Brady grabs my hand and leads me away from Vince, who surprisingly has turned around to resume staring out at the field. The apprehension rolls off of Brady, and his tense shoulders tell me he’s worried. I remember my own insecurities when I revealed my past to him. I need to reassure him, like he did with me, that no matter what he tells me, it won’t change my feelings for him.

“Brady, let’s go somewhere private, just us,” I request.

I remember how he held me the whole time I told him my secrets. His tight squeezes reminded me he was there and that nothing would change.

He stares down at me for what seems like minutes and then says, “I want to show you something first.” Then, he turns us in another direction and goes right into Shubert Hall.

I tense when we pass through the doors that I just saw the mystery woman walk through. He guides me down the hallway, passing auditoriums filled with different instruments and classes being conducted. He stops us in front of a wall filled with pictures of professors and deans, current and past. A picture of a cleaner, well kept up version of Vince is positioned high on the wall with the label Dean Vince Carsen under it.

“Obviously, you already figured it out. Vodka Vince is my dad,” he says.

I see him wince, referring to his father by that name.

“He chooses to live on the streets instead of staying with me or Maura. He worked here until last year, but when the drinking got too bad, they forced him to retire. They tried to work with him, but he left them no choice.” His voice is quiet.

Staring at the wall, I notice the picture of the woman who just walked in. She looks a couple of years younger in her picture, which identifies her as Professor Jeanine Billings.

“Who’s that?” I point to her picture on the wall and pray he tells me the truth.

“It’s Kara’s mom,” he informs me.

“Oh.” I don’t know what else to say. I hope the mother doesn’t feel the same way about Brady as her daughter.

“Yeah, I’ll get to all of that in a second,” he assures me. “So, my dad has always enjoyed his cocktails, but he became a full-fledged alcoholic after my mom left us. I was sixteen when it happened, and Maura was completing her doctorate. Although she lived at the house, she was rarely home. She and Brandon, her husband, had just met, so she spent most of her time with him, leaving me with my dad. I kept his secret the best I could, taking care of him and getting him to bed.

“At first, he could function during the day, only getting smashed at night. Like the movie Groundhog Day, he would wake up and do the same thing every day. But then it got out of control. He stopped coming home at night, and a year and a half ago, he left altogether, living in shelters and on the streets. The only time I see him now is when I come to visit him here or get a call from the police. Maura and I run interference, but he refuses our help in any way and won’t go to rehab.”

He walks me out of the building, and I see his car parked in the lot.

“Will you come with me?” he asks.

“Always.” I try to reassure him, squeezing his hand in mine.

He needs to know I’m not leaving him.

We climb in his car, but I’m unsure of where we’re going.

“I’m sorry, Brady, for what you’ve had to go through.” I don’t want to try to solve his problems. I just want to listen.

“Thank you. I handle it better now. When I saw you leave money for him that day, I wanted to run over there and rip the money from him. I knew what he would use it for. That’s why I told you to stay away. I didn’t want you wasting your money or your time on him.” Anger fills his voice.

We sit in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes until Brady starts talking again, “He told me about you.” His voice is a little calmer.

“He did?” I ask, shocked.

“Yeah, I guess after he saw you with Grant, he asked him about you, and Grant told him we were together. My dad really likes you.” He looks my way, giving me a half-smile.

“I like him, too,” I say.

“Thanks for getting him the coat and stuff. I try to get him to stay in shelters during the winter, but he’s stubborn. Plus, you have to be sober, and usually…he isn’t.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Where does Grant come into this?” I ask.

“Oh…well, that brings up a whole different problem.” He turns his face to me. “Grant and I had been friends since childhood. Up until my mom left, we were inseparable,” he confesses.

I notice we’re pulling up to his house. I’d prefer to go somewhere the others guys aren’t, but I’m not going to say anything.

“What happened then?”

“His dad was a professor of music as well. Long story short, my mom left with his dad. They were having an affair. Grant’s mom had died a few years before, so my mom and dad would go over and help Grant and his dad out. I guess, somewhere during that time, they fell in love or some shit.” The anger in his voice appears again. “They decided to move to Florida, and Grant didn’t want to go down there, so he stayed here. My dad let him live with us, but I was so pissed at him for what his dad did that he eventually moved in with Kara’s parents. That’s where she comes in. All of our parents were professors of music, and we’ve known each other our whole lives.”

Finally, I have some answers.

“I saw you earlier with Kara’s mom,” I admit.

“Why didn’t you say something?” He looks curious, but then understanding dawns on him.

“Oh, shit, Sadie. I was just telling her about Kara calling me all the time. She said she would talk to Kara. I swear to you, nothing is going on there.” He shakes his head before exiting the car and walking to my side to escort me out.

“I have one more thing to show you,” he says as he takes my hand, leading me into the house.

“What is it?” I ask.

“You’ll see.”

I’m happy that none of the guys’ cars are in the driveway.

“Good, I think we are alone,” he says, as though he can read my mind.

He pulls me up the stairs until we are outside the door that leads to the third floor. “I lied to you about this.”

He stares down at me, and I nod my head in understanding. Then, he puts the key in the lock and turns the knob. He moves so slowly and hesitantly that I’m not quite sure he’s ready to show me this. As we walk up the stairs, a musty smell fills my nostrils. Once we get to the top of the stairs, I find a master suite that covers the whole top level of the house.

There is a king-size bed, dressers, and an armchair and ottoman. There are built-in bookcases near a corner by the window, filled with books from top to bottom. It’s an amazing room, and I automatically envision what it would be like to share this house with Brady.

“This was my parents’ room. I locked it up after my dad left because I didn’t want anyone else coming in here. I don’t want any more lies or secrets between us. I wanted to show you, so you knew the whole truth.”

“It’s beautiful, Brady.” I walk around the room, admiring the space.

“Think about it, Sadie. I want this to be our room.”

I twist on my heels and wonder how the change of topic happened so fast. “Brady, I told you. I have to stand on my own,” I say, hating to turn him down again, especially after everything he just divulged.

“You can stand on your own while being by my side. Just keep thinking about it.” His head is down now, staring at the floor.

“I promise, I will.” I walk slowly toward him.

“I want you with me,” he says quietly.

“Brady, I’m with you. But I don’t want you to wake up one day, thinking, Why did I let this crazy girl move in here?” I say, placing my hand on his cheek.

“You just don’t get it, Sadie. In my whole life, I have never felt like this. Since that moment I saw you, I felt like there was a purpose in my life. I no longer feel alone, and I never want that feeling to leave.” He places his hands on either side of my cheeks. “I knew I was no good for you, but I was too selfish to stay away,” he whispers. He bends down to kiss me.

His confession reminds me of the lyrics to one of the songs on the iPod he gave me.

“I now walk alone…”

“Brady?” I ask while he rests his forehead on mine.

“Yeah?”

“When you told me you never wrote love songs, what did you mean?”

“Exactly that. I never wrote a love song…at least, at that point, I hadn’t,” he answers, smirking down at me.

“Those songs you put on my iPod, they were love songs,” I softly argue.

“No, they were slow songs, but there was no love in them. I wrote those songs out of pain, not love.” His lips descend to my neck.

“Oh, and here I thought, some girl had completely destroyed you,” I say.

“You’re the only girl who could destroy me,” he admits.

I capture his lips.

“I love you,” I murmur against his mouth.

“Say it again,” he requests as his lips make their way down my neck.

“I love you, Brady Carsen,” I whisper again.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to hear you say those words.”

He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I confess. I lick his neck and up to his earlobe. “Now…fuck me, Brady,” I try to say it straight-faced with a sexy voice.

“Yes, ma’am.” He walks us over to the bed and places me down before climbing on top. “Just think, baby, I could do this to you every night.” He grabs the hem of my shirt, raising it to expose my blue lace bra. “I could make you come every morning.” His fingers manipulate the button of my jeans, and then he slowly slides them down my legs. “Staring at you with only your panties and bra on makes me want to kidnap you and lock you up here until you agree to stay,” he jokes.

I giggle in response.

“Why don’t you show me what I’ll get if I decide to move in?” I smile up at him.

“Do you want me to do a striptease?” he asks, pulling the hem of his shirt back and forth.

I scoot to the top of the bed and rest my body against the headboard to enjoy the show. “I would never deny myself from seeing your body,” I answer.

“Well then, baby, I believe you asked me what you would get if you moved in.” He shimmies his hips from side to side, a playful smile spreading across his lips. “You see this amazingly defined flat stomach?” he teases.

I nod in response.

“You could touch, rub, kiss, or lick it whenever you want.” He throws his shirt to the floor while kicking his shoes off. “If you move in with me, these smooth large feet can warm your small ones on cold winter nights,” he continues, taking off his socks.

I giggle, enjoying this immensely.

“Hmm…as appealing as it is to see you shirtless with those jeans hanging low, I think I might need more convincing.” I lean forward.

“I’ve been waiting to pull out the big guns, baby.” He unbuckles his jeans and undoes his zipper, his eyes never leaving mine.

The mood starts to get more intense and less playful. When his jeans hit the floor, my eyes fixate on him. The tight gray boxer briefs show me how excited he already is, making the ache for him grow inside me.

“Ready?”

My eyes jerk up to his, and he smirks at me.

“Come here, Brady,” I say quietly, motioning with my finger.

“Did I convince you?” he asks as he climbs toward me on the bed.

“It’s not just looks, babe. I need to see how you use this body,” I state, surprising myself with how easy this feels.

“Sit back, my darling, and enjoy. After I finish, you will be begging to move in,” he softly says. He starts to take my bra strap down, kissing my shoulder. “Let’s see…do you want me to show you with my tongue or my cock?” he questions.

I think I just became wet from his words.

When I don’t answer, he asks, “Sadie?”

“Tongue…please,” I desperately request.

He licks down my body, unclasping my bra and throwing it off the bed. His tongue circles around my nipple before his mouth closes over it.

I moan when he switches to my other breast, doing the same thing. Then, his tongue licks down the center of my stomach and over my belly button, moving slowly under the top of my panties. When I feel his tongue graze over my clit, I realize I never felt him take off my panties. Placing his hands against my thighs, he pushes my legs further apart against the mattress, displaying me in front of him.

“Is this what you want, baby?” he asks.

I groan, “Yes.”

He licks all the way up and back down, inserting his tongue inside me before moving to my clit. He sucks and twirls it around his mouth, making it hard for me to maintain control. My body rapidly approaches an edge I won’t be able to hang on to.

“Please, Brady.” I squirm underneath him, desperate to find my release.

“You asked for tongue,” he teases me, peeking up at me through his long eyelashes.

Taking his fingers, he widens me more, giving himself better access inside me. His tongue feels incredible and warm. I grip his head and clench his hair around my fingers, keeping him in place. He groans, and urgently thrusts his tongue into me, while moving his hands to my ass, holding me in place. As soon as he moans again, I shudder, feeling the tingly sensation flow through my body.

“Do you want me to ask the question now?” he asks, moving over me.

I can feel him at my now slick opening.

“Not yet. You still need to prove one thing,” I taunt.

“Thank God,” he says. He thrusts into me as I grab his biceps to hold myself steady. “I love fucking you, Sadie.”

He buries his head into my neck as he flutters kisses along my skin. My legs tighten around his waist, bringing him deeper with every thrust. Whimpers escape my mouth, and he growls in my ear, only pushing me to that edge faster.

“I want to see you, Brady,” I say.

He picks his head up, staring into my eyes. He moves back and forth inside me, and I raise my hips to join in.

“I love you,” I exclaim.

A smile crosses his lips. “I love you…so, so much,” he responds.

He stills inside me before collapsing. I think that was the fastest and quietest Brady has ever come.

He runs his fingers through my hair, resting on his forearms above me. “So, Sadie, did I convince you?” he asks.

Although he still seems to be playing around, I see that he desperately wants me to move in.

Right before I’m about to answer, loud footsteps hit the stairs, and I suddenly remember that we never shut or locked the door.

“Why the hell is this door open?” Dex’s voice asks.

“I don’t know. Do you think Brady…” Trey’s voice trails off when he reaches the top.

In those two seconds, Brady has turned to the side and shielded me from their view.

“Fuck, sorry, guys,” Trey says, laughing, turning around while pushing Dex down the stairs. “Nice ass, Carsen,” he calls out before we hear the door slam shut.

“You might as well move in. All three of the roommates have already walked in on us having sex.” Brady laughs and stands up to hand me my clothes.

I quickly get dressed before someone else walks in, thankful that Brady hasn’t asked me again. I was about to say yes, but I don’t know if it was from looking in his eyes while he pleasured me or if I truly am ready to take this next step. The last thing I want is to disappoint him, so when I accept, it has to be for the long haul.