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He waved me off, tears in his eyes again, but he no longer looked like he was going to have a meltdown. “I’m fine, Rose. I just…it was really nice to be reminded who I’m here with. Things are shit right now, right? I mean, my mom has basically turned her back on me, we have no idea who the council is, and the harpies have threatened to up their game. But you? You are so pure and so whole and amazing.”
“Is this because my stomach rumbled?”
He laughed again then stood up, pulling me by the hands to follow him to the kitchen. “It’s because I know you, Rose Bennett, and I know that you want some snacks more than about anything in the world. Am I right?”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” Sliding back onto the stool, I watched as he raided cupboards, pulling out chips and salsa, crackers and cookies. He found hummus and some fruit in the fridge and poured us each some more lemonade.
By the time he sat down, I was already stuffing my face. Junk food had never tasted so good to me as it had since I went to Taylor Prep.
“But there is one more thing I want to say about this, and then I promise we don’t have to talk about it again tonight, because I want to eat snacks and watch a scary movie with my boyfriend, okay?”
He nodded and snagged a chip before I continued.
“Your mom didn’t turn her back on you. Do you really think that she would have let us stay in the guest cottage if she didn’t love you? She’s scared, Brett, and I think that you need to take that into consideration when judging her, okay?”
He nodded, chewing. “You’re right. I’ll consider it, but now I’m done talking about her and Taylor Prep and the stupid fucking council. I want you, on the sofa, with all of the snacks. We have a huge movie collection, so you can pick the one that you want to watch. Then, in the morning, I’m making breakfast in bed.” Brett paused, watching my face. I had a feeling that there was something else he wanted to say, so I waited. “And you’ll be the dessert, do you understand?”
Oh, yeah, I understood. The flush that immediately went through my body told me everything about what he wanted and what he meant, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
“Dessert?”
“Main course, whatever. You can pick if you want to eat before or after, Rose, but I don’t think that I can wait any longer to have you. I’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”
Swallowing hard, I kept my eyes locked on his face. I knew what it was like to kiss him. I knew how warm and strong his lips were and what it felt like to have his hands search my body. What I didn’t know—not yet—was what it was like to give myself over completely to him.
But I couldn’t wait to find out.
I nodded, still looking him in the eyes.
“I want that, Brett. But do you want to wait?” Now that he’d mentioned it, all I could think about was getting him in bed, but even as I asked the question, I had to stifle a yawn.
Leaning forward, he kissed me on the cheek. “I don’t want to wait, Rose. I haven’t wanted to wait from the moment that I saw you at Taylor Prep. You tear me up, Rose, and there’s something about you that has gotten into my heart and split me open.”
He paused and I suddenly realized that it was my heart pounding so hard. The throbbing in my head was making it hard for me to concentrate on anything other than him. His face, his body, his…everything.
“But you’re exhausted, and I am, too. I need you, Rose, but I want to be able to take my time and not have to worry about you falling asleep.”
“I wouldn’t.”
He laughed and stood up, picking up the snacks and then pointing at the living room with his chin. “I promise you, Miss Bennett, that after a good night’s sleep tonight I’m going to make you wish that you could nap the day away, okay?”
His promise spiraled through me, settling deep in my core. There was something about the way he looked at me and the way he spoke that made my whole body throb and long for him.
If Brett wanted to wait, then I’d wait.
I just hoped it wouldn’t kill me during the night to be next to him, to have him so close, and not be able to have him.
Brett was filled with self-control, but I wasn’t.
Chapter 15
My heart was pounding so hard that I sat straight up in bed. Gasping, I reached out next to me, but Brett was gone, so I flipped the covers off of me and got up, trying my best to remember what had happened.
We watched a movie and ate more snacks than was healthy. Then we’d gone to bed and he’d curled around me, his body warm and protective as I finally drifted off to sleep. I finally understood what people meant when they talked about spooning. He’d been there all night, making me feel safer than I’d ever felt before.
Now there was sun slanting through the window. He must have cracked the window sometime during the night, because a cool breeze blew through and the curtains moved.
A loud clang made me turn to the door.
