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“I doubt he’d come back. Last night was probably...” she searched her sluggish mind for a convincing explanation “...a reaction to seeing me at the bar. He’s struggling with having me back in town.”
“That may be true, but no one has the right to do what he’s done. I never dreamed he’d be capable of it, but now that he’s proven otherwise, I’m not taking any chances.”
She was too tired to argue. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep, and she knew she’d feel safe with Brant, so there wasn’t anything to complain about.
“Okay.” She rested her cheek against his chest as he carried her in. She could’ve insisted on walking; she was capable of it. But it felt good to let someone else take care of her for a change, especially someone as strong and competent as Brant.
The beating of his heart thudded in her ear, as steady as the metronome she remembered from her music lessons—a reassuring sound—as they moved down a long hall and entered what had to be his bedroom. He didn’t turn on the light. A full moon shining through the windows made it possible to see as he put her on the bed.
“It smells like you in here,” she murmured.
He sniffed. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“It’s a good thing. You always smell great.”
“Not when I’m out on the ranch,” he said with a chuckle.
His room was rather Spartan compared to her great aunt’s house. There was nothing on the dresser except a large flat-screen TV, and the nightstand held only a lamp, the remote for the TV and a phone charger—until he added his wallet.
“This is a huge bed,” she said while he took off his shirt.
“When you’re as tall as I am, you need a big bed.” He sat down beside her to remove his boots, which he tossed carelessly into the corner. “Do you have to use the bathroom?”
She shook her head. “I went before we left the hospital.”
He eyed her speculatively. “Do you...plan to sleep in your clothes?”
She understood why he was asking. They’d made love several times, but they hadn’t established any ground rules outside the two nights they’d spent together. They didn’t owe each other anything and didn’t expect anything, either. So he had no way of knowing where the boundaries were. “Areyouplanning to sleep in your clothes?” she asked.
“Not unless you want me to.”
“I don’t want you to,” she admitted.
He took that as his cue to help her undress. Being careful of her stitches and the bandage that covered them, he lifted her shirt over her head and held the waistband of her jeans as she stood up and wiggled out of them. When he’d stripped her down to her panties and bra, she curled onto her side and he covered her with his blankets.
He went to the bathroom off the bedroom before shucking his jeans and climbing in with her, wearing just his boxers. “Do you need any pain pills or anything?” he asked.
“No, thank you.”
Seemingly satisfied, he curved his large body around her smaller one. “Okay. See you in the morning.”
With the warmth and security Brant provided easing the shock, pain and upset she’d endured earlier, Talulah dragged his arm a little higher. She liked its solid weight holding her against him so much it seemed perfectly natural to kiss his knuckles before slipping gratefully into oblivion.
As tired as he was, Brant couldn’t fall asleep. He was too surprised by the affection Talulah had shown him when she kissed his hand and tucked it under her chin as if they slept together every night.
Their relationship was beginning to feel like more than a sexual one, which scared the hell out of him. He’d spent the past few years hoping he could find the right woman eventually. He planned to have a family one day. But he knew better than to care too much about this particular woman. Even if she didn’t have commitment issues, she lived in a different state.
Averil’s words ran through his mind:She only wants a man until she gets him, Brant.
Was that true? Was he falling for someone who’d just break his heart?
Maybe the cockiness he’d exhibited when Averil tried to warn him would come back to bite him in the ass...
She leads a guy on until he goes all in and then it’s over.
That wasn’t happening here, he told himself. He felt what he felt for Talulah because they weren’t only sex partners, they were friends. But the defensiveness that welled up whenever he thought of Charlie mistreating her was stronger than it should be—strong enough to suggest otherwise. And Brant didn’t quite know how to explain that. Charlie had always been important to him. So why was he risking their friendship over Talulah?
She’s a man-eater. And if you’re not careful, you might find that out the hard way.
