Bedding the Wrong Brother(32)

“Well, the lipstick was certainly…overt. But that's what guys like, right? Did it work? Did you end up having sex with her?”

He tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. Without taking his eyes off the road, he answered quietly. “Yes. But that was a long time ago. When I was still reeling from the attention and thinking with my dick more than my brain.”

“Did she really have something written on her body with lipstick?”

He glanced over at her. “Yes.”

Her eyes widened and she blushed. “Was it something…explicit?”

Sighing, he shrugged. “Let's just say it involved an arrow and two short words.”

“Did you do what it said?” she whispered.

“No.”

“Why not?”

How could he explain that he simply he hadn't wanted to? That he never did unless he knew the woman well. Cared about her. Yet he'd had sex with her. It sounded so distasteful now. Made him cringe to imagine what Melina must think of him.

Before he could reply, she said, “I bet she went down on you, though, right?”

He gritted his teeth, then willed his muscles to relax. As much as he wanted to be for Melina, he'd never claimed to be perfect. If she was going to be with him, it would be all of him, flaws and all. Still, he didn't want to spend any more of their precious time together talking about something he barely even remembered now. So in his own way, that's what he set out to tell her. “Honestly, that entire night's pretty much a big blur now. One big red blur of Shanghai Crimson. Revlon, I believe.”

Holding his breath, he kept his gaze on the road. She was silent for so long, he finally turned and looked at her. Her face was blank of emotion, and he expected her to launch into a lecture about safe sex or women's rights. Instead, she burst out laughing.

Relieved, he reached out to caress her leg. She stiffened, and her gaze immediately locked onto his hand. He stroked her in a soft, soothing motion. “Like I said, that was a long time ago, Melina. I'm much more discerning about who I'm with now.”

Her expression grew serious. “Unless it's an old friend who's sneaked into your hotel room.”

“Especially when it's an old friend who's sneaked into my hotel room. Believe me, seeing you lying in my bed turned me on more than that woman ever did.”

“You don't have to—”

He squeezed her knee warningly. “I'm serious.”

She shrugged. “Sure. Whatever.”

Turning back to the window, she clearly communicated that their conversation was over. He let her shut him out for a bit, but he kept his hand on her leg, reminding her with his touch that he wasn't going anywhere.

About thirty minutes later, he caught the yawn she tried to stifle. “We're going on a bit of a drive. Why don't you go ahead and go to sleep?”

She shook her head. “I can keep you company.”

“You will be keeping me company. Besides, you're going to need your rest.”

Her eyes rounded. “What are we going to do?”

He shot her a wicked grin. “Patience, baby. I'll reveal the class outline when we get to where we're going.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you trying to be funny?”

He slid his hand just a fraction higher on her leg, and she gasped. Just as he'd hoped, she reached out and grabbed his hand with her own. Satisfied, he tightened his hold on hers, resting their linked hands on her knee. “Just rest. I promise, you'll know everything in just a couple of hours.”

For a moment, their gazes held, and he brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss it. “Now close those beautiful eyes and sleep, Ladybug.”

He almost chuckled out loud at the way her eyes widened again. Leaning her head back, she stared at him while he focused on the road. He felt her gaze on him and rubbed his thumb in slow, circular movements against the back of her hand. Within minutes, he felt her begin to relax. Within ten, she'd closed her eyes. And within twenty, her soft, steady breathing told him she'd gone to sleep.

Gently, he brought their raised hands back to his lips for another soft kiss.



* * *



When Melina awoke, she was in the passenger seat of her car, and she was alone. Jolting up, she frantically searched for Rhys and immediately saw him standing near the front of the car, talking to a bearded man in a baseball cap. Pulling down the visor, she checked herself in the mirror, wincing at the sight that looked back at her.