The surprise in his eyes was gone now, but she’d caught it before it disappeared. Now he stared at her as unreadable as usual. “Why?”
Her mouth fell open, and once again she noticed what she thought she’d imagined before: how easily he was distracted by the movement of her lips. His eyes were immediately on them. She quickly closed her mouth, pressing her lips together for a moment. “Why? Is that a serious question?”
His eyebrow lifted, but otherwise it was his only response to her question. He took another bite of his pizza and chewed slowly, staring at her. The intensity of his stare softened a bit, but he was still as impassive as ever. Apparently, that was answer enough. The man was inexplicable. Of course his question was a serious one.
“Well, I don’t know about you, Brandon, but I don’t enjoy being around people who clearly dislike me.”
“I never said I didn’t like you.” He continued to chew, staring at her, completely unfazed while wreaking havoc on her insides.
“You may as well have,” she countered, losing a little of the conviction she’d felt just moments ago as she remembered his hurtful words.
That silenced him for a moment, and she looked away, pondering why anything this man she barely knew said to her could hurt?
“I wouldn’t have spent all this time with you and I certainly wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t like you. You said it yourself. I don’t know anything about you, so how could I dislike you?”
She looked up at him, and unlike before, when he’d stared her so ingenuously, he was looking down at his food, noticeably avoiding any eye contact.
“Then why—”
“It’s who you represented I didn’t like,” he said so abruptly it startled her. Regina shook her head, not understanding. “You reminded me of someone.” His eyes finally looked up and met hers.
Something changed in those hardened eyes she’d become so used to, but deciphering it was impossible. He just suddenly seemed troubled? Then just as quickly, that steadfast gaze was back.
“But you were right. It wasn’t fair and I apologize.” Crumpling up the napkin in front of him, he stood up. “You ready to go up?”
She wanted to say no—wanted to ask him who she reminded of and why he said it in past tense. Did she not remind him of that person anymore? What changed? But instinct told her to be glad for what she had gotten out of him. And he’d apologized. She hadn’t seen that coming.
Truth was she’d already kept him long enough, and getting up those stairs was not going to be easy. The staircase in her condo was much narrower than the one in their building. This would be tricky, so he may still be here a while.
Glancing down at the now empty tray on the table, she nodded, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“And you’re sure you wouldn’t rather get a room for tonight?” He glanced up the narrow staircase and back at her.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “If you’d rather not do this, I’m telling you I could make it up slowly. I’ll go backwards on my butt if I have to.”
He was already shaking his head before she finished. “It’s not that I’d rather not. I’m just wondering how you’re gonna get down tomorrow on your own.”
He reached out his hand to her. She took it then grabbed hold of his shoulder with her other. As bad as she felt about being such a burden to this guy she barely knew and whose entire night had been taken up by her, she felt even guiltier that some parts about tonight had been very enjoyable, such as feeling his strong arms around her and getting to touch his big hard shoulders as she was now.
He bent over, and in an instant, she was cradled in his arms again. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll get you up that first part of the staircase like this,” he said as he began to walk. “But this won’t work the rest of the way. It’s too narrow. You won’t fit sideways.”
Without putting her down, Brandon stood at the bottom of the staircase. He looked to be studying the first part, the part before it turned into the narrow passageway that led up to her bedroom. Regina almost hated to look away from his intensely pensive face to look at the stairs as well. She was fighting the unbelievable urge to turn his chin to her and kiss him. The very thought warmed her face as she stared at the stairs where she should’ve been focusing in the first place. How could she possibly even think of such a thing at a time like this?
He started up the wider wooden part of the stairs. When he got to the top of that part, he put her down. “You’ll have to get on my back for the rest of the way. It’s the only way we’ll fit without risking you banging your ankle against the wall.”
Regina felt her eyes widen at the sight of him undoing the buttons of his shirt, but did her best to not look too alarmed. He must’ve caught the look on her face because his expression went even more serious. “It’s getting hot, and I’m sure it’ll get hotter climbing those stairs. Plus,” he said as he removed the shirt, allowing for a view of the bulging chest just under the snug white T-shirt, “I’ll be more flexible without this.”
He hung the shirt over the railing of the staircase and crouched down in front of Regina, his back to her. “Climb on and straddle me with your good leg. Let your hurt one hang straight back so it doesn’t hit the wall on the way up.”
The moment she’d seen him removing his shirt, her insides had started to rumble. That rumbling was now a low roar, and climbing on his back would only intensify it, but she still played it cool and leaned onto him, bringing her good leg over the side of him as he hooked it with his arm. “I got you,” he assured her as she climbed a little higher, and he gripped her leg even tighter. “Grab onto my shoulders and hold on tight.”
She did, and he began straightening out slowly. “You’re on, right? Do you feel like you might slip?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay. I’m gonna pull you up just a little higher so I can get a better hold of you. You ready?”
She nodded then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes. I’m ready.”
He lowered his body a little then pushed her up higher, his hand now holding her butt cheek tightly. “Sorry,” he said as he started up the stairs. “It really is the securest grip.”
Regina narrowed her eyes, thinking about that while his fingers dug into her spreading her cheek as he tightened his hold. Was it really the securest grip? Her sisters and Janecia would no doubt crack up when she told them. How in the world did she get herself in this predicament?
Nearly at the top, Regina began breathing easier. This would soon be over. Then his foot must’ve slipped because he fell forward but gripped her even tighter.
“Shit!” he muttered as they dove forward.
“Are you okay?” she asked anxiously, still holding on with all her might.
“Yeah, just hold on,” he said, straightening out. “I’m gonna have to go the rest of the way on my knees. It’s just two more steps, okay?”
“Okay.”
When they reached the top, he made sure he was all the way down so she was literally riding him like a horse only she wasn’t sitting up. He leaned over to let her off on the side of her good leg. “Put your knee down first,” he instructed her. “Now slide off me, but be careful not to bring your ankle down too hard. Can you hold it in the air a bit and I’ll crawl out from under you?”
“Yes, I can.” She gasped as she let her body slide all the way down.