Page 74 of Bad Boys After Dark - Brett
“I love you, too, sugar. Now, go put all those lessons to good use.” Nana patted Sophie’s butt, nudging her toward Brett’s open arms.
“There’s my girl.” Brett embraced her as Nana and Poppi headed for their car and the rest of the family went inside. “I have been waiting to get you alone all day.”
“Tell me about it.”
His eyes smoldered. “Come with me.” He took her hand and led her off the patio.
“Oh, I plan on coming with you,” she said seductively.
“Many times. Guaranteed. But first…”
He led her across the lawn toward the creek, picking up his speed to a jog. She laughed as he pulled her along. When they reached the willow tree, his mouth swooped down to hers so passionately, she knew he’d been waiting all day to do it, just as she had.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he said as their lips parted, and he cradled her face in his hands.
She loved when he did that. It was like he didn’t want her to miss a word, but she’d noticed today that those looks had become penetrating, as if he didn’t want to miss a second of her.
“I think it’s time we let the world know that I’m your forever-kiss guy, and that starts here.”
He reached into his back pocket, and her mind raced through all the things he might mean. Before she could hold on to any one thought, he opened his hand, revealing the pocketknife her grandfather always carried in his back pocket.
“Are you going to do what I think you’re going to do?”
“Oh, yes.” He opened the blade and went to the side of the tree with the hearts carved into it. He set to work carving another heart beneath them.
“But I told you, you’re FK.” She couldn’t suppress her smile as he glanced at her with a don’t-you-know-me-by-now expression.
He continued carving, forming his initials. Afterward he paused long enough to kiss her, then went back to work. She stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, feeling his muscles pulse against it as he carved, ever so slowly and deeply, L-O-V-E-S beneath his initials.
Oh God!
He paused, brushing away tiny pieces of bark, before carving her initials below.
“Brett,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
He retraced every letter until it was etched so deeply it would never go unseen. He closed the knife and put it in his back pocket before turning and taking her face in his hands again. He gazed into her eyes for a long, silent moment. The air between them pulsed with emotions so strong they drew her against him. She soaked in the love in his eyes, the strength of his hands, and when he touched his lips to hers as soft as a feather, she could barely breathe.
“I’m not just falling for you, baby. I’ve fallen in love with you, and I know I’ll only fall deeper in love with you tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.”
“You love me” fell from her lips full of disbelief. Her world was officially spinning.
“More than I ever thought possible. I think I’ve been falling for you for a long time, but I fought feeling anything for so many years, I was blind to it.” He kissed her again, leaving her mouth burning for more.
“I love you, too, Brett. So much!” She pressed her lips to his, fast and impatient, and squealed, “Oh God! You love me.”
She laughed out of sheer elation, and in the next breath, she was in his arms, his hot mouth devouring hers, their tongues probing and their hands groping as they stumbled in the moonlight toward the barn. When they reached it, she remembered the new locks.
“I don’t have a key,” she said between kisses.
He shoved a hand into his pocket and withdrew a shiny silver key. “Think I’d leave you hanging?”
She shook her head. “Does my dad know you have the key?”
He gave her a sly look and unlocked the door. The scent of hay and old wood filled her senses. Brett closed the doors behind them and pulled her into his arms again. His tongue slid along her lips in a slow sensual path as his hands moved over her bottom, and he ground his hips against hers.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded. His hands slid lower, his long, hot fingers playing over the backs of her thighs beneath her dress.
“Oh, I’m going to kiss you, baby, in due time.”
