In a low voice, Aubrey stated, “Let me go, Brett. Now!”
Ignoring her, I pushed the door open and walked into the hallway. The moment the door closed, I pushed her against the concrete wall and kissed her again.
At first she denied me the kiss, but soon she was opening her mouth to me. Both of us getting completely lost in each other. My hand wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her in closer to me as I pushed my dick into her stomach.
The low moan from the back of her throat drove me mad. If I thought I could, I’d lift her dress and bury my cock inside her right now.
My hand moved down her body until I felt the slit on the side of her dress. Slipping my hand under the dress, I cupped her pussy. Aubrey grabbed onto my arms and squeezed them tightly. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.
One quick move had my hand down her panties as I gently rubbed her clit. I could feel her body trembling under my touch and knew it wouldn’t take much too make her come. The urge to slip my fingers inside her pussy to see how wet she was was strong.
Aubrey’s head fell back, breaking the kiss as she pushed herself into my hand. She wanted this too. Needed it.
“Brett,” she gasped as I pushed harder and ran my tongue along her neck. “Oh, God, yes.”
I couldn’t deny myself any longer. One finger slipped between her lips and was instantly coated with her desire. Hissing against her neck, I gathered up every ounce of fucking strength I had and withdrew my hand from her panties.
Aubrey’s chest rose and fell quickly as she stared at me with a confused look on her face.
I winked and took a step back. “He may be more of a gentleman than me, but he’d never be able to make your pussy pulse like that.”
Reaching for the doorknob, I yanked it open and walked back into the ballroom. The sounds of Aubrey’s labored breathing echoed in my mind while I walked further away from the one thing I desired more than anything in this world.
MY HEAD DROPPED back against the hard wall while I tried to make sense of what in the hell had just happened.
Closing my eyes, I let out a frustrated moan. I did the one thing I said I wasn’t going to do again. Let Brett Owens in.
My fingers brushed over my still tingling lips. My body still reeled over his touch and the looming build-up he left me hanging with.
Placing my hands over my flushed cheeks, I opened my eyes and took in a deep breath.
“That asshole,” I whispered.
How dare he do this to me? No wait. How did I even let him do this to me? The man was my weakness, there was no doubt. But why did he bring me out here and—
Then it hit me why he did it. Brett had been jealous of the attention Ryan had given me.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Why in the hell would he be jealous of Ryan? It didn’t make sense. He was the one who walked away from me the second we walked into the room. Did he really expect me to stand there and wait for him?
Fuck that.
Inhaling a deep breath in, I turned and headed back into the ballroom. Quickly scanning the room, I saw Brett. He was standing in a group of people with a few kids mixed in.
Looking past him, I saw Ryan. When I brought my eyes back to where Brett was, our gaze met.
I started making my way to him and couldn’t help but notice the slight smirk he wore on his face. As I drew closer he turned to face me. Glancing over his shoulder, Ryan stood talking to an older couple.
“There she is,” Pat said as I stopped directly in front of Brett. I was hoping the look of evil I was giving him spoke volumes. I plastered on a smile and turned to the group.
“This is Aubrey Cain, she is the reporter doing the ESPN article on college football at the University of Austin, specifically on Brett.”
A little boy began jumping. “I want to be a college football player.”
Smiling, I bent over and looked into his eyes. “Then if that’s what you want to do, I’m sure you’ll be amazing at it.”
His face beamed with my words before he glanced up to Brett. “Coach Owens said if I want to play ball, I have to do really good in school, respect my parents, and work really hard at practicing my throws.”
I stood and looked at Brett. He was peering down at the boy with the first genuine smile I’d seen on his face since I’d met him.
His hand went to the young boy’s head where he ruffled up his hair and laughed. “You’re going to come play for me aren’t ya, Tim?”
With a peek back at Tim, I couldn’t help but giggle when I saw his chest puff out. “I sure am. Coach! I’ll be the best quarterback you’ve ever had.”
Brett held up his hand and Tim hit it. “I’m sure you will be, buddy.”
The whole exchange between Brett and Tim was short, but it was so powerful I fought to hold my tears back. It was clear this young boy looked up to Brett, and he obviously thought the boy hung the moon. In that moment, I wondered why Brett hadn’t settled down with someone. Did he have the desire to get married and have kids? The idea that he maybe wasn’t interested in that life made me feel… sad.
“Would you like to dance?”
Brett’s hot breath on my neck caused goose bumps to pop up across my entire body.
Without saying a word, I gave him my hand and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. It was hard not to notice Ryan watching our every move.
Brett pulled me in and tucked me into his body. I couldn’t help but notice how I seemed to fit perfectly within his arms. I should have been pissed at him for what he did, but again, the man had some kind of power over me.
“Moonlight Crush” by Outshyne started and I was once again stunned by Mr. Owens. The way he danced was enough to swoon me right out of this dress and into his bed.
Stay. Strong. Aubrey.
His lips grazed against my cheek as he whispered, “You’re the most beautiful woman in the room, Aubrey.”
Confusion swept over my body. One minute he was talking dirty in my ear and the next he managed to cause my heart to stop and the ground to shake as he swooned me with compliments.
Gripping tighter onto his arm, I drew back and looked into blue eyes. “Thank you, Brett.”
His smile made my stomach flutter. I was almost positive something moved between the two of us, and if we were alone, I wouldn’t even try to stop him if he tried to kiss me. Or touch me. Or make love to me.
There was something about Brett Owens that felt dangerous. He made me want things I knew I shouldn’t want, yet I didn’t care. I felt daring when I was around him.
Oh, God. What would he be like in bed? Hot and dirty talking while he slowly brought out one orgasm after another. Everything a good girl desired but was too afraid to admit she wanted in a man.
Ugh. Stop thinking that way, you horny bitch!
My hand moved and pressed against his chest. I was positive his heart was beating as fast and hard as mine.
“Brett,” I barely spoke.
He closed his eyes and quickly opened them again, this time they weren’t filled with lust, but more like confusion. Guilt. Pain.
“I made you a promise, Aubrey and I intend on keeping it. As much as I want to bury myself deep inside you for days, I won’t go back on my word.”
And like that, my heart dropped and disappointment rushed over my body. I knew what he was doing was the smart thing… the right thing to do.
A part of me wanted to argue with him, and I might have if it hadn’t been for Ryan.
“May I cut in?”
Brett turned and shot Ryan a dirty look. I couldn’t pull my gaze off of Brett as I watched him take a few steps back and head over to the bar.
Ryan stepped in front of me, drawing me into his body with the start of the next song.
With one more look over his shoulder, Brett’s eyes caught mine. I silently pleaded with him to come back. I didn’t want to be in Ryan’s arms, I wanted to be in Brett’s. As wrong as we both knew that was, we both longed for it.
When the bl
onde walked up and stole his attention, my world quickly came to a stop.
“From the look on your face I’d say I saved you from a rather uncomfortable dance?”
Focusing in on Ryan, I tried to take in what he had said.
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
Motioning with his head back toward Brett, he repeated his words. “The look on your face when I walked up. You seemed like you were in need of saving.”
I forced a smile. “No, not at all. Brett is a very interesting subject.”
There was something between these two and I was not going to play into either hand. At least not until I found out what it was that made the two of them not like one another.
“How well do you know Brett?” I probed. The reporter in me clearly coming out.
Ryan chuckled. “Too well. We went to high school together, then college. We were even roommates at one point.”
I was sure my face wore a surprised expression. How in the hell did I not know this? What a shitty researcher I am.
“Don’t look so surprised. We didn’t really announce to the world we shared a house. My parents bought a place and we rented it from them. We only lived on campus the first year when we were required to.”
I made a mental note to dig a little deeper into Brett’s past.
“Did you play football as well?”
His crooked smile was my answer. “Yes, but I wasn’t nearly as good as the golden boy. He excelled at everything. Always one step ahead of me in everything, including women.”
My eyebrow rose. “Is that a hint of bitterness in your voice, Mr. Dryer?”
His head jerked back and a loud laugh came from his mouth. “Hardly. In the end, I won, or at least, I always win.”
His statement totally caught me off guard. I was about to ask him a question when an older woman called for everyone’s attention.
Taking a chance look, I saw that the blonde was still standing next to Brett. I never was the jealous type, but something about her made my skin crawl. Even Brett seemed very uncomfortable standing next to her. She was young, maybe twenty-five, twenty-six at the oldest.
Ryan followed my stare. “Aww, I see Brett has found his girl for the night.”
Snapping my attention to him, I asked, “What do you mean?”
With a casual shrug, Ryan continued speaking. “Brett doesn’t like to be alone. He never has. He was always bringing home a different girl, I swear.”
My stomach dropped at the idea as I looked back at Brett.
“Tonight we celebrate a man who has worked effortlessly in starting this program and helping it grow. Hundreds of kids have benefitted from Brett Owens’ tireless work he has put into making this program such a huge success.”
Brett turned and gave the blonde a look that honestly scared me so I was sure it had to have scared her. There was nothing but pure hate on his face. He quickly turned his back on her and continued to listen to the woman standing at the podium going on and on about what an amazing job he was doing with Bright Futures.
“Brett looks a bit upset, I wonder if everything is okay.” Ryan examined.
My eyes drifted back to the blonde who was now heading out of the room. She appeared to be crying.
“I’m not sure,” I absentmindedly said while watching the young woman leave. “But I intend on finding out.”
We stood and waited for the car to come around in complete silence. Ryan had asked me if I wanted a ride home in front of Brett, and I thought a war was about to start so I quickly declined.
The car drove up and Brett took my hand in his as he opened the door for me. It didn’t go unnoticed how my heart skipped a beat and my stomach clenched at the sweet gesture.
Before I went to get in, he lifted my hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. With a seductive smile, he practically purred the next words. “Will you need help getting out of your dress?”
Yes.
“No thank you, Mr. Owens. I’m very capable of undressing myself.”
He pouted and I swear my heart melted. Brett Owens gave me a pout and I totally fell a bit more for him. I felt like a high school girl with her first crush.
The moment he dropped my hand, I missed the warmth of his touch. I needed to get a grip. There was no way anything could, or would for that matter, happen between us.
Brett let out a sigh and took off his tie as he asked the driver to go to Kerbey Lane Café.
“Kerbey Lane Café? Brett it’s one in the morning.”
He looked at me and winked. “And I’m hungry. Kerbey Lane has the best pancakes around.”
My stomach growled and Brett laughed. “See, even your stomach agrees.”
Before I knew it, I was being helped back out of the car and walking into a restaurant. I wished like hell I could strip out of this dress, but no bra and a pair of thong panties probably wouldn’t go over well in public.
We weren’t even sitting for two minutes when someone walked up and asked for a picture with Brett.
After the third request, Brett got up and took my hand. “Where are we going?” I inquired.
“To the corner.”
I giggled. “Have I been a bad girl?”
Brett looked back at me and I swear his eyes turned black. My lower stomach pulled with desire as my grin faded. I hadn’t intended on making that sound flirty, but it totally did.
The booth in the very back corner was empty so Brett motioned for me to slide in. A part of me wanted him to slip right on in next to me.
Ugh. I needed to stop thinking the way I was. What I needed to do was refocus on the interview.
“So, who was the blonde you were talking to earlier? She seemed to upset you.”
Brett’s menu dropped. The muscles in his neck flexed while he clenched his jaw.
Okay. So now my interest in the mysterious blonde was at a higher level. Ryan was right, something about the girl upset Brett.
“I don’t want to talk about Emily.”
Now that she had a name, she became more real, and so did the pangs of jealousy that rippled across my body. I wasn’t about to let it drop though.
“Old girlfriend?”
His eyes snapped up to mine before they dropped back to the menu. “Hardly.”
Damn. He wasn’t going to offer up any information, that was for sure. Glancing over the menu, I decided on a bagel and butter. I wasn’t one for eating late at night, not even on a drunk run in college did I ever really eat anything. While my friends used the excuse of buzzing for stuffing six tacos in their mouths, I downed water to keep from having a hangover the next day.
After placing our order, I watched as Brett looked around the restaurant.
“Do you always get recognized when you go out?” I questioned. Maybe if I start with the easy stuff, he’ll open up a bit more.
He shook his head. “No. Not very often.”
“Do you not like it?”
Pulling his head back in surprise, a slow grin moved across his face. Good Lord, this man is handsome as hell. My body reacted to every single thing he did and it was getting harder to ignore the urge to touch him.
“I don’t mind it at all.”
My head tilted to the side as I shot him a questioning look. “Then why the corner booth?”
He didn’t miss a beat with his answer. “Because there is a large group of college kids in here, and once they start to figure out who I am, they’ll all want their picture with me. If I was alone, I’d go ahead and stay where I was.”
With a grin, I replied, “But you’re not alone.”
“No, I am most certainly not alone. I figured you’re tired, ready to get out of that dress, and the faster we appease my pancake craving, the faster you get home and crawl into your Victoria’s Secret cotton pjs.”
I swallowed hard. “How did you know that was what I wore to bed?”
Brett laughed. “Lucky guess.”
The waitress came back with my bagel and Brett’s pancakes. I had to admit, they looked da
mn good.
After he buttered them up and poured half the container of syrup on them, he took a bite and I hit him with another question.
“So, are you going to tell me the story with the blonde or are you going to make me track her down and ask her myself?”
I BARELY HAD two seconds to enjoy the succulent taste of my pancakes before Aubrey brought Emily up again.
“You can’t let me enjoy my pancakes?”
Her head shook and she gave me the cutest fucking smile. The last person I should be talking about Emily to was a damn reporter. But Aubrey was also the only person I trusted telling, quite honestly.
Taking another bite, I pushed the plate away and gave her exactly what she wanted.
The story.
“Emily was not invited to the event tonight. Her being there caught me off guard.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I’d say it did. Why was she there?”
Thrusting my hand through my hair, I inhaled a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “It’s kind of a long story.”
“Start at the beginning then, Brett. It can’t be all that bad.”
I let out a gruff laugh. “First, is this all off the record?”
“Does it need to be?”
“Yes.”
She gave me a weak smile. “Then it’s off the record.”
Well, here goes nothing.
“About four months ago I went to a dinner party for an old college friend of mine. He asked me to be the keynote speaker.” Letting out a chuckle at the memory, I shook my head. “Your buddy Ryan Dryer was there. And he was pissed he wasn’t the keynote speaker.”
Aubrey rolled her eyes at me. “Why are you hateful towards him? He’s a nice guy and I thought at one time your friend.”
Anger swept over my body at Aubrey’s defense of that asshole. “You feel whatever you want for him, Aubrey. The point is, he acted like a dick to me that night, which really isn’t all that out of the normal. We had our routine exchange where he insults me and I tell him to fuck off. About an hour or so after that, Emily came up to me at the bar. Her date had left her stranded and she was about to call a cab.”
“Let me guess, you offered to take her home.”