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“I’m sure,” he said instead. “I can’t say I’m okay with what’s happened, but I will be. I just really want to be by myself right now.”
She nodded and stood. “Okay. I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll sneak you some food from the brunch Mom is still planning to have.”
“Of course, she is,” he said wryly. “No way she could let it pass. BB going with you?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I can talk him out of it at this point. He likes our crazy family.”
“That makes him just as crazy. No wonder he fits right in.”
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Hmm, he does, doesn’t he? God, help me.”
BB chuckled. “Go. Sleep. You need to be rested before tomorrow. Then come here, bring me food, and tell me all about it.”
Gennessey smiled. “Deal.”
She turned down the lights in the room as Cohen’s eyes closed. She suspected he didn’t sleep, but she closed his door behind her to give him some quiet. If only he would find peace…
BB waited for her, his arms stretching out in front of him as soon as he saw her. Before she had a chance to second guess herself, she walked straight into his arms. She hugged him around his waist as her head rested against his chest. He held her tightly against him. She allowed herself a moment to relish the feeling of being surrounded by his warmth and comfort.
“Come on.” He nudged her, and she stepped back enough for him to drop an arm across her shoulders, drawing her in close to his side. “I’m taking you back to the hotel.”
She pulled away from him. “Um, BB, I don’t think we should…well, not tonight. Not until we talk, and I’m just not—”
“Relax, Gen. I’m taking you back to the hotel just to sleep. The talk can wait until tomorrow.”
She smiled. “In that case, let’s go. I’m exhausted.”
He grabbed her hand. “Me too. And hungry, so we’re cruising through a drive through on the way. I want a cheeseburger the size of my head.”
She smiled and then couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. They stepped onto the elevator to ride down to the lobby, and she marveled at how he was able to make her laugh after the stressful day they’d had. Studying BB’s profile, she wondered if Cohen was right. Was she ready to end whatever this was between them when they went back to their lives?
Was she ready to see what a relationship with Brennan Beckett could be like, no matter the consequences?
Chapter Thirty
Gennessey stirred from a deep sleep, taking a moment before opening her eyes to remember where she was. Something heavy fell across her just under her breasts, but it was the warmth infusing her side and the firmness resting against her thigh that clued her in.
She opened her eyes to see the morning sun casting beams across the ceiling of the hotel room. Keeping her body still so as not to disturb him, she turned her head and smiled at his contented expression.
His dark lashes fanned across cheeks darkened with stubble. His lips were slightly parted, and she toyed with the idea of kissing them until he woke. Instead, she decided to relish waking in his arms. She didn’t want to know the time or think about putting the remainder of her things in her suitcase.
When they left the hospital, they decided to head straight back to the hotel. He ordered room service while she showered, and they enjoyed a meal of salad and sandwiches. While he showered, she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. True to his word, he wrapped her in his arms with a soft, leisurely kiss without taking the intimate contact any further.
She’d fallen asleep almost immediately. With the adrenaline gone and her emotions calmed, she slept deeply. Part of her had expected to dream unpleasant images provoked by the weekend’s trouble. It happened sometimes when she was involved in a case that hit her personally, and there was nothing more personal than involving her large, dramatic, trouble-prone, loveable and detestable family. She had no explanation as to why she avoided the bad dreams this time — except this time she slept in BB’s arms.
He brought her peace. Before this weekend, she hadn’t allowed herself to delve too deep into what she felt for him, but the feelings had been there — annoyance, frustration, attraction, desire, lust, friendship…
But acknowledging just how deep those feelings were was one thing she refused to do. He had the power to devastate her, and after the years of being disappointed and hurt by her family, she couldn’t bear to feel the same rejection from BB.
Only, he’d never rejected her. Even when she pushed him away and could be downright mean to him, he never left. He came back again and again offering friendship if nothing more. He never left her to question whether or not he wanted to be with her, but if he couldn’t have her physically, he’d shown her he could be there for her in other ways.
The diabolical son of a bitch. The thought brought a smile to her lips as the back of her finger lightly traced the line of his jaw. She hadn’t wanted to like him, but he still managed to get under her skin in a way no other man ever had.
“I love you.” Her mind lazily thought the words, but her mouth uttered them in a gentle whisper she thought was too soft to be heard.
But then BB’s eyes popped open. They snared her gaze and held it. His eyes held no sleepy haze, but a sharp alertness smoldering with a heat that made her wonder if she would burn from the inside out. Then she realized the gravity of what she had inadvertently said out loud.
Gennessey bolted upright, throwing back the sheet and comforter. She scrambled to the edge of the bed only to have BB pull her by the waist back to the mattress. His body shifted to cover hers so she couldn’t attempt another escape. He stared deep into her eyes for a heartbeat. Then his head swooped down, and his lips claimed hers.
