Brant wasn’t in bed with her anymore. That was the first thing Talulah noticed as she slowly came awake. She thought maybe it was morning. That he’d simply gotten up and left and she no longer needed to take care of him.
But when she forced her heavy eyelids to open, she saw that it was still pitch-black outside.
Had he gotten sick? Was he throwing up?
The doctor had warned her that would mean a trip to the hospital.
Jumping out of bed, she called his name but got no response.
It was then that she heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
He was in the shower.
Shoving a hand through her hair, she padded quickly out of the bedroom into the hall and knocked to check on him.
No answer.
She cracked open the door, improving the odds of him hearing her. “Brant?” she called. “Are you okay?”
“Talulah?” he responded. “Are you up?”
Now that he knew she was there, she felt safe poking her head into the room, and he poked his head through the crack in the shower curtain that enclosed the old-time, claw-foot tub.
“You weren’t in bed and... I was worried about you,” she explained.
“I’m fine.”
She covered a yawn. “How’s your head?”
“Still hurts, but I’m doing better.”
Relieved that there was no emergency, she sagged against the door frame—until she noticed her toothbrush on the side of the sink. “You used my toothbrush?” she cried.
“Sorry,” he said with a sheepish expression. “I had to brush my teeth. I would’ve used your great aunt’s if that was all I could find.”
She laughed in spite of her outrage.
“I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow,” he added.
She didn’t really mind that he’d used it; she was just surprised he’d be bold enough to help himself to such a personal possession. “There’s no need. I’m sure I’ll survive your germs.”
Their eyes connected and something passed between them that sent a wave of pleasure through Talulah. When his gaze moved down over her, speculatively but with obvious interest, she knew he’d felt it, too.
“Well, if you’re going to let me use your toothbrush, maybe you won’t mind a few more of my germs,” he said.
She told herself she’d better get out of there—fast. They were alone in the middle of the night, he was naked and she was barely dressed. But her feet wouldn’t carry her. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Would you like to join me?”
She felt her jaw drop. “Are you propositioning me?”
When she stated it that baldly, she figured he’d laugh it off and say he was just messing around. Brant Elway had never shown any interest in her. Even if he was attracted to her—although she’d never gotten that feeling—his loyalty to Charlie would’ve kept him from making any sort of move. But they were just kids when she was with Charlie. The wedding was so long ago it probably seemed like a moot point now.
He maintained eye contact. “Yeah. I guess I am.”
She felt her breath rush out of her lungs. Why her? And why not Ellen? “You must’ve hit your head even harder than I thought.”
“You don’t want to?”
“You don’t want to!” she clarified.
He blinked at her. “I invited you, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but...you’ve never liked me.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “You just...got in the way sometimes.” He grinned. “And now you’re not in the way anymore. Are you seeing anyone?”
Talulah thought of Paul. She knew he’d like a commitment, and she hoped she could give him one eventually. But after breaking as many hearts as she had, she was going to take it slow. Maybe even very slow. She didn’t want to end up in another relationship that progressed toward a wedding she couldn’t follow through with. “I’ve recently started seeing my business partner,” she said.
“Are you...exclusive?”
“No, it’s a brand-new development.”
His gaze lowered to her white tank, and she realized he could see the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric. “So you wouldn’t be hurting anybody...”
Paul wouldn’t be happy about it, of course. But she didn’t see why he’d even have to know. He could be out with another woman right now; they had no claim on each other.
“You’re thinking about it...” Brant said.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’m looking for pitfalls.”
“You’re only here for, what...a few weeks? You won’t be around long enough for this to go wrong.”
That sounded like a reasonable argument...
“And I’m pretty sure we’d have one hell of a good time,” he added, his smile widening.
His blue eyes, with those thick black eyelashes, were so beautiful she told herself not to look at them. She didn’t need to complicate her life by sleeping with her old archenemy.
Then again... If she didn’t expect anything to come of it, and he didn’t expect anything to come of it, would it be so terrible to have a last hurrah before going back to Seattle and trying to devote herself to a more serious relationship with Paul, who’d make a wonderful life partner?
“If you get in this shower and you’re not enjoying yourself, you can always change your mind,” he offered.
Her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid he could hear it. She wondered why she’d never felt this excited about Paul. Maybe it was because she and Brant hadn’t seen each other in years and had once been adversaries. Or maybe it was the temporary nature of a fling—the taboo of it. It could even be simpler than that. Raw lust wasn’t a minor consideration with a man as virile as Brant. “You won’t tell anyone...”
“It’ll be like it never happened,” he said. “So...what do you say?”
She didn’t say anything. She shimmied out of her pajama shorts and panties. Then she paused, suddenly feeling a little panicked, even though the length of her shirt meant he couldn’t see anything quite yet. Did she really want to do this and then possibly run into him in town over the next few weeks?
She didn’t have an answer for that, but before she could change her mind, he pulled the curtain back the rest of the way, taking the risk of baring it all first.
After gathering her nerve, she lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor.
Although Talulah had always been attractive, with a smattering of freckles across her small, upturned nose, thick honey-blond hair and wide, hazel eyes, Brant had never let himself think too much about her. She’d been with his best friend. That had put her out of bounds.
But it’d been fourteen years since her relationship with Charlie. And when he’d spotted her at the diner with no makeup and her hair piled loosely on top of her head, a few long strands falling around her face, he’d realized she’d gotten even prettier.
Not only was he attracted to her in a physical sense, he was beginning to like her. She’d been kind, gentle and diligent in taking care of him. Of course, that didn’t absolve her of standing his best friend up at the altar. But he wasn’t looking for anything long-term, so it wasn’t necessary to heed that warning sign.
As he helped her into the tub, he couldn’t take his eyes off her face—even though there were a lot of other beautiful things to look at now that she wasn’t wearing any clothes. She seemed hesitant and uncertain, which concerned him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “If you don’t want to do this—”
She shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“I’m nervous,” she admitted. “I’ve been so involved with my business for the past few years, I’ve had no social life. Other than sleeping with Paul once, a week ago, I haven’t been with anyone since my last fiancé as a kind of...self-imposed punishment.”
There was a lot to unpack in that statement. A long period of celibacy she attributed to a self-imposed punishment was one thing. The guy she’d mentioned she was starting a relationship with was her partner in the dessert diner, which seemed like an unnecessary risk to her business. But Brant was most interested in her use of the words last fiancé.
“How many have fiancés have you had?” he asked.
She frowned. “Three.”
He felt his eyebrows slide up. “And you’ve broken each engagement?”
“At the altar,” she admitted with a wince.
He gaped at her. “Like what you did to Charlie?”
“Something’s wrong with me,” she told him. “I get close and then I just...can’t go through with it. Why does everyone want to get married, anyway? It’s so permanent and...and terrifying. It ruins a good thing. Whenever I imagine saying ‘I do’ to that kind of lifelong commitment, I have such a terrible anxiety attack that I have no choice but to bolt.”
“No kidding?” he said. “So it wasn’t just Charlie.”
“No.”
He could tell she felt absolutely miserable about what she’d done. But the numbers were still shocking. “And you’re telling me this because...”
“You need to know. Before we...before we go any further. I realize you’re not interested in anything long-term, but I feel it’s only right to warn you.” She blinked quickly, evidence that she was tearing up. “I can’t stand the thought of hurting anyone else.”
“Then...why do you say yes to the men who propose to you?” he asked.
“I don’t know!” she replied. “Because I’m a pleaser, I guess. I have trouble saying no to the people I care about. With Charlie and Tim and Jason—they just kept at me until I finally gave in.”
“You didn’t learn your lesson with Charlie?”
“I was so young. And Tim and Jason came right after, when I was still too young, and promised it would be different with them. That I’d finally be happy to go through with it.”
“And they were wrong. Both of them.”
“Yes.”
The reservations he’d had about her—the residual anger and outrage from fourteen years ago—melted into compassion. She seemed completely sincere, even traumatized by her own behavior. If she didn’t have a guilty conscience, she wouldn’t have felt the need to make such a confession. She hadn’t left Charlie or anyone else at the altar because she was indifferent or callous. She’d tried to give the men who’d asked her to marry them what they wanted.
“Well... You can relax.” He grinned. “I’m not even going to mention marriage.”
Instead of laughing at his response, she seemed genuinely relieved. “Okay. That sounds good. You have a concussion, anyway, so you’ll probably forget all about this in the morning.”
He brought her naked body up against his, groaning as her soft breasts came into contact with his bare chest. “That would be tragic. I hope I won’t forget a second of it,” he said and bent his head to kiss her.
Talulah’s heart began to pound even harder as Brant’s lips met hers. She’d made fun of her sister and every other woman she knew who’d ever dreamed of kissing him—and here she was kissing him herself. But he was so good at physical intimacy that she couldn’t regret taking advantage of the opportunity. His lips were firm yet pliable, his hand came up to brace the back of her head, and he didn’t immediately overpower her and invade her mouth with a greedy tongue. His kiss was restrained, respectful and delicious all at the same time.
To her surprise, and probably his, too, she caught his face in her hands and was the first to take the kiss deeper.
When he obliged and added more intensity, she thought, This is what a kiss should be like, and hated that she immediately compared Brant to Paul and found Paul wanting.
Paul is a good man, she reminded herself and tried to shove him out of her mind. She wasn’t going to ruin this by thinking about anyone or anything except Brant. By warning him of her past, she’d set herself free. It wasn’t that she believed she had to worry he’d fall in love with her. She suspected he was probably as incapable of commitment as she was. She’d been honest for her own peace of mind, and she was glad she’d said what she had. Now she could cast off her fears and inhibitions, let loose for one night and simply enjoy Brant.
“Wow,” he said on a long breath and looked slightly dazed as he stared down at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I just...” He gave his head a slight shake. “This is going to be even better than I thought,” he said and the next kiss proved to be as carefully crafted and perfectly executed as the first.
“It’s the little things,” she said.
He rested his forehead against hers. “What?”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It was simply what she’d been thinking. But she didn’t mind paying him the compliment; he deserved it. “It’s the little things that take something like a kiss from good to great.”
He seemed unsure of how she meant that statement. “And the way I kiss is...okay?”
She chuckled. “It’s better than okay. It’s fucking great,” she said and the next kiss—and the kiss after that—grew even more intense until she was so eager to feel him inside her she was trembling.
But it was almost impossible to make love in a claw-foot tub, so he stopped himself and grabbed a towel for each of them.
They didn’t take the time to dry off very well. They weren’t willing to be apart for even a few seconds. They dropped their towels along the way and bumped into the walls and furniture while they continued to touch and kiss until they reached the bedroom.
“Thank God,” he said when they fell into bed. “If this room had been any farther away, we would’ve had to do it up against the wall.”
She would’ve laughed, but she was feeling too many other things. He’d quit being so deliberate, had lost the ability to control himself to the same degree as he could in the beginning. But that only made everything more exciting. She was a little out of control herself, so she wanted him to be out of control with her. His ragged breathing and eager movements confirmed that she wasn’t alone in her need for release.
“What about birth control?” he asked as he rolled her beneath him.
She barely had the breath to speak. “I’m on the pill, and I’m clean.”
“Me, too.”
She managed another gulp of air. “Good, because I don’t think I could stop now if I wanted to,” she said and gasped as he immediately pressed inside her.
Once he was settled between her legs, he paused to look down at her for a few seconds before starting to thrust. He smoothed the hair out of her face, which seemed more intimate, in a way, than what they were doing below the waist. She smiled at him, and the smile he gave her in return left her breathless. They weren’t just having sex, she realized. They were sharing a level of intimacy that required trust, and he seemed to recognize and appreciate that.
He continued to watch her as he began to move, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing the tension to build higher and higher. This had to be the best sex of her life. She thought it was odd that it would be with Brant and not with any of the men she’d tried to marry. The irony didn’t escape her, but she wasn’t willing to think about it right now. Giving herself completely over to Brant, she cried out when she hit climax, and saw him close his eyes in relief.
“I made it,” he muttered and let himself go.
When Brant woke up, pale shafts of sunlight were just beginning to come through the windows, the bed was a complete mess and Talulah was all tangled up with him.
Holding still so he wouldn’t wake her, he took a few minutes to enjoy the satisfying pressure of her head resting on his shoulder, having her leg wrapped around his and her arm flung casually across his chest. He’d never dreamed he’d have sex with “Talulah the Runaway Bride,” but she’d been surprisingly responsive and exciting—and yet real and vulnerable, too. When he looked at her now, gone was the girl who’d frustrated him so many nights in high school by stealing Charlie away when it would’ve been more fun to have his best friend along as a wingman. Making love with this person had been absolutely intoxicating.
Unable to resist, he lifted a hand to cup her bare breast, and that caused her to stir. “Hey,” she mumbled, opening her eyes.
He rolled her beneath him again, resting his weight on his elbows while running his lips up her throat. “I’m sorry for waking you, but I can’t help it.”
She let her fingers delve into his hair while being careful to avoid the cut high on his forehead. “What time is it?”
“Early,” he said and kissed her.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Better.”
“Can you tell me what month it is yet?”
“August.”
“Hallelujah!” She covered a yawn. “Do you remember telling the doctor it was June?”
“I remember not being able to figure it out.”
“So you’re not shocked to find yourself in my bed.”
He grinned at her. “Nope. I can recall every detail—from the birthmark on your perfect round ass to the sounds you make when you come.”
Her face flushed. “Spare me the details. I’m not sure how we ended up like this. We don’t even know each other that well.”
“We’ve known each other since we were kids. You’re just embarrassed. But you shouldn’t be, because thinking about last night makes me want you again.” He slid off her so he could move his hand down the plane of her stomach.
Her expression grew more serious. “Aren’t you too tired for this?”
“No. I’ve been sleeping since I hit my head. You’re the one who probably needs more rest. But I’m hoping you’ll be able to stay in bed once I go to work.”
She scowled. “You’re not going to work today.”
“There’re some things I have to get done.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“Cows don’t know that.”
“Can’t your brothers fill in for you? You just had a concussion. You should take some time off.”
He found the spot he was looking for and felt himself grow hard when she gasped at the contact. “I’ll be careful.”
She closed her eyes as if she could no longer think straight, but managed to add, “What brought you here in the first place?”
“Ellen asked me to let you use my portable air conditioner.”
“That was nice of her.”
“I’m about to show you how nice I can be,” he joked and took her nipple in his mouth as he pressed a finger inside her.
Her breathing went shallow and her hands gripped his forearm as he leaned back to watch the emotions play across her face. “You’re beautiful, Talulah Barclay,” he said. “I hope you know that.”
Her eyes grew clear and focused as she looked at him. He got the impression that she’d never dreamed he’d consider her that attractive. He must’ve done a better job of selling his dislike of her in high school than he’d thought. But she didn’t explain what she was thinking or feeling. Pushing him onto his back, she got on top and straddled his hips as she took him inside her. Then she stared down at him, watching him as intently as he’d been watching her while slowly riding him—so slowly he almost begged her to pick up the speed.
In the end, however, he was glad he held off and let her do it her way. The climax she gave him was more than worth the wait.