She let out a shaky breath.
“You’ll have to be patient with me. You know I’m not good with people.”
Oh my god. This was happening.
“That’s okay,” I said, stroking her cheek. “You’re good with me. Most of the time.”
We both laughed and Bren pulled me into her arms. Everything fell into place and I sighed as I held her.
I couldn’t believe I was hugging Bibliofile. The woman I’d imagined a hundred different times.
I never could have predicted Bren. She blew all of my fantasies away. My mind could never have conjured her up if I’d been given a million years.
Reality was so much better than I predicted.
“Bren.” I had to keep saying her name.
“Honey Bea,” she said, and I almost let out a little squeal of delight.
“I like it when you call me that.” She started swaying a little, not dancing to any beat in particular.
“I like saying it,” she admitted, speaking into my ear.
“Say it again.”
“Honey Bea.”
“Mmmm,” I said, and she held me tighter.
“I like that sound you make.”
“I can make all kinds of sounds.”
She let out a groan and leaned back to gaze down at me.
“You’re dangerous.”
I smiled. “You’ve told me that before.”
Her mouth tipped up on one side in something that was like a smirk. “Well, it’s true. You’re dangerous tome.”
“Aw, Bren. I’ll be nice.”
Her smile got darker. “Hopefully not too nice.”
There was an edge to Bren that scared me and turned me on at the same time and brought out a little bit of darkness that I’d always pushed aside in myself.
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
We’d figure this out together.
“Do you… Would you come somewhere with me?” she asked, and she sounded both shy and hopeful. So damn cute.
“I’d go anywhere with you,” I said.
Bren slid one of her hands into mine. “Dangerous.”
Chapter Twenty-Two