Into The Dragon's World - Brittany White Page 0,38

last couple of weeks, she had grown accustomed to sleeping beside him and having his solid warmth pressed beside her. Even on the nights they didn’t make love, she felt connected to him. When he curled up behind her and flattened his hand across her belly, she wondered if he might already suspect she was pregnant.

The only thing nagging at her now was his seeming inability to tell her he loved her. She sensed that he loved her, felt it every time he touched her, every time they kissed. She could look into his eyes and see the affection in them. When he gazed at her, he did so greedily, as if trying to take all of her in at once. But he didn’t say the words. And so, neither did she.

“I met Savannah ten years ago,” Brady finally said, shaking Casey from her thoughts. “She was at the club with a bunch of her friends. Bachelorette party. She was the maid of honor, so she was throwing the whole thing.”

Casey watched a slight smile curl at the corner of Brady’s full lips. He continued to stare at the ceiling, a million miles away. A faint tendril of jealousy uncoiled inside her, even though she tried to force it away.

“Her friends had gotten into an argument with another bachelorette party over penis straws.” Brady laughed and looked at Casey again. “Apparently, the opposing party had stolen the ones for Savannah’s friends. I don’t know...there were a lot of penis-shaped odds and ends floating around that night.”

Casey managed a smile. “Sounds like every bachelorette party I’ve ever gone to.”

“I had to break up a fight between the two maids of honor and that’s when I met her.” He disappeared into his memories again. “She slugged me. Solid right-hook. Somebody called the cops, and the last I saw of her that night, she was being taken away in a patrol car.”

“Sounds like a fairy tale.” Casey suddenly wanted him to stop talking about it. Maybe she didn’t need to know how beautiful and perfect Savannah had been. Maybe it would be better if she didn’t know what standard she needed to live up to.

“I took care of her bail,” Brady said quietly, his smile beginning to fade. “She came back the next day and apologized for everything. I liked her, and we began dating after that.”

“Mmm-hmm…” Casey closed her eyes and regretted asking him about Savannah. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say. That Savannah had been okay, but boring? That he had loved her, but he hadn’t loved her loved her? This was a mistake. A huge mistake.

“Why do you want to know?” Brady asked, looking over to her again. “You look like this is bothering you.”

Yes, it’s bothering me, she wanted to say. I just want to know why you loved her and not me.

“Because she was important to you,” she said instead. “She’s still a part of your life, even if she’s not here.”

Brady thought about that for a moment. “I took it hard when she died. I know Jasmine’s probably told you the story.”

“Yeah,” Casey said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a drunk driver. Swerved over into our side of the road. I was driving. I thought she had her seat belt on, but she always complained about wearing one.” Brady’s eyes darkened. “She survived the crash, but there was too much brain damage. By the time I got her out of the car, everything that made Savannah Savannah was gone.”

The pain in his voice broke Casey’s heart. She hadn’t meant for him to have to relive that night. She pressed a soft kiss against his shoulder, her hand flattening over his chest. “Brady…”

“I was supposed to protect her,” Brady said quietly. His voice was thick with unshed tears. “She trusted me. She loved me. And I was supposed to keep her safe. But I couldn’t…”

Casey rose up beside him, her weight on her elbow. “It wasn’t your fault.”

He shook his head quickly, looking away.

“Brady...she loved you. You did everything she needed you to do. More, probably.” Casey gently stroked Brady’s hair from his forehead. “She knew how much you loved her.”

“We had a fight, just before we left that night.” Brady’s voice was little more than a whisper. He wouldn’t meet Casey’s gaze, lost in his past. “She wanted me to sell the club and move out west with her. I tried to explain about my responsibilities, but it made no sense to her. She couldn’t