Breathless (Steel Brothers Saga #10)(20)

This was more than a kiss.

So much more.

I wanted to hold on to him forever, kiss him forever. Kiss him until lipstick woman was no longer a memory.

Too soon, he broke the kiss.

I arched my brow and met his gaze.

“What if Donny wakes up again?”

“Then I’ll comfort him again. He already sort of saw us kissing. He knows you. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s just—”

“You’re looking for an excuse again.”

“No. Yes. Hell, I don’t know.” He stepped back awkwardly. “I came over here because you called me. You were upset. I didn’t think—”

“Didn’t think we’d end up making out in the kitchen?”

I laughed a little. “Making out” sounded so juvenile. Like making out in the car as teenagers. I wanted to do a lot more than just make out with Bryce.

“Actually, I figured we’d end up exactly where we are,” he said. “Which is why I shouldn’t have come at all.”

“But you did.”

“Because you were upset, Marj. I didn’t come here to take advantage of you.”

“Who’s taking advantage? I’m giving you the advantage.”

“You’re Joe’s little sister.”

“Yeah, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “And you remember pink and yellow unicorns on my wall. I’ve heard it all before, Bryce. It’s beginning to sound like a broken record.”

“You’re not understanding me. It’s more than just you being Joe’s little sister. Right now I’m just…so messed up in my head.”

“Don’t you think I understand better than anyone else? I’ve been through the same hell you have.”

“Your father might’ve made some mistakes in this lifetime, but he never committed the heinous crimes my father did.”

I wanted to say something, but words eluded me. We both knew what horrible atrocities Bryce’s father had committed not only against my brother but also against countless others.

Finally, I said, “You are not your father, Bryce.”

“I know that. I really do know that.”

“You don’t sound too convinced of it, though.”

“It’s just… I feel like some parts of me are missing. Like I can’t give a woman my whole self right now.”

I understood those words better than he knew. I was a mess myself. “Bryce, I’m not asking you for a commitment.”

“You don’t understand. You’re Joe’s little sister.”

“There goes the broken record again.”

“What I mean is… I can’t just…have sex with you. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Don’t just have sex with me, then.”

“I’m not up for anything else right now, Marj. I wish I were. Truly, I do. I just don’t have it in me. I may never have it in me.”

“If my brothers can get through this, so can you.”

“Your brothers are three of the strongest men I know.”

“And you don’t think you’re as strong as they are?”

Bryce paced around the kitchen, his hair a mass of sandy-blond waves. “I’d like to think I am. I wish I were.”

“Are you attracted to me?”

He chuckled at that one. “Can’t you tell?”

“Tell you what. Let’s just be two people tonight. We won’t be Marjorie and Bryce. We’ll be two lost souls who come together. We don’t even have to say each other’s names.”

He regarded me then, his gaze scanning my body from top to bottom. My nipples hardened.

“Can you do that?”

“I can do that. The question is, can you stop seeing the little girl who once had yellow unicorns on her wall?”

“God, I want you so fucking much.”

“Then take me. Take what I’m offering. Just for tonight. No names. Just two people who need each other.”

He stepped toward me then, grabbing me. In an instant, his lips were back on mine, this time more feral than before. He thrust his tongue deeply into my mouth, exploring every crevice of it, running it over my teeth, my gums, the inside of my cheeks, all the while twirling it around my own. My skin prickled, and a flaming arrow shot right into my core. My pussy was on fire. Already I could feel the wetness. My nipples ached for him. My whole body ached for him.

And still we kissed.

Our mouths still fused together, I began moving backward, leading him out of the kitchen and down the hallway into my bedroom. He took over the lead, opening the door and pushing me inside, and then he closed the door quietly.

And still we kissed.

I finally pulled away and inhaled a desperate breath. I gazed into Bryce’s blue eyes, and I ached at the pain and sadness I saw in them. If I could take away that pain and sadness for one night, I would. Yes, I wanted this for my own reasons, and I wanted it for much more than one night. But now, this particular time meant even more to me. I wanted to ease his pain, take away everything that had ever hurt him. I touched my palm to his cheek.

“Bryce…”

“Shhh.” He turned his cheek and kissed my palm. “No names, remember?”