Page 6 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“Tell me you want me, Sophie.”
Don’t do it. Do not admit it.
She opened her mouth to speak, and he dipped his head, his lips hovering just above hers. His warm breath sank into her mouth, stealing her ability to speak.
“Tell me to kiss you,” he said so firmly it bordered on a demand, but there was also something tethered about it, smooth and seductive.
Dangerously alluring.
She swallowed hard, breathed even harder, as Grace’s words came back to her. Careful, sweetheart, your interest is showing.
“I’d better go,” she finally managed.
“No, babe, don’t run away. Not this time.” His eyes bored into her. “Dance with me. We don’t have to do anything more. Just be with me, alone.”
He gathered her closer, and she rested her cheek on his chest, trying to calm her racing heart at the emotions she’d seen in his eyes. Maybe she was imagining it, but she swore beneath the storm, beneath all that heat, there was more. He might be made of hot steel and desire, but he was also a caring brother who made the time for family, who babysat for Carson and Tawny’s little girl. He was the guy who offered to walk Grace outside and had often walked Sophie to a cab so no harm would come to her. It was that man she kept getting glimpses of, and as they danced late into the night, those glimpses stacked up like steps. What would she find at the top? A locked door keeping the world at bay? Or would it be ajar, just waiting for the right person to slip through?
They danced with few words passing between them, and those wordless hours moved by too quickly. She was enjoying this quiet part of him that she’d never been privy to. Has anyone?
When Brett stopped dancing she realized she hadn’t noticed the bar clearing out. Whoa, she’d been completely lost in him.
He reached for his jacket and her clutch. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
When they hit the street, the cool night air brought a dose of reality. Brett put his jacket over her shoulders as they headed in the direction of her apartment building.
“Thank you,” she said, wondering when he’d become a gentleman.
He flashed a smile, uncharacteristically quiet as they walked along the busy sidewalk.
“You’re a good dancer,” she said to try to quell her nerves. She was letting Brett walk her home, and she knew that sent a signal, but she felt things changing between them, like she was getting another glimpse of a side of him not many got to see.
“I’m good at a lot of things.” He flashed a cocky grin.
“And here I was thinking that you’d turned into a gentleman.”
“I can be anything you want, Sophie.”
His smile softened, and she found herself wanting to believe him.
“Tell me, Sexy Sophie, what do you want? What do you dream about late at night?” he asked carefully, not aggressively, which took her by surprise. “And don’t tell me Kurt Remington, because you’re far more interesting than that.”
She mulled over his question as they turned down her street. “I dream about things that aren’t even on your radar screen,” she said honestly.
“You might be surprised.” He thanked the doorman, putting a hand at her back as they crossed the lobby. As they waited for the elevator, he said, “My radar is set to pick up lots of different stimuli.”
When the elevator arrived, they stepped inside, and she hit the button for her floor. His gaze raked boldly over her, and her traitorous heart thumped harder. As the elevator climbed slowly to her floor, he swept his arm around her waist, drawing her closer.
“Seriously,” he said as he gazed into her eyes. “I want to know. Do you ever dream of me? Do you wonder what it would be like to kiss me?”
Yes. She turned her face away, and her hair fell over her eye. Brett tucked it behind her ear, and with his fingers at her chin, he gently guided her face back toward him, until she had no choice but to see him. A long, silent moment stretched between them, anticipation building inside her. He was so handsome, gazing at her with a thoughtful, and also somehow seductive, expression.
“I dream about you, Sophie,” he said just above a whisper. “I dream about your smile.” He touched her cheek, his expression softening. “And the way it lights up your eyes. I dream about the way you lick your lips and how much I want to feel your mouth on me.”
