13
Candace woke up in Brent’s arms. His deep breathing told her he was still asleep. The night had been one of the most incredible nights of her life, and she still had no idea why. Brent wasn’t someone she thought she could be with, and the thought of being with him after everything they had been through in the past didn’t seem possible. She had too many memories of him that annoyed her. How could she possibly look past it at that point? To realize that all her thoughts of him the whole time had been skewed?
Despite the man knowing exactly what to do to her lady bits.
Oh, good Lord, how he knew what to do to her lady bits.
A knock on Brent’s door had Candace springing up into a seated position, clipping Brent’s chin on the way.
“Ow,” he groaned.
“Sorry,” she whispered, gingerly rubbing his chin. “There’s someone at your door.”
The knock sounded again.
Travis’s voice sounded through the door. “Brent! Wake up! You’re supposed to be at breakfast!”
Brent leaned over and grabbed the alarm clock off the nightstand. “Damn it.”
“What time is it?” Candace asked.
“9:10.”
“Shit!” She hopped out of the bed and nearly screamed at the pain that shot through her ankle. Instead, she slapped a hand to her mouth and stifled a cry as she leaned back against the bed.
“Shit. Are you okay?” He dropped to the floor in front of her and looked at her ankle, gently grazing the side of it.
Her skin tingled at the touch, and she almost forgot that they were already late for breakfast. If Travis was at his door, there was no doubt Jessica was at hers.
“Brent!” Travis’s voice boomed, and the pounding got louder.
“I’m coming! I’ll meet you down there,” Brent shouted back, not taking his gaze off Candace.
Travis’s voice came out muffled from the hallway, presumably as he spoke with someone else. Then he raised it again.
“Hey, is Candace in there with you? We can’t find her.”
Brent’s eyes met hers, and a smile tilted his lips. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as if to say, “What do we do?”
“Yep, she’s here!”
Candace slapped his chest. “Brent,” she whispered loudly.
He laughed. “Well, what else was I supposed to say? ‘No?’ Then Jessica can run around freaking out wondering if you were abducted or freezing on the mountain somewhere?”
He had a point, but despite that, she knew the backlash they would get from their families when they showed up for breakfast.
“We’ll meet you there!” Brent shouted again.
The muffled voices of their siblings faded. Brent looked around and grabbed the boot, expertly strapping it around herankle before helping her stand. His hands settled on her waist and they stood in silence while staring into one another’s eyes.
A warmth pooled in her belly, and it was then that she realized she was still naked. She blushed and broke the contact, looking around for her clothes.
“We need to go before this gets any more awkward at breakfast.”
He snatched her clothes strewn across the room and handed them to her before looking for his own.
She sighed loudly as she struggled to get her leggings on over her injured ankle. Brent watched and laughed.
