Page 26 of And Then There Was Us
His eyes were serious, laden with concern. She couldn’t play a game of push-pull with herself anymore. It wasn’t fair to either of them. She was used to being completely in control of hers and Layla’s lives. Organizing them, maintaining their crazy and tight schedules. And now she felt it slipping away, as if a door had opened and she wasn’t sure if she should slam it to contain their orderly lives or leave it ajar and allow the chaos of the rest of the world to seep in and see what happened. This was such a mess. She could no better let the chaos in than she could lie to Hugh—or to anyone else for that matter.
“Hugh, I really like you, and I know you said we could take things day by day, but in my head I’m wrestling with everything. You travel all the time; you’ve got a dangerous and sexy job that makes women want you. I’m a boring, busy mom with no interest in competing with anyone, and what I want more than anything is stability for my daughter.” She looked down, feeling her chest tighten at the thought of turning him away—again.
He moved in close and lifted her chin so she was looking up at him. She loved—and hated—that he didn’t let her hide from the things that she found uncomfortable.
“Has it occurred to you that I might not like those women wanting me? Or that I might be scared about dating a woman with a child?”
“That’s what I mean. I’ve got major baggage. I understand. It’s better that we end things now rather than later.” She suppressed the lump in her throat that urged tears to her eyes.Darn it. I’ve only known you two days.
“That’s not what I mean, Bree. I’m scared, too, but let’s not run from something that might be everything we both ever wanted. Taking it slow will allow us to see if it’s worth pursuing. I won’t entrench myself in Layla’s life. I promise you that. You lead this relationship and I’ll follow. I know how much you need to protect her, and I respect that.”
Brianna felt her heart soften.
Hugh continued. “I won’t push myself on you, either. If you really don’t want to date me, then I’ll go on my way. Not that I’d want to. I want you to be happy. But if any part of you wants to…” He took her hand in his and looked into her eyes.
Brianna’s knees weakened.
“The ball is in your court, Bree. Let’s do our photo shoot, and afterward, you tell me if you want me to take you to get your car or if you want to go shopping together. No pressure.” He kissed the back of her hand and then gently released it.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“Don’t answer now, Bree. Take the next few hours to think about what you want. I’m not going anywhere, and even though I’m scared, I want to spend time with you. You tripped something in me. Ever since I saw you sleeping in my bed, I had the feeling that I wanted to protect you and Layla.” He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “And, yes, I realize that’s crazy. Believe me. I’ve never felt this way before.”
Chapter Thirteen
BRIANNA FLEW THROUGH her morning routine helping Claude and trying not to think about what Hugh said, even though he was standing right there before her in his sexy racing suit that hugged every inch of his hot body and made him look even more masculine. No wonder women loved him—between competing in one of the most dangerous and manly sports and looking likethat, it was a no-brainer.
She adjusted lights and handed Claude lenses. Now that she’d had a minute to breathe, she was watching Claude direct Hugh into another disturbingly alluring stance. How was she supposed to concentrate withthatgoing on right in front of her?
“Bree Bree, can you get those wrinkles out of his chest please?” Claude was in heaven, torturing Brianna with more costume work than ever. She had no idea if he could sense what was between them or if he just wanted them to be together. Either way, the mischievous glint in his eye was unmistakable.
Hugh stood in his racing suit with his helmet under his arm, eyeing Brianna. For the fifth time that hour, she smoothed the wrinkles from his suit. At least this time it was from his chest. The first few times it was his thighs, his groin, his waist. Claude was enjoying every second of torturing her. She ran her hands over his chest and down his sides. Hugh got that hungry look in his eyes again, and Brianna felt her heartbeat speed up. Then the muscles in her neck tensed. She knew Claude caught every glimpse and every heavy breath as he stood at the other end of the room snapping pictures. She spun around and scowled as he clicked off another shot.
“What?” Claude said. “We need shots for the studio.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Let’s take a few more before we wrap.” Claude waved his hand at Hugh and began clicking away.
She hadn’t been able to think through what Hugh had said outside because every time she looked at him she heard his voice saying all the right things. Hugh glanced her way and his words came back to her again.I’m not going anywhere. I know I want to protect you and Layla.He hadn’t even met Layla yet. How could he want to protect her?
“Okay, I think we’re all set. You can get changed, Mr. Braden.” Claude stared at Hugh’s butt with an appreciative grin as he walked toward the dressing room.
“That’s kind of rude, you know,” Brianna teased.
“Is that jealousy I hear?”
She gasped. “What? No.”Yes.
“Based on the sparks that were flying between you two, I’d say I did the right thing bringing you in today.” He pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose and set his camera down on the supply table.
“Claude, you didn’t?”
“Oh, yes, I did. I told you I had someone here Thursday who I thought you should meet. And now you have.” He winked as he changed the lens on the camera.
Brianna shook her head. “Why does everyone think I need a man in my life? Layla and I are doing just fine by ourselves.”
Claude put his hand on her shoulder. In his jeans and sweater, he looked like he was twentysomething instead of fortysomething. “Honey, that’s exactly why. Just fine is not the same as happy. You’re twenty-eight years old. You’re beautiful, funny, sweet, not to mention a pain in the butt sometimes, but that’s to be expected with any single mother.” He pretended to claw at her like a cat.
