“You won’t hear me complainin’,” Brantley retorted, his eyes flashing with heat.
Warmth filled Reese’s chest, and the dregs of the earlier incident faded away completely.
Chapter Seven
It took effort, but Brantley managed tomake it through lunch without confronting Luca and Honor. It really was none of his business who his cousin dated. Not to mention, Reese was right; Luca was a nice guy. He likely had nothing to worry about where his cousin was concerned.
Not that Brantley was going to give him a stamp of approval. He’d let someone else in his overprotective family have that duty.
“I think I recall you offerin’ a distraction,” Reese said as Brantley was pulling the truck into their driveway.
All thought of Luca on a date with his cousin vanished from his head, replaced with mental images of Reese naked on the bed.
“I recall that, too,” he replied, turning off the truck’s engine. “Can’t very well do that out here, now, can we?”
He could tell Reese was trying to determine where his head was at. He figured that was a good thing. Brantley hated seeing that faraway look in Reese’s gaze, the one that spoke of the traumatic event that was disrupting his sleep and making it difficult to function. Brantley’d been there. Hell, he was still there, but his demons were at bay momentarily. He figured that had something to do with the fact he wanted to take care of Reese. And not just sexually. However, he wanted that more than his next fucking breath.
When they got inside, Tesha loped their way, tongue lolling out of her mouth.
“You miss us, girl?” Reese asked, giving her head a rub. “How ’bout a treat?”
Her hind end started wagging excitedly as she trotted along beside him into the kitchen.
Brantley detoured toward the sofa, dropping down onto it with a sigh. The normality of this moment sent a surge of relief through his entire body and had him wondering if this was what it would be like after they were married.
His thoughts drifted to the last conversation he’d had with JJ. She’d gone through a list of about four million things she was working on with Iris and Cindy for their big day. He wasn’t sure giving them carte blanche was the right way to go, but since JJ had assured him he would have to do nothing aside from getting fitted for his tux and showing up for the wedding, he couldn’t very well complain. As long as he didn’t have to pick out patterns or food, he was willing to take the risk.
“What’s on your mind?” Reese asked when he joined him in the living room.
“Thinkin’ about marryin’ you,” he said, smiling.
“We’re still on for that?” Reese teased.
“Countin’ down the days.” Brantley peered up at him, relief morphing into heat that penetrated his bloodstream and made his fingers itch with the need to touch this man. “Come here,” he urged, patting his thighs.
Reese’s eyebrows shot skyward. “You want me to sit on your lap?”
“I want you to straddle me, yeah,” he corrected, relaxing back into the cushion.
To his surprise, Reese wasted no time kneeling on the sofa. As soon as he did, Brantley pushed his hands beneath Reese’s T-shirt, seeking smooth, warm skin. He would never tire of touching him, that much he knew for certain.
“Take off the shirt.”
Reese was watching him intently, but he did, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it beside them.
Brantley’s gaze slid to the scar on Reese’s chest, the one made by the bullet that had nearly claimed his life. A knot formed in his throat when he remembered Reese telling him he’d been in ICU for several days after Brantley had returned to Coyote Ridge. He’d left Dallas after learning Reese was stable, and no one had told him otherwise. Not Z, not RT, not Cindy. He wasn’t sure why that was, and he was scared to find out, which was the only reason he hadn’t brought up the subject, despite how hard it was to even talk to Z, knowing the man had kept it from him.
Then again, Brantley was the one who’d run away. He’d let Reese’s betrayal send him careening in a different direction. He’d thought the man was recovering, which was the only reason he’d left, but little did he know, he could’ve lost him.
Firm fingers pressed the middle of his brow, pulling Brantley from his thoughts.
“What’s botherin’ you?” Reese asked, smoothing away the frown line.
He ran his hands over the smooth planes of Reese’s chest and smiled. “Nothin’ at all.”
As he explored Reese’s upper body, Brantley watched the way his expression evened out. The more he touched him, the more Reese relaxed, their eyes locked for long minutes as though they were sharing a silent story between them.
Sitting forward, Brantley brought their mouths together. He kissed Reese as he shifted him down onto his back, reversing their positions until Brantley was looming over him. He got lost in the throaty moans that escaped Reese as he began kissing down his neck, his shoulders, his chest. He kept going, taking his time, his hands and mouth wandering over smooth, warm flesh.
