“She and Finn dated?” Bree paled. “Oh shit. That’s…god that’s awful. I should have known that. I needed to know that. If I’d known I was dating her ex I would’ve–”
“You would’ve refused Finn?” I arched a brow at her. “You would have given that petty, cotton-headed ninny who no one trusts or believes the chance to ruin something for you?”
“I–” Bree sighed. “I don’t know, but it feels like something someone should have told me.”
“You know all the things about us that matter. Finn’s extinct relationship with Bethany is nothing.”
My reassurance went nowhere. “You said it yourself. She’s petty. Do you have any idea how far a petty woman is willing to go to ruin someone else’s life?”
No, I couldn’t say that I did know that.
I cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. “Bethany likes to make up stories. She’s wrong more often than she’s right. The whole town knows it, and no one listens to her.”
“How do you know?”
“I went to school with her. We all did.” I ran my thumb along her jaw, relishing the softness of her skin.
Some of the tension left Bree’s shoulders, but the fragile look stayed locked in her eyes. One wrong word and she’d shatter. I hated seeing her like this.
I dropped my hands to her waist. “Besides, it gave me a good reason to steal a moment alone with you.”
A small smile tugged at her lips. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I pulled her closer. “Been wanting to do this all morning.” I kissed her. Soft. Careful. I poured everything I couldn’t say into the press of my mouth against hers.
She melted into me with a sigh that made my chest tighten and ache at the same time. The bone-deep feeling was one I’d thought gone forever after my wife passed. I thought I’d used up my allotment of happiness and would never get another chance at this kind of connection.
Bree proved me wrong.
She slid a hand over my cheek and to the back of my neck, breaking the kiss but not moving away. “It’s scary getting this close to someone again.”
Was she a mindreader? How had she known exactly what I was thinking?
Her breathing hitched in a tiny hiccup. “After Mom died, I told myself I wouldn’t love again. It hurt too much to lose people and it was safer to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
My throat constricted. Love. Did she love us? Did I love her? I knew the love I’d had for my wife. I’d lived with it for years, followed by the grief Bree mentioned. I’d built walls so high I thought nothing could breach them.
“You make it feel easy.” She rubbed the tip of her nose alongside mine. “You and Finn and Declan, you make it feel safe.”
God this woman would end me. Every word settled deep, unlocking the pieces of my heart I’d hidden away. I should tell her it scared me too. Every time I let myself care about her, part of me waited for the other shoe to drop. I waited for the moment when the universe ripped her away from me. Loving someone felt like standing on the edge of a cliff with no safety net. But I couldn’t make myself say it. Giving voice to the fear living in the back of my mind made it real. It gave the shadow a form, and if it had a form, it could become a tangible reality.
I kissed her again, deeper this time, hungrier. I showed her what I couldn’t say.
She made a sound in the back of her throat and clung to me as I stood, pulling her up with me. I walked her backward to the couch without breaking the kiss. Our mouths moved together, breaths matching and hands grasping.
The back of her knees hit the couch, and she sat down hard. I followed her down, caging her in my arms and supporting my weight so I didn’t crush her.
“Ronan.” My name on her lips nearly undid me.
“Do you want me to stop?”
She shook her head, her hair falling across her shoulder in a waterfall of red. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Exactly what I wanted to hear. I tugged on the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. She arched up to help me, and the movement pressed her breasts against my chest. The heat of her spread through me, drawing me forward.
I took my time with her bra, tracing the line of lace with my fingers before reaching around to unhook it. The fabric fell away, and I tossed it aside without looking where it landed. I needed to see her. Nothing but her. Her bare skin with freckles scattered across her collarbone and the way her chest rose and fell with every breath.
“You’re staring.” She didn’t sound self-conscious. A little amused, maybe. Definitely pleased.
