I shrugged the jacket off of my shoulders, and he pulled it away throwing it over onto the sofa.
Unabashedly, he took his time as he studied me from the soles of my stilettoes until his eyes reconnected with mine. I’d hoped if nothing else, my fitted, red dress that hugged all of my curves would get his attention. “You don’t fight fair do you, Ms. Lee-Xiou?”
“I never have, Mr. Windham.”
Brody backed up a bit and took a much needed calming breath. “Physical attraction has never been a problem for us. Unfortunately, it’s everything else.”
“Everything?”
He shrugged. “Okay, maybe not everything, just the important stuff like trust and honesty.”
I pressed my lips together and rubbed my forehead. “Brody, that’s why I’m here. I lied to you and I’m sorry. If ever there was anyone I felt I could be truthful with, it was you. But, with Nina, we had a difference of opinion on what was right. I just didn’t know how to balance that without disappointing you.”
“You didn’t give me a chance. We didn’t even discuss it. That was the problem, Gina.”
“So, if I told you that I was going to kill her, you would have been okay with that?”
“You had already told me that once before. I didn’t think you were kidding. Look, I’ll never agree with taking someone’s life unless there’s no other choice.” Brody threw his head back for a second, then righted himself. “The situation with Nina, as a man, I wanted to keep you safe. I’ll always want to protect you. You were going to run into that building and possibly get yourself and Cecily killed. I’d hoped to find another way to get her out of your life short of killing her.”
“I don’t live my life by those rules, Brody! I never have. Yes, I have legitimate businesses, but some of them are not. Sometimes, I’m involved in—”
“I know that. It might sound like I’m asking you to change. I’m not. What I want is the opportunity to at least be able to fight about it. You didn’t give me that chance.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship like that so I might make some mistakes along the way.”
I hadn’t realized that my gaze shifted to somewhere else until Brody lifted my chin with his finger to face him. “We won’t always agree. I’m fine with that, but I can’t be with someone if they’re only going to tell me what I want to hear or outright lie because it’s the path of least resistance.”
“I love the way you look at me, and I’m afraid too much truth might change that.”
“Relationships only work when two people can be honest with each other. I’m not going to like half the shit you do and vice versa. I’m not even talking about the Family Council business. I’m talking about everyday life, but I’m not that guy that will run away because of it either.”
If that were true, then there was no better time than now to test that theory. My words were slow and deliberate. “Even if I told you Nina’s dead and I was the one who killed her?”
Brody went silent. He just stared at me. I didn’t know what his response would be. I just held my breath until he spoke. He reached out and caressed my cheek. “Tell me something I didn’t already know. And, for the record, I’m still standing here. I’m not running for the hills.”
“This is your house, so there is that.” No, he wasn’t running. His feet were firmly planted right where he stood. His gaze hadn’t changed either. Brody was still looking at me with a mixture of love, lust, and hope.
I sucked on my bottom lip. “I declined the unanimous offer to lead the Family Council. I’m pretty sure that’s something you didn’t know.”
To say that Brody was shocked was an understatement. I could have picked his mouth up from off of the ground. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Cecily. I used to think she was better off without us in her life, and I was wrong. I don’t want her growing up like I did, always feeling as if something was missing.”
“I’m sure Cecily will love that.”
“So, while I didn’t take the leadership role . . .” I smiled cheekily. “In the interest of full disclosure, I am on a newly formed advisory panel.”
“Ahh, that’s the Gina, I know.”
“If I promise that you can trust me to be honest, will you give us a chance at starting over?”
One minute I was gazing into his eyes, hoping he’d answer yes, and the next I was in his arms, being kissed out of my mind.
I was breathless when he pulled away. “Had you led with that, we would probably already be in the midst of making up.” He whispered as his lips hovered over mine. “That’s all I ever wanted from you.”
Brody reached down and placed his arms underneath my legs effectively sweeping me off my feet. I felt safe in his arms. For the first time in my life, I didn’t think a man wanted anything from me other than me. Honestly, it wasn’t the first time. I’d always felt that way with Brody.
I laid my head on the side of his shoulder. “Where are you taking me, Mr. Windham?”
“We’ve got six months of wet dreams to make up for.”
I laughed. “You know I like to be on top.
