All In(12)

I just grinned and imagined her stripping in a poker game because I would win every hand. Very, very nice imagery I conjured up too.

In the end she asked to stop by her flat so she could get her ‘pills.’ I wasn’t sure if that meant birth control or the sleeping pills and I had no intention of asking either. We definitely needed both. So I did what any bloke with a functioning brain would do. I drove her to her flat. Again, I pride myself in not being a moron.

I waited while she packed a bag. I told her to bring enough for a few days. What I really wanted was for her to stay at my place indefinitely, but didn’t think this was the proper moment to broach that subject—my non-moron status notwithstanding.

Memories flooded my brain when we stepped inside. The wall adjacent from the front door would forever be seared into my frontal lobe. The picture of her in that short purple dress and boots, held up by me. Christ, she’d been magnificent working out my c**k up against the wall that night. I love that f**king wall. Funny. I smirked to myself at my clever joke.

“What are you smiling about now?” Brynne asked as she came out of her bedroom with her packed bag, looking much better than she had earlier in the evening. Her feisty personality was back.

“Ummm…I was just thinking about how much I love your wall.” I gave her my best eyebrow quirk and took the bag from her hand.

Brynne’s lovely lips parted in an expression of surprise that quickly turned to humor. “You still manage to make me laugh, Ethan, in spite of everything. You have a rare talent for it.”

“Thanks. I like to share all my talents with you,” I said suggestively, putting my arm around her as we came out of her flat. She glanced a peek at the wall herself when we passed it. “I saw that,” I said.

“Saw what?” she asked innocently. Oh, she had a poker face for sure. I couldn’t wait to start playing cards with her.

“You looked at the wall and remembered shagging me against it.”

She elbowed me playfully in the ribs as we walked. “I did no such thing! And you shagged me, not the other way around.”

“Whatever.” I tickled her and made her squirm into me. It felt lovely having her in my arms again. “Just fess up to the truth, baby, that was an epic shag we had on that wall.”

By the time I got Brynne behind the closed doors of my flat, the summer night had fully settled over the city.

Enroute, we’d ended up stopping one final time to purchase a new mobile number and device for her. It had taken nearly an hour to get set up, but necessary. Her old mobile was now in my possession. Whoever rang looking for Brynne Bennett on that number would get to deal with me.

Maybe tonight I’d investigate the caller and possibly talk to Tom Bennett. Not a conversation I was thrilled about, but not one I would avoid either. Cheers, Tom. I’m shagging your daughter again. Oh, and before I forget, you must know that her safety is completely in my hands now. Did I also mention that she is mine? Mine, Tom. I keep what’s mine very close and very safe.

I wondered how he’d take the news, and then I realized that I didn’t much care. He was the one who’d put Brynne in my path. She was my priority now. I cared about her. I only wanted to protect and keep her from harm. He would have to deal with the situation just like I had to deal with it.

I walked up behind her standing at the window, staring out at the city lights. She’d told me she loved my view the first time I’d brought her home. I’d told her I loved the view of her standing in my house and that nothing compared. It still didn’t in my opinion.

I touched her carefully, my hands on her shoulders, my lips at her ear. “What are you looking at?”

She saw my reflection in the glass so she wasn’t startled. “The city. I love the lights at night.”

“I love looking at you looking at the lights at night.” I moved her hair to the side and kissed her neck. She tilted her head to give me access as I inhaled, the scent of her skin drugging me—making me utterly mad for her. “It feels so good with you here,” I whispered.

All the time I struggled with my desires when she was near. This was a new problem I’d never faced in a relationship before. I loved the shagging part—I’m a guy and I have a cock. I’ve never had trouble finding dates either. Women like my looks and as Dad said, it made things easier, but not necessarily better. When women chased after you because they thought you looked hot and had a little money it quickly reduced things down to a very basic exchange. Some dinner, some sex, maybe a second date-slash-bang-session. And then…goodbye. The bottom line is I don’t like to be used, and I’ve had years of attempts from females to put me off of dating for sex.

Brynne evoked a different reaction from me and she’d done so since the very first meeting. She never chased me for one thing. If I hadn’t heard her call me beautiful on the headset that night at the gallery I wouldn’t know she ever saw me. She pushed all the right buttons, and for the first time I cared about the woman so much more than the sex with the woman.

Oh I still cared about the sex, but it was very different now. The dominant needs in me had blossomed since finding Brynne, as if she was the catalyst. In fact, I knew she was. I wanted things with her that frightened me because I didn’t want—no, couldn’t bear to lose her over it.

What she’d shared tonight scared the absolute f**king hell out of me. It also made her mysterious behavior in the beginning very clear. I had a few answers at least about why she kept running.

“I’m glad too.” She breathed out a long breath. “I missed you so much, Ethan.” She leaned back into me, the curve of her bum coming right up against my hips. With just the layer of spandex from her track shorts covering that lovely part of her, my c**k woke right up, ready and volunteering for duty.

Sweet Christ! That’s all it took to get me started. She would feel my erection in a moment and then what? I shouldn’t be coming on to her right now. She was still fragile and needed to finish her story. If only I could tell that to my cock. I turned her head to meet mine and engulfed her lips in a very deep kiss that let all the logic fall away. I nibbled and sucked on her lips, trying to pull her into me. She tasted so fine. Brynne melted right into where I wanted to take this, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull back now. I was in very great need of claiming my woman again.

Only a bastard would want to take her to bed and get her naked right now. Ergo, I was such a dirty bastard.

I could live with that.

Brynne always told me she liked when I was blunt. She’d said she felt better about me telling her what I wanted because she knew what was coming. She needed that from me. So I took a deep breath and told her what I wanted.

“I want to take you to bed right now. I want you in my arms and I want…inside you.” I searched her face held in my two hands and looked for her answer.