Page 25 of Jilted
“Please stop.” She pushed him away. “As good as this is,” she waved her hand between them, “we can’t.”
“Why?” He shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face. “Don’t tell me you didn’t feel that just now, that you didn’t like it.”
“No, I mean, yes, of course I liked it.” She sighed and shook her head. “You said earlier that you weren’t willing to be with a woman at the risk of our friendship. Well, I’m not willing to risk our friendship for sex.”
Brett ran a hand through his hair and turned away from Amy. Shit. She was right. Sex would change things, complicate them. But God dammit he wanted her so fucking bad; he ached with need.
“I’m sorry, Brett. Please understand,” she said, gently touching his shoulder.
The feel of her hand on his bare skin set him ablaze. He turned back around and nodded. “Yeah, of course I understand. I’m sorry I started any of this. I shouldn’t have?—”
“No,” she said quickly. “I really did like it. A lot. It was so much better than I had ever imagined, but it can’t go any further.”
Brett grinned. “So, what you’re saying is I can keep kissing you as long as it doesn’t go any further?”
She laughed. “Uh, no, that’s not what I said.”
He pinched her night shirt between his thumb and forefinger and tugged on it. She stepped toward him, and he took that as a sign that she wanted to kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss her again. He lowered his mouth until it was a breath’s width apart from hers.
Their gazes locked, he said, “Once more and I swear I’ll leave you alone.” Yeah, right. More like he’d leave her alone tonight.
Amy put her hand on the back of his head and pulled until his lips touched hers. Brett kissed her real slow, his tongue rolling over and around hers like a lazy river, savoring every flick of her tongue, every soft moan. No matter how much he liked the taste of her, the feel of her, this had to be it. He absolutely could not kiss her again or it would lead to a whole lot more – more that she wasn’t willing to give. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it right now. And he did. He enjoyed it so damn much that every single time she started to pull away, he’d kiss her harder. There was no way in hell he was letting her go yet.
When he finally did release her, several minutes later, he was fighting to catch his breath. He’d never kissed a woman like that before. But if he had his way, he would again. It was now his sole purpose in life to make Amy his before they left this island, before they had to return to the real world and all the distractions that came with it, because he now knew, without a doubt, that Amy was the woman he was meant to be with. He was just sorry he hadn’t realized that sooner.
“Wow,” she said, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Tell me, do you still think being with me would be like fucking your brother?”
Amy laughed and smacked him on the chest. “Good night, Brett.” Then she sauntered back inside, leaving him staring after her.
He couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he walked back inside. “Good night, Amy,” he said as he passed by the bed and went downstairs to the hard, uncomfortable, lonely couch. What he wouldn’t give to be able to climb into bed next to her right now.
As he settled on the couch, he still couldn’t believe that he’d just kissed Amy. Or that he’d liked it so damn much. And of course, now that he realized how he felt, she wasn’t willing to explore it for fear of ruining their friendship, which he could understand. If for any reason things didn’t work out, there was no way they could go back to where they are now. But...his gut was telling him that nothing would go wrong. They were Brett and Amy. They were two of the most compatible people in the world.
He yawned, laced his hands behind his head, and crossed his ankles. Brett wasn’t a quitter. He’d figure out a way to convince her that this could work between them. He had to.
Chapter Eleven
Amy stretched and smiled. She slept so well last night. No doubt it was a result of what happened between her and Brett. She touched her lips. They still tingled from his kisses. He’d actually kissed her. How many years had she fantasized about that very thing?
And now that he’d done it, she was terrified of where it would lead. In her heart, she wanted Brett. She’d always wanted Brett. But...God, there were so many buts to consider. She knew she could not survive without Brett in her life – even if it was just his friendship – but if things didn’t work out, there would be no way she could still be his friend. It would hurt too much.
But...damn it, she wanted him. She wanted him so bad it hurt. She trusted him in every other aspect of her life. Could she trust him with her heart, too? He already owned it; he just didn’t know it.
With a sigh, Amy got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Before she could grab the doorknob, the door swung open, and she came face to face with Brett. He was wet from his shower. Amy’s gaze drifted down his chest and torso, lingering on his abs for a moment before lowering to the towel that hung from his hips. What were all the reasons she said they couldn’t take things further last night?
“Morning,” he said with a grin.
“Morning,” she echoed. This is what she was afraid of – the awkwardness between them.
“I was thinking we could head over to the other side of the island and walk through the gift shops, then grab some lunch somewhere.”
She gave him an odd look. “You know I’ll never turn down shopping, but you hate to shop, Brett. What gives?”
He laughed. “I’m hoping if I go shopping with you, you’ll go scuba diving with me.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “We’re back to this, are we?”
