Was that true?Sure, I’d sworn off dating for a while, but I hadn’t realized it affected my other relationships as well. Looking back over the past couple of years, it became clear. My distance. My resistance to anyone getting too close. The obsession with my career. All of it pointed to my hiding away from the world, happy to mask the aching loneliness with a placating smile.
Mari sighed. “Brianna seems great, don’t get me wrong, but if she’s not in the same place as you…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes filled with empathy. “I’m worried it’ll destroy you.”
My throat tightened, unable to hide the fear racing through my veins. She was right. Brianna never being able to fully commit to this—to us—was an actual possibility. Sure, her walls were steadily coming down, but each timewe crossed a line, she pulled back, fear taking over as soon as we parted.
However, she’d taken the first step this time. She’d come to me. Hell, Brianna even willingly came to dinner with my sister, knowing it would out our secret for the very first time. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I had to believe that meant something.
I meant something to her.
I sat back. “Then that’s the risk I’m going to take. Brianna deserves it. She deserves someone willing to fight for her. I can’t back down now, Mari. And I love you for worrying about me, but even if this all falls apart, it was worth it. Bri’s worth the risk.”
Normally,I loved spending time with my sister. Mari and I could sit around a table for hours, filling the room with laughter and shared memories. But tonight, with the picture of Brianna in her lingerie and Mari’s words still in my mind, I counted the minutes until we left for the hotel.
After my fourth not-so-subtle suggestion we call it a night, Mari finally relented, but not before she told me how much she loved Brianna, warning me to tread carefully. She wanted me to protect my heart, but it was too late. Brianna owned its every beat.
After we headed back to the hotel, Brianna made a comment about going to Ollie’s room, but I wouldn’t hear it. All night, the image of her skin lingered in my mind, teasing me to the point of madness. My dick had been semi-hard since she showed me a preview earlier, and if I didn’t get my hands on her soon, I’d combust in my jeans like ateenager.
When we opened the door to my hotel room, I moved behind her, wrapping my hands around her waist. As my fingers toyed with the hem of her sweater, Brianna chuckled, dropping her head onto my chest. “Impatient, are we?”
My lips dusted along her shoulder. “You have no idea, Bri. Almost fucked you right at the table, but I didn’t want to scar my sister for life.”
“Not to mention the other people at the restaurant,” she laughed.
“Don’t care about them,” I said, my lips continuing their path up to her ear. “I want to show the world you’re mine, Bri. I'm tired of hiding it from everyone.”
A sharp breath pressed out of her lips as she turned in my arms. Instinct made me shut my eyes, waiting for her rejection.Too much. Mari’s words rushed through me—the warning Brianna may not want the same as me. My pulse pounded in my ears, and time seemed to still as her breath slowly washed over me.
But as I waited for the inevitable end, the opposite happened. Brianna’s hands cupped my cheeks, and she softly brushed her lips over the corner of my mouth. My eyes burst open, unable to believe the sight in front of me. She wasn’t running. She didn’t seem afraid. Instead, Brianna stood in front of me with a wide smile, her thumbs running over my cheeks.
“I don’t want to hide this either.”
I blinked, unsure if I believed her. I waited for her to take back the words, to retreat into the safety of Ollie’s room, but the woman kept surprising me. “Kiss me, Damien.”
THIRTY-ONE
“Kiss me, Damien.”
I almost growled, needing her mouth on mine. The urge to surge forward was strong, but I wouldn’t do it unless she really wanted me too. My hands found her hips and dragged her flush against me. “You sure about this, Bri? Because I mean it. I’m done hiding us. You’re mine, and I want everyone to know it.”
She nodded, her eyes darting down to my parted lips. “Yes, Damien. I’m sure. Pretty sure I’ve wanted this since the night at Parker’s.”
“Thank fuck.”
I didn’t waste another breath before claiming her lips. It was a furious claiming, filled with all the missed moments her lips had been forbidden territory. Teeth and tongues clashed, each of us desperately searching for more of the other’s taste. Brianna’s lips were what I dreamt about—sweetness in the most tempting package. If this were to be my downfall, I’d happily go, letting her lead me into the abyss.
We remained in the doorway, and that wouldn’t do. Ineeded her, needed her laid out against the sheets, to see every reaction reflecting at me in her hazel irises, already blown wide from our lust.
I lifted Brianna, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, encircling me tight. I almost combusted when she rubbed herself against my hard cock, and it took every ounce of mental willpower not to blow my load right then and there.
When I dropped her onto the bed, I took a moment to study her, thanking every one of my lucky stars we’d stumbled together. I couldn’t even imagine what my life would have been like if our paths hadn’t crossed, if I’d never gotten to have Brianna like this. My mouth watered as my hands wrapped around her jean-clad calves, ravenous for a taste of her. I needed her release on my tongue. Brianna seemed just as eager, tossing off her shirt and pulling her jeans down her toned legs.
As soon as she was bare in front of me, I sucked in a sharp breath, taking in the sight. Her long, tanned legs folded onto the comforter, made all the longer by the high cut of the opaque thong covering her core. Lace lined the bustier that pushed up her breasts, small pearls and other details making Brianna look like an image pulled from my darkest desires. As I traced the seams with my fingers, Brianna smirked up at me. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” I chuckled. “Not even close. You look like a fallen angel, Brianna.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
“It’s fucking perfect,” I hissed as my finger stroked the center of her panties. The dampness made me smile, knowing I wasn’t the only one suffering tonight. “But you don’t need to dress up for me, Bri.I want you just as you are.”
