Page 20 of Need

“She had safewords, too, Brianna. She could have used them anytime she wanted. Also, if I was so abusive, why did she wait until I broke things off to go to Richard?”

Her mind was trying to process this information while it fought with her fear. I waited.

“She was trying to hurt you,” she whispered.

“Yes.”

There was still that look of uncertainty on her face. I opened my arms and she came to me. And just like always, I felt her relax against me. I breathed deep as I brushed my lips against her temple.

“I would never betray your trust, Brianna. This is why communication is so important. Remember what I had you read? What we talked about?”

She nodded.

I kissed every part of her skin that I could access. I was wearing a fitted T-shirt today, and her right hand had taken hold on a spot about four inches above my waist. Her free hand lay unmoving on her lap, and I picked it up, interlacing our fingers.

I shifted us slightly so that I could get more access to her face and neck. Time was passing more quickly than I would have liked, but I wanted to take advantage of what we had.

Her skin was so soft, but nowhere more so than her neck. I moved her hair out of the way as I continued placing gentle kisses from her jaw to her collarbone.

Brianna’s breathing started to change, and I took advantage of the opportunity. I tilted her head away from me with a little more force than necessary, and began a slightly more aggressive pursuit of the skin within my reach. Her grip on my shirt tightened, and her mouth opened slightly as her breathing continued to escalate.

I removed my hand from her hair and trailed down her back to the hem of her shirt. The shirt she was wearing today ended just below the waistband of her shorts so it didn’t take much to slip my fingers underneath.

Her reaction was golden. She sucked in a deep breath as I traced patterns on her lower back, occasionally dipping below the thin elastic band of her shorts. I was going to enjoy pushing those reactions in the future.

As much as I wanted to continue, we needed to stop and get ready for tonight. It was already after four.

I sat back and dropped my hands from her body. Brianna’s eyes flew open and the look on her face was priceless. It was a mixture of surprise, arousal, and embarrassment.

Taking her face in my hands, I gave her a quick kiss and then sat back once again. “We have to get ready. I’m sure you would like a shower before you go.”

“Oh.” She blushed. “Yes.”

Brianna got up and walked into her room. I stood and made my way to mine.

As I strolled into my bathroom, I heard the shower turn on in the other room. That was all it took for me to want to be in there with her, and I began thinking of how to make that happen. Soon.

By five thirty, I was waiting in the living room for Brianna. I’d let her know to come out when she was ready. We would have to be leaving soon. I was just about to go in and check on her when she walked into the room.

The dress she wore was perfect on her. Its deep purple color brought out the blue in her eyes and the rich brown of her hair. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. It was strapless, which was a favorite of mine, and she had her hair pulled up and back. There was just something about her neck being bare of everything but my collar. The dress hugged her in all the right places, leaving hints of what lay underneath. It was elegant and sophisticated.

She walked over to me, and I could tell she was a little apprehensive. That would not do. Brianna had to know how beautiful she was. This was a date, after all.

I took her right hand, bringing it up to my mouth for a kiss. “You look stunning, sweetheart.”

Her cheeks turned that delightful pink color I loved so much. “Thank you.”

“Are you ready to go?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, her voice shaking slightly from her nerves.

I reached behind me, picked up a black wrap I’d gotten from Lily the day before, and placed it around her shoulders, but didn’t let go of the ends. Instead, I pulled her flush against me and looked down into her wide, blue eyes.

“I’m very proud to have you on my arm tonight, Brianna,” I whispered before lowering my mouth to hers for a slow kiss.

It wasn’t long before we headed out. When we pulled up in front of Hotel 1000, Brianna’s eyes grew wide as she took everything in. One of the valets opened my door, and I handed him the keys before going to join her on the other side of the car.

Brianna was nervous, but no more than she usually was when confronted by a new situation. I reached out and took her hand. She leaned into me, and I felt her relax a little. I brought our linked fingers up to my mouth and kissed the back of her hand before tucking her arm under mine.

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