Chapter Eleven
Chad was actually glad for a moment of space from Britt, but not for the reason she might think.
He was pissed enough to want to punch a wall.
Hearing how she’d been left alone in a trailer, at night, when a hurricane was approaching, at eight years old , was bullshit.
Negligence. Child abuse. And then to laugh at her when she’d so obviously been traumatized was icing on the cake.
Even if she hadn’t told him as much, it was obvious Britt had complicated feelings about her mother, simply because she refused to talk much about her. And when she did, she offered excuses for her behavior.
He wouldn’t and couldn’t give the woman any benefit of the doubt. If he had a wife and kids and was working, he’d find a way to get to them if a huge storm was approaching. Or he’d send someone to the house to be with them. He’d do whatever it took to make sure they were all right.
He could picture a young, terrified Britt huddling in a bathtub, trying to ride out the storm. It infuriated him and saddened him at the same time.
He stood with his head bowed, hands braced on the countertop as he struggled to gain control of his emotions.
It was a surprise that he had such a broad range of feelings, as usually he could compartmentalize his emotions and put them in boxes to deal with later.
He’d done that a lot as a sniper. Had to.
Especially when he was hungry, tired, and hurting as he stared through the scope of his rifle, waiting for the exact right moment to take a shot.
Brushing his teeth helped. Because it made him think about why he was doing it. Without warning, his dick hardened. Simply thinking about kissing Britt turned him on more than actually having sex with some women in the past.
And there was something so endearing about her wanting clean breath before kissing him. Chad had no problem acquiescing.
Of course, she might change her mind, now that they weren’t in bed plastered together.
And if she did, he’d be all right with that.
He wanted to kiss her for himself. But he’d also wanted to make her forget about her mother, or any lingering embarrassment she had about what she’d done last night.
He wasn’t conceited enough to think that kissing him would erase all her fears or make her feel better about what happened, but maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to think about something else for a moment. Preferably him .
And he’d seen the interest in her eyes. It was hard to miss. He was pretty sure the same need was reflected in his own gaze.
He ignored the little voice in his head that said it was too soon.
That Britt was on the rebound from her relationship with the man who’d left her high and dry in Maine.
The electricity he felt between them was strong.
Unlike anything he’d felt before. He was thirty-seven years old.
He knew the difference between lust and true feelings.
He respected Britt. Admired her. Had already been attracted to her.
But after last night and this morning, he wanted her more than he wanted his next breath.
He finished up in the bathroom and headed back to the bedroom. To his delight, Britt was already there. She hadn’t gone back to her room. Hadn’t changed her mind. He hoped.
Chad walked up to her and didn’t hesitate. He put his hands on her cheeks and tilted her head upward. He felt her hands hesitantly brush against his sides before she flattened her palms on his bare skin.
His erection pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and because he didn’t want to scare her, he made sure to keep his hips away from hers.
Lowering his head, Chad licked his lips, anticipation making this moment almost too overwhelming.
This was the first kiss of what he hoped would be many more.
He wanted it to be perfect ... which was another reason he had no problem with the quick break to brush their teeth.
The second his lips touched hers, Chad knew his life had changed forever.
Bolts of what felt like pure energy reverberated throughout his body. Made his fingers and toes tingle. He could physically feel his heart thumping in his chest as he licked the seam of her lips, asking permission for entry.
She opened to him, and the mint on her tongue mixing with her natural taste made him hold her face a little tighter, and he groaned deep in his throat. His cock twitched as he felt her fingers dig into his waist just before she sagged against him.
Britt gave as good as she got, twining her tongue with his and tilting her head, trying to get more.
The small moans she made went straight to his dick.
Precome leaked from the tip in preparation for burying itself so deep inside her, neither would ever know where one of them ended and the other began.
Every part of him was screaming to put her on her back on the bed and make fast, wild love to this woman. But he also wanted to savor this ... whatever this was.
If he had his way, it was the start of a relationship.
He didn’t want to move too fast, push her into anything she might not want.
The truth of the matter was, there was still an uneven balance of power between them.
Lobster Cove was his home. She didn’t necessarily work for him, but since he’d brought her here, if things didn’t work out, it would be awkward for her to stay.
So he wanted to go slow, enjoy the journey, and make sure she knew that what happened between them had no bearing on her job at Lobster Cove.
Of course, that was easier said than done. He’d need to prove to her that if she said yes to dating him, or more, that he wasn’t taking advantage. That she could say no and suffer no consequences.
All those thoughts made him ease the desperation in his kiss and eventually pull back. The dazed look in her eyes had him feeling ten feet tall. Made him want to pound his chest in masculine satisfaction. Instead, he lifted a hand and smoothed a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Morning,” he whispered with a small smile.
“Hi,” she returned.
Fuck, she was adorable. “That was ... nice,” he said lamely.
She grinned. “Not the word I’d use, but we can go with that.”
“What would you use?” Chad asked, the question just popping out.
“Fanfuckingtastic?”
He grinned. “I like that better.”
Her smile faded. “What are we doing?” she whispered.
Hating the uncertainty he saw on her face, Chad hurried to reassure her. “We’re getting to know each other. It’s what people do when they’re interested in each other, when there’s a mutual attraction. When they want to date.”
She looked shocked. She hid the emotion, but not before Chad saw it.
“What do you think we were doing? Fooling around? Scratching an itch? Because I’m too old for that shit,” he told her, just a little defensively.
“As far as I’m concerned, I want more, Peach.
I want to know all your hopes and dreams, your fears.
Hear your laughter, soothe you when you’re sad or worried.
“Am I moving fast? Yeah. But I’m old enough to know what I want and what I don’t. And you , Britt Starkweather ... I want. But if the feeling’s not mutual, that’s okay. Your job is safe. You’re safe. If you want me to back off, just say the word.”
She licked her lips, then blew his mind with her next words.
“What I want is to climb back into that bed with you and not leave for a few days. But I’ll settle for kisses .
.. for now. I’ve had my share of shit relationships, so I know a good man when I see one.
And you , Chad Young, are almost too good to be true. ”
He smiled down at her. “So we’re on the same page?”
“If that page is seeing where this leads, then yes.”
Relief swept through Chad, filling him up. “Awesome,” he breathed.
“Yeah,” Britt agreed.
Not able to help himself, Chad leaned in and kissed her again. It was just a light touching of their lips, without the passion or the tongue, but no less intimate.
“We should get changed so we can get this breakfast going,” Britt suggested.
“Yeah.” Everything within Chad protested. He didn’t want Britt out of his sight for even a second. But they both had things to do.
She chuckled. “You have to let go of me so we can do that.”
It took every ounce of strength he had to drop his hands from her face and take a step backward.
“See you in the kitchen,” she said with a shy smile.
It was official—Chad loved that she was living in the same house as he was. That meant he got to spend way more time with her than if they’d had more traditional living situations. “See you there,” he told her.
He watched her walk out of his room, tearing his gaze from her butt at the last second ... but not soon enough for her to miss where he’d been looking when she glanced back at him. To his relief, she laughed, and it was the last thing he heard as she stepped into the hall and out of sight.
Chad grabbed a change of clothes and dressed, ignoring his still-throbbing cock for the moment.
He wished he had time to take a quick shower and take care of himself, but he’d leave the bathroom to Britt.
He’d go out to the auto shop while she was getting ready and grab the food they’d stashed there so his mom wouldn’t get suspicious.
By the time he returned, to his surprise, Britt was in the kitchen waiting for him.
Her hair was damp, and she smelled like the sweet soap she liked to use.
After this morning’s kiss, and their subsequent discussion about trying to make some sort of relationship work, all he wanted to do was bury his nose in the crook of her neck and take a bite out of her.
Shit. He’d managed to get control of his dick while he’d gone to get the food, but now it was right back at full mast.
“Um ... that looks painful,” Britt said with a small grin.
“You have no idea, woman.”
“I guess you’re used to it, though, being a guy and all.”