What He Wants (Second Chances #1.5)(21)
When the doors pulled back, Brett lifted an eyebrow and a slow smile spread across his face as the elevator closed behind him, capturing us together. “I meant it when I said I was going to find you before the evening was up. You weren’t trying to sneak off were you?”
I honestly did lose track of him in the crowd and I wasn’t going to look desperate searching for him. However, sneaking off was my prime agenda so I lied, “I didn’t know where you were and I saw that it was getting late.”
He pressed the button for the ‘ground’ level, and I realized that we had sixty floors to descend, all alone in the confines of an elevator. The tension in the air was electric, sizzling across my skin, and I was fully aware of the heat his body gave off as he moved closer to me. I told Korinne I would give him a chance, but I couldn’t help how nervous I was. I was never nervous around men. His scent intoxicated me as it filled up the small space, and it only grew worse the closer he got.
No! He was getting too close.
I held up my hand and backed up a step. “Look, I’m not doing a repeat of our night three months ago, Brett. It was stupid of me to let it go that far. If that’s all you want from me you can forget it.”
Facing me, Brett growled low and grabbed my hips, lightly pushing me against the elevator walls. Tilting my chin back with his finger, his stormy gray gaze penetrated through to my soul. I swallowed hard to fight back the temptation of just giving in.
“That’s not all I want from you, Melissa,” he breathed against my lips. “I haven’t been able to look or talk to another woman without comparing her to you since then. I’ve tried, believe me I’ve tried, but I can’t seem to get you out of my mind.”
His lips were so close … so inviting. I haven’t slept with a man since him, and my body craved a man’s touch more than anything. Nevertheless, I knew it would be a mistake to start things off with him by having sex, even if the tension between us was thicker than a brick wall.
Placing my hands on his chest, I could feel his heart thundering. It was almost as fast as my own racing heart. “Brett,” I whispered. “I don’t know what you want from me, but I honestly don’t do just casual sex. I really don’t know what came over me that night, but I don’t want it to happen like that again. If you honestly can’t stop thinking about me then you need to prove it to me in other ways.”
“Gladly,” he muttered, deep and gravelly.
Inching closer, his smile grew wider before he crushed his lips to mine, tasting me. He parted my lips with his tongue and entangled it with mine greedily. The grip he had around my waist was protective and tight as he held me against his body, his hands flexing against my lower back. His erection was hard against my stomach and I couldn’t stop the moan from rising up through my parted lips. Did I honestly just say I don’t do casual sex? I felt like a hypocrite in that moment because all I wanted to do was strip him down and ride him in the elevator.
When the dinging noise sounded that we’d reached our floor, Brett slowly pulled back and gave me an inch of space. He looked cool and calm with a smile on his face while I was the one panting and breathless. I wanted to hate him for having that effect on me. I narrowed my eyes and snarled at him so he’d know what I was thinking. However, my body definitely didn’t respond to him like that. Before strolling out of the elevator, I straightened my dress and took a deep breath. Brett put his arm around my waist and led me to the valet counter where they all tried to hide their smirks. Great.
The young guy that had taken my car smiled and nodded at me, and sauntered off in the direction of the lot to fetch my car. “I see you must’ve made an impression on the valet guy,” Brett teased. “He didn’t even need your ticket.”
Nonchalantly, I shrugged. “Yeah, he liked my car when I pulled up.”
Brett smiled and grabbed hold of my hands as I faced him. “I can assure you that wasn’t all he liked when you pulled up.” He glanced down at our locked fingers before slowly lifting his gaze to mine. “Look, Melissa, I happily accept the challenge of proving anything you want me to prove to you, but I need you in this as well. It’s not just me you need to learn to trust, you also need to learn to trust yourself.” He paused and took a stray curl, wrapping it around his finger before unraveling it. “Do you mind if I come pick you up tomorrow? I thought about going out on the lake and I’d really like for you to come.”
“I’m surprised you’re not trying to come home with me now,” I retorted teasingly.
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, baby, I’m not. If I came with you right now I don’t think I’d be able to control myself being alone with you. If you want me to be the gentleman I am then you need to go home alone.”
A ping of disappointment flared in my gut, but it was probably for the better. The last thing I needed was to fumble into what we had going on with sex as our beginning point. “I understand,” I agreed. “Tomorrow sounds great. I love going out on the lake.”
Brett leaned in and swept a gentle kiss across my lips. “Perfect, I’ll see you then. I’ll pick you up at ten in the morning.” He kissed me one more time, lingering for a while longer while he glided his finger down my arm. Chill bumps fanned out over every square inch of my body and I shivered. Turning on his heel, he gazed back at me once before walking back toward the building.