CHAPTER THREE
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself before snagging my wine off the dresser in the bedroom and taking a long swallow.
This night had turned into an even bigger disaster than I’d expected. I almost wished Brett hadn’t been able to make it. Then at least I’d be alone in my misery instead of two bedrooms away from the person who was at the root of it all.
My suitcase sat in the middle of my bed, and I unzipped it. As I started sorting through my clothes, trying to find something warm to wear for the evening, the lights went out.
The room was pitched into darkness, so black I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face.
“Shit.” I fumbled around to set aside my wine glass, and then tried to remember where a flashlight was. I knew my mom kept a whole basket of candles in the closet downstairs, but I wasn’t sure how confident I was navigating the stairs full of wine and mostly naked.
Taking my time, I made it to the door and opened it, surprised when light shined right in my eyes.
“How did you get a flashlight so fast?” I asked Brett.
He cleared his throat, but not before his eyes dipped to my towel. “Uh…I had one in my bag.”
“You always bring a flashlight in your bag?”
He smirked. “Obviously, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Do you know where there are more? Or candles or something?”
I nodded. “Give me a minute.”
At the very least, I had to put on a robe. I walked back inside my room, shutting the door most of the way and yanking my silk robe from my bag. Then I walked into the hallway, keeping close to Brett so he could shine the light for us.
“Your hair’s wet,” he said quietly from next to me.
“I took a shower.”
His voice turned husky. “I can smell your shampoo.”
I kept my comments to myself. Brett was all over the place tonight, and it wasn’t like him at all. Maybe he was just as fucked up over the situation as I was. But I’d never known Brett to let go of something he wanted, which meant he must not have wanted me that bad.
“I can get the candles,” I said, gesturing to the closet off the kitchen. “You can finish whatever you were doing.”
“I’m good.”
Frowning, I pulled down an entire basket of candles and carried it to the living room, where the fire was still going strong. I lit a few and set them on the end tables, then found my own flashlight.
When I went for the basket again, to find candles for my room, Brett stepped in front of me. “Evie.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What?”
“I’m sorry, okay? I…hell, whole thing is awkward.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered, not meeting his eyes.
“I feel really bad. Evie…look at me.”
Despite my better judgement, I lifted my chin and met his eyes. They were hooded and full of regret. So much so that I immediately felt guilty. “I know you feel bad. I just wish it didn’t have to be like this.”
He swallowed and reached out slowly, hands touching my arms. My hair was still damp, leaving rings of water on my skimpy robe.
“It doesn’t have to,” he said. “If you really care about me like you say you do, then I want you to know I feel the same way. And I don’t want to miss out on something because I’m afraid of what might happen.”
I released a slow breath. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I don’t want to walk around pretending I don’t feel anything anymore. I want you, Evie.”
“I want you, too.”
He didn’t hesitate this time, only yanked me to him, his body hard against mine. Toned. Needy. His dick pressed into my abdomen, spearing me through our clothes.
He wasted no time ripping off his shirt and tossing it aside. I ran my hands down his chest and to his abdomen, slowing down when I reached the button on his jeans.
“You’d better be sure about this,” I murmured.
He gripped my chin and tipped it up so I had to meet his eyes. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything. I want to be inside of you, make you mine. And then I want to do it over and over again until you can’t think of anything but me.”
“I already can’t think of anything but you.”
His eyes glinted with amusement. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to take it easy on you.”
A delicious shiver worked its way through my body, and I squeezed my thighs together at the ache that formed there. I wanted his mouth on my clit, sucking and licking until I nearly passed out from the pleasure.
“You’d better be telling the truth,” I countered with more bravado than I really felt. I was younger than Brett—and I knew he had more experience than me.
In response, he reached down to untie my robe. When the material fell off my shoulders, his eyes travelled the length of my body. It felt like fire everywhere his eyes grazed me.
“Brett…”
“Beautiful,” he murmured. He reached out, almost hesitantly. But when his hands finally found my waist, they clenched tight. “Damn. If you don’t get your hands on me right now, I’m going to die.”
I slid my hands up his chest and then let go of all my inhibitions. I rose on my toes and pressed my chest against his, my nipples tightening into hard peaks that touched his rough shirt. Then I pushed my tongue into his mouth, eliciting a groan I felt in my pussy.
And like a rubber band that snapped, Brett yanked me against him. His cock pressed hard into me, making my clit throb with need. His hand dug into my damp hair while he took the kiss from steamy to scorching.
My legs were wobbly, and I might not have been able to continue to stand if Brett hadn’t been holding me up. I went for his jeans again. I could barely wait to get the button undone. He kicked them off and I tugged on his boxers, trailing them down his legs, my mouth inches away from his cock.
His breathing turned heavy, and his eyes followed me all the way down. When I reached the floor, I got on my knees and stared up at Brett.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said, voice low.
“I want to do everything with you.”
His fingers tangled in my hair, his chin still tilted down even when my lips closed over his head. I took my time sliding down the length of it. But when his eyes closed and he released a long breath, pleasure written all over his face, it encouraged me.
I picked up my pace, sucking him deep inside, as far as I could take him, before easing back to his head. I did it over and over, lifting my hand to squeeze the base of his cock. His fingers tightened in my hair and his hips started pumping, fucking my mouth.
He hissed something I couldn’t make out, and then held my head still. “Not yet.” When I licked my lips, he growled and scooped me under my arms to get me off my knees. “It’s your turn.”
Before I could blink, he had me off my feet and laying on the floor. I immediately reached for him, but Brett shook his head.
He gripped both my wrists in one hand and locked them above my head. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
“Brett—”
“I need to touch you, to taste you. Every single part of you.”
My breath lodged in my throat at his words, and then he was following through on his promise while I writhed in delicious torment on the blanket in front of the fire.