“Sorry!” She gags out a laugh. “It’s just that the visual was too amusing.” She sops up the mess she made. “I’ve been to the Edwards house—more like estate.” She lowers her lashes at me. “It’s pretty big. There are an awful lot of places and spaces someone could run off to if they wanted. Are you scared?”
“Why would she be scared?” Roxy sticks her pen between her teeth a moment. “Oh my, God—you’re a virgin!”
“Shh!” I bounce a few inches in my seat. “No need to pull out the mega phone. It’s not a big deal. I was just waiting for the right person, that’s all.” I give a shy smile. “And, lucky me, because I found him.”
“Aww!” They sing in unison.
“Baya!” A male voice booms across the courtyard, and Bryson waves with that ridiculously gorgeous smile. My girl parts and I sigh in unison.
“That’s my ride.” I pull my bag up over my shoulder. “Any quick tips?” My heart races at the prospect of what might happen this weekend—hell, right now in his truck if he wanted.
Roxy shakes her head. “Just be yourself and have fun. I promise, it’ll come naturally.” She winks. “And, if you’re lucky, so will you.”
If I’m lucky. My girl parts clench in a mini rebellion. I’m always lucky with Bryson Edwards around.
Laney leans in, she cuts her gaze over at Bryson, and a sorrowful look crosses her face. “That boy needs some TLC. Just love him sweetly.”
Love him sweetly. That’s exactly what I plan on doing.
Bryson and I drive down the city streets of Hollow Brook as the leaves rain over the sidewalks like buckets full of rustic-colored confetti. An entire army of gardeners attack the rolling green lawn in front of the public library. I watch as their weed whackers get close to the border garden filled with marigolds—their proud orange poms shiver in fear of decapitation.
Bryson swings into a parking lot and only after the fact do I read the sign on the side of the building in front of us,Quincy Howard School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
“I wondered how far we’d get before you pulled over to steal a kiss.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and slide into him.
A naughty smile twitches on his lips. “Come here.” Bryson pulls me in, and our mouths find one another, desperately hungry for more than we could ever hope to accomplish sitting in the front seat of his supped-up monster truck. Bryson plunges his tongue in my mouth and teases me with laboriously slow, agonizingly sweet kisses. A moan vibrates from his throat to the most intimate part of me, and it quivers with an erotic approval. “Baya,” he pulls back and takes me in. “You’re amazing, you know that?” he whispers in awe as if seeing me for the very first time.
“You’reamazing.” I take in his features and memorize them. His brows pitch, annunciating the barely-there scar just under his left eye. “What happened?” I touch it carefully as if the wound had never healed.
“Fell off a horse and hit a pipe sticking up from the ground. I’m pretty lucky I didn’t lose an eye that day.”
“That’s scary.” I run my fingers through his thick hair. “I’m glad you didn’t hurt your beautiful eyes.” I press in another kiss, and my lips linger soft as clouds over him. “You make every moment special whether we’re together or not. But Imuchprefer when we’re together.” Our lips meet again, and this time it’s fueled with lust that only the prospect of sharing something so incredible might bring. My body aches to have him. It’s as if he’s pouring his lust for me straight down my throat, and I’m drinking it to the dregs like the most maddening wine. I’m drunk off Bryson Edwards, addicted in the very best way.
“We’ll be together all weekend.” He pulls back. The trace of a smile never leaves his lips.
A harsh knock explodes over the passenger’s side window, and I jump back to find a sandy-haired blonde waving at us. She’s pretty with familiar, clear blue eyes.
“God, you attract them everywhere you go. Who’s that?” My stomach sinks at the sight of her. She’s so beautiful I’m almost afraid to ask.
“That”—he unlocks the truck, and she opens the back door—“is my sister, Annie.” His fingers start contorting in a strange formation, and it takes a second for me to register he’s signing to her.
Annie waves at me, and her smile widens. She signs something over to Bryson before latching the seatbelt over her waist.
“She says she’s happy to meet you. She also said you’re far too pretty for me.” He frowns over at her. “And I happen to agree.” He starts up the truck, and we’re on our way again.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I say as we head back out onto the highway.
“Annie was born completely deaf,” he says, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror. “She’s pretty good at reading lips most of the time, unless, of course, you sign. Then she understands you perfectly.”
“God,” I whisper. “I’m sorry.” I sink in my seat a little. “I had no idea. She’s so beautiful.”
“She’s a trooper. Annie doesn’t consider it a curse. To her it’s a blessing. She likes the kids she goes to school with. Annie’s an encourager. She likes to build people up when they get down.”
“What grade is she in?” I feel horrible talking about her when she’s less than two feet from us.
“Senior.” She’s filling out her app for Whitney Briggs in the fall. They have accommodations that can help her out with classes, so I feel pretty good about it.” He gives a thumbs up to the backseat, and Annie reciprocates.
My heart melts watching Bryson interact with his sister. Somehow meeting Annie only makes my heart expand for him even more. And here I thought it was full. Bryson keeps surprising me in ways I could never imagine. I love everything about him, and, now, I can’t wait to show him in the most intimate way.
