Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Rhett
The drive back to Brynlee’s house feels like forever and no time all at once. My body buzzes while she keeps hold of my hand in the cab of my pickup, and all I can think about is how amazing her lips felt. Her soft, luscious lips.
She initiated the kiss in the parking lot, and the only reason I stopped was because we both needed air. Her lips are slightly swollen, and my beard created a slight pink hue on her chin.
At some point during the drive, she slid over to the middle of the bench seat, and she wrapped herself around my arm as we held hands.
Having her this close drives me wild, and I try my best to remind myself I’m a good guy.
A nice guy. But at the end of it all, I’m still a guy.
A guy who desperately wants to know every inch of Brynlee Carmichael intimately.
“Tell me about yourself,” I say, my breathing ragged as I rub her bare thigh with my thumb.
“What do you want to know?” Brynlee asks, her head leaning against my bicep.
Something boring to keep my mind away from thinking about how easy it would be to slide my hand up and make you squirm like I am. “Somethin’ people would be surprised to learn.”
“Um… I have a degree from a fairly prestigious university. Mama wanted me to get my MRS degree, but I wanted to make sure I had a backup plan in case I turned down the first rich man who proposed,” she says with a giggle. “She was appalled, but I think it worked out.”
“University grad, huh?”
“Yeah, I bet no one expects that. But that’s okay. I like surprising people.”
That she does. “Trade school was the only option for me,” I say. “At one point, I thought I might go to a four-year school, but it wasn’t really feasible.”
“Why not?”
“Because I was the sixth of eight kids. Mom and Pop didn’t have the money to pay for me to go, and I didn’t want that much debt.”
“What did you want to study?”
No one’s ever asked me this before. Not even my family. It’s just expected to be a blue-collared man around these parts. “I thought I’d go into some type of engineerin’. I loved Legos, and I’ve always been good at math.”
“You kind of went that route,” she points out. “You put together really big Legos every day.”
Laughing, I kiss her temple while keeping my eyes on the road. “I never really thought about it like that, but I suppose you’re right.”
“I like that you do something with your hands. You know the meaning of hard work. Everyone I used to know came from money—we didn’t, but Mama never let that stop us. She married rich a few times, and she taught me how to act and talk and walk to seem as though I was born with a silver spoon.”
“It couldn’t have been all bad bein’ with someone who could whisk you off to fabulous places and buy you mansions on a whim.”
She shrugs. “It sounds fun, but it’s honestly so tedious. Everything is about appearances, and you learn early on how to walk on eggshells because those types of people have the most easily bruised egos. I did learn a skill, though.”
“Yeah?”
“I can tell you within thirty seconds of stepping into any room who the most powerful person is. Who the wealthiest is. Who has the most prestige. It’s tiresome because it’s necessary.”
“Now, tell me somethin’ people don’t know about you,” I say as we park in front of her garage. “Somethin’ you keep hidden.”
I want to know Brynlee in a way many don’t.
Something she wouldn’t feel comfortable telling anyone but me.
Maybe even something she couldn’t tell her mother.
Being with her already makes me feel incredibly special, but knowing her better than anyone else would be the biggest accomplishment of my life.
“I have issues with self-worth,” she admits, her voice quiet.
The words stun me, and I turn toward her, making her release me enough to see her face. “You?”
“It’s really hard to feel fully confident when your entire life has been based on outside validation.
Constant scrutiny really makes you feel unworthy.
Pageants are the worst. My smiles weren’t big and bright enough, or my dress wasn’t sparkly enough.
My figure wasn’t good enough, so then I had to change my diet.
Did I dance well enough, or did I need to up my lessons?
And the questions… The answers had to be as perfect as the talent.
Mama only ever found me worthy if I won. Or gained a rich man’s attention.”
“And you feel you’re not worthy if you don’t get that praise?”
Brynlee shrugs and looks out the windshield rather than at me. “Sometimes. My entire life hasn’t been about who I am as Brynlee but how I look. What’s inside never mattered. There are some things Mama drilled into me that I’m working on getting out of my head.”
“Like what?”
“She would have been mortified by how excited I was tonight. Too much excitement is a turnoff. Too much emotion makes me dramatic, so I need to lock up my emotions. If I go above a size four, I’m fat.
I can’t be too dumb, but I can’t be too smart, either.
Men don’t like extremes. Always have your game face on, Brynlee. You never know who’s watching.”
“I have no idea how you managed to do any of that,” I admit. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
I also can’t understand how a mother could be so critical of her child. Mom was nothing but supportive. Always happy we tried our best.
“It was. It’s hard to break out of that mentality when it’s all I’ve ever known.
I just want someone to see me, you know?
Get to know Brynlee. My looks will fade, and I don’t want to be in a position where face lifts and fillers are mandatory to keep someone else happy.
I guess I just want to feel safe with someone.
Know that what we build isn’t based solely on superficial qualities that can disappear quickly. ”
Gently cupping her face, I turn her towards me. “I know I comment a lot about how pretty you are, because, well, you are. But I see that there’s more to you. You know that, right?”
“It’s really nice to hear, Rhett.”
“You’re also incredibly nice. Probably too much so.”
“It’s a defense mechanism, trust me,” she says with a smile. “Everyone assumes I’m a bitch upon meeting me, so I may go overboard with the niceness. I like to think I’m nice by nature, but sometimes, I’m not always sure where my personality ends and the overcompensation begins.”
Licking my lips, I look at hers, illuminated by the glow of the moon. “Just be you, Brynlee. I have a feelin’ that’s more than enough.”
“Walk me to my door?”
I smile and open my door, stepping out, and help her slide out to the driveway. I take my copies of the pictures and leave them on the seat while carrying hers and the bear with us up the front porch.
It’s hard not to feel a sense of accomplishment at knowing I’ve given her something she didn’t get with her rich suitors. It’s been a great date—one she compared to a movie.
“I had a great time tonight, Rhett,” Brynlee says as she looks up at me with her back to the front door. “It was the best date I’ve ever been on. Even if it was forced upon you.”
Smiling, I take her hand and rub my thumb over her knuckles. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to go out with me.”
“Want to hear a secret?”
“Sure.”
“I was anxious for the parts you ordered to come in because I wanted a reason to see you. I felt silly for everything I thought to call you for, and Mama’s voice kept reminding me that I don’t chase men. But I wanted to call you every day.”
I chuckle and bite my lower lip. “I paid for expedited shippin’ to see you again sooner,” I confess. “I about flew here to see you when Hardy called to tell me the parts were in.”
Her mouth tilts up, and I lower my face to hers, everything around us falling silent as we kiss.
When our lips touch, it’s like the world stands completely still, and the only thing I’m aware of is Brynlee.
The fruity scent of her perfume to the flowery smell of her hair.
The softness of every inch of skin I’ve touched to her taste.
How easily her tongue dances with mine as I hold her as close as humanly possible.
Pulling back, she smiles up at me. “You’re really good at that.”
“The beard doesn’t bother you? As much as I don’t want to, I’d shave it if you asked me to.”
Her fingers run over the hair I keep trimmed and clean. “No, I like it. It tickles a little. And it’s a lot softer than I imagined. I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before. Stubble, sure, which… no thanks. That hurts. But this? I like it. It also makes you look manly, and I really like that.”
“I also worry I’ll scratch you with my callouses,” I whisper and open my palm.
She runs her fingertips over my skin, and it tickles before shooting need straight to my groin.
“I like it,” she whispers back. “I like everything about you so far, Rhett.”
I chuckle and stare, mesmerized, as her fingers continue to caress my palm. It’s so innocent but so erotic. “You don’t know me that well yet.”
“I know you’re kind, even though you hate when people call you nice. You’re good with your hands, and you’re an incredible kisser. There’s also that whole gentleman thing. No one’s gone out of their way to open every possible door for me before. Not unless it was their job.”
“Thank you for leadin’ with nice,” I say and look into her eyes. “That’s usually the beginnin’ of the end for me. I’m not the type of guy women tend to fall for. Not for the long run.”
Sighing, Brynlee gives me a look of determination.
“Those other women have no idea what they’re missing.
You won me a pink bear at the fair. Heck, you took me to the county fair, and you never once made me feel as though I was too much.
And you kissed me senseless before giving me your shirt.
Frankly, I don’t know how you’ll ever top this date. ”
I laugh and marvel at the pride I’m filled with. “I hadn’t thought about that, but now I am.”