Chapter Nine
The next morning, Anna stretched her arms over her head, yawning and blinking at the bright sun streaming into the room…which wasn’t hers. Why wasn’t she…?
Oh God.
She’d slept with Brett.
And now she was alone in bed.
He’d woken up and left while she slept.
Leaving her alone in his room.
Even now, he was probably panicking about what she was thinking. He was probably regretting asking her to spend the night with him, and was coming up with the perfect thing to say to let her down easy.
He shouldn’t have bothered.
When she’d agreed to spend the night with him, she was fully aware that it didn’t mean the same thing to him as it did to her, and that was okay. She’d gotten to spend a night in bed with him, and that was enough for her. It had to be.
She wouldn’t ever get more than that one night.
Taking a deep breath, she sat up and slid her legs over the edge of the bed. She needed to get out of his room. The sheets smelled like him. She wanted to stay in his bed forever, but she couldn’t be found in the wrong room. Someone might get the wrong idea and think something worth noting actually happened, instead of what actually happened. Heck, she wasn’t entirely sure what happened last night yet.
Had it been his drunkenness talking to her last night…or his supposed honesty? It had to be the former, especially since he fled before she woke up. She stood up and headed across the room, but froze. There was a piece of paper on his pillow.
Heart racing, she crossed the room and picked it up.
A-
I’m sorry for last night.
B
She crumpled the piece of paper in her fist. What the heck was his apology supposed to mean? Oh, it didn’t matter anyway. The message was clear enough. Hurrying across the hall to her room, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it. She needed to get ready and go downstairs, but first?
She needed a freaking second.
Closing her eyes, she relived the way he’d felt pressed against her body, but then she shook that feeling off, because she’d never experience it again. Squaring her jaw, she dressed hurriedly and went downstairs an hour later than she usually did. Everyone was outside in the backyard, busily setting up a few things for the wedding that would take place in two short days. She still couldn’t believe Chris was the first Hamilton child to be getting married. Out of all of them, she would have bet every penny she owned he would be the last one to commit to another person.
Which is why you don’t gamble.
Heading for the Keurig, she brewed a cup of coffee and tapped her fingers on the table as she waited. Footsteps approached her from behind, and she looked over her shoulder. Of course it would have to be Brett.
Might as well jump in with both feet, Anna.
“Good morning,” she said without turning around, her voice far too chipper and happy sounding. She flinched and faked a cough. Forcing a calmer note into her tone, she smiled at him. “How are you feeling this morning? Got a killer headache?”
“I’m fine. I told you, I wasn’t drunk.”
Wait. He’d been serious? So he asked her to sleep with him…while…sober? What did that mean? “You’re serious.”
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway.
“Wow.” A small laugh escaped her. “Okay.”
“Last night was…” His brow furrowed as he thought. In the silence, she mentally finished his sentence for him. A mistake. Wrong. A bad idea. “…nice.”
“Uh.” Out of all the things she’d expected him to say this morning, especially after that note, that was pretty much last on the list of possibilities. “Yeah.”
He dropped his hands and offered her a sheepish smile. “Is it going to be weird between us now?”
Yes. “Because we slept in the same bed? Please.”
He blew out a breath and reached around her. “Good.” His arm brushed against hers, and he handed her a poppy seed bagel—her favorite. “Here you go.”
She took the bagel out of his hand. “Thanks.”
Their fingers brushed up against one another, and she stiffened. The simple touch reminded her how heavenly it felt to be in bed with him last night. She’d lain awake most of the time, evening out her breathing so he’d think she was asleep. After a while, he’d scooted close, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair.
God, it had felt good.
He dropped his hand back to his side and backed away from her. “You should eat now. I have it on good authority you’re going shopping with your mother in a few minutes. She wanted to wake you up, but I held her off with my charming smile.”
She forced a smile in return. “Great. Can’t wait. I’ll eat now, then.”
“I’ll let her know you’re up.” He started to leave, but stopped after a couple of steps. He turned back to her. “Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know exactly what happened last night, but holding you in my arms felt…”
She glanced at him, but quickly looked away and focused on her bagel. He seemed like he wanted to finish that sentence, but he clearly wasn’t going to. “I know.”
“You always do.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I don’t know what this means, or what I should do about it, but everything good in my life revolves around you. And it scares the shit out of me.”
“It doesn’t have to be scary. It can be a good thing, if you let it.”
He kissed her forehead, and her eyes drifted shut. “I wish you were right.”
She didn’t know if his words made her sad, or special. Perhaps it was due to the utter devastation in his eyes. Or maybe because he said it to her with regret, instead of joy. It was like a good-bye you didn’t want to say, but had to.
Drawing back, he stared down at her as if he wanted to memorize her face, and then he left her alone. Utterly, completely alone. She’d never felt more certain they belonged together. She just needed to figure out a way to show him the feelings he had weren’t wrong or scary. They were perfect.
Together, they could be perfect.
…
Brett tapped his fingers on his bare stomach, Anna’s face filling his every thought. The way she looked up at him today had been so familiar, and yet so different. She still looked at him as if he were the best thing she’d ever seen since chocolate ice cream, but there was something else, too. Something new.
Determination, maybe?
Calculation?
You’re screwed, Ross. You never should have told her the truth.
All this time, he’d been able to resist temptation, but she hadn’t exactly been throwing herself at him. If she tried to get him in bed because he’d been stupid enough to admit he liked having her in his arms…
There would be no chance in hell he’d resist.
He rolled over in bed, his head on the pillow she’d slept on last night. Shit, he could still smell her. And his bed felt way too damned empty without her in it.
What the hell had he been thinking, asking her to sleep with him? He never should have done that. He should have taken the blonde from the bar to a private place and fucked her until he didn’t want Anna anymore. Perhaps if he had, he wouldn’t be lying here, feeling like his arms were empty, dying to touch her.
To feel her. Kiss her. Own her.
Oh, who the hell was he kidding, anyway?
He’d never be that guy.
He’d been wanting to do all of the above since the night she had fallen outside his bedroom window and gotten that scar on her hand. He had swept her into his arms and held her for a few minutes, unable to believe someone could care about him the way she did. A soft knock interrupted his musings. He sat up and frowned.
Who the hell was knocking on his door at midnight?
You know exactly who it is, dumbass.
Rolling off the bed, he padded barefoot to the door and opened it a crack. Sure enough, An
na stood in the hallway. She held two wine coolers and a plate full of cookies in her hands. The damned satin robe that had haunted him the other night, and every other night since, clung to her curves, teasing him. His whole body stiffened. “Anna.”
She gave him a hesitant smile and lifted the wine coolers. “I thought…I thought we could celebrate your birthday without the blood this time.”
She seemed afraid he would send her away. And, damn it, he should send her away. He should slam the door in her face and go back to his bed alone. He should shove her away with enough ruthlessness that she never came back to him. Heart pounding against his ribs, he leaned against the doorjamb, caught between what he wanted to do and what he knew he should do. “It’s not my birthday.”
“I know.” She shrugged. “But you won’t be around on your birthday, and somehow I don’t think I’ll be seeing you in the city then, either.”
No, she wouldn’t be.
Though that should have reminded him why he needed to refuse her entry, it had the opposite effect. He stepped back from the door—knowing full well it was the stupidest thing he’d ever done. But even knowing that didn’t stop him from motioning her inside. She gave him a bright smile, a beautiful smile that did weird things to his heart, and came in with her goodies. He peeked into the hallway to see if anyone was out there, but no one stood there glowering at him, and no alarm sounded.
Shutting the door securely, he leaned on the wood.
He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. Damn it, she was seeing him in glasses for the first time in years. He never put them on unless he was sure he’d be alone, and here he was. Not alone. Something of what he felt must have shown on his face, because she sent him a smile. “I’ve always liked you in glasses.”
Scrunching his nose, he said, “I have no idea why you would.”
“I think it’s cute. And sexy.” Anna sat down on his rumpled bed, looking far too at home in the spot where he slept, and started setting up a makeshift picnic. “I know you don’t really drink wine coolers, but it seemed too perfect to resist. I had to re-create your birthday night, only without ruining it this time.”
He shook his head but didn’t move. If he took a step toward her, it was over. If he so much as sat down next to her, all would be lost. He couldn’t. Shouldn’t. “You didn’t ruin it. It’s still one of the best memories I have.”
“Well, I’m hoping this one will be even better.” She smiled at him, but the smile melted away, and her forehead knit. “Are you coming, or are you going to stand over there the whole time?”
“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice raspy. “Why did you really knock?”
She hesitated. “I told you. I wanted to retry your birthday feast.”
“It’s been years.” He dragged a hand down his face and tried to remind himself he couldn’t touch her. Couldn’t have her. She deserved more. “Why now? Why tonight?”
“I just wanted to bring you cookies,” she said softly. “Do I need a better reason?”
“To come in my room practically naked at night? To continue tempting me to touch you, when I know I shouldn’t?” He dropped his arms to his sides, fisting his hands. “Yes. I think you need a better reason.”
“I’m not trying to get you to touch me, damn it.” Her face red, she stood up and shoved her robe off. Underneath she wore a pink concoction that was held on her shoulders by two bare wisps of fabric secured together. The nightgown was far from naughty or even sexy, but on her it screamed of seduction. She lifted her chin and stared him down. “If I wanted to seduce you, I would have come in like this. Not in my robe.”
Staring at all the skin she’d just bared, he swallowed hard and gritted his teeth, because he was seconds from showing her just how easy it would be to seduce him. “Put that back on,” he said, his voice raspy. “Now.”
She advanced on him, her eyes shining with fury. “And if I came here to seduce you, then I wouldn’t be all the way over here while you’re all the way over there. I would be holding on to your neck, tugging you down for a kiss. My legs would be wrapped around your waist, and you’d be deep inside me within minutes. And I certainly wouldn’t be so damn cold, because you’d be making me all hot and sweaty.”
Her words branded the images of everything she mentioned and more into his brain. Her writhing beneath him, a sheen of sweat making her porcelain skin shimmer. Her nails scraping his back as he drove deep inside her, finally making her his in every way. Driving so deep inside her, he would never want to leave.
And she’d never want him to, either.
“Anna, stop it,” he rasped.
“Stop what? What did I do that was so freaking wrong, Brett?” she asked, throwing her hands out to the sides. “All I did is tell you the difference between seduction and a snack shared between friends.”
Her perfect breasts heaved. His fingers itched to touch them, which made his cock harden, which made him grit his teeth and stiffen in an attempt to stay the hell where he was, which was a losing battle. Did she even realize how close he was to snapping right now?
Yeah, and she wants you to.
“Get dressed,” he ground out. “If you’re not here to seduce me, then why are you here?”
She didn’t pick up her robe. Instead, her cheeks flushed and she stepped closer, her nose tipped up in the air. “Did it ever occur to you that I’m here because I’m your friend, or that I wanted to give you another happy memory because I care about you?”
He clenched his jaw. There she went saying something perfect again.
She stalked across the room, her eyes on him the whole time. “You can send me away tonight, and I’ll still care. You can tell me to screw off and never talk to me again, and I’ll still care. There’s nothing you can do that’ll make me stop.”
“Anna…” he said through a strangled groan, watching as she got closer and his determination to keep his hands to himself got further away. “Stop.”
She shot him a glare and continued on, stopping just short of arm’s reach. She’d left the final decision up to him. If he wanted her, he would have to take that damn step. “I know you don’t feel the same way about me. I know you never will.”
His heart hammered in his ears, drowning out everything but her voice. Her eyes. Her words. “I—”
“But the thing is…” She bit down on her lower lip. He wanted to kiss away the mark she left behind. “I don’t care. I don’t need you to care about me the way I care about you. I care enough for the both of us.”
He shook his head, refusing to speak. If he opened his mouth, he might say something stupid. Something like: You’re wrong. I care. So he said nothing at all.
Just stared at her.
And he didn’t fucking move a damn muscle.
If he went down this road, there would be no going back. “You have to leave. I can’t—” He broke off. Can’t what? Tell her to leave? Tell her to stay? Which was it? He didn’t have a fucking clue. “I don’t—”
Pain flashed through her eyes, so clearly he felt an echoing dagger of agony slice through his own heart, and she took a step back from him. Her lower lip quivered before she fiercely bit down on it. “I’ll go.”
And that undid his resolve. Her pain broke him like nothing else ever could have. What was the point in rejecting her now, if it only hurt her more?
He let out a strangled groan and took the step that would change his life forever. Within seconds, his hands were on her waist, and he crushed her sweet lips underneath his. Her hands curled into his biceps, holding on tight. She yanked him closer and slid her tongue into his mouth.
Holy fuck, the woman knew how to kiss.
She flicked her tongue over the back of his teeth, then rose up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. His stomach clenched, and he slid his hands down her hips, skimmed them over the short hem of the nightgown she wore, and then lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he almost collapsed from the pure desire tha
t pulsed through him. Without breaking contact with her mouth, he crossed the room and lowered her to the middle of the bed.
This was what he wanted.
This was where he belonged.
She didn’t relinquish her hold on his hips, so he fell down on top of her, every inch of her luscious body pressed to his. Deepening the kiss, he rolled his hips against her core. The satin of her panties and his own lightweight pants didn’t take away much from the contact of their bodies, yet he wanted them out of the way.
Needed nothing in between them.
He curled his hand under the curve of her ass, fitting her into his hand. He dug his fingers into her soft flesh, yanking her up against his cock. Pleasure so damn intense he almost broke crashed over him, but he did it again anyway. His body tensed even more, each muscle fighting the restraint he forced on himself, because this was Anna.
With her, there was no holding back.
There never had been.
He withdrew from the crook of her legs, and his hands traced the curve of her hips, then he grabbed the hem of her nightgown and tore it over her head. When she lay on the bed, clothed in nothing except a skimpy pair of panties, her breathing heavy and her eyes shining up at him, he froze, breathing heavily.
This woman, his friend, Anna…she wanted him.
“Fuck.” He cupped her face with his hands, almost afraid to touch her anywhere else. Afraid he would accidentally hurt her when he wanted to cherish her. Even more terrified she would change her mind about him. He took a deep breath and looked at her. “I can’t promise forever. I can’t even promise tonight. Are you sure about this?”
Reaching out, she brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, her touch gentle and yet so powerful at the same time. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Then she wrapped her hand behind his neck and yanked his head down.
Her lips melded to his, soft and sweet. She told him so much with that kiss, and yet left him wanting more. When she arched her back, her pert nipples brushing his bare chest, the sweet kiss morphed into one of need. His hands slid down the smooth skin of her shoulder, skimming over the curve of her breast.
The CEO's Seduction (A Hamilton Family Series) Page 8