Chapter Nineteen
THE NEXT FEW days moved by too slowly, and the nights too quickly. Sophie and Brett had been staying at his place ever since they’d gotten back in town. Sophie was the joy at the end of his workday, the light to his dark, worrying thoughts about going to see his father. She’d even become his workout partner, which usually ended up with them rolling around naked, and he realized he no longer felt the need to beat his body into submission. But yesterday morning Sophie had gone to work out with Grace, and he’d gone running with his brothers. He’d almost told them about wanting to go see their father, but he’d held back because he knew they felt their father was, for the most part, a lost cause. Now, as they rode the elevator up to Dylan and Tiffany’s apartment to watch the game Sunday afternoon, Brett second-guessed himself. He didn’t like keeping secrets, especially from his family.
Sophie put her arms around his neck and he crushed his mouth to hers, hoping to escape the worry and stress of his decision, but she drew back almost instantly.
“What’s wrong?” Sophie gazed deeply into his eyes. “You’ve been edgy all week, and that kiss…” She touched her lips to his again, softer, like a test, and shook her head. “Talk to me.”
He should have known better than to try to escape his torment with kisses from his forever-kiss girl. He’d told her the other day that he was thinking about talking to his father, and she’d thought it was a good idea. She’d even offered to go with him. But this was something he needed to do on his own, though her support meant the world to him.
He took her hand as the elevator doors opened, and they headed for Dylan’s apartment. “I was thinking about telling my brothers that I might go see our father.”
“Oh, you should. They love you, and I’m sure they’ll support you.”
Brett stopped walking and said, “Baby, we talked about this. My father has been an ass for years. You think love and support comes easily and unconditionally because it’s all you know, but there are so many hurt feelings between him and all of us, it’s not like that. If it feels right, I’ll tell them. If not, I’ll go see my father and figure it out from there. I’m sorry I’ve been edgy, but I have a feeling I might be until I deal with this.”
She took his face between her hands, went up on her toes in her skintight jeans and pretty black sweater, and kissed him passionately, taking his edginess down a notch.
When their lips parted she said, “It’s a good thing I like edgy sex.”
He chuckled and claimed her luscious mouth again, reveling in their closeness.
“You know hearing those words from your sexy mouth makes me hard.” He pressed his hips to hers, and she grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“I like edgy sex,” she said tauntingly, running her hands over his pecs. “Dirty sexy.” She grabbed his ass. “Sweet sex, movie-room sex—”
He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the elevator.
“What are you doing?” she asked through her laughter.
“Adding—and checking off—another item to our fantasy list.” He pushed the elevator button repeatedly. “Elevator sex.”
He backed her up against the wall, claiming her mouth again, his worries forgotten, replaced with white-hot desire. When the elevator doors opened, they stumbled toward it—and bumped into Mick and Amanda. Sophie drew back so fast you’d think she’d gotten burned.
“Mick,” she said, her cheeks flaming.
Brett hauled her against him again. “It’s okay, baby. He might be your boss, but he’s also a husband. He gets it.”
Mick was more reserved and refined than Brett. Where Brett would have instantly made a joke had he found one of his brothers in the same position, Mick casually put his arm around Amanda, who looked sweet and embarrassed in a pink sweater and jeans, and with a careful expression, said, “He’s right, Sophie. I told you at the office I was okay with this. No need to be embarrassed.”
Her eyes shifted nervously. “There’s a big difference between being okay with me and Brett as a couple and seeing us practically tearing each other’s clothes off.”
“It was totally hot,” Amanda said, breaking the tension.
“We are hot,” Brett said, and tried to joke away Sophie’s embarrassment. “Now that elevator sex is out, we might as well head to Dylan’s.”
“Elevator sex?” Amanda said softly. “You’d have to push the stop button or be very fast.” She wrinkled her nose as if she were analyzing the possibilities. Rumors had it that when Amanda had wanted to learn how to seduce a man, she’d thoroughly researched the topic before taking her chances. She was the perfect woman for Mick, who was as academic as he was sexual.
Mick’s dark eyes heated up. He kissed the top of Amanda’s head and said, “We’ll conduct our own research.”
“Oh God.” Sophie turned away, her cheeks pinking up again. “Can we go see the others now, and move on to a subject where neither my boss nor I have to think about the other one in compromising positions?”
“You know Brett saw Tiffany naked, right?” Amanda asked as Mick knocked on Dylan’s door.
“Thanks, Amanda.” Brett shook his head, remembering the awkward situation. Tiffany had hoped to surprise Dylan by showing up at his apartment wearing nothing more than a belted coat. She had opened the belt to flash Dylan, but unfortunately, Brett had answered the door. Her seductive surprise had gone downhill from there. But she’d earned a level of respect from Brett. He wanted happiness for his brothers, and Dylan had needed a woman who could own up to embarrassing moments, as Tiffany had the next time she’d seen him.
“Can we please let that unfortunate incident be forgotten?” Brett asked. “That image has already been deleted from my memory.”
“I heard about that, and I felt bad for Tiffany,” Sophie said as Dylan answered the door.
“Hey, you guys. Glad you could make it, Sophie.” Dylan hugged her and said, “It’s about time my brother got his head on straight.”
“Dude, I can hear you,” Brett said flatly, though Dylan was right. He followed Sophie in, while Dylan greeted Mick and Amanda. Carson and Tawny were in the kitchen, filling bowls with chips and pretzels. Adeline was with Brett’s mother, having a grandmother-granddaughter day, and Brett was sure they were both having the time of their lives. His mother doted on Adeline like she used to dote on them.
Tawny’s eyes moved between Brett and Sophie, and she did a little shimmy dance, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m so happy right now.” She hugged Sophie. “I saw Brett watching you at the grand opening of Cashmere, and I told Carson there was no way you two wouldn’t end up together.”
“They were about to have sex in the elevator,” Amanda said as she and Tiffany joined them in the kitchen.
Sophie turned beet red. “Amanda!”
Brett took a step forward, wanting to rescue her, but Dylan put a hand on his arm and dragged him into the living room. Brett looked over his shoulder.
“Elevator sex?” Tiffany said incredulously. “That’s old-school. You should try the roof of the building. Or the balcony!”
Speaking low, Dylan said, “You’ve got to let them induct her into the world of Bad women.”
“She doesn’t like to talk about this stuff,” Brett snapped, and tried to return to Sophie’s side, but Dylan grabbed his arm and glared at him.
“You have no idea what women talk about, Mr. Control Freak. She’s a big girl. Let her be.”
Brett’s gaze darted to Sophie, who was now talking privately with the girls. She looked completely comfortable, which put him at ease. “I just don’t want them to make her feel weird.”
“I’m sure you do enough of that yourself,” Carson said, and set a bowl of pretzels on the coffee table. He handed Brett a beer. “It looks like going home with Sophie did you a world of good.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” It was life changing. Brett sat down on the opposite side of the couch from Mick, who was doing something on his cell phone. Dylan sat in the recliner, and Carson claimed the love seat, his gaze darting to his beautiful redheaded wife in the kitchen.
“The guys said you didn’t check in once while you were away.” Carson brought his attention back to Brett. “Good job. Maybe Sophie can break you of your micromanaging ways.”
Brett scoffed. “When I’m with Soph, not much else matters.”
Mick looked up from his phone with a serious expression. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”
“Says the man giving his full attention to answering emails on his phone,” Dylan chimed in.
Mick set his phone on the coffee table and glanced into the kitchen. “Just arranging a weekend away with Amanda.” He held a finger over his lips.
“Don’t let Adeline hear you’re planning to go away or she’ll ask if she can go with you,” Carson said with a warm smile.
“Adeline was a big eye opener for me,” Mick said. “Amanda and I have decided to try to start our family.”
“Seriously? That’s awesome.” Brett held Mick’s gaze for an extra beat as Dylan and Carson congratulated him. Before proposing to Amanda, Mick had told Brett he was afraid to take their relationship further because Amanda wanted children, and like Brett, Mick didn’t. He thought about how easily his response had come, and how quickly he’d judged his brother. Of course she does. She’s a chick. She’s got ovaries and a uterus and hormones that make her want all sorts of things. A white picket fence. A dog. Flowers and shit. He’d told Mick he was being absurd.
Brett glanced at Sophie, leaning against the counter with a wineglass in her hand, talking with the girls. She must have felt the heat of his gaze, because she looked over with that sweet, trusting look in her eyes that turned his insides to mush. God, baby. I love you so much. It was no secret that Sophie wanted children—or that he didn’t. He felt sick at the thought of loving a child and possibly losing it. But after spending time with Sophie’s family, he realized how short-sighted that was.
Tawny said something that drew Sophie’s attention, and there was a collective laugh, followed by a hushed conversation.
Brett’s gaze moved over each of his brother’s faces. They were talking about having kids and what life was like with Adeline. Dylan said he and Tiffany were also thinking about starting a family. Their father had been at their wedding, though he’d left shortly after the ceremony. Maybe Sophie was right and they’d support his need to clear the air.
“So, um,” Brett said, curling his hands into fists. “I wanted to let you guys know that I’m thinking about going to see Dad.”
Silence descended on the living room, and three sets of dark eyes and serious, doubting faces turned toward him. Brett’s statement hung in the silence like a ghost that had come back to haunt.
“Brett, we talked about this,” Mick said as sternly and confidently as only an eldest brother could. “You don’t owe Dad anything.”
Brett held his stare, but it was like looking in a strange mirror that included the image of their father, as he and Mick both shared their father’s deep-set eyes and strong, square jaw. “I think you’re wrong. I might not owe him what I thought I did, but I owe him an apology. I was a prick after we lost Lorelei, and whether or not that made him worse doesn’t really matter. What matters is that if I’m ever going to give her”—he glanced into the kitchen, then quickly back at Mick and lowered his voice—“the life she deserves, I have to deal with my own shit.”
“Wait,” Dylan said. “What are we talking about? Owing Dad what?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Brett said. “An apology for being a prick, I think, but maybe more. Or maybe I’ll get there and feel what I’ve felt all these years, too much resentment to say anything nice. I don’t fucking know. Maybe I’ll go off on him. Whatever happens, happens, but I need to try to bridge the gap between us.”
His brothers stared at him without saying a word. Brett’s chest constricted as the seconds ticked by, but he wasn’t going to be waylaid.
“I’ll go with you,” Carson offered, causing all those stares to shift to him. He shrugged and said, “I don’t think it’s a bad idea. We lost Lorelei as a family, and whether we like to admit it or not, Dad’s family. Our family, and knowing how cutting he can be, I’m not letting one of us face him alone.”
Brett cleared his throat in an attempt to move past the emotions clogging it.
“You’re right,” Dylan said. “Dad’s softened since the fundraiser, so maybe it’s not a bad idea. I’ll go with you, too, but don’t expect miracles.”
“If he and I both come out of the room alive, that’ll be a miracle,” Brett said, shifting uneasily on the couch. “But I need to go alone. With you guys around I’ll feel caged, and I either won’t say what I want to say, or I’ll blow up. I appreciate the offer, though.”
Mick stewed in silence.
“Mick, I’m doing this for me and Sophie, not just for Dad.”
“I was there, Brett, remember? I saw and heard everything he did. You are not to blame for a damn thing.” Mick cracked his knuckles and leaned forward, elbows on knees. “I get why you’re doing it, and I’ll admit that Amanda and I talked about my doing the same thing.”
“I don’t want to talk, Mick. I need to do this for my own sanity.” Brett leaned closer to him, holding his gaze, and said, “You know Sophie wants kids. How can I be a good father if I still resent my own?”
Mick put an arm around Brett and pulled him closer. “I get it, brother. I should do the same.”
“How about we see if I survive first?” Brett cleared his throat again as the girls came into the room, and he pulled Sophie down beside him. He kissed her, then whispered, “Missed you.”
“What were all the serious faces about? Is Brett worried he isn’t going to survive coupledom?” Tiffany teased as Dylan pulled her down on his lap.
Brett kissed Sophie again, already feeling more at ease, and said, “Survive it? I’m going to be Sophie’s great love story.”
SOPHIE HAD WONDERED if things would be weird around Brett’s family now that she and Brett were a couple, but the girls were as excited about them as she was, and his brothers acted like they were a given. The afternoon flew by amid laughter and smart-ass banter as they watched the football game. It wasn’t so different from watching football with her own family, except that Brett’s brothers and sisters-in-law were kissing and touching as much as she and Brett were. Love resonated off of each couple, but Brett’s love felt more intense, like she was a million times more important than the football game or anything anyone else said. He was constantly whispering in her ear about what he’d like to do to her later and running his hands along her leg. She spent the entire football game hot and bothered, and the darkness of Brett’s eyes told her it was exactly what he’d hoped for. Two could play at that game, and she made a mental note to torture him next time they were around her family.
He brushed her hair over her shoulder and whispered, “You. Me. Bathroom.” Then he whipped out his phone and pulled her in for a selfie. She was sure her cheeks were bright red. He took another picture, kissing her smack on the lips this time. All three of his brothers looked over. As if he couldn’t have cared less, he put his hand on the nape of her neck, drawing her cheek to his, and whispered, “You on the bathroom sink, me on my knees. Meet you in there.”
Lust seared through her.
“Selfies?” Dylan said with wide eyes. “Never thought I’d see the day when you took selfies.”
Brett held Sophie’s gaze, his eyes simmering with heat.
“Leave him alone,” Tiffany said. “You always complain that he’s not in touch with his feelings. Now he is.”
“I’ve always been in touch with my feelings, just not the girlie ones Dylan is in touch with.” Brett squeezed Sophie’s hand and said, “I was thinking, how about if Sophie and I host football next weekend? Is that all right with you, Soph?”
“Yeah, great.” She loved the idea of hosting the get-together. Maybe then we can sneak into your bedroom…
“Really?” Carson asked, snapping her from her fantasy.
“Do you even know what hosting means?” Dylan teased. “Do you have enough plates and silverware for more than one person?”
Brett scoffed and pushed to his feet. “I’m going to use your bathroom instead of smacking you in the head. You can apologize when I get back.” He blew a kiss to Sophie and headed down the hall.
Everyone looked at Sophie with inquisitive expressions. Shit. Had they heard what he’d whispered? “What? Hasn’t he ever had you guys over for football before?”
Mick and Amanda said “No” in unison.
“Brett can’t take off if we’re all at his place,” Carson explained. “He has a hard time staying in one place for too long. We were all pretty surprised that he went to your parents’ house, much less stayed longer than he’d planned.”
The girls had told her that Brett had never brought a woman with him to watch football and that he usually left early. None of that surprised her, because she knew how he was about feeling boxed in. Or rather, how he used to feel about it. She fidgeted nervously with the seam of her jeans, wondering why Brett thought she’d be able to meet him in the bathroom without everyone knowing why. The elevator was beginning to look mighty good.
Dylan hiked a thumb over his shoulder toward the hallway. “I don’t know who that guy is, taking selfies, offering to host next week, whispering in your ear, but he reminds me a lot of the brother I had many years ago.”
“He does?” Sophie asked, giving up on the idea of meeting Brett in the bathroom. She’d seen so many changes in Brett since they’d first come together, she knew she was seeing even more of the real Brett on a daily basis. He was still the same sexual, confident man he’d always been, but his arrogance had morphed to heightened confidence, and he smiled more often. It was almost as if that arrogance had been a shield to keep people out as much as it was to draw them closer to his boundaries—close enough to get what he wanted and far enough to walk away afterward.
His brothers murmured in agreement as Dylan got up and surprised her with a hug.
“Geez,” Mick said with a chuckle. “Sit down, you fool.”
“What?” Dylan went to sit with Tiffany again. “You can’t tell me he’s not different.”
Mick sipped his beer. “I was laughing at your dramatics, not whether he’s changed. We’re all thrilled you’re in Brett’s life, Sophie. You’re obviously just what he needed, and you’ve gotten to him in a way no one has for a very long time.”
“Thank you. He’s such a good person,” Sophie said. “I love his intensity, his impulsiveness, his sense of humor, and the way his brain is always churning. He’s got the biggest heart of any man I know, and I realize he thinks he hides that well. But when I look at him, sometimes it’s all I see.”
“You really do see him for who he is beneath all the showmanship, don’t you? I’ve never seen him so happy,” Carson added, “or so—”
“Determined to figure my shit out?” Brett interrupted, his eyes locking on Sophie as he strode down the hall looking ridiculously sexy.
Would she ever get used to the fact that the fine specimen of a man was hers? She felt greedy, wanting to go home and tear off his clothes so they could drive each other crazy.
“I was going to say settled, but…” Carson lifted his beer in a toast. “Determined works.”
As if he’d read her mind, Brett reached for her hand with a devilish look in his eyes.
She adored that look!
He pulled her up to her feet and said, “Sorry to cut our visit short, but we’ve got to take off.” His hand slid to her butt, and he held on tight. Luckily, she was facing the others and they couldn’t see his hand moving lower, playing between her legs.
She tried to mask her desire as everyone got up to say goodbye.
Brett pulled her toward the door. “I’ll text you about next Sunday, but count on being at our place for the game.”
Then they were in the hall and his mouth was on hers, her back against the wall as they made out like they’d been apart for months. They kissed their way to the elevators, and when the doors opened, they both drew back and stared into each other’s eyes. Desire and naughtiness erupted between them. Brett took Sophie’s hand and pulled her into the elevator. Adrenaline surged through her veins.
The door closed, and Brett hit the stop button. Sophie slammed her eyes closed, expecting an alarm to sound. When no alarm came, her eyes flew open and a secret agreement passed between them. He crushed his mouth to hers, devouring her as they worked the button on each other’s jeans and tugged them down. Brett fished out a condom from his wallet and rolled it on in record speed. He lifted her in his arms, and then he was buried deep inside her.
Brett groaned, low and sexy. “Christ, baby. I want to live inside you.”
“I’m so nervous we’ll get caught. Kiss me until I can’t think.”
He stopped short of kissing her and said, “I want you to think, and feel, and be so consumed with us you remember every second of this.”
“Then you better not kiss me. Because I lose myself in your kisses every time.”
His eyes smoldered, and he lowered his mouth to her neck.
“Oh, Lord. It’s not just your kisses. It’s your mouth,” she said breathily.
“The hell with remembering.”
He pulled her mouth to his, and she couldn’t have held on to a thought if she were given a leash.