Page 74 of And Then There Was Us
He claimed me.
In front of the world, he claimed me.
Brianna had no idea if the filming would end up on television or even if it was actual footage or just still pictures, but that was immaterial. What mattered was how Hugh had instantly sprung into action to shield them and what was reconfirmed during the chaos.
He loves me.
Other women don’t matter.
He matters.
We matter.
Chapter Thirty-Five
THEY DROVE TO Brianna’s apartment in silence. Hugh’s stomach had been tied in a knot since their earlier conversation. The crowd outside the theater had pulled the noose a little tighter. He was proud to have Brianna by his side and was surprised when she’d agreed to stay with him instead of hiding in the car. It gave him hope that the look he’d seen in her eye in the theater had been something other than what he feared—that she had thought up some crazy reason to end their relationship. He’d racked his brain the whole time she was in the bathroom with her mother and Kat, and he hadn’t been able to come up with one single thing that rationalized the thought of her breaking up with him.
He parked the car and caught a glimpse of Layla, fast asleep in her booster seat. Brianna looked beautiful with the splash of light from the moon that cut through the window. He reached over and cupped her cheek. Her skin was warm and smooth. She was frustrating, moody, crazy sexy, and sensuous beyond his wildest fantasies, and until just a little while ago, she was all his. He let his hand slide from her cheek with the thought.
“Let’s get Layla to bed,” he whispered.
Upstairs, he laid Layla in her bed and waited in the living room while Brianna changed her into her pajamas and tucked her in. He noticed the copy ofRacingmagazine that she’d asked for on her counter, and he thought of the first night they’d met and how tough Brianna had acted. She walked into the living room, her black dress swishing against her legs, her bare feet padding softly across the floor. The hardened layers that held her together had been stripped away, revealing the warm, sensitive, and brave woman he’d fallen in love with. She reached for his hand, and without a word, she gave herself over to him, allowing him to pull her down beside him on the couch. Her head rested against his shoulder and her sweet scent enveloped them. He closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed her in, remembering the feel of her body beneath him, the way she closed her eyes when he kissed her, and the sexy little sounds she made. His lips curved up when he thought of her telling him to stop asking if he could kiss her and how cute she looked when she said she was a tramp for spending the night at his house before he even had her telephone number.
He couldn’t imagine a life without her.
He didn’t want to imagine it.
Her lips on his cheek pulled his eyes open.
“Yes,” she said.
“Yes?”
“I wanna go to your race. Me and Layla, and I think Mom will go too.”
Her brown eyes searched his, and he knew he should respond, but his words were trapped against his heart, afraid to come forth lest she changed her mind again.
She furrowed her brow. “Is that still okay?”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “But I need to understand what happened back there.”
She looked down. “I’m sorry. I had a little freak-out moment.”
“Bree, don’t you trust me?” He felt like his heart was in her hands—literally. One wrong move and it’d shatter.
“I do. I really do. I wasn’t sure if I trusted me.”
“I’m sorry, but huh?”
She stared at the floor.
“I need to see your eyes, Bree. Tell me what’s going on. You broke me back there, and I’m not an easily broken man.” He felt raw. Exposed. Vulnerable.What happened to me?One look at beautiful Brianna and he had his answer.I fell in love.
“I was afraid of how I’d react. I might come across as brave, Hugh, but I’m pretty insecure. I’m not a beautiful, buxom blonde. I’m not the life of the party or the sexiest girl around.”
“You’re right. You’re more beautiful than any blonde could ever be, and you’re the sexiestwomanaround. I’m not looking for a party girl, Bree. Didn’t I make that clear the first night I met you?”
She nodded.
