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Samantha stared at him in disbelief as she tried her best to go with the flow and not think too hard about anything. She had no idea he could read her so well. The entire time she was with Brandon he either didn’t notice or didn’t care when something was bothering her.
“I wasn’t stressing,” she said after taking a long sip of wine.
“I thought you were going to be honest with me,” he countered, his voice low. “When we were alone earlier tonight everything seemed okay. But by the time we went back upstairs and saw Rayelle, I could feel the change in you. What is it?”
Bryce’s approach was completely foreign to her. She was used to burying her emotions and pretending everything was okay. Communication had always been a struggle for her, and spending years in a marriage to someone who would find ways to punish her for saying the wrong thing only made it worse. There was no way she could just say everything that was on her mind. She wouldn’t even know where to start.
Bryce ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back, before resting his elbow against the island, turning in his seat so he was fully facing her. “How about I say what I need to say and then we can go from there?”
She nodded in response as her heart felt like it was trying to beat out of her chest.
“Okay. Well, I’m not that great at this, but I’ll do my best.” He paused, clearing his throat before he went on. “I can’t stay away from you.”
Samantha gasped. Bryce just coming out and saying something like that was the last thing she expected, even though she’d been battling herself for days trying to decide if he might have feelings for her. He couldn’t stay away from her? Her mouth had gone completely dry, and at this point, she wouldn’t have been able to speak coherently if her life depended on it.
“I’ve argued with myself over all the reasons I should stay away from you. I even argued with Dom about it. But the truth is, I don’t want to stay away from you. Tonight, I held your hand because I wanted to touch you, and I didn’t let go of it because I don’t care what anyone thinks. My friends will be happy for me and no one else matters.” He reached over and covered her hand with his. “I hadn’t been fully convinced that I should stop fighting the way I feel, but tonight was different. It felt like maybe you have been having the same struggle I have.”
She glanced down at the large hand covering hers. He had rough, hardworking hands, but his touch was gentle. “I have been,” she said in a hushed voice.
The flash of awareness in his eyes told her he heard her quiet revelation. His eyes didn’t leave her face and she squirmed under the intensity of his gaze as heat rushed to her center.
“I must be a terrible person because I’ve been fighting my reaction to you since the night we found Asher. Since the morning after the funeral, if I’m honest,” she admitted, feeling a moment of boldness. “Wait. Where is Asher, anyway?”
“He’s in the office asleep in his crate, I’m sure,” he answered, waving off the subject change. “There is something I wanted to ask you.”
Samantha was already beginning to get used to the whole full disclosure thing. It was easier to be open when she wasn’t afraid of the consequences. “Ask me anything.”
“You can tell me it’s none of my business. It certainly isn’t. But when we were talking tonight and you were so passionate about wanting to do something good for the local kids, it made me wonder if you guys didn’t want kids. I‘m single, so I know why the best I can do is volunteer some of my resources to a project that benefits local kids.”
Her heart dropped at the question. It would always be a sore subject, but she felt that Bryce needed to know what he was getting into, before anything started. As someone so passionate about kids, it was only fair that he knew.
“We did want kids. I did, anyway. We tried for a while, but it just didn’t work out. Maybe it was a sign. As much as I wanted a family, it’s probably good we didn’t bring a child into our dysfunction,” she explained before dragging in a shaky breath. She gave him the simplified version. As dysfunctional as the marriage was, it didn’t stop her from feeling the hollow emptiness of wanting to have a child but not even being able to get that right.
Bryce watched her for a moment before he responded. “I’m sorry you didn’t get your family.”
Samantha finished her glass of wine before saying what had been on her mind since the basement of the community center. “If you want to run for the hills, I don’t blame you. If you still want kids, you probably shouldn’t bother with me. You can have literally anyone you want. You should find someone who can give you everything. Including children.”
She hadn’t expected him to stand from his chair and move closer to her. He moved so quickly, she almost didn’t notice he was there. “I don’t want just anyone. I want you.”
Before her brain could come up with a response, both his hands cradled her face. Her breath hitched when his thumb traced her mouth and gently tugged at her bottom lip. She closed her eyes, unable to watch what would happen next. Holding her in place, he covered her mouth with his.
As soon as she parted her lips, he deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing at her lips until she met it with her own. An unfamiliar wave of heat washed over her when she felt him groan into her mouth. He pulled her up from her chair, backing her against the island as his tongue continued to tangle with hers. His hands tightened on her waist and when he pulled her closer, his hard length pressed against her, causing her to gasp in surprise.
“I’m sorry,” he panted. “Do you want me to stop?”
In response, she pulled his mouth back to hers. Her hands traveled over his body, one slipping under his shirt to feel him without the barrier of clothes. He gasped and flexed his hips into her while her hands began their exploration. Kissing his way across her jaw and down to her neck, he ran a hand down her thigh to the hem of her sweater. Slowly, he made his way back up until his hand met her bare stomach.
“God,” she cried out before she helped him pull her sweater up over her head, tossing it to the floor.
She couldn’t get close enough. She wanted to feel him everywhere. She worked her hands under his shirt until he pulled away long enough to toss it to the floor next to hers.
“Bedroom,” he gritted out before taking her by the hand and leading her up the stairs.
When they reached his bedroom, he stopped at the doorway. “You can say no. At any time. You understand?”
She nodded in response.
“Tell me you understand.”
