“Keep the windows open if you’re going to be home. Make sure to drink lots of—“
“I’m not an idiot. I am a nurse, you know?” I shook my head, hating how stupid I felt. God, why did he make me feel like some hopeless, daydreaming school girl with her head in the clouds? “Plus, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“I know,” he sighed. His eyes pinned me to the spot where I was standing. “Val—“
“Go.” I smiled tightly. I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he was going to give me. I needed to find some space between us and get some control over the attraction I felt when it came to him. “I’m going to change.”
“Oh?” His face scrunched, tilting to the side. His light eyes still on me made me squirm slightly. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Hit the gym,” I shared unnecessarily. He wasn’t my boyfriend or dad or anything to me. Why did I feel the need to share?
“Huh.” His eyes skimmed my body, and I felt it like a freaking touch. Enough was enough.
“Go get ready. We both have…plans,” I told him, and for a pregnant minute, everything was quiet between us. Tension and confusion floated around us.
“Yeah. I’ll see you later.” He finally broke the silence and nodded, taking a step toward the house.
“I guess.”
“You guess?” he asked, grabbing my wrist but not pulling my body toward him. I stopped walking.
“Well, we both do live here,” I pointed out, glancing over my shoulder and tugging my hand out of his. “I’m guessing we will see each other eventually.”
“Fuck, you don’t make shit easy, do you?” he asked, and I bit the inside of my lip and shrugged.
“I’ll see you.”
“Yeah. Later.” He grimaced. I nodded then turned and kept walking, glad that I was in front of him so I wouldn’t have to look at him and chance drooling over him.
Reaching my bedroom, the house thankfully a little cooler than the night before, my hand on the doorknob, I couldn’t get myself inside. I stood there and turned to look at him.
“Bryan?”
“Yeah?” He stood down the hall, and because I was obviously dumb when it came to him, I mumbled, “Be safe,” before rushing inside my room.
CHAPTER SEVEN
VALERIE
It was hot.
Too hot.
The walls felt like they were going to start closing in on me. Fighting the heat had been pretty easy during the day.
After coming back from the gym, I had spent most of the day swaying back and forth on the comfy hammock as I read and actually relaxed.
Until I heard Bryan come in around eight. His phone was to his ear as he mumbled agreement or disagreement with whomever he was talking to, so I was able to sneak into my room.
But now, after eleven, not even the ceiling fan was helping. My neck was slick with perspiration as I lay on my back. I needed a glass of ice water. Badly. But in my sneaking away, I didn’t plan ahead and bring amenities with me.
Hungry and dying of thirst, I got out of bed and looked down. I’d gone to bed in my underwear and a tank top. Normally, living with Vaughn, I wouldn’t have thought twice about what I was wearing or what I wasn’t. But since it was a little after eleven thirty, it wasn’t late enough to ensure Bryan was asleep in his room. Slipping on a pair of black cotton shorts that hit maybe and inch higher than mid-thigh, I opened my bedroom door slowly and slipped out.
The house was quiet and dark as I sneaked into the empty living room that was what felt at least ten degrees cooler than my bedroom. Reaching the kitchen, still looking behind me, I was about to laugh at how ridiculous I was being.
Avoiding Bryan. What am I, ten?
“Hey,” Bryan’s deep voice chimed the moment I turned the light on in the kitchen, scaring me half to death.
“Shit!” I hissed, holding my hand to my chest, my eyes adjusting to the sight of him sitting at the old, worn-in dining table.
“Sorry.” He shrugged, not looking at all sorry.
“What are you doing?”
“Sitting.” He pointed down at the table and chair he sat on, and I swallowed hard.
“Oh.” I tried to think of something witty to say and failed. Giving up, I sighed and walked to the fridge.
“You?”
“Just getting something to drink and then I will be out of your hair.”
“You hungry?” he asked. I looked over my shoulder. He looked really good. Shirtless and in what looked like another pair of gym shorts. Though these were navy versus the grey ones he’d worn the night before.
“Umm, I—“
“I was thinking about grilling up some burgers.”
“Burgers?
“Yeah, outside.”
“We don’t have a grill.”
“We do. I brought one over earlier.”
“Oh.”
“So?”
“Umm, I don’t want to intru—“
“You wouldn’t be,” he shared, standing up and walking over to me the moment I closed the fridge, a cold water bottle in hand.
“It’s a little late to cook and eat this, umm, late—“
“That doesn’t even make sense.” He grinned and took the bottle out of my hand, placing it smoothly on the top of the fridge next to the boxes of cereal.
“I, umm…” I stuttered, noticing he smelled good. Like manly body wash and just him. It was probably laced with some kind of weird voodoo potion, because it was wreaking havoc with my brain.
As he caged me in with my back against the slight coolness of the refrigerator door, I started to drown in the light grey-blue pools of his eyes. “Miss me today?” he asked arrogantly, and I rolled my eyes trying to stay strong and seem indifferent.
“It’s too hot to cook,” I pointed out, ignoring his question.
“You’re right,” he agreed, taking his arms away from the kitchen appliance behind me but not moving away. “It is too hot. Did you get my text?”
“About the HVAC guy?”
“Yeah.“
“Yes,” I lamely mumbled and could see the way his lips twitched. I was definitely amusing him tonight.
“He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Good. I should probably grab my water…” I said, hating that it sounded unsure. I was not the kind of woman to be unsure around anyone, especially not men. Not ever. Only it seemed I was when around Bryan and his sexy, tanned muscles and beautiful eyes. “And, umm…”
“Put on some shoes.”
“What?”
“Put on some shoes and come on,” he said as he stepped back, a light in his eyes highlighting the blue and shining over the grey. I was more than mesmerized by it.
“Shoes?”
“Yup.” One side of his lips went up and he stepped away from me, his back to me as he walked out of the kitchen. I followed. He picked up his keys and pulled a t-shirt that had been thrown on the couch over his head.
“Shoes?” he asked challengingly, and I bit the inside of my lip.
“I just… it’s late and I just needed some water…”
“Okay. No shoes works, too.” He stalked toward me, catching me by surprise.
Next thing I knew, he had me over his shoulder and my hands were on his back as he walked out then locked the front door of the house and settled us into his SUV. “What? What are you doing?” I asked him.
“It’s too hot to cook.”
“And?”
“In-N-Out is open.” All he had to do was mention the place, and my stomach rumbled and I could smell the delicious burgers.
“Fine. In-N-Out. But we can only do a drive thru. I’m not wearing shoes,” I reminded him.
“Fine. But I want it noted, I did tell you to put some on.” He smirked and started up the car, the engine roaring to life.
“Fine.” I shrugged, a smile playing over my lips as I stared out the passenger window while he drove us away. Wondering how or why he seemed to make me smile when I least expected i
t.
BRYAN
She is too fucking cute for her own good, was all he could think as he drove to get something to eat, an immediate plan stirring in his mind.
He hadn’t wanted to go to work on his first day off. Especially not on a day where he had been able to wake up to her in his arms, her mouth on his skin, and she had agreed to let him take her on a date. But he’d had no choice. A lead in a case was exactly what they had needed to catch a group of burglars that had hit up a certain area of the city.
Between the lead and all the damn paperwork that followed, he hadn’t had a chance to even call her. Not that he was even sure she would actually answer his calls. Hell, she hadn’t even texted back a simple okay when he had messaged her about the HVAC guy.
He hadn’t lied to her. After his divorce, he had not dated. But the occasional woman he had picked up always texted back. Hell, he’d had to ignore a couple.
But his little blonde was unlike any woman he had ever met. Ever. Hell, he could only imagine her around the women in his family, and he was sure she could give them a run for their money, which was saying something.
“What do you want?” he asked without stealing a glance at her.
“A burger.” Her sarcasm was a turn-on. He must be sick, really sick in the head to get turned on by her wit.
“They only make burgers,” he pointed out, looking out into the darkness of the night.
“Not true. They make grilled cheese sandwiches,” she answered, and he couldn’t help the chuckle that made it out of the back of his throat.
“That’s on their secret menu.” He took advantage of the red light to look at her.
She turned her eyes, bright with a big smile, as she shook her head, a small wisp of hair coming lose from the ponytail she’d thrown the mass of hair she had in. “No, it isn’t. Animal style fries and burgers are on the secret menu. The flying Dutchman is on the secret menu. Even the Neapolitan shakes are on the secret menu. But the grilled cheese sandwich is on the regular old menu.”
“Why do they even have a secret menu?” he asked. He liked the way her green eyes seemed to glitter and her cheeks flushed with enthusiasm.
“I know, right? And who do they think they are tricking, anyhow?” God, she was beautiful. He opened his mouth to say something, but the car behind him honked at him, letting him know the light had turned green.
Turning to pay attention as he drove, he asked her again, “So, what do you want to eat?”
“Why?” she asked, a small giggle escaping
“You getting out of the car?”
“Like this?”
“Yeah.” He glanced at her and knew there was no way he would let her out like that. She was in tiny freaking pajamas and had no idea how hot she looked. All long, tan legs and curves that made his mouth water. Mine. Yup. No way in hell would anyone see her like that, but he wasn’t about to let her know that. Tearing his eyes off her, he coughed trying to clear his throat. “Yeah, why not?”
“You didn’t let me put on shoes.“
“I warned you. Plus, this was your idea.”
“What? It was, huh?” she asked with wide eyes, and he sighed playfully when he could see she was fighting a smile.
“Yup. You woke me up out of bed where I was having this dream about Disneyland—“
“Disneyland?”
“Yes. Anyhow, you woke me up and said, ‘Handsome, we need to go get some burgers,’ and I was like, ‘But Blondie, it’s late,’ and you were like, ‘Who cares, old man. I need it and I need it now.” Her infectious giggles filled his space, and his hand roamed to the center console.
He didn’t fight the cheesy-ass grin that graced his face when her hand covered his.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BRYAN
“Oh, my God!” she moaned. He tried to think about hideous things, so his body wouldn’t react to her sexy little mewls, but it was impossible. He was hard. Harder than hard. “This is so good.” He watched her lick clean the tip of her thumb and bit back his own moan.
After grabbing Double-Doubles, fries, soda, and shakes in the drive through to go, he had driven them up to a spot he liked. It was on the side of a hill, away from everything that was LA life. High enough so that they could watch the city beneath, all the lights sparkling like stars under them as they sat on the tailgate of his SUV.
“Good?” he asked, his eyes skating over her sweet little body as her bare legs swung back and forth.
“I love In-N-Out.”
“Me too,” he said, looking out into the distance.
“You haven’t touched your food,” she pointed out, and he took a huge bite of his burger, shutting his own eyes as the taste of the juicy cheeseburger hit his taste buds.
“Mmm,” he groaned, swallowing and taking a long drink of his soda. “Damn, that’s good.” Opening his eyes, he saw Valerie’s own were pinned to his lips.
“Sounds good,” she whispered, her gaze moving up to look at him through her lashes. He wanted his mouth on hers so damn bad he could almost feel the soft plushness of her lips.
He didn’t think and he sure as hell didn’t hesitate. He had given her enough space.
Bryan leaned toward her, taking in the way her breath hitched. She wanted him just as badly. When he reached his destination, their lips touched, and just like with every stolen kiss before, sparks flew, igniting a need like none he had ever known.
They kissed like a pair of high school teenagers. Hands roamed over clothing at first, slowly building the white-hot burn as they finally moved beneath the fabric and they were skin to skin. He had never been as worked up with a woman as he was with Valerie. But then again, everything was different with his sassy little blonde.
Their meal was cold by the time they pulled away. Lying on her back, she looked at him through glitter-filled eyes, while half his body covered hers.
“We keep doing this,” she said with a shuddered breath, caressing his face with her fingertips.
“We do.”
“We really shouldn’t, Bryan.”
“I don’t agree. It’s a lot of fun.” He winked, which granted him a smirk before she shook her head and glared at him playfully.
“I bet you like doing all sort of things just because they’re fun.”
“And you like to be a grandma,” he teased.
“I don’t.” She beamed as her head titled upward. Their lips touched, and once again, they lost themselves in a kiss.
VALERIE
His hand in mine, he led the way into the house. He only stopped to kick his shoes off at the door. I bit my tongue from telling him he should put them in his room.
“What are we doing?” I whispered even though it was only the two of us in the house.
There was something intimate but at the same time carefree about the both of us getting back home a little past two in the morning after we had gone to eat and make out in a romantic, secluded spot above the city. I’d never done that. Yet with Bryan, I kept finding myself in new and adventurous situations.
“I think it’s hotter in here than outside,” I noted nervously as we passed the kitchen, but he didn’t say anything.
He opened the back door and looked at me, urging me to walk ahead of him. Walking outside, sighing my relief at the fresh air, I couldn’t help but breathe in deeply, the scent of salt water filling my lungs.
“Guy’s coming to look over the AC tomorrow morning,” he shared right before lifting his tee off and over his head.
“Okay,” I croaked, my gaze on his big hand rubbing his neck, and I was like a moth to a fire. “Does your neck hurt?”
“No, it’s just—“
“Sit,” I ordered, my hands not aching to touch him again. Liar.
“Sit?” He raised an eyebrow, and I walked to the chair.
“Come on,” I urged, and he sat down.
My hands fell onto his broad shoulders; his skin radiated an exquisite heat. When my thumbs dug into his flesh, his head fell forward as a seductive
groan filled my ears and spurred my need to have him make that sound over and over. I worked his muscles switching from barely-there touches to deep, firm strokes. My mouth watered at the sight of his bare skin under the moonlight.
“God…” he groaned, and with every sound that escaped him, my body reacted. My skin felt like it was on fire, my breasts heavy and too sensitive, not to mention the wetness between my legs. “Your hands are like magic, baby.”
I opened my mouth but immediately closed it, not having a smart-ass response, and I didn’t trust my own voice not to give away how turned on I was. My eyes fixed on his freckle-lined shoulders. I wanted to play connect the dots with those freckles. With my tongue.
I rubbed, stroked, caressed, and kneaded until my hands felt like they were going to fall off, but even then, I didn’t want to take them off him.
He must have been able to sense how tired I was getting, because his fingertips draped over mine. “Thank you.” My legs clenched together at the husky tone of his voice.
His fingers pulled mine toward his mouth and he planted the lightest of kisses on the tips. “You have great hands.”
“You have great shoulders,” I whispered, meaning it. Broad and muscular. He could carry the world there. My free hand skated up and down his arm, coming back to his shoulder. “We should probably get to sleep.” He shifted in the chair and pulled me around, making me sit on his lap.
“What are—“
“I want you,” he announced, and when I shifted in his lap, I felt just how much he did.
“Bry—“
“I’m not going to rush you.”
“Who says you are?” I brazenly asked and could see the internal fight inside of him. What is holding him back?
“Val,” he growled, making me shiver, and it had nothing to do with the way the temperature had dropped. I closed my eyes. I was an idiot.
“I get it,” I whispered, embarrassment flooding every molecule of my body. His body might want me, but he wasn’t sure about me.
“By the look one your face, baby, I can tell you don’t.” At his words and tone, I popped my eyes open only to take in that he’d leaned in closer, so close that all I could see was his handsome, masculine face. “I want you. I want you in every way possible.”
STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2) Page 8