When she was set down, she wobbled slightly as she tried to wake up. Brady held her steady and she leaned forward against him.

“Good morning,” she murmured. All she wanted to do was rest her head against his chest, have him wrap his arms around her, and fall back asleep. She could not think of anything she would want to do more than that in this moment. Okay . . . maybe one thing.

“You look dead on your feet.”

“Just . . . tired,” she said through her yawn.

“I’ve no idea why. It’s only five in the morning.”

“Where are we?” she asked, looking around for the first time.

Liz took in her surroundings and her eyes lit up when she realized where they were. The lake house. She couldn’t believe he had brought her here. The last time had been Fourth of July weekend two summers ago. She only had good memories here. She hoped it stayed that way.

“I see you approve,” he said with a small smile. “Why don’t you camp out on the couch? I’m going to make a fire to try to heat this place up and then we can talk about why you called me.”

She nodded her head forlornly. She was not looking forward to this conversation. There was so much to say, and she didn’t know how much of it would make a difference. He obviously cared about her enough to leave everything behind and take her to the lake house to get away. But that didn’t mean that things would suddenly change between them . . . that everything would be better.

Fifteen minutes later a fire was roaring in the fireplace, and Brady dropped down into the seat next to her. Her eyes opened wide. She hadn’t even realized that they had been closed.

“You’re sleeping again on me, baby,” he said softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

Baby. He had called her baby. It was such a small gesture, and yet it meant so much. His touch sent butterflies through her stomach. She had craved it for so long. And it happened so unexpectedly. She had expected him to be angry, to yell at her. Yet here he was being gentle and caring and open. She wished that she knew what it all meant.

“Sorry. I’m so tired, but we need to have this conversation.”

“You know,” he said, taking her face in his hands and staring down at her deeply, “I’m not normally a talk-first-and-act-later kind of guy.”

Liz’s heart skipped a beat. Was he . . . ? No. He wasn’t suggesting . . . She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to come up with a response to that.

“I’m going to be really frank with you right now.” Liz licked her lips at Brady’s words, preparing for the worst. “I’m pissed at you. I’m so angry that it hurts me to look at you. Thinking about you is more painful than a sucker punch. You f**king train-wrecked through my life, and I can’t get rid of you. But at the same time, Liz, my entire body is aching to touch you. I just want to taste your lips and breathe you in, and bury myself inside of you. I feel like I’m going insane, that I’m splitting in two. Because everything tells me I should run headfirst in the opposite direction, but then I look at you, I hear your voice, I see those pleading blue eyes and I’m lost. I forget everything I should do, and I just know what I want to do.”

He pulled her forward until their lips were merely an inch apart. Her breathing was ragged. Her heart beating out of her chest at his declaration.

“And this is all I want,” he whispered before claiming her lips for his own.

Chapter 26

ACT LATER

Liz couldn’t have imagined a more perfect kiss. Brady’s lips, which were normally so demanding, moved with hers sensually, evocatively, captivatingly. They were joined as one, lost in each other’s tender embrace. It was just a kiss, and yet it was so much more than that. It held the promises that Brady didn’t speak.

Her arms wrapped around Brady’s neck as he pushed her gently back into the sofa. She knew that they needed to talk. There was so much left unsaid. But for now she let their bodies do the talking and knew the words would come when they were needed.

Brady’s hands slid under her sweater and ran along her firm stomach. She groaned at the feel of him. His touch sent shocks throughout her body. Her mind was lost to this man and this feeling, which she had never really been able to give up.

Heat radiated from their bodies as they moved against each other. More than a year’s worth of pent-up sexual frustration coaxing the fire between them. Liz’s fingers tangled in his dark hair as his tongue met hers and they massaged each other. Her legs bent almost subconsciously and pushed her pelvis up against him. Brady moaned into her mouth and she felt his weight shift until she could feel the hardness through his jeans.

He broke their kiss to pull her sweater over her head and then took a moment just to stare down at her torso with her br**sts spilling out of the skimpy black balconet bra she had chosen. She hadn’t known what was going to happen with Brady, but she sure as hell had decided to come prepared. He playfully snapped the strap of her bra with a dirty smirk on his face.

“Black lingerie?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s what you wear when you want someone to see it.” She ran her knuckles down his jawline. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to, but just when I think that I have you all figured out, you surprise me.”

He grabbed her hand in his and kissed each knuckle softly. “Funny. I find that you surprise me constantly.”

Brady placed her hand on his shoulder and then dropped his hands to the waistline of her jeans.

“Sexy.”

He popped the button.

“Smart.”

The zipper dropped to the bottom.

“Funny.”

His hand slid under the material and dragged them down her legs.

“Kind.”

He placed light kisses up her calf, over her knee, and across her inner thigh.

“Delectable,” he murmured, nipping lightly at her black lace thong.

Liz groaned and pressed her hips up invitingly. He was going to drive her mad. “You sound like you’re going to eat me up.”

He moved the lace aside and swept his tongue gently against her folds. “I am.”

“Oh f**k,” she moaned.

Her whole body pulsed at his words. She just wanted him. All of him. As she had never wanted anyone or anything else in her entire life. Walking away had been the hardest thing she had ever done, but being with Brady was the easiest. It was just right. Like all the pieces fell into place and the world was singing to their tune and the entire universe was in alignment.