Page 38 of I Choose You

She grinned, then giggled. Oh, yeah. She knew what she was doing, and I had no problem with it. She could tease me all she wanted because I was quickly becoming addicted to the smiles she gifted me with afterward.

Before long, I caught her checking the time. I didn’t take offense, and really, it was getting late.

“I hate to call it a night, but I need to get home and get some sleep.”

She stood with me and stretched her back. As she arched, thrusting her tits out, I cleared my throat, unable to look away. If she knew she was teasing me, why should I act like I didn’t notice?

She swatted my arm as she lowered hers. “Me too. I feel like all I did today was sleep, but I’ve got to get back on my routine tomorrow.”

“Routine?” That seemed like a clinical way to word it.

We headed toward the exit together as she told me a bit about her exercise habits.

Outside, she paused on the sidewalk and jerked her thumb to her left. “I’m this way.”

I pointed at my truck down the curb. “That’s me.”

She nodded, but before she could speak, I leaned in for a quick kiss. I tasted the tart hint of lemon and noticed mint too. Her soft lips welcomed mine, returning the gesture as though she was surprised.

I was too. I’d come here hoping I’d have a better idea of where things were going with us, but it turned out there was no need to rush. The fact she’d kissed me back at all was a good first step at testing the waters with her.

She hadn’t pulled away when I leaned in to sample her lips, and she didn’t flinch or retreat when I backed up.

“I hope I can see you again, Brooke.”

I backpedaled, not wanting to lose sight of her yet.

She hadn’t pulled away. That was my first win. And as she stood there speechless, she released a long sigh that suggested I’d left her wanting more.

Good. Because I do too.

14

BROOKE

“I hope to see you again.”

Kaden’s parting words stuck with me as much as his kiss had surprised me.

It was dumb. He hoped to see me again? He would. Of course, he would. Unless Wagner Industries planned to cancel our deal, I was guaranteed to see Kaden again. And again. And again. Until the deal between Halden Inc. and his company expired—and I doubted it would—we would be seeing each other often.

I took his farewell as he intended it, though.

He wanted to see me, just me. Brooke, the girl he sure as hell hadn’t treated right in high school.

It seemed like he’d laid it out clearly there. His kiss sure did. The gentle brush of his lips against mine had nothing to do with the contract. Nothing at all.

Kaden wanted something beyond the scope of business, but I suspected he was gun shy about it. He wasn’t pushing for anything past my company. To catch up. We were, but we both stayed far away from discussing that one thing that had me still considering revenge.

I hoped visiting my mom might help me stay afloat in those murky waters of indecision. We were close, but it felt like it had been a long time since we’d chatted. Calls and texts didn’t count. Since my dad left us when I was young, it was just me and Mom.

We had a tight relationship, and I seldom kept anything from her. When I was younger, I worried that she would be lonely without my dad around. But like me, she was an independent soul. She’d never needed a man to be complete, but I’d warred with concern that she could be lonely.

As soon as I was finished with work, I headed to the house I had grown up in. She still lived there, but as she got older, I wasn’t sure she should stay. It was a shitty area but it wasn’t so rundown she had to bar all of her windows. A few younger couples in the area kept an eye on her, so that appeased me. Yet every time I mentioned the idea of moving somewhere better, she countered with two arguments—this small two-bedroom ranch was home, and where could she afford to move to anyway?

She hadn’t had an easy life as a working single mother, and that was why I did my best to send her as much money as I could.

I climbed up the cracked concrete steps, smiling at the chalk artwork the neighbor’s daughter had drawn. I knocked on the door and resisted a frown at the chipping paint.