JJ exhaled her relief. Although she was all in when it came to Baz, more than willing to take things to the next level now that she’d been given a second chance with him, it wasn’t easy for her. All too often, she wanted to fall back on old habits, putting up walls to protect herself from the hurt and pain she knew came with relationships. Each time she did, she reminded herself that they’d been through so much already, and somehow they’d toughed it out. Moving forward seemed the best option for them. And while she was still battling her own demons, JJ was making an effort to put Baz first. It only seemed fair considering he’d been putting her first all along.
“She said it’s a two-bedroom, one-bath.”
“Small.”
“Yes, but…” She held his gaze. “She said the lot’s big enough we could add on some square footage. I figured maybe enough to make it a three-bedroom, two-bath.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
“I’ve got the money,” she blurted. “I mean, I got the settlement for my house, and I can sell the lot. It’s not worth much, but—”
“Money’s no object, JJ. You know that.”
Oh, she did. JJ knew that Baz came from money. His mother and father were both sitting high on the hog, and based on this apartment alone, JJ knew Baz wasn’t hurting either. He didn’t make much working for the task force, nor had he when he was with APD. Certainly not enough to afford these digs. However, JJ wanted them to do this on their own. She didn’t want to rely on handouts from anyone. She’d spent her entire life taking care of herself, and she wasn’t about to let anyone start now.
“When can we look at it?” he prompted.
“She said to get the keys anytime.”
He seemed to consider that. “Maybe we can stop by and check it out tomorrow.”
“I’ll text Bristol in the morning.” Since Brantley lived next door to Kaden and Keegan’s ranch, it would be the work of a minute to drive over and grab the keys.
“JJ?”
She met his gaze again. “Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Every time he said the words, she felt them deep in her soul. More importantly, she found she wanted to say them back because she loved the way his eyes lit up when she did.
“I love you, too, Detective.”
Chapter Fifteen
REESE FIGURED HE COULD CONSIDER TONIGHT Asuccess.
Dinner, at least.
They’d made it through without a knock-down, drag-out, so that was a good thing.
Granted, he’d been hoping for a chance to talk to Brantley about what happened, to tell him exactly what went down between him and Madison, and his reasons for doing so. It didn’t surprise him that Brantley wasn’t eager to engage in a conversation that might involve emotions or the chance to pick at recently gaping wounds. Didn’t mean they shouldn’t do it. Reese knew they couldn’t move forward until they did.
Of course, the option of moving forward might be little more than a pipe dream. Brantley had told him that what transpired between them earlier didn’t mean anything. Before he’d come along, Reese knew that Brantley saw sex as little more than a means to an end. That had never been the case for Reese, but he was shoving that down, reminding himself he’d created this mess all on his own.
“Would you mind if I shower?” Reese prompted when they walked into Brantley’s house. “I can use the guest bath.”
“You can use mine,” Brantley told him, not bothering to look his way as he headed for the fridge, snagging a beer.
“Thanks.”
Figuring it was better to let sleeping dogs lie for a bit, he went to Brantley’s room, headed for the closet. Brantley hadn’t put Reese’s clothes back on hangers, but he hadn’t packed them up either. Reese grabbed a T-shirt from the pile, pulled a pair of shorts out of the dresser, then headed for the bathroom.
A million memories returned when he stepped inside, turned on the light. They’d indulged so many times right here in this very space. Reese recalled every single moment, every breath he took, every moan that had escaped during those passionate encounters. He ignored the knot in his stomach that he got every time he thought about what he’d lost because of his own insecurities.
He should be grateful Brantley hadn’t kicked his ass to the curb already. Perhaps he was gearing up to do that in the near future, but for now, Reese had a chance to redeem himself.
Well, not right now. He would save his confessions and apologies for tomorrow after they’d had a chance to sleep.
