Page 39 of And Then There Was Us
They came to a large tree, and Hugh took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. It was so dark that she could barely make out his features. She took a step closer as her eyes adjusted.
“I know that giving up your time with Layla was a big step for you, and I hope that at the end of this night, you feel like it was worth it.”
“Any time I spend with you is worth it.” She stood on her tiptoes, and he closed the gap between them and settled his lips over hers, kissing her sweetly, then deepening the kiss and pulling her against him. His lips moved to her cheek, then found the space below her earlobe that sent a thrum of excitement between her legs.
A sensuous ache of want escaped her lips—softer than a moan, stronger than a sigh, and he licked the spot he’d just kissed. She closed her eyes and arched her neck back, wanting more of him and reveling in the feel of his tongue as it stroked the sensitive skin at the base of her neck.
“Bree,” he whispered in her ear.
She thought she answered, but her lips didn’t move. It was all she could do to keep breathing. She closed her eyes.Kiss me more.
“I want you so badly,” he whispered against her ear.
“Yes,” she managed.Yes? Oh my. I want you, too.Her brain wouldn’t kick into gear. She was stuck in some foggy place filled with wanton thoughts and pulses of heat that filled the secret places she wished he’d touch.
He brought his lips back to hers and took her in a greedy kiss. She didn’t think as she reached for the sides of his head and pulled him closer. When his hands caressed her curves, her head fell back, and he tasted her neck again, inciting another needy moan—an unmistakable take-me-now, sexual moan—filled the air. She clenched her eyes shut as heat rushed up her chest to her cheeks and he found her ear once again.
“I love that,” he whispered.
Oh, oh, oh.She had to regain control of her body. She clenched the muscles in her thighs. They felt foreign, apart from her. She took his head in her hands again and brought his lips back to hers. Maybe he could breathe oxygen into her failing brain.You taste so good.Years of suppressed sexual desire came rushing forward.
“Bree,” he said between kisses.
She blinked her way through the lust that fogged her ability to think. “Yeah?” she finally managed.
“I want nothing more than to make love to you, but…” He kissed her again. “But I planned something that I thought you might enjoy.”
“Okay. Yes.”I’m like a sex maniac. What is wrong with me?
They stared longingly into each other’s eyes for what seemed like forever while they each found their breath—and Brianna’s legs found their strength—before Hugh led her to a blanket spread across the grass beneath an enormous tree. As they approached, white lights flicked on, illuminating the branches above like a canopy.
Brianna gasped. “Oh my goodness. How did you do that?”
“Friends,” he said with a shrug.
A man in a suit appeared beside the blanket, startling Brianna.
“I also realized that I never fed you after breakfast today, and I promise not to make that mistake again. So I thought we should eat dinner.” Hugh thanked the man, and Brianna noticed a silver cart she’d missed when she’d first noticed him. He and Hugh spread what looked like a thin tabletop across the blanket; then the man set the makeshift table with silverware and wineglasses.
“Hugh,” she whispered. “This is too much.”
He took her hand and they sat down on the blanket. “Nothing is too much for you.”
Brianna didn’t know how to react. How did you thank someone for giving you the most romantic night of your life? Nothing could be a big enough thank-you. And still, with all the romance and forethought, even the moonlight picnic didn’t compare to the gift he’d brought for Layla. He’d stolen her heart at that moment, and she doubted anything could ever top that.
After the gentleman served their dinner, he disappeared as quietly as he’d appeared.
“I brought wine, but I can’t really drink, so I also have water. Which would you prefer?”
Wine. The whole bottle to calm my nerves.“I’ll have one glass of wine, then water, please. I noticed that you don’t drink. How come?” Brianna had forgotten until just then, and now she wondered if he were a recovering alcoholic.
“I do drink. But I have a race next weekend, and I don’t drink when I have a race coming up. Dehydration is a big issue when we drive, so I’m just overly cautious.”
She dropped her eyes. She’d forgotten about him leaving the following weekend. “Your race is in Daytona?”
“Yes, Saturday. Layla’s party is Thursday, right?”
You remembered.“Yes. That’s right. How long will you be gone?”
