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“It’s all good,” he said, falling back on a favorite saying.“But I’m getting hungry for more than the nibbles they have here,” he said, hoping to change the subject without her noticing.“Shall we make our way to the door and go get some dinner since we’re downtown?I know a great rooftop restaurant not far from here.”
“Oh, I’d love that.”
Bryson offered her his arm and noted that Hadley didn’t so much as blink before sliding her hand into the crook for the walk through the gallery toward the door.Cheryl might not approve, but Hadley apparently didn’t have an issue with him not being a white-collar professional like her father and his friends.
They said goodbye to a few people on the way toward the door, but Hadley didn’t go out of her way to say goodbye to her parents.
But he wondered—was it her taking a stand or merely avoiding the fight?
Hadley walkedacross the porch to her door later that night and paused.She stared up at Bryson in the light of the moon shining down on them, the salt air thick with moisture and the hint of an overnight shower to come.“I had fun tonight.Dinner was delicious and I can’t remember the last time I danced.Thank you.For going with me to Izzy’s show and putting up with my mother.”
“You’re welcome.It was fun.”
She had a feeling it wasn’t as much fun for him but was glad he was willing to play along.The rooftop restaurant had a person playing ballads on guitar, and after dinner they’d danced to several songs.She’d relished being held close, Bryson’s whisker-rough chin at her temple as they swayed back and forth.
The city lights reflected along the Cape Fear waterfront below, and from their vantage point above, it’d looked and felt like something from a dream.A romantic dream.
Hadley fished her keys from her purse and bit her lower lip, wondering if Bryson would end their first official date with a handshake or…
She sucked in a sharp breath as Bryson stepped toward her and lowered his head, his mouth brushing against hers.Like the night when she’d asked him to kiss her, the caress was full of heady tension, intrigue, butterflies, and the sweet chocolate cake and wine they’d shared for dessert.
She slid her arms up his chest, around his neck, tucked her fingertips into his newly shorn hair, and held him close while he kissed her like a man starving for more.
Her heart pounded in her chest when he backed her up, his thickly muscled arm behind her protecting her bare shoulders from the hardness of the door as one kiss blended into many,manymore.
After a long while, Bryson ended the kissing and dragged his lips along her jawline to her neck, every nibble making her arch deeper into his embrace.His free hand roamed to her waist, where he gently squeezed.
“Hadley.”
The gruff sound of her name on his lips sent her blood pulsing through her veins, and she tugged his mouth back to hers, kissing him again.
Finally Bryson tore his mouth away, his breath hot on her lips.
“Sweetheart, we either have to stop or you have to invite me in,” he murmured.“And since I don’t think you’re ready to invite me in, I’m going to go.”
He brushed his lips over hers once more, this kiss soft, tempered.Nothing like the ones before but every bit as seductive because he’d chosen her well-being over his own.
She gripped his arms, lashes lowered as she nodded her agreement.Kissing him was one thing.One wonderful, tantalizing thing…but shewasn’tready for more and she appreciated his insight.
“Good night, Hadley.Sweet dreams.”
“Night.”Bryson released her and Hadley trembled as she shakily unlocked the door and let herself inside.She shut the door behind her and realized Bryson waited to hear the dead bolt slide into place before his footsteps retreated across the porch.
Hershey whined from behind her barrier, jumping up and down like a puppet on a string in her excitement that Hadley had returned.
Bryson’s truck engine starting up sounded loud along the quiet street, and his lights flashed through the windows as he backed out of the drive.
She made her way across the room on trembling legs, fingers fumbling to unlatch the tall gates and make her way to the kitchen door to let Hershey outside to potty in the fenced yard.
While Hershey sprinkled her usual spots, Hadley watched from the screened porch, trembling fingertips covering her tingling lips as her mind relived every moment.
A smile formed, and she felt a little silly standing there in the darkened porch blushing like a schoolgirl.But after the last few years, Bryson’s kiss, the intensity and passion they’d shared… It went a long way to lift her mood and brighten her outlook like nothing had in a very long time.
Her confidence had been shattered by Kyle’s behavior.She’d wondered if she’d lost her sex appeal, her looks.Her ability to attract a man.If anyone would ever want her again.
Maybe the thinking was negative in nature, but she couldn’t help herself.Life had dealt her some devastating blows…but tonight had shown her the truth.
And for the first time in a long time…she felt like a woman again.
