“I’m not. I swear. You’re just so perfect. And drunk enough, I might add, that I can’t trust your judgment right now. So why don’t we sit down and have some pizza, maybe some water for you, and we can come back to this conversation a bit later.”
She stuck her lip out in a pout. His wolf wanted to jump in, but he held the reins tight. Taking her right now, no matter how appealing the suggestion might sound, or how much she begged, was not the way to start a relationship. That way led to ignored phone calls and a pounding from her brothers.
Pizza. They were going to sit down, eat and talk. Nothing more. He looked at her lips. Well, maybe a little more. But he drew the line at kissing. His fingers tightened on Julie’s waist.
Okay, maybe a bit more than kissing, but the line was there. A very definite line. Somewhere. He’d know it when he saw it. As long as he kept his wits about him. Easier said than done around Julie, but he had to succeed. There was no other choice if he wanted forever.
“Come on, wobbly. Time to eat.” He didn’t give her a chance to move, swinging her into his arms. But he enjoyed her squeak and the way she clung to his shoulders.
Carrying her to the kitchenette, he sat her on the counter with reluctance. He liked holding her.
He leaned down and kissed her nose.
“You missed again,” she whispered.
“Again?”
“Yeah, yesterday you were going for my foot. I liked that miss more.” The grin spreading over her face made him feel special. As if they had their own private joke.
“I never miss.” He leaned in close, placing his hands on either side of her hips, caging her. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Tilting his head to the left, he bypassed her mouth and trailed his lips down her cheek to the juncture of her neck. Placing his mouth over the spot where her neck met her shoulder, he sucked hard, letting the edge of his teeth scrape her delicate skin.
Her body shuffled closer, and her head fell back. Brendan closed his eyes on a groan. Her breasts pressed against his chest. The scent of strawberries was stronger against her neck, and he drew it in like a starving man as he ran his hands from her thighs around her back to pull her tight against him. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, the scent of her arousal floated up to join in the blend. Julie and sex fused together into a heady combination.
Slow. He was supposed to be taking things one step at a time. Skimming his lips down her throat, he placed a quick nip at her collarbone before moving away.
They stared at each other in silence for a full minute, their deep breathing the only sound in the room. Sexual tension buzzed between them until the air was thick with emotion.
“You are such a tease.” Julie broke the silence, cutting through the tension around them and bringing a smile to his face.
“Me? Woman, I’m just trying to get to the pizza, but you keep throwing yourself at me and I get all distracted.”
“Woman? You so did not call me woman.” He leaned in close again, placing a quick kiss against her lips, but backing away before either of them could deepen it.
“God, you are too cute.” Without moving from between her legs–because there was no way he was giving up such prime real estate–Brendan reached over and flipped open the pizza box. He took out a slice and handed it to her.
“Aren’t you a little close?” she asked as he stood with his own slice.
“I’m comfortable.”
“Well, I’m not. Scoot back a bit.” She shoved his shoulder, and he took a reluctant step back.
“Fine, but don’t think I won’t be back there soon.” He winked, causing her to roll her eyes and shake her head.
The man was so damn cocky. Julie watched him take another bite of pizza, his sharp teeth cutting through the cheese with ease. She wished she had fangs. She probably had cheesy strings all over her face. A quick swipe over her mouth assured her she wasn’t a complete mess.
Still, as the bready pizza soaked up some of the alcohol in her system, everything that had occurred since his arrival sharpened in her memory. Oh God, she’d thrown herself at Brendan. Worse, he had rejected her!
This couldn’t be happening. Maybe she had run her car off the road earlier and was even now in a hospital bed having a coma-induced nightmare.
“Why do you look so horrified, baby?” His sharp eyes were fastened on her face. She strove for a nonchalant look, having no idea if she succeeded.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just wondering what you’re doing here.”
He reached over to the box and pulled out another slice, holding it out for her to take. After only a moment of hesitation, her hunger overruled her reservations.
“I’m eating.” He shrugged, still drilling into her with his gaze.
“Yes, but why are you eating here?”
“We had a date. You left a message on my machine saying, ‘Brendan, I’m not feeling up to salmon tonight. Would you mind picking up some pizza and coming to my place instead?’ What was I supposed to do–say no?”
He’d used a high pitch voice to imitate her. Julie stared for a full minute before she could form a reply.
“That’s not what the message said.”
“It wasn’t?” The smile he threw her way was playful. “My bad. I guess I misunderstood.” He started eating his slice again, his gaze never breaking contact with hers.
“You know it’s a little nerve wracking to eat while you’re staring at me.”
An image of Jay, the man from the wine store, flashed through her mind. His eyes had pierced her with the same intensity as Brendan’s did now. But whereas Brendan’s gaze made her feel safe, not to mention hot all over, Jay’s had left her on edge. As she remembered, a wave of unease swept over her, and she brought her arms around herself to chase away the goose bumps.
In an instant, Brendan was there, clutching her shoulders and forcing her gaze to his.
“Julie? What happened?” There was a fierceness in his grip, in his posture, that had been absent before.
“It’s nothing.” What was she supposed to say? That some guy had hit on her and now, hours later, she was freaking out. It sounded ridiculous even to her.
“It’s not ‘nothing.’ I saw the frightened look on your face. Now tell me what happened.” His grip tightened, not painfully but with clear intent. He wasn’t going to drop this until he knew what had spooked her.
“I was thinking about this guy I met today. He gave me the willies. No big deal.” A barrage of questions assailed her.
“Who was he?” Brendan’s voice demanded an answer, his grip solid on her arm.
“Calm down, Brendan. He was just a guy. He asked me out. I said no. He went away. That was it.” She left out Jay’s eerie certainty they would meet again, knowing it would set Brendan off.
“Then why the fear? Does he live in town?”
“He just gave me a creepy feeling. It was nothing. And no, he doesn’t live here.” Julie waited a moment for her words to sink in. “Now don’t you think there are more important things we should be discussing?” Like why he had rejected her earlier, and if he would do it again.
Tonight had opened her eyes. Yes, she had been drunk when she’d convinced herself sex with Brendan wasn’t the catastrophe she’d envisioned. But her point remained valid, even after the alcohol had worn off. Maybe a fling was exactly what she needed right now. As long as she remembered a fling was all it was and didn’t let her heart get entangled, she’d be fine. Besides, if Brendan did everything else half as well as he kissed, it was worth the risk.
“And what other things do you want to discuss, little one?”