Page 75 of Brand
Her words had hurt me, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up on her. We needed each other. I was giving her time to lick her wounds and pick herself up. She was strong. I’d seen it from time to time growing up. So while I couldn’t help but worry about her because I loved her, I knew I didn’t need to.
But what all of this had to do with me, I wasn’t sure. I was not Laurel and I hoped he could see that.
“It’s just, I don’t want to be that guy,” he went on when I couldn’t find the right words to say because I was too busy trying to figure out where he was going with all of this. “The guy that comes between a woman and her family. And that’s me right now. I’m sure if you dropped me, walked out of this shop without a look back, and talked to your parents you could make things right.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
Then it hit me. He had kissed me like he was saying goodbye. Like he was willing to let me go if I needed him to.
But the thing was, I didn’t need or want him to. The only thing I needed was him.
“My life is not normal to someone like you.”
I shot him a look like I couldn’t believe that he had just flipping said that to me.
“No, wait,” he said trying to backtrack. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just that the club life isn’t for everyone. I would never want to force you into a lifestyle that you wouldn’t be happy with. I don’t want to lose you, but I want you to be happy. There are things I will never be able to tell you. And, fuck, things that could happen. I’ll never forgive myself for that night. You could have been hurt or even killed all because of me. I need you to really think about this.”
How could I not love this man?
“Look at me and listen good, because I will not have this conversation again. Got me?” I made sure I had his eyes before I continued. “I love you. You have stolen my heart and weaved yourself into my soul. I don’t know how or when it happened, but it did. And I accept it, which means I accept every single thing about you. But I will say this, I don’t want to know. Whatever is going on with the club and all that, I don’t want to know about it. Maybe it’s a dumb move to want to stick my head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. But the best way I figure I can protect you and myself is to know as little as possible.”
“I need you to be sure you want this because I don’t know if I can give you any more of me, you have it all already, and if we go on, it will crush me if you walk away.”
“Brandon Reed,” I said saying his full name for the first time, well what I knew of it. I like the way it sounded and I smiled. “I am here, with you, in this, always.”
The vow spilled easily from my lips and I meant every word.
“I’m glad you found me,” he whispered almost like he couldn’t believe it. “I love you, Cami.”
“I love you, too. So, so, so much.”
Then he kissed me and the moment was perfect.
Hewas perfect.
I needed him. Like, right that second.
“No,” he said as I went for his belt. “I respect you too much to give you a quick fuck on the desk in this office.”
Then he snagged my wrist and all but dragged me out through the back and into the main part of the shop.
“We’re leaving for the day. Oh and Blade, your dog just pissed on your timeout couch.” He didn’t even stop as he spoke.
How had I missed the dog thing?
Oh, yeah, because my head was currently dizzy with the whiplash I’d just been through.
It didn’t matter that this day seemed like it had only gotten started and it was insanely sideways already, because Brand took me back to the clubhouse and made me forget everything that had happened.
