Page 28 of Expiry Dating

“Okay, Deputy, time’s up. I need sustenance.”

He watched her push herself up and off the bed. Every inch of her was perfect. His eyes wandered over every soft curve before settling back onto those piercing blue eyes. She was smiling at him, knowing full well he was taking his fill of the view.

“Come on, loverboy, you promised me food.”

He caught the boxers she threw at him, disappointed when she covered herself with his T-shirt. He reluctantly rose and shucked on sweats sans boxers, that way they wouldn’t stay on long once Alice was fed. It was something he’d learned that she was unable to resist. Strolling over to the doorway, he tagged her hand and led her downstairs and into the kitchen. “What will it be, darlin’?”

Alice hopped up on the counter, her bare legs swinging excitedly. A sight that hit him square in the chest. “I want eggs and bacon ... oh and toast.”

Brady set to work, unable to keep the grin from his face. Having her here with him just felt so right. If you’d have asked him a month ago if he was in any sort of place to get into a serious relationship, the answer would undoubtedly be hell no. But now, that’s all he wanted. And there was only one person he wanted it with.

Unfortunately for him, Alice was heavily in the denial stage of what was happening between them. He shouldn’t really care, because he was getting all the benefits of a relationship behind closed doors, but he did. Being her dirty little secret was getting old. And continuing to lie to his best friend was getting harder.

“What made you want to become a marine?”

The question snapped him back to reality. They’d always skirted around his time in the Marine Corps when talking. Not that he hadn’t told her about the places he’d travelled or the friends he’d made, but it hadn’t gone any deeper than that. She’d cottoned on early that it was a sore subject and never pushed.

“It may sound corny, but I wanted to serve my country. When I enlisted, I figured if I didn’t like it, then I’d just do my four years and be done.”

“But you liked it.”

“Yeah. I felt like I belonged, for the first time in my life.”

“You never felt like you belonged in Bluestone?”

He rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to relieve the tension now stiffening his muscles. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Bluestone, that’s why I came back. But ... I guess I never really felt like I fitted in. Growing up, we uh ... we didn’t have much. My mom did the best she could, but it wasn’t easy. And as it’s a small town, everyone knew everyone’s business, so it was pretty damn hard to hide the fact that I was the poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks.”

She took him in, a look on her face he’d not seen before. Something between fury and sadness. Hopping from the counter, she closed the distance between them and lifted her hand to cup the side of his jaw. She let her thumb softly caress his cheek, which immediately caused his pulse to quicken. What was surprising, though, was when his heart started racing, it wasn’t for the usual reasons that a touch from her triggered. This felt different. It felt like more.

Pushing up on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his. Her kiss was slow and gentle. When his lips parted, she slipped in her tongue, which he met with his own. Setting an unhurried pace, they took their time exploring each other. He savoured every sensation, trying to memorise how she felt, how she tasted, even her rose scent that was currently filling up his lungs.

When she pulled back, they were both breathless. Her sea-blue eyes were glittering, and he knew in that moment he would do anything for this woman.

“Tomorrow. I want to take you out.” She stepped back as if she’d just taken a blow. “It’ll be outside of Bluestone, don’t worry, no one you know will see you with me.”

He had to bite back his anger. Now wasn’t the time.

“I can’t.”

“Sweetness.” He softened his tone this time. “No one will see us. I promise. There’s something I wanna show you. Please.”

“It’s not ’cos of that. I’m not worried about being seen with you.” Why did he need to hear that so badly? “I umm ... I have plans tomorrow that I can’t get out of.”

“What plans? Weekends are normally our time, darlin’.” He reached over and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

She shifted on the balls of her feet and looked down at the floor. “Rob’s coming into town. He needs me to sign some papers. I’m meeting him at Get Pied.”

That motherfucker.

Brady knew this was big. This guy was the reason she was here. Not that she talked about him. Anything Brady knew, he’d learned from Jake, and it was only the basics. That they had lived together and he cheated on her with her friend. To be fair, he didn’t need to know much more than that.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She looked at him, a confused expression on her face. “Why would you do that?”

He ran his fingers down her cheek and along her jawline. “To be there for you, sweetness. To make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her eyes went to the floor again, and this time he knew what she was thinking.

---