“You do realize my mother was half French right? I know who Florence Nightingale was and no, I didn’t make you breakfast. I have staff for that. I just brought it up.”
Brody pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my neck. The heat of his breath tickled the sensitive parts of my skin. “I’d rather have you for breakfast and no. I didn’t know your mother was part-French.”
I was breathless and a little weak-kneed. “Creole, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.” God, I loved the way this man made me feel. Just his touch sent chills throughout my entire body. The tingles were everywhere, especially between my thighs. It was both the most thrilling feeling I’d ever felt and the most terrifying. “Brody . . .”
When he pressed his lips to that sensitive area behind my ear, I would have given him anything. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body into his.
Slowly, Brody pulled back only to take my lips into a kiss that wasn’t tender. It was full of promise and pent up desire. Lightly, he bit my bottom lip to force them slightly apart creating just enough of an opening for him to slip inside. The stroke of his tongue mimicked exactly how he moved in and out of my body the last time we were together. The only time we were together.
My nipples hardened into tight peaks as I molded my body into his. I couldn’t get close enough. His hands slid down my sides as he gripped my ass grinding into me.
The slow burn that had been simmering inside blazed. Before I let things get too far, I broke the kiss and pushed him away. We needed some space between us. “I’m not sure you’re ready for sex.”
He looked down at the front of his pants. The tenting of his pajama bottoms said otherwise. “No. I think I’m very ready, and if I were to slip my hands inside those yoga pants, I’m sure I’d find you are too. We had explosive. I know you remember, and I’m ready for more fireworks.”
I needed to add just a bit more space between us before I took him up on his offer. We definitely had explosive. “Look, if we have sex, and you die on top of me, I’m not sure I’d know how to deal with that. Explaining it would be near impossible. I can be hardcore, but I can honestly say I’ve never killed anyone with my vagina. So, no sex—for now.”
He smirked. “I could die with you on top of me. I know how I’d feel about it—fantastic. I’d probably have a huge smile on my face. I’d love to see how you’d explain that to my family when they said something like it looks like he’s beaming.”
I couldn’t resist, the corners of my lips edged up just a bit. Then, Brody flashed that panty-melting smile and had me grinning like a fool. Just his kiss had me swollen and wet. “I’m getting away from you. I won’t be responsible for that! When Dr. Weller releases you for all activities, maybe we can talk about being intimate. In the meantime, are you hungry—for food?” I made sure I was out of arm’s reach because, if I were honest, if Brody touched me again, there was no way I could resist.
He folded his arms across that broad chest. “Funny you should mention it. I called him. He’s coming over today to do just that.” Wiggling his eyebrows up and down, it was apparent, Brody thought he had me all figured out.
“You know this is uncomfortable right?” Unashamed and with a full hard-on, he walked over to pick up a piece of toast then took a bite. He spoke through chews. “Make sure you have a couple of energy drinks in the next few hours. You’ll need them.”
He looked so smug and sure of himself. He had every reason to be. Wistfully, I spoke my inner thoughts out loud. “You make me think so much is possible.”
Those blue eyes turned serious. They pierced my soul. “Everything is possible.”
I broke eye contact. “That hasn’t been my experience.”
Brody managed to erase the space between us and lifted my hand to his lips. “You trust me in the bedroom. Why won’t you trust me out of it?”
Why did he always do this? I wasn’t built for what his eyes told me even if he never said it out loud. “I want to. It’s not that easy. I’m not even sure if I can.”
“You keep reminding me; you’re Gina Lee-Xiou. You can do anything. Why not this?”
He didn’t get it. I needed to make him understand before he destroyed me. “I am who I am, Brody.”
The second the back of his hand made feather-light contact with my cheek, my eyes closed and I turned into him. This man made me want to levitate. No. I couldn’t fall under his spell. I was the reason he’d been hurt. I’d nursed him back to health. That was the closest I’d ever come to atoning for something I caused, and at some point very soon, I would need to let him go.
My eyes flew open before I fell completely into the abyss. “Brody. I . . . I need to come clean about something.”
“Come
