For weeks, she’d purposely kept their conversations short since speaking had been both hard and frustrating for him. But as she’d left his house yesterday, his smoldering stare had promised he would have a lot to say tonight. So did she.
Brea couldn’t wait.
She’d fallen in love with Pierce Walker. After their night together, she’d already been halfway there. But now? There was no denying her stalwart warrior held her whole heart in the palms of his big hands.
Looking back, she suspected she’d been head over heels from the start. Now she had the courage to admit it.
What happened next? She didn’t know, but surely God had a plan. The gospel of John said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” So whatever He had in store, she would follow her heart.
It wouldn’t be easy. Cutter still disliked Pierce. Her father knew nothing about him except as Cutter’s injured teammate who had needed her Christian charity. She and Pierce were from different worlds, and they were still getting to know each other. But she refused to lose faith. After all, Joseph and Job hadn’t when presented with incredible trials. By comparison, this was nothing.
She and Pierce could make something work, right?
Brea hoped so…and prayed he felt something for her, too. Because her heart kept yearning for the fairy tale.
What if he didn’t love her in return? Yes, he’d given her a hundred signs that he cared. He’d even admitted he’d never felt about a woman the way he felt about her. Had he meant that as romantically as it sounded?
He’s not the marrying kind.
Cutter’s assertion blazed through her memory. If her best friend was right, what did that make her to Pierce, simply a friend with benefits? Had she, in her naiveté, confused his desire for love?
Tonight, she’d find out.
As she stepped onto Pierce’s porch, she fluffed her hair and double-checked her lipstick in her little compact’s mirror. She’d chosen a berry shade that was a bit vampier than her usual nude pink. She’d taken extra care with the rest of her makeup, too.
After she tucked the compact away, she knocked softly and waited. When he didn’t answer, she used her key to unlock the door. It was the first time since he’d come home from the hospital she’d hesitated to let herself into his personal space. Now that he was healed, he wouldn’t need her every night. Would he even want to see her half so often?
As she tiptoed in, music filled his great room. Not his usual hard rock with screaming vocals, but a sexy R and B tune. Soft candles lit the space. And a profusion of white, pink, and red rose petals had been scattered in a trail across the dark hardwood floors.
Goodness, what was he up to?
“Pierce?”
“In here.”
She followed the petals and the sound of his voice to find him standing in his dining room, wearing a blinding white dress shirt and distressed jeans. Light and shadows loved the angles of his sharp jaw—no longer wired shut—almost as much as she did. He looked so swoon-worthy, she got a little dizzy.
“You like it?” He gestured to the table beside him.
Until he pointed it out, she hadn’t pried her gaze off him long enough to realize he had set it, much less elegantly.
Had he planned dinner to say thank you for helping him? To seduce her back into his bed now that he had healed enough for sex? Or did the gesture mean everything she hoped? “It’s very nice.”
“I hope you’re hungry because I’m going to feed you for a change.” He pulled out her chair. As she brushed past him to sit, he blocked her with his big body. “Wait. It’s been so damn long. Are you going to let me kiss you, pretty girl?”
Brea didn’t have to ask if he wanted to. His expression said he was desperate to get his mouth on hers.
That still doesn’t make it love…
Despite that, she gave him the only answer she could. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck.” He took her face in his hands and bent to devour her mouth.
Her wildly racing heart stopped for an agonizing moment, then thudded furiously again. Eagerly, she pressed herself against him, barely noticing when her purse fell to the floor.
The rational part of her insisted they should talk first. But when Pierce sank inside her mouth, desire muted logic and muzzled her worries. She stopped caring about anything in that moment except being as close as possible to this man.
Suddenly, he pulled away with a groan.
She blinked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I promised to feed you, so I’m going to.” He stepped aside and helped her into the chair. “And we can finally talk.”
She was dying to know what he had on his mind, but his health came first. “Tell me what the doctors said.”
“One second.” He dashed into the kitchen and, with two mitts, took a pair of plates out of the oven. He set one before her. The other he dropped in front of his chair beside her, then eased into his seat.
Her eyes widened. “Lasagna, asparagus, and garlic bread? You remembered?”
“That they’re some of your favorites, yeah.”
“Thank you.” Her heart fluttered. “That’s incredibly thoughtful.”
“It’s not homemade since I can’t cook for shit, but I asked around and heard this place had the best Italian food in town.”
“It smells amazing.” But after his kiss, her body was pinging with life. Food was the last thing on her mind.
“It’s a small way to thank you. You came here to take care of me every day for nearly six weeks, even though you’d worked on your feet all day and your father is still recovering. Even though you were burning your candle at both ends and you were tired…”
Of course Pierce had noticed. Under his gruff exterior, he was kind. Brea tried not to be disappointed that he had planned this dinner merely to show his gratitude. He’d probably feel guilty if he knew her
