Memphis seemed to struggle to get control of himself. When his breathing slowed, he said, “Will it ever be more than this, Memphis?”
I froze as he asked the very question I’d been wanting to ask him from the moment we’d first been together in that motel back on Whidbey Island.
When he didn’t answer, I whispered, “Will it?”
“This is all I’ve got in me right now, Brennan,” he said quietly as he reached in to test the water. “I’m sorry if that’s not enough, but it’s a hell of a lot more than I ever planned on giving you.”
With that, he climbed into the shower and closed the door. Part of me wanted to lick my wounds and crawl home to Tristan and keep living out the childish fantasy that someday my childhood crush would see me as more than a friend.
But Memphis already saw me that way.
And while I wanted to someday be able to go out in public with him and acknowledge our relationship, he was more than enoughfor me, just as he was. I reached for the shower door and yanked it open. Memphis glanced at me over his shoulder and when he turned to face me, I stepped against his chest and reached up to pull him to me for a kiss “Sorry,” I whispered against his mouth just before I stole into it. When we came up for air, I let my forehead rest against his as I said, “You’re more than enough for me.”
Memphis released a rush of air and I finally relaxed when his arms went around me. And the words I’d been so afraid to utter before, spilled out of me like water. “I love you, Memphis.”
Chapter 15
MEMPHIS
I hadn’t expectedthe admission from Brennan. And I hadn’t handled it well.
No, I hadn’t ditched him like I’d wanted to in that moment, but I hadn’t acknowledged the words either. I’d pretended he hadn’t said them and I had no doubt my silence was making him regret the words.
The beautiful, sweet, amazing words that I’d never expected to hear in my lifetime again.
I hadn’t made love to him again, but we’d held on to each other in the shower for an inordinately long time and when he’d led me to bed, I’d gone. I hadn’t managed to sleep, but I hadn’t left his side either, especially since he was snuggled up against it, using my arm as a pillow. It had been nearly a week since Tristan had been attacked and the fuckers had given him seven days to get the money. I’d gotten together all the information I needed to deal with the two assholes and I was planning on doing that tomorrow. After that, I would need to decide what to do about Brennan. He’d said I was enough, but Drake had said that too. Countless times. He’d said it even as he came home smelling of sex. He’d said them after he’d letsome guy fuck me while he was fucking the guy. I’d never believed him, though I had wanted to.
With Brennan…
I didn’t know what the hell I believed anymore.
I heard my phone buzz and reached over to grab it. I saw Phoenix’s name on the caller ID and glanced at the clock. It was only seven in the evening.
“One sec,” I murmured quietly into the phone as I carefully untangled myself from Brennan and got out of bed. I slipped out of the room and closed the door behind me. “Everything okay?” I asked, my concern for Tristan already ratcheting up.
“Not sure,” Phoenix replied. “I think you should come down here.”
“Down where?”
“The theater on second street. He’s been inside for hours.”
“Can you get eyes on him?” I asked.
“Yeah…I just think you should come down here,” Phoenix repeated.
“I’m on my way,” I said and I hung up the phone and went back in the bedroom. I scratched out a note for Brennan on a notepad the hotel provided and left it next to his phone. I didn’t tell him where I was going; just that I’d be back soon and to stay in the room. I quickly got dressed and was on my way to the theater which was just a few streets over. I’d explored enough of Seattle that I knew what theater Phoenix was referring to.
While there was lots of foot traffic on the sidewalk around the theater, the theater itself appeared quiet and I realized why when I saw the sign on the marquee indicating they were undergoing remodeling. I saw Phoenix standing near the entrance talking to a security guard. When I reached them, Phoenix pushed away from the man and drew me several steps away from the guy, presumably for privacy.
“He’s inside,” Phoenix murmured.
“What happened?”
“He was fine this morning when he left the apartment,” Phoenix said. “When he realized I was going to follow him everywhere thisweek, he started asking me if it would be more convenient for him to just drive with me – that way I would know where he was going. He’s a sweet kid, Memphis. Even started bringing me coffee each morning.”
I wanted to smile at that because it sounded like something Tristan would do. But I was too anxious to hear what the hell had happened to put the worried tone in Phoenix’s voice.
“I took him to a couple of appointments this morning – turns out he’s looking to hire himself out to teach kids to play the piano. He said it was a good way to earn a few bucks and to start doing what he’s going to school for in the fall.”
