This can’t be real. What guy in real life is this sweet?
“I slept great. The sun blinding me this morning was unexpected though.”
He chuckles and kisses my lips. “You get used to that. When I first moved in, I got woken up every day at sunrise. I’m used to it now.”
He lets go of me and turns around to whatever he’s making, which I know includes bacon because I can smell it.
I lean against the counter and smile. “I don’t know how you could get used to it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous, but damn it’s bright.”
He is busy with breakfast and just quickly turns his head to grin at me. “Oh right. Well, I do have a remote that tints the windows and blocks out the sun.”
I laugh and smack his arm.
Once he finishes making omelets, bacon, and coffee, we take it out on the desk to eat.
“Are you sure no one will notice I’m just in a t-shirt?”
“McKinley, believe me, I’d never lie to you. We are so far off from where they can even see clearly. Plus, I don’t want anyone looking at you like that.” He gives me a sexy wink as he finishes his omelet.
“Okay, fine,” I say and finish the delicious breakfast he’s made.
He definitely knows how to cook, I’m impressed. Even the coffee tastes better than it does when I make it.
He rests his arm on the back of my chair as we both enjoy the stunning views in front of us. I’m still amazed that he actually lives here. It’s just breathtaking.
“McKinley, we need to talk.”
I don’t like the way he says it and I prepare myself for the morning after speech. You know the one most guys feed you after sleeping with them and they are done with you.
“Do we really need to do this? I’ll just get dressed and leave.”
I start to get up and he grabs my hand, stopping me from walking away.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I don’t even know how to answer him, so I just shrug my shoulders and bite my cheek. “Hey, come here,” he says as he pulls me onto his lap. “Look at me.”
I do and he takes my arms wrapping them around his neck. He blows out a breath like he is nervous and gives me a tight smile.
“I need you to know that everything I told you last night is the truth. I want so badly to make you happy.”
I’m right. He’s going to ask me to leave.
“But?”
“But what I didn’t tell you is that I’m trying to get custody of the girls.” I give him a huge smile, but he doesn’t return it. “The thing is I haven’t told anyone. They all keep telling me to get custody, but I don’t want to disappoint anyone if it doesn’t happen.”
“Braden, I understand. I’d never say a word to anyone,” I say, still not understanding why he has this serious expression.
“I appreciate that, but that’s not the thing.” He closes his eyes briefly before looking at me again. “With me seeking custody, I need to be careful. Sarah, my ex, will do everything in her power to make sure I don’t get my girls. If she knew that I was with anyone, she’d make it hell.”
I smile and look into his concerned eyes. “Braden, believe me when I tell you that there is nothing your ex could throw at me that I couldn’t handle.” It is the truth. I’ve already lived in hell, been treated like a whore, and called every imaginable insult. “I’m stronger than you give me credit for.”
Leaning forward he captures my lips in a sweet, slow kiss and it gets my heart pounding. He pulls back just enough to look into my eyes and says, “I am learning how strong you are, and it is sexy as fuck. I just don’t want you to resent me when things go bad because believe me, they are going to go bad.”
I don’t know what he wants here. Does he want me to just walk away? That kiss tells me, no, but the words say something else. Truth, he wants the truth.
“In the past, after the sex, comes the dismissal. I don’t know what the future holds for me, for you, for us, but right now I want to live in the moment,” I say with nerves swimming in my stomach.
What else can I possibly say to him? I feel these things I’ve never felt before. He makes me feel beautiful, smart, and even after just one night with him, I feel special. I’m not sure where the hell any of this is going, so I kiss him. I kiss him with everything that I have, hopefully relaying without words how he makes me feel.
Cupping my face, he rubs my right cheek with his thumb. “You’ve just been with the wrong guys because I can tell you any real man would never do that. I would never do that. If I didn’t want you here, I wouldn’t have invited you, I wouldn’t have had sex with you and I wouldn’t have asked you to stay the night. I want you here McKinley, I want you here more than you’ll probably ever understand.”
I feel tears swimming in my eyes, so I kiss him again. He sinks his fingers into my hair, and I melt into him. It’s slow, sweet, and dare I say full of promise.
When we break the kiss, he smiles at me and says, “I want to do things at your pace, but if we are going to do this, I need to know you want this.” I smile and just as I’m asbout to speak he presses a finger to my lips. “I’m not saying we need to know where this is going in a week, month or year. I just want to know that
