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“What’s that?” she asked, his proximity fuzzing up her thoughts.
He met her eyes and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Chemistry.”
That one word rang true as a bell, echoing inside of her, dredging up all the loneliness she often tamped down out of habit. A visceral attraction and curiosity and that stupid tingle suppressing her rational mind drew her to him.
She was loath to admit it, but this thing between them was combustible.
Theirchemistry, and everything about Brian Bradshaw, scared her senseless.
“Other options besides fight or flight,” he said softly, his lips an inch from hers, his breath a caress on her face. “More pleasurable ones, too.” He cupped a hand around her neck and pulled her mouth to his.
All the reasons not to get close to Brian, that this was a mistake, melted away. The kiss was a slow, hot, all-encompassing thing that was more persuasive than possessive. Everything about it, his warm mouth, his tongue sliding against hers, his rough hand holding her still, was right. As if every interaction prior had been leading up to this moment—stacked dominoes waiting to fall.
But when he broke the kiss, gently easing his body from hers, doubt flowed in like the tide. Waves of it telling her this was wrong.
She only stood there, the breath backing up in her lungs, her pulse throbbing hard and thick. No one had ever kissed her like that, with so much... What was the word for a perfect mix of fire and sweetness? It was like the world had turned upside down, the aftershock leaving her a quivering mess. Her insides turned to jelly.
Brian didn’t move. Didn’t say anything. Not that he needed to because his hot, penetrating stare spoke volumes.
She glanced away. Cleared her throat. “I’ll wait here.” Turning, she licked her lips, tasting him again, and went back to the SUV. She leaned against the vehicle and folded her arms across her chest so he wouldn’t see that her hands were trembling.
As Brian opened the door to the shop, there was a little chime, and he stepped inside.
The memory of the kiss tingled across her lips. One little kiss and she was struggling to steady herself. What would happen if she slept with him?
He had left her with her brain a little scrambled and two big demands to consider. Both had been issued out of his sense of decency, his nobility—which she was finding harder to question and even harder to resist. Her mind worked overtime to clear it of thoughts of him.
One thing stood out in the haze. The way Aubrey spoke about Haley, as a mesmerizing stripper capable of making a man feel like the center of the universe.
The meek, mousy woman who had skulked into the Underground Self-Defense school all of two months ago, desperate to claim some power over her life sounded like a different woman. Was it possible that Seth had beaten the light out of her, turning her into a husk of the person she used to be?
Or had Haley been acting, playing a sick game?
The florist shop door opened with a chime and Brian strode out. From his grim expression, the conversation hadn’t gone well.
“That was fast,” she said.
“Because he wouldn’t talk to me. He already spoke to another detective and didn’t have anything to add to his statement.”
“Now what?” she asked. “Any ideas for a next step?”
He rested a shoulder against the car, facing her and hooked his thumbs in his belt. “Did you make a decision?”
She had decided. “For future reference, I hate ultimatums,” she said, and his mouth curved a little bit. “But we’ll do it your way.” Getting shot at wasn’t a pleasant experience. If staying with Brian reduced the likelihood of it happening again, then she’d go along with his plan. As for telling him about her illicit activities, maybe that was for the best. Better to scare him off now. Nip this thing between them in the bud once and for all.
She only prayed she didn’t end up in jail as a result.
“Then the next step is for you to give it a try with Rafe,” he said.
“I thought he wouldn’t talk.”
“Not to a cop.” Brian brushed strands of hair from her face, those chocolate-brown eyes of his direct. “I think you two can build a rapport on common ground,” he said in that husky scrape of a voice that sent a tingle down her spine.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. Just for a second until she remembered Rafe. “I’ll give it a go.”
“We’ll meet back up at my place,” he said, heading to his truck.
“Where are you off to?”
