While she was lying on her side with her leg in the air, he did just as he said he would and crawled out then turned around immediately to help her bring down her leg slowly. This night could not have been any crazier. The last thing she expected to be doing tonight was lying there on her bedroom floor, looking up at this guy—the daunting sergeant she’d so desperately tried to avoid all week—on all fours looking down at her.
“You okay?” She nodded for a moment, unable to speak. He stared into her eyes for a little longer before his concerned eyes made their way down her body, seemingly to make sure she was all right, but it felt different. Having him over her like this, so close to her as she lay there helplessly, and seeing the way he took in every inch of her in, the concern in his eyes morphing into awe, made her freeze. She should say something—protest. Instead, she lay there in silence, watching as his eyes didn’t just check her out for injuries. They draped over her slowly with such yearning. Was that what she was seeing? Whatever it was it literally made her shiver. Those intensely alert eyes darted back to meet hers, his brows furrowing in question. “Are you cold?”
Regina shook her head, swallowing hard and chastising herself for not being unable to put even two words together. As if he suddenly caught himself, he jerked back, straightening up on his knees and startling her in the process.
“Let’s, uh,” he said, sounding completely rattled now. “Let’s get you up.”
He reached out for her hands, and she took them. Standing to his feet, he helped her by holding her elbow with one hand while still keeping his other hand in hers.
She started to hop in the direction of her bed when he leaned over and picked her up. “Don’t try and walk without your crutches,” he said simply.
If he’d actually been rattled as he’d sounded just moments ago, he recovered fast enough. He was back to his no-nonsense self, and any sign of yearning was completely gone. If she had to guess what he was feeling now, it was anger. His expression was completely hard now, and his jaw was set in stone.
Regina wished she could pull that brave, playful, and outspoken girl out from deep within her. She’d never been afraid to speak her mind even at a moment like this. Her sisters both envied her growing up because, while all three of them were known as the brainy ones in their school, she was the only one of the three who fit in with the popular crowd as well. She wasn’t anywhere near as shy as her sisters had been, and she’d been an insatiable flirt.
The old her would’ve put Brandon in his place a long time ago, instead of cowering around avoiding him. The old Regina would’ve looked forward to having fun making him uncomfortable in the elevator, not the other way around.
As he laid her down gently on the bed, his face coming so close to hers, she once again could feel his warm breath against her mouth. She thought about everything he’d made her feel tonight. The old Regina would’ve kissed him right about now. She knew what she’d seen when he was looking at her just minutes ago. As hard as he was trying to pretend he wasn’t feeling the incredible attraction she’d been feeling for him since the moment she saw him at the airport, today he’d slipped.
Feeling the old her rise from the dead, from somewhere deep inside her, Regina lifted herself to her elbow and pecked him on the lips softly. Brandon stopped cold and stared into her eyes, his breathing immediately hitching. “Thank you,” she whispered, licking her lips, and his eyes were instantly on them. “For everything you did tonight.”
She actually heard him gulp, and she smiled, feeling her heart speed up. Nearly losing her courage, she fought to keep the old her around and brought her hand around his neck, kissing his lips again, only this time she kept her lips on his longer. She waited, but he didn’t kiss her back, and for an instant, she felt so mortified her heart plunged. The girl with him at Gaslamp came to mind. She’d already made note of the fact earlier that he didn’t wear a wedding band, but that could mean nothing. She could still be his girlfriend or fiancée.
Regina began pulling away when his arms came around her, pulling her to him, and he kissed her feverishly and so deeply like she’d never been kissed before. She’d been kissed plenty, and she’d felt passion, but this was an entirely different experience for her. The man was voracious the way he sucked her lips with such fervor. She loved it. She wanted more.
With her insides going crazy among other parts of her body, a moan nearly escaped her as he sucked her bottom lip even harder. Just like earlier, he seemed to catch himself and stopped suddenly, leaning his forehead against hers breathlessly.
“I apologize—”
“Don’t you dare,” she said, pulling back to look at his startled eyes. “I started that.”
“You were just thanking me. I shouldn’t have taken it where it went.”
“If I hadn’t wanted it to go there, I would’ve stopped you.”
He stared at her, noticeably swallowing hard again, his jaw stretching. “Why didn’t you?”
She shook her head and touched his face. “I didn’t want to.”
He closed his eyes at the touch of her hand to his face. “You don’t know anything about me.”
His words made her pull her hand away. “Is that your girlfriend?” she asked, dreading the answer. “The girl you left the bar with Friday night?”
Shaking his head, he opened his eyes, but he didn’t look at her. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
The relief was instant, but she refrained from letting out the breath she was holding in too obviously. “My not knowing anything about you is not for lack of interest on my part. You say you have no interest in getting to know me, but that’s not what I felt with that kiss or the way you look at me.”
The old Regina was alive and well, but she was scaring the hell out of the new Regina. The insecurities she’d never felt before last year, before her life had taken such a turn, were still also very much alive and well. What if she was completely off? What if he’d just gotten caught up in a moment of passion? What if what he’d been so brutally honest about before still stood—he had no interest in her.
“Trust me,” he said, standing up. “You don’t wanna get to know me.”
“Trust me.” She countered right back, lifting her brow as their eyes met. “I do.”
At a stalemate for a moment, they were both silent until finally he spoke again. “It’s late, and we’ve both had a long night. You should get some sleep.”
He turned around and started toward the stairs. Was that it? Was he just going to dismiss her request to get to know him flat out and leave? Where the hell was the old Regina so she could tell him off? Because the new one felt like crawling under her blankets, and already her brain was scrambling for ways to get transferred so she’d never have to face him again.
“I’ll be here at oh-six-hundred hours tomorrow,” he said as he reached the top of the staircase but didn’t turn to face her. “There’s no way you’re getting down these stairs on your own, and I really don’t think you should try.”
Regina didn’t even try to hide the smile that spread across her face, but she was glad he didn’t turn to look at her. “Oh six hundred it is,” she said. “I’ll be ready. You can leave the front door unlocked so you can just let yourself in tomorrow. This is a gated community with lots of security cameras. It should be okay. Brandon . . .?” He nodded but didn’t turn to look at her. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate everything you did for me today.”
Finally, he turned just slightly, indulging her once again with one of his elusive smiles. It was barely there, and like so many times tonight, she saw a tinge of unease in his eyes, but small as it was, the hint of a smile still made her insides warm. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”