Braydon(56)

“Did he hit you?” Braydon asked, not knowing how to ask other than to come right out and say it.

Jessie’s eyes met his and he could see pain and shame reflecting back in the beautiful blue depths. “Can we talk about something else?”

Braydon didn’t want to change the subject. He wanted to learn more about this woman, her history. But he wasn’t interested in ruining their date, and the idea of any man putting his hands on her in anger was enough to set him off, so he held his tongue. At least in regard to the question. “Sure. I’m actually looking forward to getting more acquainted with your lips anyway, if you want to know the truth.”

Jessie blushed, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink as she looked down at the table.

He had told her he wasn’t holding back, and he’d meant it.

“Are you ready to get out of here?” he finally asked when they did nothing more than stare at one another, the sexual tension ratcheting to astronomical levels.

“Yeah,” she whispered.





chapter THIRTEEN

Half an hour later, Braydon was pulling up to her house and Jessie was wringing her hands together in her lap so tightly that her knuckles were white. Ever since Braydon had mentioned getting acquainted with her lips, she’d thought of kissing him. And she hadn’t stopped thinking about it.

Even now, she could imagine him taking her into his arms and pressing his mouth to hers. She could still feel the softness of his lips, the gentle urging of his tongue as he slipped inside . . .

Yeah, tonight wasn’t going to end well.

Well, it was, but it wasn’t.

Jessie knew she should be expecting him to walk her to her front door. Maybe a quick kiss before he disappeared back to his truck while she went inside and relived every single moment of their date over and over again until she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

But the smile she was imagining came from a different ending to the perfect day.

The truck came to a stop in front of her house, but Braydon didn’t turn off the engine. Her heart sank a little as she realized he was going to be a gentleman and walk her to her door and then leave. But she was okay with that.

Really.

She didn’t say anything when he climbed out of the truck, but for half a second, she considered reaching over and pulling the keys out of the ignition herself. She knew how easy it would be to give in to Braydon. To invite him inside, lead him to her bedroom, and let him make love to her for the rest of the night.

It would be too easy because she wanted him more than anything.

But she would be jeopardizing what they’d worked all day to build. If she wanted a chance at a real relationship with this man, she knew she couldn’t bring sex back into it too quickly. Not that she hadn’t already had sex with him. Which was probably why she wanted him so badly.

Remembering all the times they were together, all the ways in which he’d pleasured her body wasn’t a difficult task. What she seemed to have a problem with was imagining what it would be like with just the two of them. Alone.

Jessie was anxious to be alone with Braydon. “Alone” being the key word. No worries about who might walk in on them. Just like she’d dreamed about for so long.

But it wouldn’t be fair. Not to him. Not to her.

They needed to take things slow if they expected to move past everything they’d already put one another through.

The passenger-side door opened and Braydon reached in to take her hand, helping her out of the truck. She let him, and when he closed the door behind him, she knew this was the right thing to do. She would hope for a sweet good-night kiss and maybe a phone call later.

When they reached her front door and Jessie turned to face him, all good intentions went out the window. Especially when she looked up into his beautiful blue-gray eyes and saw everything she’d ever hoped to see reflected there. Without a doubt, Jessie knew he was struggling with the same things she was. What to do . . . What not to do . . .

“Thanks for taking me out today. I had a great time,” she told him, trying to rein in her thoughts before she did something really, really stupid, like invite him in and ravish him until the sun came up.

Sex was not a building block upon which a relationship should be built, and she knew it. Then again, she also knew that the emotional attachment she had formed to him would be solidified by some alone time with him. But was it the right time for that?

“What are you doin’ tomorrow?” he asked.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” she said absently. “I think I’m gonna sleep late. Maybe veg out on the couch for a little while and watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory. Oh, and take a nice, long bath.”

Heat flared in his eyes when the last words came out of her mouth, and she immediately envisioned the two of them in that big bathtub . . . Oh, God.

“Jessie,” Braydon whispered, moving closer.

She should’ve moved away, should’ve said a quick good-night and slipped into the house and locked the door behind her, shielding herself from the onslaught that was likely going to break her even more.

But she didn’t do either.

No, what she did next surprised them both. When Braydon was just a foot away, Jessie practically lunged for him, moving into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. Without considering the consequences of her actions, Jessie kissed him. And kissed him.