Page 70 of Strung Along
His chin presses to the back of my head as he nods. “I know. Come with me so we can talk in private.”
“Is there a ‘please’ in there somewhere?” I ask, nipping at the inside of my cheek.
His lips brush the back of my ear, and I shiver, goosebumps decorating my skin. “Please.”
“Okay. Alright.”
He pushes his shoulder against the door behind him and leads us inside. It takes more effort than it should to leave the warm hold of his arms, but when I do, I watch him flip the lock on the bathroom door. My stomach lurches with both excitement and nerves, wondering why he felt the need to ensure we weren’t interrupted. It must be more than just not wanting a quiet space, right?
He turns back to face me, and I’m not anywhere near prepared to see his blown black eyes taking in the sight of me in this dress. I was hoping he’d like it, but he’s already seen it, and I won’t lie and say that thought hadn’t been messing with my head all day.
“Beautiful, Anna. Fuckin’ prettiest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire twenty-eight years of living. A far cry from just fine,” he admits, awe so heavy and clear in his voice that it takes me aback, makes my eyes burn with tears I can’t blink away fast enough. The call back to our first messages is too much.
“Don’t cry,” he says gently, closing the distance I’ve put between us in a single step, his chest brushing up against mine. Carefully brushing away the wetness beneath my eye without ruining my makeup, he rests his other hand at the curve of my waist, the fit of it perfect.
“You aren’t allowed to make me cry from your pretty words when I’m upset with you,” I whisper.
His lashes flutter as his eyelids fall to half-mast, the intensity in the blue beneath them fierce and strong. “That’s fair. Don’t want you to cry anyway. Especially not because of me.”
I focus on my breathing as I release a calming exhale. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
He doesn’t need me to clarify. I would have if he asked, but Brody is a smart man. Without having to read my mind, he knows what I mean.
The warmth of his palm seeps into my cheek as he holds me there, tracing the outline of my lips with his thumb in smooth glides.
“I didn’t tell you I was Bo because I was scared. Scared of what it would mean to open up that final door between us. I thought I needed more time to keep my secrets and hide behind some metaphorical wall of privacy. But you were already knockin’ down those walls plank by plank with every one of your sweet smiles and understanding touches. Even that smartass mouth that I want to kiss more often than not had me all twisted up inside. It was only wasted time not takin’ that step sooner, on my own. I knew you’d accept me for all I am long before tonight, Anna. You’re too good a woman not to.”
Emotion balls in my throat, making it impossible to swallow my whimper. It’s a soft, quiet sound, but one that emphasizes how much his words mean to me. Pretty words can be just that. Empty and soulless yet beautiful. But sometimes, pretty words can also be those that you reach for in your worst moments, when you need something good to hold on to.
These will be words I hold on to forever.
“And tonight? You could have asked me to come with you. I would have. I’m pretty sure I’d go anywhere with you,” I admit, not ashamed of my vulnerability.
Brody leans down and braces his forehead against mine, holding me steadily in place with the hand cupping my cheek. Ifight the urge to shut my eyes and soak in this gentle moment, forcing them open and holding his. Blue with grey specks, like clouds cast across a clear summer sky.
“And I’d go anywhere with you. Should have asked you to be my date. I’d have arrived with the prettiest one out there. I’m sorry I didn’t. I just knew that if I brought you with me, I would have blurted out the truth without collectin’ my thoughts the way I wanted to. It’s been torture enough not kissin’ you since I watched you handlin’ my horse with more care than I’ve ever seen anyone do other than me. You’re a gentle soul, and even Sky knew it. Recognized it on first glance the way I wish I had. I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes with you on my arm here without taking your mouth again, and you deserved this moment first. These answers.”
Each word is a declaration. A promise without the pinky swear. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll wish I had been more stubborn, that I had made him work harder for my forgiveness, but I didn’t need some grand gesture. Just honest words and a sincere smile like the one right in front of me.
“I like Sky almost as much as I like you. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to like her more when you go and say such beautiful, honest things like that to me. She’s just a horse at the end of the day,” I tease, lifting my hand and bringing it to his face, indulging in the feel of the thickness of his beard scraping my palm before sliding it behind his neck, the soft curls there tickling my fingers.
The velvet feel of his hat blocks off the majority of his hair, and when I tuck my fingers beneath it, he seems to get the memo. In a swift movement, he sets the hat down on the counter, giving me free rein to run my fingers through his hair. I succumb to the invitation, threading them through the thick curls without hesitation. My nails scratch at his scalp, pulling a rough sound from his throat.
“And what am I?” he asks, nearly groaning the question.
Digging into the well of my confidence, I answer, “My man.”
He answers me by pressing me flat up against his chest, our hearts beating perfectly in time, and kisses me so hard I see stars.
28
BRODY
My man.
Her man. Hers, hers, hers. It’s the most important title I think I’ve ever had. Would bet money on nothing ever coming close to it. Hit me like a pair of hooves to the chest that day in the stables, but it had been brewing long before that. My feelings are so prominent they have a heartbeat of their own, thumping in time with the one in my chest.
Her perfume floods my senses, drowning out the room, the white marble tiles and constant drip of one of the sink taps. Even the lingering ache in my throat fades, my voice weak enough that one song took more out of me than recording all damn day used to.