “I don’t do anything like a baby, got it?”
“You sure don’t, but maybe you should remind me again with another kiss.”
“Okay. But you need to know that I’m not ignoring what you said. You might be right, but I don’t want to dissect it tonight, okay?”
“No dissecting. Only kissing.”
Several scorching-hot kisses later, they kicked off their shoes and curled up on the couch to watch the movie. Sophie was as shocked by Brett’s abrupt change as she was by his confession about the wine. An hour into the movie, she still couldn’t stop stealing glances at him, trying to reconcile all the parts of her complicated, emotional man. She couldn’t help but wonder how much hurt lingered beneath his tough exterior.
His gaze moved from the television to her, catching her staring. “Come here, babe.”
He shifted so they were lying on the couch with him spooning her, and ran his hand along her thigh. His breath was warm on her neck, and when he pressed a kiss there, she closed her eyes and soaked it in.
“I like your outfit. I’ve never seen you in cutoffs.”
His voice brought her eyes open again, and she turned around so she was facing him. “No one wears cutoffs in the city, so I don’t wear them out.”
“You should wear them everywhere.” He kissed her softly and squeezed her bottom. “I take that back. You should wear clothes that cover you up around other guys.”
Even though he said it teasingly, she remembered how he’d questioned Charlie and said, “You’re a very jealous boyfriend.”
“What’d you call me?” He drew back, his tone serious again.
“Jealous, which you are, even if you deny it.”
“Hell, babe. I’m not denying it. Wouldn’t you be if you were me? You’re smart, sexy, and sweeter than honey, and I’m a lucky guy. But that’s not what I was asking about. You called me your boyfriend.” A soft smile lifted his lips. “I’m digging that.”
“Really? But it’s a label.”
“No shit. Stop reminding me. Just go with it.” He kissed her again. “I’m not complaining about this, but you can’t see the movie if you’re facing me.”
“I’ve already seen it,” she whispered, and buried her face in his chest.
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” He grabbed her ribs, tickling her as he swept her beneath him.
She squealed. “Stop! Stop! Stop!” she pleaded.
He lifted her shirt and kissed her belly. “Answer the question or I’ll do it again.” His hand hovered over her ribs.
“No, please!” She swatted his hand away. “You went to all this trouble. I didn’t want to ruin it. I love that you thought ahead and brought a movie over.” She pulled him up by his biceps and studied his handsome face. He looked different, happier, lighter.
“I need a list of all the movies you’ve seen,” he demanded.
“Why? No one gets Redbox anymore when we can stream movies right to the television. I thought you were a movie guy. You should know that.”
He lowered his mouth to her ribs in a series of openmouthed kisses that made her squirm. “I know how to stream movies.” He kissed his way up the center of her stomach to her neck and all the way to her lips, then perched above her. “I admit that I don’t have much practice with this, but showing up and saying, ‘Let’s stream a movie,’ doesn’t sound as romantic as showing up with a movie in hand.”
