Page 37 of Expiry Dating

“I’ll have to check with her and let you know.”

Jake headed out of the door laughing, and Brady wondered what he’d said that was so funny. “You do that, man. Check with your woman.”

***

Alice had been talking to Ryan for way too long, and for some reason, all Brady wanted to do was go over there, throw her over his shoulder, and get her fine ass away from him. This was not jealousy. Brady didn’t get jealous. He just wanted to take her home, that was all.

When he had suggested they attend the ranch barbecue tonight, he’d assumed that she would be by his side, that they would be together ... in public. It’s not like they needed to keep what they were a secret anymore. But the stubborn woman would not even look his way. He was sick of it. And after spending the past ten minutes watching Ryan flirt with his woman, he was also pissed.

Downing the rest of his beer, Brady slammed the bottle on the picnic table before storming over to the firepit. The first thing he did was place his hand on Alice’s waist and tug her to his side. The second thing he did was drop a kiss on her lips. The final thing he did was stare down Ryan.

You gonna piss a circle around her next?

“Brady. Good to see you.” Ryan smirked. “I guess the rumours are true—you two are together?”

“Yeah, we’re together, have been for a while.” Brady kept his eyes on Ryan, hopefully conveying a convincing back-off vibe while ignoring the fidgeting Alice was doing underneath his hold.

“Jesus, Brady, caveman much?” She wiggled away from him. “Excuse us, Ryan, we need to go over the details of the big flashing neon sign Brady wants me to wear around my neck.”

Brady let her drag him away and around the side of the main house. It was the nearest they would get to any privacy while everyone was outside.

“What are you doing?” She angrily crossed her arms over her chest, apparently waiting for some sort of explanation.

He closed the distance she’d put between them. “What? I can’t come over and say hi, give you a kiss? You didn’t seem to have a problem with me kissing you this morning.”

“You know exactly what you’re doing, Brady. You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend. And unless there’s been a terrible accident in between me leaving your bed this morning and you turning up tonight that has somehow caused you to lose your damn mind ... you’ll remember that I, in fact, don’t actually have a boyfriend.”

“Enough.” His tone matched the impatience slowly building inside of him. “Do you even hear yourself, Ali? You were in my bed this morning. My fucking bed. You think I’m gonna stand here and let some asshole flirt with you?”

“Brady ... I can’t—”

She wanted to fight. He could see the blue flames in her eyes. It was her way of pushing him away. But he was over it; they were past this. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He slammed his lips onto hers, effectively rendering her speechless. If she wanted to fight, then this is how they were going to do it from now on.

She pushed at his chest as she broke her lips away. “We can’t, not here.”

He took her lips again, this time harder, deeper. It didn’t matter to him if anyone saw them; he wanted them to be seen. It may make him a caveman, but seeing Ryan flirt with her had been enough to finally make him snap. He wanted everyone to know she was his. What did it matter anyway? Jake and Lily already knew. Their public display of affection had already made its rounds through the town rumour mill. As far as he was concerned, they were officially done hiding.

She pulled away again, slower this time and more breathless. “Brady ... I can’t ... I don’t know how to do this.”

Goddamn, she is so beautiful. Lips all swollen, hair dishevelled from my fingers, her breath ragged from the kiss. From my kiss.

Closing any distance she’d put between them, Brady rested his forehead against hers and used his thumb to trace the moisture on her lower lip. “Sweetness, I hate to break it to you, but we’re already doing this. Everyone out there knows. Which means they’re not gonna think twice about us making out.”

“They think we’re something we’re not,” she whispered.

“Does it matter?” He lightly brushed his lips against hers, testing and teasing.

She surrendered to his touch this time, melting into him. A moan even escaped as his tongue tangled with hers, which only made him feel more desperate. He wanted her. He wanted it all. He couldn’t hold back, and the kiss that he thought he was in control of turned urgent.

When her hands wrapped around his neck, drawing him even closer, he knew she could feel it too. The violent pounding of her heartbeat echoed his own. He’d never had this before. Never wanted a woman this much in his life.

“Um ... guys?”

The last thing he wanted was to let her go, but he couldn’t very well take her right here on her sister’s and his best friend’s property. Especially not with an audience. He reluctantly liberated her lips and they both twisted their heads, still close, still panting.

Lily and Jake were standing hand in hand, offering up wide-eyed smiles. Upon sight, Alice released her grip on Brady’s shoulders and took a step back. There was a lot of fake coughing until Jake finally spoke again.

“We have an announcement to make, so if you guys are done, would you mind coming back over to the firepit?”

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