everything. Not that she managed to move him.
‘The last thing you needed was me coming on to you this weekend.’
‘If you say I’m vulnerable…’ She began shakily.
‘Maybe I’m the one who’s vulnerable.’ He smoothed her hair. ‘I want to bury myself in you and not let you leave the hotel till Monday. Maybe Tuesday.’
She glanced up, shocked into meeting his eyes.
Their golden blaze spoke of the intensity of his emotions even as he kept his voice steady. ‘We can’t confuse things between us, Jessica. You hired me to be your emotional bodyguard. I don’t know if I understand what you mean by that, but I’ve seen for myself that you need someone by your side. Someone who isn’t demanding things from you. As a lover, I’d demand more than anyone. I’d demand all of you.’
She shivered, because that was sweet and terrifying.
‘We can’t do it,’ he continued. ‘So I’m going to walk away, have a cold shower, and when we go to dinner tonight, I’m just a stranger you’ve decided to trust. I’ll be there for you, but not as your lover.’
‘Brodie.’
Emotion flickered across his face, too fast for her to interpret.
He stepped back. ‘Cold shower. Dinner. We’ll get through this weekend.’
‘And then?’ She didn’t need a cold shower. She felt cold, now.
‘And then I think we’ll find that there’s nothing between us.’ He walked away and closed the door to his room.
***
Brodie braced both hands on the white tile of the hotel shower and let the cold water pound his body. He was a liar. There was something between him and Jessica. It was potent as hell, strong enough to drag his deepest emotions out of him. He hadn’t been this out of control in years. He’d been drunk on the scent and warmth of her, the softness of her body and the way she responded to him.
When she’d whispered his name, he would have followed her to hell and back.
But that was all intangible stuff. The facts, the truths that stood out like torched-car bodies in a bomb-blasted street, were stark realities of the differences between them. She had a PhD and a billion dollars. He’d skidded through high school and was currently unemployed. She was a cup of tea. He was a bottle of beer. The differences wouldn’t matter if their relationship was a weekend affair, but he knew himself, and he’d learned the same of Jessica: for them, sex wouldn’t be casual.
It would be frigging amazing.
He swore under his breath. If the lift hadn’t arrived when it had. If the two strangers hadn’t walked past. If he hadn’t had that cliff edge return to sanity, he’d know how Jessica looked, sounded and felt as she orgasmed.
He punished himself with another two minutes of cold shower, then focused on getting ready for dinner.
Jessica hadn’t been the only one buying new clothes that afternoon. He’d bought good quality trousers and the sort of expensive shoes that went with them, and because you could leave the army, but it wouldn’t always leave you, he’d also bought shoe polish and spent twenty minutes shining them. He’d also bought a shirt and tie the salesman recommended. Jessica could tell him if he’d need the tie.
Shaving was an automatic procedure. The contours of his face were all hard edges. His square jaw was fair warning to anyone interested that he could out-stubborn a mule.
The shirt was white, making him wonder why he’d bothered to buy one so expensive when he had two other cotton ones in his bag. But the shirt was for Jessica, and his own pride. He’d be a fitting escort for her tonight.
He looped the tie around the collar and crossed to the bedside table. Wallet and keys went into his pockets. He hadn’t bought a jacket. The spring night was warm enough to go without his leather jacket and so he left it hanging over the back of a chair.
They had forty minutes before they needed to leave for her stepmother’s house. Brodie walked out to the balcony and stood watching the sunset
‘The last thing you needed was me coming on to you this weekend.’
‘If you say I’m vulnerable…’ She began shakily.
‘Maybe I’m the one who’s vulnerable.’ He smoothed her hair. ‘I want to bury myself in you and not let you leave the hotel till Monday. Maybe Tuesday.’
She glanced up, shocked into meeting his eyes.
Their golden blaze spoke of the intensity of his emotions even as he kept his voice steady. ‘We can’t confuse things between us, Jessica. You hired me to be your emotional bodyguard. I don’t know if I understand what you mean by that, but I’ve seen for myself that you need someone by your side. Someone who isn’t demanding things from you. As a lover, I’d demand more than anyone. I’d demand all of you.’
She shivered, because that was sweet and terrifying.
‘We can’t do it,’ he continued. ‘So I’m going to walk away, have a cold shower, and when we go to dinner tonight, I’m just a stranger you’ve decided to trust. I’ll be there for you, but not as your lover.’
‘Brodie.’
Emotion flickered across his face, too fast for her to interpret.
He stepped back. ‘Cold shower. Dinner. We’ll get through this weekend.’
‘And then?’ She didn’t need a cold shower. She felt cold, now.
‘And then I think we’ll find that there’s nothing between us.’ He walked away and closed the door to his room.
***
Brodie braced both hands on the white tile of the hotel shower and let the cold water pound his body. He was a liar. There was something between him and Jessica. It was potent as hell, strong enough to drag his deepest emotions out of him. He hadn’t been this out of control in years. He’d been drunk on the scent and warmth of her, the softness of her body and the way she responded to him.
When she’d whispered his name, he would have followed her to hell and back.
But that was all intangible stuff. The facts, the truths that stood out like torched-car bodies in a bomb-blasted street, were stark realities of the differences between them. She had a PhD and a billion dollars. He’d skidded through high school and was currently unemployed. She was a cup of tea. He was a bottle of beer. The differences wouldn’t matter if their relationship was a weekend affair, but he knew himself, and he’d learned the same of Jessica: for them, sex wouldn’t be casual.
It would be frigging amazing.
He swore under his breath. If the lift hadn’t arrived when it had. If the two strangers hadn’t walked past. If he hadn’t had that cliff edge return to sanity, he’d know how Jessica looked, sounded and felt as she orgasmed.
He punished himself with another two minutes of cold shower, then focused on getting ready for dinner.
Jessica hadn’t been the only one buying new clothes that afternoon. He’d bought good quality trousers and the sort of expensive shoes that went with them, and because you could leave the army, but it wouldn’t always leave you, he’d also bought shoe polish and spent twenty minutes shining them. He’d also bought a shirt and tie the salesman recommended. Jessica could tell him if he’d need the tie.
Shaving was an automatic procedure. The contours of his face were all hard edges. His square jaw was fair warning to anyone interested that he could out-stubborn a mule.
The shirt was white, making him wonder why he’d bothered to buy one so expensive when he had two other cotton ones in his bag. But the shirt was for Jessica, and his own pride. He’d be a fitting escort for her tonight.
He looped the tie around the collar and crossed to the bedside table. Wallet and keys went into his pockets. He hadn’t bought a jacket. The spring night was warm enough to go without his leather jacket and so he left it hanging over the back of a chair.
They had forty minutes before they needed to leave for her stepmother’s house. Brodie walked out to the balcony and stood watching the sunset
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