I nodded. “What else do you want?”
“What?”
“You said you want all these things. That’s plural. You’ve only listed one.”
“Always the rapt listener.”
Flecks of cold bit at my cheeks, and I looked up to see snow falling. It was the wet kind, big flakes that would surely melt as soon as they hit the ground. We didn’t move, still staring at each other, one block from his apartment. “I want to wake up to you in the morning. I want to share my day with you. I want to know you in every way possible.”
I didn’t even know how to respond besides dissolving into a puddle of goop on the sidewalk. My chest felt heavy due to the fact that my heart had grown ten sizes. “I…wow.” How could I even respond to that?
The fabric of my thin jacket clung to my skin as snow began pelting down harder. Brogan held my cheeks with both of his hands, and his eyes searched mine. “I crave you,” he said. “Everything about you.”
I nodded, still stunned into silence. My need for him pulsed strong, low in my belly.
His body pressed against me, his hands snaking through my hair as his lips hovered inches from mine. As soon as our lips connected, my body melted into his, now completely under his spell. Everything else fell away, not even nearly as important as the need to taste his lips, to sweep my tongue over his, to get a reaction from him.
He reluctantly pulled away and groaned. “We should get inside. You’re soaked.”
We sprinted toward his building as the sky opened up to a downpour of flurries in epic proportions. By the time we made it to his condo, my shoes squeaked, and if I wrung out my shirt, a good four inches could collect on the floor. Bruce met us in the entryway in a blur of skittering paws. After Brogan snagged a few treats from the pantry to placate him, Bruce padded over to his doggy bed and lay down.
Brogan smiled and focused his attention to me, grabbing the back of my neck and placing kisses along the bridge of my nose, my cheeks, the line of my jaw. “I love your freckles.”
He continued down the curve of my neck. “And the way you look at me when you think no one is watching.” His fingertips scorched a path along my spine. “Wanting you isn’t even a strong enough word. I need you.” Soft fingers edged their way along the strap of my bra. “I’ve needed you so much this past week, it’s driven me insane.”
I blew out a shaky breath. All I could do was close my eyes and lose myself in the moment, in this gorgeous man.
“Every freckle. Every curl. Every inch of skin.”
My hands were everywhere—in his hair, skimming across warm skin under his shirt, raking down his biceps. “I could get behind that. I like when you break your rules,” I said, breathless.
His gaze softened, and the tenderness in his eyes made my heart pound heavily against my ribcage. “I’d break every last one for you,” he said. “I never knew what I was missing until the day we met.”
I cocked my head. “You mean when I called you the devil.”
Dimples indented his cheeks when he said, “I believe you used the term ‘Antichrist.’”
I smiled. “Technicalities.”
His hand swept across my jaw, his eyes conveying nothing but adoration. “The way you move. The way you smile.” His teeth nipped at my bottom lip, and heat unfurled deep in my belly. “Hell, the way you challenge me. Everything about you speaks to my goddamn soul, Lainey.”
“I told you my determination would grow on you,” I managed to say as his thumbs swiped over my nipples. A shudder wracked my body in response, and I fell against him.
His arm wrapped securely around my waist as he inched me against the hallway wall, my legs between his, my body in desperate need of him. My back hit with a soft thud, and his lips were on me, everywhere, unrelenting, driving me mad.
The way he was baring himself, leaving himself open, vulnerable—it sent me reeling. He was ready for us. And lord knew I was ready, too. The fact that this was happening, something I’d waited for, that I’d wanted for months, and to know he felt the same way, too…it made me dizzy.
My heart crashed against my chest in a rhythmic chant of his name. Brogan. Brogan. Brogan. I arched my back, pressing into him, my chest brushing against his. I couldn’t get close enough. Needed to get closer.
I made deft work of the buttons on his shirt, and in a matter of moments it lay pooled on the floor. I took my time, studying him. The massive shoulders that filled out his suits so nicely. The dip and swell of muscles taught under lean flesh. The dark ink against tanned skin. Brogan was better than a fantasy.
My fingers raked across his inked chest, down his abs, along the V of his waist. He shuddered under my touch and closed his eyes. I did this to him. The rule-maker broke all his rules for me. And that meant everything.
His brown eyes darkened, and his tongue ran across his lips as he edged his hands along the hem of my shirt. He cocked his head, asking silent permission.
Yes. So. Much. Yes.
I lifted my hands up in response, and he tore my shirt off, throwing it on top of his own.
He let out a low groan as his eyes made an appreciative perusal. “You know what I’m thinking about in all those meetings and phone conferences? What I think about in the shower and my bed—every goddamn second of the day?” he growled. His voice vibrated through my chest, stirring up everything inside me, all the pieces aflutter like the flecks of a shaken snow globe.
“What?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“You, Lainey. All I can think about is you.” He pushed me harder against the wall. “I can’t get you off my mind.” His hands cupped the backs of my thighs, and he pulled me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. God, at this moment I’d give this man anything he wanted. Anything. He asked, it was his. I wanted to lose myself in him, for him to show me exactly what he meant by his words.
“Looks like we have the same problem.” My hands scraped along the tight muscles of his back.
He pulled away and looked at me. I mean really looked at me, hitting a point so deep, I’d never come out of this unscathed. “You are not a problem to be solved, Lainey.” His eyes held so much intensity they robbed the breath out of my chest. “You are the answer to my fucking prayers.”
His mouth crashed against mine, unrelenting, as he carried me to his bedroom.
…
A slash of sunlight cut through the curtains at approximately a quarter till way too early. I groaned and turned to my other side, and came face to face with Brogan. His eyes opened lazily, flecks of gold glistening in his brown irises. He smiled and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer. “Morning, beautiful.”
Being cocooned in his arms, in the warmth of his body, the scent of his intoxicating mint body wash…everything made me melt into him and never want to come up for air. What we shared last night, felt like we traded a piece of our souls, a connection I’d never experienced with any other guy before. “Morning,” I said softly, still letting the moment wrap around me like a warm blanket.
“What do you want to do today?” I asked.
He took a deep breath, and his heated gaze raked over me while his hand disappeared under the covers. “You.”
Well, then. A round four? Praise all that was holy, because Brogan was a god in and out of the boardroom. His fingers found their way to the space between my thighs, and I knocked my head back against the pillow, savoring his touch. I could definitely get behind spending an entire day in bed with Brogan.
Unfortunately, Bruce had other plans. He let out a loud fart and began to whine from the end of the bed.
I buried myself under the covers as the smell began to waft my way.
“Bruce, you really know how to ruin a moment, buddy,” Brogan said. He joined me underneath the covers, and his smile softened. He ran his hand along the curve of my hip and said, “Now where was I?”
I pressed my forehead to his, and my fingers traced the stubble on his chin. “I believe you were about to kiss me again.”
&nbs
p; “Ah. I think you’re right.”
His lips brushed mine, and I melted into him. His hands gripped my hips and he rolled me over so that I was straddling him. It was apparent through the thin material of his boxer briefs that he was up for round four. I ground against him, and he let out a low growl, roughly cupping my ass.
“I wish I could wake up every morning like this,” he murmured into my ear.
I deepened our kiss, my tongue sweeping past his lips, putting every bit of myself into this. The sensation of falling without knowing if there was anything below to catch me crashed over me like a wave. It stole my breath, every sensible thought, until the only words coursing through my mind were need, want, must have. Brogan wasn’t something that I could consider a luxury anymore, he was a necessity.
Part of me understood that should scare the hell out of me, but I was too busy losing myself in him.
Brogan reached over to his nightstand and pulled out another condom. Just as he pulled the foil apart, Bruce whined again and pawed at the door.
I sighed and rested my forehead against his. “Do you want me to take him for a walk?”
He pulled the covers off and sat up, bringing me with him. His bare chest against mine was enough to make me want to ignore the dog altogether and continue where we’d left off. “No. He’s my dog. I’ll walk him. But I’d like for you to come with me. And…we’ll continue this later.” The determination in his eyes sent a wave of goose bumps cascading over my arms. It was a promise. One I’d make sure he kept.
Tufts of gray clouds rolled across the hazy Seattle horizon. A thin dusting of snow covered the cars parked along the streets as we made our way down the block an hour past what Bruce deemed as an acceptable time to be walked.
There was one question that was still bugging me from last night. Brogan’s friend Jace had mentioned that his father was the asshole Wall Street type. It made me wonder why Brogan decided to build his own company. This business was hard enough as is. I steeled myself and gripped Bruce’s leash a little harder. “Does your dad live in New York?”
In my other hand, Brogan’s tensed a fraction, but relaxed a moment later. “Part-time. He also owns a home in Bellevue. That’s where he conducts business when he gets tired of the city. He’s been doing that for years.”
“Must have been tough on your family.”
He shrugged. “My parents divorced when I was fifteen,” he said. His voice held a hint of sadness that came as a punch to my stomach.
I nodded. With the number of trust issues he had, it didn’t surprise me. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. My mom cheated on my dad.”
Oh. I hadn’t seen that coming.
“Now he has a new girlfriend every month. It’s like a revolving door in that house.” He pulled up a picture on his phone of his dad in a power suit, and handed it to me. “Meet Brandon Starr. He wants me to take over his firm. Cut me out of his will until I agree.”
I raised a brow. “It’s not like you’re lacking for money.” Brogan had more money than I would ever know what to do with.
“No, but he thinks it’s the ultimate betrayal that I started my own business. He’s tried to buy out my firm a couple of times since the startup. He’s ruthless.”
“That’s horrible.” I stared at the photo. He looked like an older version of Brogan, with his strong chin and lean build. But his eyes held a darkness that Brogan’s didn’t possess.
He turned to me and his gaze flashed with a sudden remembrance. “I forgot to tell you the good news about the hacker on the Willington account. I was a little distracted last night.” He managed a sheepish grin.
“You found out who was behind it?” I’d almost forgotten the whole thing, it’d been so long.
“Turns out it was Craig’s younger brother. Got ahold of his iPhone and thought it’d be funny to start shit with another country star.” He smiled. “No hacker involved.”
I scoffed, but relief ebbed through me. Thank goodness this was just a joke, even if it was in poor taste. “What a twerp.”
“Craig’s handling it. I taught him how to put a password on his phone.”
“Good idea.”
We walked around the park a couple times and then made our way back to Brogan’s condo. As we rounded the corner to his block, a guy with a professional grade camera stood by a car on the other side of the street and snapped a few photos of us.
“Does that usually happen?” I jutted my chin toward the guy wearing a baseball cap, blue jeans, and a T-shirt.
He frowned. “Goes along with the territory of owning a company. I’m usually not interesting enough to make the tabloids, though.”
I moved a few steps further away from Brogan, not wanting to cause any type of scandal in the media. No one would know who I was, but it was best to be careful.
My mom probably wouldn’t be too pleased if she saw my face on the front cover of the National Inquirer. The thought of her triggered the memory of dancing with Brogan last night, how he’d said he hadn’t seen his own parent in years.
“Do you ever talk to your mom? You said back at the bar you didn’t know her address.”
“I haven’t talked to her since she divorced my dad. She left with her assistant and never looked back.” The matter-of-factness of his statement gutted me. How could anyone do that to their family? Just up and leave.
We made our way back inside the building and waited for the elevator. The expression on my face must have changed, because he stopped and squeezed my hand. “Don’t feel bad for me. It happened, it’s over, it’s a part of my past.”
“Is that why you have so many rules? I find it hard to believe the rules are in place just because you’re young and worried about things that might affect your company.” It made sense. His family history was enough to make even the sanest person go crazy.
He paused and seemed to contemplate it. “Maybe. But I think that rules help me keep boundaries. It’s the stuff I can’t define that scares the shit out of me.”
I smoothed my hand down his arm and looked up at him. “The indefinable is what makes life worth living. People aren’t meant to live by a book.”
“That may work for you, Lainey, but I can’t afford for my business life to get muddled with my personal. The only exception is you. I’m willing to try this, because you’re worth it.”
“Thank you for letting me in.”
He nodded. “I’m not perfect. This is really hard for me, but I’m trying.”
The elevator opened, and we stepped inside. Brogan hit the button for his floor. “Since you’re so determined to try, how about a round four?” I smiled up at him.
The doors closed and Brogan pushed me against the wall. “Now, that I can manage.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lainey Taylor Rule of Life #72
Never assume parents always have their kid’s best interests in mind.
The week after Christmas, I returned to work. Brogan and I had been inseparable except for the few days I was at my mom’s house, which I’d spent on her couch watching movies. The doctors said the new chemo meds were effective, and she’d be given her last dose in a couple weeks. She was a fighter and was kicking cancer’s ass.
The past few weeks with Brogan had been a whirlwind of stolen kisses, staying up way too late, and the giddy, sleep-deprived new relationship feeling that washed over me every time I thought of him.
Yellow sunflowers sat on my desk when I entered the building. I smiled, and my heart swelled past capacity. We weren’t in an open relationship in the office, but this was close enough.
A string wound around the base of the flowers, holding a tiny envelope. I slipped it out and opened it.
Meet me at Hillside Park at 8 p.m.
B.S.
Okay, were we going running? Talking about this during work was completely off-limits, but this seemed like a weird request. I shook it off and continued my usual morning ritual of checking my clients’ social media acc
ounts, checking the Cloud, and preparing posts.
I spent the rest of the day buried in paperwork, and by the time I got home to the apartment, I only had forty minutes to shower and change before I had to leave for the park. Such an odd place to meet, but I guessed since he walked Bruce there everyday, it wasn’t too out of the norm.
After washing my face and reapplying my makeup, I pulled my jacket off my chair and breezed out of the apartment. The early-January night still had a bite of winter, and my wet hair started to crisp at the ends.
I sat on the bench that was a central viewing point of the small park.
“You’re very punctual,” came an unfamiliar voice.
My gaze shot up to an older man who I recognized from a photo Brogan had shown me. Brogan’s father.
I wrapped my coat around me tighter. “You sent the flowers?”
“You sound surprised.”
Uh, ya think? “How do you even know me?” But it clicked before he could answer. The guy with the camera a couple weeks ago. He wasn’t from a tabloid. But would Brogan’s father really stoop so low as to have him followed? And why?
“I’ve been following you for a few weeks now.” He tossed a manila folder onto the bench beside me. I opened it up and found zoomed in pictures of Brogan’s condo. Us sitting at the kitchen table. Us kissing at the stove, Brogan’s hands climbing up my back. Us in the bedroom. “Seems you guys have gotten to know each other very well lately.”
My heart sank. If these got out, what would it do to Brogan’s company? And the bigger question—what kind of monster would take photos of his son without his permission?
“What do you want?” I spat the words, closing the folder on our most private moments. My stomach rolled, and I thought I might be sick. My privacy. My body on full display. Someone other than Brogan had seen this, and that invasion sent a ripple of anger and disgust blasting through my veins.
“I have a business proposition.”
“Oh?” What was this, the friggin’ mafia?
The Rule Book (Rule Breakers #1) Page 21