Page 44 of And Then There Was Us
“I will.” She thought about earlier that morning, when she’d seen Hugh coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. All of the hot and heavy feelings she’d experienced the evening before had come rushing back. She was glad she’d had time to text Kat while he was in the shower. She’d asked what the morning after was supposed to be like, and Kat had answered,As hot as the night before. Or hotter.That was all the rationalization Brianna needed to allow her desires to take over. She’d woken up wanting him all over again, but she’d worried that she was only feeling that because it had been so long since she’d had sex. One kiss from Hugh and his tented towel had told her that he’d had the same urges. Making love with him in the morning had been as earth-shattering as it had been the night before.
“What’s your plan today?” Hugh asked as they pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex.
“I work from three to eight at the tavern, so I was going to hang out and play a game with Layla, but I think I’ll take her to the park. She’d like that.”
Hugh parked the car and opened the door for Brianna. “Is your mom watching her while you work?”
“Not tonight. Her neighbor Mrs. Cranston is taking her. I’ve known her forever. She’s like seventy years old and Layla loves her. She watches her sometimes when my mom can’t.”
“Do you get a dinner break?”
“Twenty minutes around seven. You don’t have to walk me up to my apartment. I’m just going to change my clothes and then pick up Layla.”
“I want to. What kind of boyfr—”
Boyfriend?She pretended not to notice his use of the word, even though her skin tingled with excitement.Boyfriend.She loved the sound of it.
He pulled her closer. “Boyfriend.” He looked at her and smiled. “Do people still say that when they’re my age, or is that a high school word?”
“You’re asking the wrong girl.”Yes! Use it!
“Is it too possessive? Too limiting for a girl like you?”
She saw the tease in the lifting of his brows and decided to tease him right back. “Well, it is a bit limiting.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He focused on the building with a serious look in his eyes.
She’d expected him to laugh. Disappointment filled her heart. Did he think she’d meant it? Hugh put his arm around her and pulled her close, his eyes trained on the bearded guy who watched them from his balcony. She hated the way he stared at her. She had become so used to it that she usually just stared at the ground or put a protective arm around Layla and hurried past. She was glad when Hugh had insisted on walking her inside.
Upstairs, Brianna fumbled for her keys, chewing on the idea that he’d nixed the use of the wordboyfriend.It’s just a word. So why does it hurt so much?She dropped the keys, and Hugh bent down and picked them up, then found the proper key and unlocked the door.
He pushed the door open. “After my girlfriend.” He waved a path for her to enter.
She couldn’t keep the silly smile from her lips, then kissed him as she walked past. “I like that,” she admitted.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. “So do I.”
The apartment smelled like fresh roses. Brianna added fresh water to the vase. “I hope these last forever.”
“I would say nothing lasts forever, but I’m not sure I believe that anymore.”
She glanced at his profile as he went to the glass doors in the living room. He was nothing like the man she’d thought he would be. He flipped the lock on the slider, and it dropped without clicking.
“Doesn’t this lock?”
“No. It never has. But we’re on the third floor, so I’m not too worried.” She set the vase down on the counter.
“Do you have a screwdriver?”
“Sure.” She dug through a kitchen drawer and handed it to him. “It’s really fine. I don’t think anyone’s going to go Spider-Man on us and scale the wall.”
He was already taking the lock apart.
“I’m going to change real quick.” While she changed her clothes, she called out to him, “What are you doing today?”
“I’m going to the track. I’ve gotta meet my pit crew and spend a few hours practicing and going over things for next weekend.”
“Are you excited about it?”
