Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
My breath hitched in my chest, and I had to blink hard to keep from spilling the happy tears that had started to well up.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said, suddenly feeling at a loss for words, even though I was happier than I’d been in a long time.
I’d somehow ended up closer to Brady than I’d been when we’d first sat down, and even though my brain told me that I should probably back away for all sorts of good, valid reasons, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in, lips parted.
Hoping.
My pulse quickened as I saw the heat flare in Brady’s eyes. Then it happened. Our lips met, and Brady’s mouth was on mine, hot and hard, the feel of rough stubble scratching against me as his large, rough hands pulled me closer.
Whatever reasonable objections my brain had come up with—that Brady was my boss, that he needed a shoulder to cry on, that he needed a friend—went out the window as soon as I felt those hands on my body.
I gave myself over to the moment completely and didn’t give a single thought or care to the small, needy noises that were coming from my throat.
I wanted that kiss—wanted Brady—more than I was ready to admit, and finally getting a taste of him felt too good to stop.
I slipped my hands between our bodies, just enough to let them roam over the massive expanse of muscles that made up Brady’s chest and arms. Damn, the man was built like a Greek god, and I couldn’t get enough. Especially not when my touch earned a low, sexy moan from him.
But I had to stop. I had to.
I didn’t want just a fling—or whatever this was. And I didn’t want to mess with Brady’s head. I’d gone to his apartment to apologize, to comfort Brady—not to jump his bones.
I had to get it together.
“Brady,” I panted. “Oh my God, Brady.”
I pressed my hands against his chest, probably not as firmly or as convincingly as I should have, a part of me still not convinced that I needed to stop at all.
Luckily, Brady seemed responsive to my every touch and whimper. As soon as I said his name, he immediately pulled back, just as quickly and completely as he had leaned into that initial kiss.
“I’m sorry,” he said, scooting back on the couch and reaching down to smooth himself and adjust the very noticeable bulge in his pants. “I didn’t mean to—”
“No.” It was my turn to shake my head as I recited his earlier words back to him. “Please don’t apologize. It was…”
Everything I wanted.
Wonderful.
Amazing.
Perfect.
“I don’t want to stop.” I went on after a moment of awkward silence, since all those other truths felt like too much. “But we should. Because…”
Because why, again?
I couldn’t really remember, even though I was pretty sure I’d had a good reason. But I knew for sure that if I didn’t get up and leave right then, right that moment, that I would give in to the temptation to go right back to kissing him. And even though that didn’t sound like a bad thing at all, I had to leave, at least just to get some space and perspective on what had just happened.
“Just because,” I finished, giving Brady an apologetic shrug. “And I should go. Like, right now.”
Brady swallowed hard, but didn’t argue, thank God. If he had come back with even a halfway decent excuse for me to stay, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to refuse. But that didn’t happen.
Instead, he stood up and helped me to my feet, leading the way to the door and inadvertently taunting me with the toned, muscular ass that had been just within reach a moment before.
And then the door was open, and Brady was looking at me expectantly, no doubt just waiting for me to leave the way I’d said he had to.
But unfortunately, my traitorous body had decided to do its own thing again, and my feet remained firmly in place.
“So, um,” I rocked back on my heels and tried to suppress the smile that was spreading across my face as I thought about what had just happened.
I’d actually just kissed Brady. Like, a lot. And even though it was confusing and sudden and literally the last thing I’d expected to have happen when I’d headed up the stairs, it had been nice. Really nice. Better than nice. Perfect.
“I should probably go.”
The corners of Brady’s mouth twitched, and he cocked his head to the side a little. “You said that already. And I’d kind of like to convince you not to. But I respect your decision and I’ll hold off on that… for now.”
“Oh, right. Well, I should.” My feet finally started working again and quickly carried me out the door and toward the stairs before I stopped and turned. “I’ll see you tomorrow? Here—I mean, downstairs? At work?”