Page 61 of Miss Belief

But I wasn’t alone. The sweet smell of cigar hit my nostrils.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re a stalker,” I said recognizing the shadow.

Chance walked over and stood a few feet away to my left side. “I was out here first, so perhaps it’s you who is doing the stalking.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I’m surprised my brother didn’t tell you to stay away from me.”

He had, but I wouldn’t give his brother the satisfaction of knowing it. “He doesn’t need to. It’s not as though I feel the urge to hang out with you.”

“Yet here we are.” He moved forward toward the railing to take in the view. “You know what I can’t quite figure out?”

I schooled my tone to sound bored. “How to have a normal brotherly relationship? How not to be a dick? That’s just a start, but I have other items on the list if you’re searching for suggestions.”

He chuckled, seemingly amused. “Perhaps, but the one thing on my mind is how much Reid is paying you to be here with him.”

My fist clenched involuntarily at his audacity. I hated giving him the satisfaction of having even that small effect on me. “You know what I can’t figure out? Why you despise your younger brother. Did he take your favorite toy growing up? Get all of Daddy’s attention? Or is it just that while you’re an asshole, your brother is actually a decent human being?”

He turned toward me, confusion splashed across his face. “I don’t despise Reid. Not even in the slightest. But my job as his big brother is to protect him. Even from himself. If you have an agenda, I will find it out, Teagan, mark my words.”

His cold promise sent a shiver of fear snaking through my body. The worst-case scenario would be for Reid to find out about my stripping. But the odds of anyone discovering my well-guarded secret were slim, especially since the job was in another country. “My agenda, unlike yours, is to see your brother happy.”

He studied my face. “Interesting. You’re in love with him.”

I didn’t bother to confirm or deny it. “As if you could recognize the emotion. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back.”

Once pictures were over, I expected Reid might want to get cocktails in the lobby bar or hang out with his buddies, so I was surprised when instead he took my hand and led me to the elevator. “If you prefer to go out with your friends, I’d understand.”

“I don’t.”

Once we reached our floor, he led me off the elevator and to our door. Nerves hit me. I felt as if the stakes had been raised, and the vibe was rapidly changing between us.

I preceded him into our room and turned with my mouth open to say something, but he caught me off guard, framing my face with his hands and crashing his lips down on mine.

Holy shit. He was kissing me. In the privacy of our own room without witnesses. When he pulled away, I found myself standing there like a deer in the headlights.

His eyes searched mine. “Is this okay?”

“Uh-huh,” came my highly sophisticated answer as I dropped my purse to the floor and met his lips again. Oh, God. This was happening. Why the hell did I have to be so much inside of my head to question what I’d always wanted? But I couldn’t help it. I had to ask.

“Wait, is this real? Are you drunk?”

He moved his kisses to my neck. “Definitely not drunk. Definitely not fake.”

A part of me was tempted to ask if this was a reaction to the scene he’d witnessed this morning. As far as I knew, he’d been without sex for months. We’d been sharing fake kisses and a bed with inadvertent morning wood snuggles—and then he’d walked in on me masturbating—so it seemed plausible we’d find ourselves at this point.

But was it circumstance, or could it be more? More importantly, if I tried to define matters in the moment, would I ruin the natural flow of things? But if I went with the flow, I was taking a risk this would all blow up in my face. In the end, there was no way I could stop. I’d just have to deal with the consequences later.

My tongue tangled with his, and when he gently nipped my bottom lip, the sound of my groan filled the room. His fingers came up to tangle in my hair, pulling out the pins and letting it fall down around my shoulders.

Stepping back from him, I unzipped the side of my dress, all the while watching his eyes track my lowering hand. Could he see I’d started to shake? Could he tell how nervous I was? Once the zipper was down, I peeled off one shoulder and then the other, baring myself in nothing but my bra from the waist up. I didn’t miss the way he inhaled an unsteady breath.

After moving the material down past my waist and over my hips, I let it fall to the floor, leaving myself standing there in nothing but my pink lace bra and matching thong.

“I thought you said pink wasn’t your color.” Reid’s voice was thick, his gaze sliding down my entire body.

Leave it to him to remember. “It’s not my color, but that doesn’t mean I don’t secretly like it.”