Page 51 of Legally Ours

"I want you to stay, Skylar."

It was like I hadn't heard him as I barreled into my defense. Words poured out of me like vomit, babbling in that way I did whenever I was nervous.

"Please don't do this, Brandon, you and I can make it work, I'll do anything, really. I am so fucking sorry––for everything! I'll stay at home and do all of your laundry and I'll come work at Sterling Grove or be your date to as many stupid functions as you want, or I'll hide behind the couch until your campaign is over if that makes things easier. Anything to make it all up to you, I swear, I––"

"Skylar. Skylar," Brandon interrupted. The hand over mine squeezed, silencing my outburst. "Did you hear what I said?"

I bit my lip as his word finally landed. And when I looked up at him, his dimples were out. Just a little.

"I––"

"I...I was miserable this week without you," he continued, holding my gaze with his penetrating blue one while he spoke. "Look, I'm still hurt. I'm still angry. But the truth is...it's so much worse when we're not together. I...I just don't work without you, Red."

My mouth opened and closed, over and over while I processed his words. All of my crazy plans flew away as I realized what he was handing me. Not a promise that everything was fine. A chance.

"You want me to stay?" I repeated in a small voice.

Brandon nodded, his eyes wide and vulnerable. "I want to try. I don't know what that looks like...but I still want to try."

A sob I didn't know I'd been holding in escaped my throat and echoed through the room. I covered my mouth with both hands as I hiccupped back a few more. Brandon watched cautiously, although he made no move to touch me.

But he wasn't backing away from me. I'd take it.

"You...you have no idea," I choked out. "How much I've...how badly I felt...how much I wanted..." I couldn't get my words out properly. I took a deep breath. "Brandon, would you...would you let me kiss you now?"

It was a familiar request––the same one he'd made other times when he knew I needed control, needed to know he cared about what I wanted. I didn't want to cross his line if he wasn't ready to go there, but I wanted to be close to him more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life.

He stared at me for a moment, his big eyes unblinking. Then, with little more than a grunt, he pulled me into his lap so my thighs straddled him. His hands unerringly found my waist and started to stroke lightly down my back and over my thighs, and back up again as we watched the reflections of the lights bouncing through each other's irises. His chin jutted out slightly, offering his mouth in response to my request, but waiting for me to take what I said I wanted.

So I kissed him. His mouth welcomed me as one of his hands slid up to gather my hair at the nape of my neck. My arms wrapped around his head, pulling him closer as I sucked his lower lip between my teeth and delighted in the feel of his tongue twisting around mine. This was so far from the fury of the other night––it was tentative, but still a homecoming of sorts.

"Skylar." He slipped a hand over my sport bikini top to palm my breasts, one, then the other. "I...Jesus. Baby, I need you. I don't want to...but fuck, I do."

Something in me stilled at his frank admission. Although I wanted nothing more than to let myself melt into his warm touch, I pulled back, clasped his face between my hands, stroking his cheekbones with my thumbs.

"Oh, Brandon," I said as I touched my forehead to his. "I need you too."

It occurred to me just then that I'd never said it before. Not so plainly, without anything else. Brandon stared, face unmoving, but my face reflected in his oceanic eyes with a mix of torture and elation.

"Say it," he whispered even as his fingers tightened around my waist. "Say it again."

"I love you," I pronounced slowly and clearly. "And I need you."

I touched my lips to his again, and it was like a lightning bolt struck through us. Brandon jerked me closer, and his mouth opened hungrily. But as his body lunged toward me, we both lost track of exactly where we were. One moment we were intent on consuming each other; the next, we were toppling into the pool with mutual squawks.

We fell apart, splashing around in the water, finding our bearings. When we surfaced a few feet apart, I was trying to sort my masses of wet hair out of my face, and Brandon held out his arms like a bird as water streamed from his soaked white shirtsleeves. Our gazes met, and suddenly we both started laughing uncontrollably.

"Jesus!" Brandon crowed as he shook out his arms, raining water all around him.

I held my belly and fell back into the water wheezing. "You look like a wet albatross!"

One blond brow arched, even though Brandon's belly was still shaking.

"You think?" he said as he started marching toward me. "I'll show you a wet albatross!"

He dove toward me, grabbing my legs before hefting me over his shoulder and then tossing me back into the water while I shrieked.

"You!" I cried as I swam back to him. "You're going to pay for that!"

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