Brynne #2
“And these are for you.” Mason held up the last bouquet. “Do you want to hold them, or should I give them to your dad for now?”
Her throat bobbed. Even Theo shifted uncomfortably.
“I’ll take them,” she whispered, finally pulling her hand away. She hugged the flowers against her chest, and took a few steps back. “I’m going—to—put them?—”
“In the car?” Theo asked, and she nodded. “I’ll take them for you.” He turned toward me. “You wanna keep me company?”
“Your car is right outside,” I said, lifting my brow.
“I need your protection.” He grinned. “What if some woman snatches me up? I need you there to save me.”
“Trust me, they’ll give you right back.” I rolled my eyes, but gestured for the doorway. “After you.”
The chatter and warmth of the kitchen faded the closer to the front door we got. He held it open, letting me go outside first. The cool air was welcomed, and I took a deep breath.
“I adore your mother,” I said, stepping off the porch. “But why doesn’t she ever have the AC on?”
“She’s always cold.” He shrugged. “Trin is, too.”
“But she always wants the AC on.”
“She likes being cold. Mom doesn’t.”
Silence fell between us as we stopped at his car. He set the flowers in the trunk, then leaned against it.
“You wanna go for a ride?” he asked, and I laughed.
“No. Thank you.”
“Why not?” He lifted his keys in the air. “I’ll let you drive.”
I glanced back at the house. It was tempting. But I couldn’t just disappear.
“Rain check,” I said, and his shoulders fell. Heaving out a huge sigh, he tipped his head back.
“You gave Scout your necklace,” he murmured. I rested my elbows on the trunk and stared up at the stars with him.
“She needed it more than I did.”
Slowly, he slid his hand across the small space separating us, and twined his fingers through mine. “She told me she likes to make music,” he said quietly, like it was a secret.
I glanced at him. “Make music, how?”
“Write songs, play guitar.” He shrugged. “Think I could talk to Mason about what stuff to get her?”
My heart squeezed. “Yeah, of course.”
He glanced at me, the moonlight reflecting in his eyes. He leaned over, his lips brushing mine.
“I’ve missed you all week,” he whispered.
“I missed you, too.”
He moved closer to me, the heat of his body enveloping me. Gently, he brushed the tip of his nose against mine.
“I don’t think I can handle another week not seeing or talking to you,” he said. “I’ve been going crazy.”
“You just have blue balls,” I teased, but he shook his head, his face uncharacteristically serious.
“Can I be honest with you?” he whispered, pulling away. I didn’t know if I wanted that, but I nodded anyway. “I want you in my life, Brynne. It’s more than sex—or not sex. It’s more than Pulse, more than sneaking around. It’s…you. I just want you.”
I clenched my jaw until my teeth ached. Tears blurred my vision, my heart in my throat. “What does that mean?” I rasped, and he shrugged.
“I guess it means I like you.” He chuckled softly, his breath brushing against my face. “I sound like a fucking kid, but it’s true.”
“What? Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” I joked, but he didn’t laugh.
“Would that be so wrong?”
I turned fully toward him, my eyes flicking between his. “You don’t do relationships, Theo,” I whispered.
“I can.”
“What about Trin?”
“What about her?” he shot back. His hand fell to my hip, and he dragged me closer. “We can tell her whenever you’re ready. I just—I just can’t stand not being with you. You’re driving me insane.”
“It’s not just because we haven't had sex yet?” I asked quietly.
I braced myself for whatever he was going to say. But he just huffed out a laugh and tucked my hair behind my ear.
“Baby, we could never have sex, and I’d still want to be with you.” Leaning forward, he gently kissed my cheek. “I don’t know the right words. I don’t know how to convince you that I’m serious about this. But I can show you. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but I’ll try my hardest to be.”
I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. “You really want this? You want to be in a relationship ? With me?”
“Undoubtedly, I do.” Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to one cheek, then the other. “What do you say, Red? You wanna be my girlfriend?”
“God, we really do sound like kids, don’t we?” I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Yes, Theo. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
Before the words were fully out of my mouth, his lips were on mine. His kiss seared me to my soul—demanding, hot . I pressed my body into his, letting his arms circle me, his hands dropping to my ass.
I knew if I didn’t stop this, we’d end up fucking on the hood of his car, and we couldn’t do that—not here, at least. So, I pulled away, smiling broadly.
“I’m not ready to tell people yet,” I said. He nodded a few times, his chest still heaving.
“We’ll tell them whenever you are.” He bit his lip before he added, “But I’d like to tell Scout first. I don’t want her to feel left out or like I’m not including her in my life.”
“Alright.” I rested my hand against his cheek, and he shut his eyes, leaning into my touch. “Then we’ll tell Trin second.”
“Deal.” He kissed my palm, letting his lips linger for a moment.
“Does this mean you’re still up for auction next weekend?” I asked, and his eyes flew open.
“ Shit . I forgot about that.”
“I’m kidding.” I laughed. “It’s for a good cause. You know Trin is going to bid on you as a joke, anyway.”
“I’d rather you bid on me.” He captured my lips one more time before pulling away, his fingers still tangled with mine. “Will you be there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”