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“But…then what were you doing all those nights I didn’t see you?”
“Sometimes work. Mostly trying to get a grip. I wanted to be with you every fucking second and occasionally it freaked me out.”
Oh my God. And there I was making myself sick, imagining him with other girls.
“Well I haven’t been with anyone but you since before Tahoe either,” I tell him, “so I don’t want you to behave.”
I see his face move from astonishment to something fiercer, more possessive. In a second he’s on me, pinning me to the wall, his hands making quick work of my jeans and his before he lifts me up and carries me to the couch. His mouth is on my neck, then moves lower as his hand slides under the elastic of my panties. His fingers are unbearably light, a whisper of pressure, nothing beyond that. I writhe beneath him, waiting for him to do more, to move things further, but he doesn’t. He just tortures me with his gentle fingers until my entire body is strung tight.
“Brendan, I need—”
“I know what you need,” he says, his voice husky. “But I’ve thought about nothing else for weeks, so I think I’ll take my time and wait until you’re begging.”
“I’m already begging.”
He laughs, his tongue following the trail his fingers just made, forcing me to arch hard against his mouth.
“Brendan, please,” I say, and he finally relents, moving up and filling me with a single roll of his hips.
“That’s so good,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut. “Give me a minute. Don’t move.”
Something about being told not to move makes me want to do it more than I ever have before. “Please, Brendan.”
“Christ,” he groans. “Don’t move and don’t beg. Either one of those will end this quickly.”
Slowly he withdraws and enters me again. My nails dig into his skin.
“More,” I demand.
“I don’t remember you being so bossy,” he says with a grin, but he complies—for a minute. And then he slows again.
“Faster. I’m not going to finish at that pace,” I breathe.
“Lucky for you,” he replies, “the night is young.”
* * *
Much later, after we’ve made good use of the couch, and the kitchen table, and the floor, we find ourselves in bed. This is where we finally talk and where I discover it was him, not Rob, who found Sean, and that he used his heli-skiing money to pay Sean’s bail, which makes me feel like my heart is swelling in my chest, Grinch-style. He risked his entire business on my behalf. Thank God Sean did what he had to so Brendan will get his money back.
“And you let Rob take the credit for it?” I ask.
His eyes narrow. “I had no idea Rob was taking the credit. That’s low, even for him.”
“Well I’m relieved you’re getting your money back,” I say. “I, on the other hand, have none. I emptied my bank account paying Rob back for my parents’ rent and my father’s rehab. Maybe you can ask your friend Crystal if there’s room on the Broncos’ cheerleading squad.”
He pinches my side. “You were so fucking mean to her,” he says, laughing. “Anyway, have you been interviewing? Do you even want to stay in marketing?”
“I’ve gotten a couple of calls. I’m actually meeting with the chancellor at ECU tomorrow, although I don’t know if it will amount to anything.”
The smile leaves his face. “You’re not going back to work for Timothy,” he says. “I’ll end up getting arrested for assault if you do.”
“Definitely not,” I agree. “But until I find something and you get your money back we’re both broke. It’s a good thing we never leave your apartment anyway.”
“It’s not forever,” he promises, cradling my face in his hands. We’ll figure it out.”
I’m pretty sure we already have.
* * *
