What He Wants (Second Chances #1.5)(24)
Brett’s smile slowly faded as he moved closer to me and I could feel the energy spark between us and the heat emanating off his body. His gaze lowered to my mouth, staring at me with a hunger in his eyes that sent a shiver through my veins even though I was sweating. He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth and slowly closed the distance between our bodies. When his lips touched mine, it was a light, simple graze that had more feeling in it than the possessive kiss that he bestowed upon me in the elevator the night before.
His large, warm hands came up and gently cupped my face as he deepened the kiss. I melted into him and leaned into his touch willingly as his tongue danced along with mine. He growled low in his throat and that one sound did me in; I was starved for his touch and he knew it.
In one quick move, Brett was on his feet with my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck. Getting us away from the edge of the boat, he carried me to the middle where he laid me down gently on one of my towels I had sprawled out from earlier. Brett cuddled to my side and draped a leg in between mine while leaning on his elbow, looking down at me.
“You are so beautiful,” he breathed, running his finger along my jaw down to my collarbone. “Do you know how hard it is to see you like this and keep my restraint? I’ve wanted to touch you and take you on this boat since the first second we got on here.”
Sighing, I lowered my gaze to his hard, tanned chest and ran my fingers along his smooth skin. “Is that all you want from me, Brett? You can be honest with me you know. I don’t play games and I don’t like for people to play them with me, but I have to know what you want out of this.”
Brett smiled and traced his finger over my lips. “I don’t play games either, Melissa. Look, last night after you left I went to talk to Korinne. I think we talked for almost two hours about you.”
I gasped and covered my face with my hands. “Oh hell, what did you two talk about? Please tell me it was nothing embarrassing? Korinne has a habit with spilling that kind of stuff.”
Brett took my hands away from my face and guffawed, throwing his head back. “No nothing like that. She told me stories of you two growing up and how inseparable you were. When I called you firecracker last night I had no idea that you were really a firecracker growing up.” He laughed again and sat up, gazing down at me still lying on the deck of the boat. “Korinne told me that you were one of the smartest kids in school and that you were actually valedictorian of your graduating class. That’s impressive. I’ll admit, I was a smart kid, but I didn’t come close to that honor.”
I waved him off. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. I loved learning and reading books. Why do you think I became a teacher?”
“That’s the thing,” he piped in. “There were so many other fields you could’ve gone into, but you chose teaching. A job that you have to put a lot of time and effort into and not get the benefits. It takes a very special and dedicated person to want to be a teacher when they aren’t appreciated enough.”
That was true. However, I loved teaching, and planned on doing it for the rest of my life. “It’s true,” I admitted. “Teachers aren’t appreciated or respected the way they should be, but it’s something I always wanted to do. Do you like your job?”
He nodded. “Love it. Plus, I make really good money building houses. I always loved drawing as a kid, so I decided to put it to good use.”
We sat in silence for a minute just staring at each other. His gaze softened when he said, “Do you want to know what else Korinne told me that really made me see what kind of person you truly are on the inside?”
When I nodded curiously, he continued, “Korinne told me about the time you found her dog dead in the backyard, and since she was too heartbroken to do anything, you buried it yourself and had a little funeral for him. She even cried when she told me the story.”
I sighed and lowered my voice, “Oh yeah, that was a terrible day. She was so upset over her dog and it broke my heart. Her parents were at work, and I just couldn’t leave her dog alone there like that.”
Brett traced my cheek with his finger and slowly grazed it down my neck to my chest. “She also told me about the time when you were both in high school and how when she didn’t make the cheerleading team you turned down your position to join even though it was the one thing you wanted to do more than anything.”
“Oh, Kori,” I whispered to myself, gazing up at the blue sky. “What am I going to do with you?”
To Brett, I said, “We were two peas in a pod back then. We did everything together and I didn’t want me making the squad come between that. As much as I wanted to be a cheerleader, her friendship and the time I spent with her meant more.”
“So you see,” Brett began, lowering himself over my body. “Your heart is pure. I could see it that night I met you and I can see it now. I haven’t met another woman like you, Melissa. I want to see where this leads because I know we have something here. No games, no lies … just truth and honesty. I want you to know me just like I want to know you.”
He pushed his knee between my legs and I opened for him, letting him settle his weight and his growing erection against my body. Propping himself on his elbows, he gazed down at me with sincere yet lust-filled eyes. “Let me in, Melissa. I need you to let me in and not hold back.”