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Brody blew out a breath. “Yeah. We’ll have to figure something out.” He smiled. “I like the sound of our doorstep. I’m tempted to hold you to that.”
Heat burned in Lainey’s cheeks. She hadn’t been hinting that she wanted to move in with Brody, even though she loved being here. Loved staying with Brody, seeing him every morning before she left for work and every evening when she got home. “It was a slip of the tongue,” she muttered.
“Maybe.” His smile widened. “But I won’t press you to talk about that tonight.” He leaned closer. “I’m pretty sure no one makes you do anything you don’t want to do.” He tugged at her hand and drew her out of the chair and over to his. Wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. “Tell me about your shopping trip with Phoebe? Did she have fun? Did you?”
Lainey relaxed against his chest. His flannel shirt smelled like the outdoors, and his five o’clock shadow caught in her hair. “I had a great time,” she said, letting her worry go. “I loved that she was so excited about getting new clothes. Watching her model them made me so thankful we found her. And I think I enjoyed helping her pick out the clothes as much as she loved getting them.”
Her smile faded as she turned to look at him. “I’m going to take her into Bozeman this weekend to do more shopping. It’s a bigger city with more stores, and she needs more clothes. Everything she brought from her house is worn and probably too small for her. I mentioned it to her, and she seemed to like the idea.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” he said. “Maybe I’ll go with you. I have a few things I need to do in Bozeman. You can drop me off and shop with Phoebe, then we’ll meet up later. Maybe have lunch or dinner.”
When she didn’t say anything, he glanced down at her. “Unless you don’t want me intruding on your girl time.”
“Not at all,” she assured him. “I just don’t want to take you away from your work if that’s the only reason you want to join us.”
“Not the only reason,” he said, holding up a hand. “I swear. I’ve needed to go into Bozeman for a while, but kept putting it off.” He smiled, and the warmth in his eyes made Lainey curl a little more tightly against him. “Being with you and Phoebe will make it fun instead of…”
“Instead of what, Brody?” she whispered.
He gazed down at her. “Instead of a hundred boring miles each way,” he murmured, his mouth hovering over hers. His hand tightened on her hip, and he drew her closer. “Any time I spend with you is a pleasure, even if it’s driving to Bozeman and back with a teen-aged chaperone.”
Brody made everything more exciting. Before she could filter herself, she said, “Being with you makes everything more fun, Brody.”
“I’ve thought the same about you for a long time, Lainey.” His eyes darkened and he leaned closer. “I looked forward to every trip to your office. Planned what I was going to wear. Thought about whether I should ask you to get coffee with me. But the answer was always no. You were married. And I wasn’t going to step over the line.”
Brody’s eyes were hot with need. With desire for her, and heat fluttered in her belly. Lower. His body surrounded hers, his arms holding her close, and Lainey felt safe. Protected. Cherished.
Desired. An emotion that had been missing from her life for a very long time.
As Brody stared down at her, his eyes darkened. Sparked with blue fire. Holding her gaze, he lowered his mouth slowly, as if waiting for her to object. To turn her head away from him.
Slide off his lap.
Instead, an answering fire built inside her, and Lainey leaned closer. Cupped Brody’s face in her palms and brushed her mouth over his. Brody froze for a moment, then deepened the kiss. She tasted his desperation. His need. His urgency.
An answering urgency swept through her. The heat and the need that had been dead for so long surged to life. She didn’t care they weren’t alone in the house. Didn’t care they might be interrupted.
Suddenly, there was only Brody. The way he made her feel. The deep connection that hummed between them. They’d carefully ignored it until the day he’d pulled her from the burning building at the compound.
Now, in this quiet room in the silent house, Brody was her sole focus. The only other person who existed in her world. “I’m not married now, Brody.”
Turning her body into his, she pressed against his chest, her breasts swelling with need. Blood pounded through her veins. Arousal hummed through her, the sensation foreign. Unfamiliar. It had been far too long since she’d wanted. But she knew Brody. Knew the kind of man he was.
Knew she could trust him.
So, taking a deep breath, she wrapped that truth around herself and let everything else go. Tried to focus only on Brody instead of the fear that wanted to close its fists around her.
Shoving the fear away, she felt only Brody. Smelled only his scent. Heard only his heart, beating against hers.
“Lainey,” he groaned into her mouth. “God, I want you. So much. You’re all I can think about. I’ve imagined us together for so long. Way before you came here to stay with me.” He drew in a shuddering breath. Managed to smile. “I’ve got to be the only man on earth who looked forward to seeing his accountant. I’d think of the flimsiest excuses to go to your office.”
“And I was always thrilled to see you,” she murmured against his mouth. More truth. She tangled her hands in his hair, letting the silky strands caress her fingers. “When I saw your name on my appointment list, my heart would speed up. My hands would shake.” She traced his mouth with her fingers. “And you were always such a gentleman. I appreciated that, even though I didn’t want you to be.”
His hands tightened around her. “I didn’t want to be a gentleman, either, Lainey,” he said, brushing his mouth over hers. “I wanted to wrap you in my arms. Kiss you senseless. Find out whether you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”
Cupping his face in her hands, Lainey pressed his mouth against his. “I did, Brody,” she whispered into his mouth, freeing the truth she’d suppressed for so long. “I had to keep myself on a tight rein to stay professional. To do my job. Remind myself I was married. But every time you sat on the other side of my desk? I wanted to throw myself into your arms.”
“You’re not married any longer,” he whispered. “May I kiss you the way I’ve wanted to kiss you forever?”
