Chapter 32
thirty-two
. . .
Emilia
I blinked a couple of times, my arm slung over a hard chest as I processed where I was.
I was in Bridger Chadwick’s bed.
I’d slept in a hotel room bed with Bridger before, but I was at his home and in his bed.
It smelled like him.
Even the black silky sheets reminded me of him. Dark and moody, yet they were easy to lose yourself in.
I started to slide off him, but he tightened his grip.
“Where you going?” his deep voice said, and I peeked up to see him looking down at me.
“Hey. I thought you were still asleep.” I covered my mouth with my hand, realizing I probably had morning breath.
He chuckled and stretched his arms over his head. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like a rock.” I moved to sit up, taking in his broad shoulders and dark tousled hair, which was only a shade lighter than his black silk pillowcase.
His gray eyes looked darker this morning, but there was no sun coming through the opening in the curtains, as it was probably still snowing outside. “How do you feel?”
“I feel good.” He shifted, moving to sit as his back pressed against the headboard.
“Are you freaking out that I’m here?”
“I asked you to stay, didn’t I?” He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the bottle of water sitting there. He took a sip and then handed it to me.
“You practically begged me to stay,” I said with a chuckle. I took a long sip from the water bottle before handing it back to him.
“Hey, I have no shame in doing whatever I needed to do to get you to stay. I’ll beg if that’s what you want, angel.”
My stomach fluttered at his words. I’d expected this morning to be a very different situation. I’d prepared for it. I thought the booze had done the talking last night, but here he was, talking the same game.
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I just want you to be honest. Last night you were talking about wanting more than a fling but also warning me not to go there.”
He blew out a breath. “Sounds about right. Listen, I haven’t been in a relationship in many years, and it’s by design. So I don’t really know how this would work, but I know that I can’t stop thinking about you, and I thought I should tell you that.”
I moved closer and took his hand in mine. “I’m glad you told me.”
“I’d understand if you didn’t want to bother with it.”
“How about you let me decide that.”
He nodded, his eyes boring into mine. “Have I mentioned that I’m not a patient man, either. So let me know when you decide.”
My head tipped back in laughter. “Wow. Noncommittal, difficult, and impatient.”
His lips twitched. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I rolled my eyes. “As much as you’re trying to sway me, I’ve got a few rebuttals to your case.”
“Let’s hear it.” His chest was tan and muscled, the scruff along his jaw fuller than usual. He managed to look sinfully sexy first thing in the morning, which made thinking straight difficult.
“I’ve been in two serious relationships over the last few years.
Both were disasters. This last one being the worst. And here’s what I know…
I’ve dated men who pretend to be something they’re not.
And then the more you get to know them, the more you see who they really are.
But with you, I already know that you’re a moody bastard.
I know that you’re a self-proclaimed relationship disaster.
I’m more than aware that you’re bossy and rude half the time, but sometimes tender and sweet when nobody’s looking.
” I scooched closer, straddling his lap as I faced him.
“And, let’s not forget… you were my first crush and my first orgasm. That’s got to count for something.”
A loud laugh escaped him, and he stroked the hair away from my face. “I don’t sound half bad when you put it that way.”
“Listen, there are no guarantees with any relationship. We had a good time in Paris, and we want to see more of one another. There are no promises that come with that. We’ll just see where it goes.”
“I hope it goes to me being inside you soon,” he said dryly.
I fell forward with a laugh. “Maybe later, lover boy. I’ve got to be at the flower shop in an hour. I need to get home.”
He shifted forward, then tossed his legs over the side of the bed and pushed to stand, taking me with him. My legs wrapped around his waist as he walked to the bathroom, where he set me down on the counter.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m brushing my teeth,” he said, as if I should know what he was doing.
I went to push off the counter, and he put his hand on my thigh, motioning for me to stay while he continued scouring his mouth.
After he spit in the sink, he set his toothbrush down on the counter. “I’m going to kiss you goodbye before you realize I’m an asshole and call this whole thing off.”
I couldn’t remember a time that I’d ever smiled and laughed as much as I did when I was with Bridger.
“I already know you’re an asshole, and I’m still here.” I looked at him. “And I need to at least brush my teeth with my finger if you’re planning on kissing me.”
“I don’t mind your dragon breath,” he said, pushing to stand between my legs and kissing my neck.
I pushed him back over a fit of laughter. “Absolutely not. Toothpaste, or no deal.”
He rolled his eyes and opened the top drawer, then handed me a brand-new toothbrush.
“I thought you didn’t bring random women here? You just keep new toothbrushes in your bathroom?”
He set a hand on either side of my thighs, leaning close to my face.
“I’ve already told you I’ve got a shit ton of flaws.
And I’m not hiding anything. You are the only woman I’ve ever brought to my home, and the only woman to sleep in my bed.
If I wanted to fuck other women, I wouldn’t be taking this risk and asking you to date me. ”
“Good point. And since we’re confessing our flaws, you should know I have trust issues. Rack it up to growing up with a mother who appears to despise me, and a few cheating ex-boyfriends.”
“I can live with trust issues. Hell, I don’t trust most people. Now brush your fucking teeth so I can kiss you.”
“So bossy,” I laughed. I hopped down and put some toothpaste on the toothbrush and started brushing. He stood behind me, smiling at me in the mirror.
“You really are impatient,” I said, with the brush in my mouth, before spitting in the sink and rinsing. I turned around and smirked. “So, kiss me already.”
I barely had the words out of my mouth before his lips crashed into mine. His hand was on the side of my neck, his thumb tracing along my jawline. His tongue slipped in, and my legs nearly buckled, but he placed a hand behind my back to support me.
I reached up, tangling my fingers into his unruly hair, before pulling back.
“I know what you’re doing, but it’s not going to work. I really do need to leave. I’m opening today, so I’ve got to be there.” I pulled back.
“Fine. What time are you off?”
“I’ve got Beatrice coming in this afternoon, so I was planning to leave around two p.m.”
“And do you have anyone coming to the house today?”
“Nope. But I have a ton of Christmas shopping to finish up this afternoon, and then I was going to come over here and go through a ton of the boxes and start sorting the décor.”
“How about I meet you at the flower shop at two, and we go shopping together. I’ve barely started shopping.”
“You want to go shopping with me?” I asked.
“Yes. And then we’ll have dinner.”
“I guess we’re really doing this,” I said as I turned and tugged off the tee right in front of him and quickly changed into my clothes from yesterday.
Bridger surprised me when he jogged out to warm up my car while I got my coat and hat and mittens on.
I pushed up and kissed him quickly, then slipped into my car and drove home to get showered and changed as quickly as possible.
And I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
“I cannot believe Paris Guy is Bridger,” Eloise said for at least the tenth time before reaching for her wine glass. We’d all met at Booze and Brews for an early dinner and a drink.
“I am so here for this,” Henley said, leaning her head against my shoulder. “I feel like I should get some credit for this romance, because I set up the lie detector test, and now you’re actually dating one another.”
“I knew it was him,” Lulu said as all three of them shared a laugh. “I kept telling them that I thought Paris Guy was Bridger, and these two made fun of me for it. They said I was way off base. But I was clearly picking up on something that no one else saw.”
“I thought she still hated him,” Eloise said, shaking her head with disbelief. “And now they go holiday shopping together, and he actually smiles sometimes.”
More laughter.
“It’s all that hot French sex they were having.” Lulu wiggled her brows suggestively.
“You guys, think about this—we are dating four brothers. We could technically all be sisters-in-law at some point.”
“Do not even say that.” I put my hands up. “Bridger is not the marrying kind. The man doesn’t even think he’s capable of having a relationship.”
“Yet, you’re fully in a relationship with him,” Eloise said while giving me a look.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” I said. “I have no expectations. It’s very new.”
“And very hot.” Lulu rubbed her hands together mischievously.
“I know it’s not talked about, but Easton thinks the loss of both of his biological parents weighs on him,” Henley said, her voice full of empathy now. “I’m sure he carries that to some extent, right?”
“I think so,” I said, because I wouldn’t share the things that he’d told me. They were private, and they were his story to tell.
“Speaking as someone who has experienced loss at a young age, I couldn’t agree more.
” Eloise shrugged. “But at least I had those years with my mom before she passed. He didn’t get to know his mother, nor did he know his father much, either.
It was a tragic loss. But sometimes finding someone that you can put your guard down with works wonders. ”
I squeezed her hand. “And you found that with Clark.”
“I did.” She smiled. “So just take it one day at a time.”
We were all quiet for a few moments, as the conversation had gotten heavier than expected.
“Man, childhood trauma is a real bitch,” Lulu sighed before letting out an unusually loud burp.
The table erupted in laughter.
But I hoped I was helping Bridger let his guard down in a way.
I had no idea what the future held for us, and that was okay.
We hadn’t followed one rule.
We’d hated each other first.
We’d had sex and agreed to never do it again.
Then we’d become friends.
He’d asked me out with the acknowledgment that it would never work.
Yet here we were.
And I’d never been happier.