The wind from the storm provided the only backdrop of noise.
“I remember.” Alcohol hadn’t let me forget my actions from that night. A deserving punishment.
“I knew it was wrong to kiss you,” she continued, “that I was betraying someone. There’s no excuse… but having you here, begging me to stop your pain… I felt it deep.” Her hand landed on her chest, right over the stencil of my team name on mysweatshirt. “Because your pain was my pain. And I needed it to stop.”
My fingers smoothed a tear blazing down her cheek. “I don’t think knowing about Derek would’ve stopped me, Bren. Kissing you was the first time I’d felt anything other than hatred and anger since I found out about our parents’ affair.”
“I was going to break up with Derek,” she confessed. “The next day. But then you acted like nothing happened.”
“I wanted to punch a hole in the wall when I found out you had a boyfriend.”
No other moment in my life had ever made methatjealous, aside from witnessing her accept a proposal to marry another man. Not even watching my friends make the big leagues before me.
“I missed you so much it hurt. All I wanted was to make things right. In my mind, it hadn’t been that long since I left, but you’d moved on?”
“I liked Derek,” she said, and I winced. Another man’s name on her lips didn’t belong in this moment. “I was tired of feeling sad. Mostly, he was a distraction. I know that makes me an asshole.”
“It doesn’t.” I huffed a laugh. “If it does, I’m one too. Because I did the same thing.”
Brenna bit her lip, toying with a seam on the blanket. “I didn’t want to tell you my engagement ended.”
I heaved a sigh of relief. The answer to the question that had ricocheted around my mind on repeat.She’s single.
“Your missing engagement ring was kind of a giveaway.” I chuckled, basking in the nervous laugh Brenna granted me. My tone turned serious again. “Why didn’t you want me to know?”
She swallowed hard, her eyes downcast. “It kept me away from you.”
My fingers gripped her chin, lifting it until she met my gaze. “Why did you want to stay away from me, Bren?”
My other hand connected with Brenna’s. I threaded our fingers to give her comfort, but also because she was my fucking addiction. After holding back for so long, touching her was intoxicating.
A ragged breath escaped her lips. “I’ve been fighting this since I fell off the damn treadmill. I broke when you left, Nathan. I’ve avoided putting myself in situations that could hurt me like that again, but…”
I traced patterns on the back of Brenna’s hand. “But?”
“Lying here next to you, not kissing you, it’s killing me. I feel on fire, Nathan.”
I trailed a finger over Brenna’s plump bottom lip, basking in the way she trembled at my touch. “I love when you get flushed, but we can’t have you combusting… at least not yet.”
I reached for the hem of the sweatshirt Brenna had turned into hers these last couple of months. I’d wanted to rip it off her for weeks, but never thought I’d get the chance. Even after the ring disappeared from her finger, I didn’t think she would offer herself to me.
But she was now.
I feel on fire, Nathan.
It would get hotter for her in the foreseeable future because I was going to take my time with Brenna Quinn.
Even if it damn near killed me.
“You’ve been driving me wild wearing this,” I growled, pushing the fabric up her body. “Lift your arms for me, darlin’.”
She obeyed without saying a word. I loved our push and pull, but her willingness to follow my instructions made my cock stiffen. “Good girl.”
I flung the sweatshirt across the room, the sound of a cat landing on the floor followed.
“I might need that if I get cold!” Her eyes sparked with mischief.
I tossed a leg over her hip, straddling her body. The bed bore most of my weight until I dropped my hips down, enough for my cock to press into her stomach. “Better?”
