Tess wiped her mouth with a napkin and sighed happily. “I think that was the best eggplant parmesan I’ve ever had! Did your sister-in-law make it?”
Shaking his head, Brian swallowed a mouthful of food. “Nope, it’s one of Bonnie’s specialties—she’s my uncle’s girlfriend. I’m sure she’ll probably stop by soon to see if there’s anything you need.”
“Think she’d be willing to give me the recipe? Not that I really have a lot of time, but I do like to cook whenever I can. Every Sunday and once or twice during the week, depending on Andy’s schedule and mine.”
Brian smiled. Even with her hectic life, she still tried to give her brother a sense of routine and normalcy. She reminded him of Uncle Dan. It couldn’t have been easy for the older man to suddenly becomethe sole father figure for three orphaned teenage boys, yet he made sure KC, Sean, and Brian became men their parents would’ve been proud of. “I’m sure she’d be more than happy to share her recipe. She loves to cook, and I don’t think she’s ever made a bad meal in her life.”
“Well, she’s got me beat. More than once, I’ve had to throw out my culinary attempts and order pizza—not that Andy minded, of course.” She stood and gathered up the dishes. “When we order a large pie, I get two slices, and he eats the rest. I swear, he’s a bottomless pit.”
Getting to his feet, Brian helped her clear the table. “Most teenage boys are. Imagine three of them in one house. Uncle Dan had to order three large pies for the four of us, and there were never any slices left after we plowed through them.”
As Tess filled the sink with water to wash the dishes, Brian grabbed a towel and waited for her to hand him things to dry. In the meantime, he struggled to think of something to keep the conversation going while not getting aroused—well, more than he already was. Tess Bingham had been wreaking havoc on his hormones ever since he pulled up to her neighbor’s house earlier, and she’d come out wearing a pair of snug jeans and a tucked-in V-neck T-shirt. The woman had curves in all the right places, and he’d found the sway of her hips mesmerizing.
The only thing that’d prevented him frombecoming hard as a rock was the presence of her teenage brother. But now that the kid had been out of sight for the last hour or so, Brian found it difficult to ignore his attraction to the woman standing beside him, especially when her shoulder innocently bumped against his.
“Brian?”
“Huh?” He glanced down to see that she was holding a glass out to him. “Oh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there.”
After he took the glass, she laid a damp hand on his arm. “Everything okay?”
There she was, with everything going on in her life right now, and she was concerned about him. It hadn’t been just her words, but the tone of her voice and the way she touched him.
Without conscious thought, Brian leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. Electricity zapped between them, but it was a soft gasp that made him realize what he’d just done and pull away. Her cheeks were bright pink, and a combination of shock and desire flared in her eyes. She licked her lips slowly.
Oh, shit.
Brian stepped back, remorse filling him as he quickly put the glass he was still holding into the cabinet. “I—I’m sorry, Tess. I didn’t mean to do that.”
He couldn’t look her in the eye, so his gaze darted around the room. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, then pulled them back out, unsure of what inhell he was doing. “You’ve got so much crap going on, and you don’t need any further complications. Besides, I don’t do relationships, and you’re not a one-night kind of girl. Not that I don’t find you attractive—I do—but if we hook up, it would be just sex—nothing more.” He was rambling without a filter, but didn’t know how to stop. “Not that I’m asking you to sleep with me—fuck. I need my mouth to catch up to my damn brain.”
Running a hand down his face, he sighed, still refusing to look at her. “Um, anyway, let’s just forget it happened and go back to where we were five minutes ago, all right? In fact, let me get going. I’ve got to be at work early tomorrow morning for a raid.”
He strode toward the doorway leading into the great room and then halted at the threshold. Taking a deep breath, he turned around. Her back was to him as she faced the sink, and her head was slumped down between her shoulders. Nothing was worse than feeling like you’d kicked someone when they were already down.Damn it.“I really am sorry, Tess.”
Without another word, Brian got out of Dodge as fast as he could.
“I—I’m sorry, Tess. I didn’t mean to do that... let’s just forget it happened and go back to where we were five minutes ago.”
Easier said than fuckingdone.
Tess glanced at the bedside clock. It was twelve thirty-five a.m. She’d been tossing and turning in her temporary bed for over two hours now, and it wasn’t because of the unfamiliar setting. She could usually sleep anywhere without a problem, but not tonight. All she could see when she shut her eyes was the horrified expression followed by one of deep regret on Brian’s face after he’d caught her by surprise and kissed her.
His words echoed in her mind, over and over. There was no way she could forget the briefest yet most enticing kiss she’d ever received from a man, no matter what he said afterward.
What was wrong with her? He’d been right—she didn’t have time for complications right now with everything else going on in her life. So why did the thought depress her so much when coupled with the apology that he hadn’t meant to kiss her?
“Ugh.”
Tossing the sheet off her body, Tess stood and entered the bathroom. After using the toilet, she washed and dried her hands, then headed toward the kitchen. A little warm milk might help. No light peeked out from underneath the closed door of the smaller room Andy was using. She listened for a moment—sometimes the only illumination late at night was from his computer screen, which never quite reached the door. After hearing nothing, she made her way down the hall.
In the kitchen, she found a small saucepan andretrieved the milk from the refrigerator. She set it on simmer, then got a coffee mug down from the cabinet next to the sink. Standing there, she couldn’t help but relive the kiss Brian had placed on her lips. How would she ever be able to face him again?
At least, he hadn’t played her. He’d told her flat out he didn’t do relationships, and that wasn’t the kind of guy Tess wanted to get involved with. “Idiot, you don’t want to get involved withanyguy right now, much less one who wants nothing more than a one-night stand.”
However, that didn’t stop her from imagining what it would be like if Brian hadn’t pulled away. His lips had been so soft, but there was a hidden strength behind them. She’d furtively checked out his hands as he dried the plates, utensils, and glasses they’d used during dinner. They were a working man’s hands—ones that were hard and calloused but could be so gentle when caressing her skin. He would use them to cup her breasts while he peppered her jawline with intoxicating kisses and flicks of his tongue. Dropping to his knees before her, he’d be the perfect height to suck on her nipples, driving her insane with desire. Or maybe, she’d drop to her knees, free his stiff cock from his pants, and?—
A sizzling sound ripped Tess from her fantasy, and she yanked the saucepan off the stove seconds before the milk would’ve boiled over. Thankfully, it hadn’t burned. After pouring the scalding liquid into the mug, she set the pot in the sink and filled it withsoapy water.
