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Best dessert of my life, that is for damn sure.
CHAPTER32
BRAYDON
Ididn’t expect to finger fuck Alessandra in the middle of the restaurant, but I’d do it again.
Bass vibrates my bones as a thrill hums in my veins. Hands on Alessandra’s hips, I grind against the swell of her ass. Move my body with hers as sultry music roars through the club. She weaves a hand up and around my neck, fingers fisting my hair as I open-mouth kiss my way down her neck.
As my arms snake around her waist, she drops hers, spins and drags her hands up my shirt. I open my mouth to say we should leave. Get out of here and go back to her place. After the stunt at the dinner table, I want more than chocolate cake for dessert.
Minus time on the dance floor, our night with her friends—people I one day hope to callmyfriends—is nearing the three-hour mark. No one will fault us if we call it a night.
“Let’s get out of here,” she says over the music.
A hand trails up her spine then back down before falling away. “Whenever you’re ready.”
She slips her hand in mine and weaves us through the crowd. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged when we reach everyone at the couches. I don’t miss how Alessandra holds Lena a little longer and whispers something only for her ears.
As they inch apart, Lena holds Alessandra’s gaze and nods. A secret among girlfriends I won’t ask about or intrude on. Though I kept the observation to myself, Lena’s shutdown when Alessandra’s brother called was unmistakable. Had I been part of their group longer, maybe I’d know the reason behind the sudden reclusive behavior. Then again, the way Alessandra watched her friend, maybe we were all in the dark when it came to Lena and Alessandra’s brother.
My hand on the small of her back, I guide us out of the club and down the stairs. A shiver rolls down her spine as we exit Black Silk. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and hug her to my side, rubbing a hand over her bare arm.
“Forgot my jacket,” she chides herself as I open the car door for her.
“Would’ve been a bother until now. Besides…” I close her door and jog to the driver’s side, hopping in. “I’ll keep you warm.”
I crank the engine, back out of the space, then pull out of the lot. As I lay a hand on her thigh, a chime sounds from her purse. She digs out her phone and taps the screen.
“Anderson messaged. Says he’ll be at the apartment in twenty minutes.”
“Anderson?” After the call at dinner, I assume Anderson is the brother she so affectionately calledBaby A.
“Sorry. My brother.” She lays a hand over mine. “Got distracted at the table and forgot to mention his name.”
Flipping my hand palm up, I weave my fingers with hers. “No apology necessary.” I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles in turn. “Now, tell me about this brother of yours.”
I park next to Alessandra’s car and dash to her side as she steps out. A beep and flash of my running lights bounce off the wall as I lock the car. Arm looped in mine, she clings to my side and warms her trembling limbs.
“Let’s wait for him upstairs,” I suggest.
“No, it’s fine,” she says, a slight chatter to her teeth.
Hauling her front to mine, I swath her in my arms. Rest my cheek on her crown. Rub my hands over her exposed arms and upper back. Blanket her in warmth and press my lips to her hair.
“I love you.”
The words fall from my lips with ease, but I don’t miss the way her body stiffens. Don’t miss that she hasn’t taken a breath. Don’t miss the way her shiver from moments ago seeps into my skin, my bones. Wouldn’t be the first time I said those three words and the receiving party didn’t reciprocate. Not that I fault her silence.
Any person brave enough to be vulnerable for someone else is bound to be hurt. Our relationship is young, and it may be too early to profess such sentiments. Wasn’t my intention to hand her my heart, at least not this soon. But there is no taking it back. Not that I want to.
When Gabby pulverized my heart four years ago, I swore off love. Swore I would never give another person so much power over me or my heart. Told myself to not get attached, to not develop feelings, to squash any semblance of emotions when it came to women.
Then Alessandra happened.
Her lack of response and rigid frame should set off alarm bells. Should make my hackles rise and stomach twist. Oddly enough, it does none of the above.
If my relationship with Gabby taught me one thing, it is to expect the unexpected. I may have said the words, but it would be brazen of me to expect them immediately in return.
