“Sounds nice.”

“Oh, and I ran into Beau Gregurich at the Fast Stop. Told him he could go straight to hell.”

“I’m sure he’d feel right at home there,” I said, not trying to mince words. I did not like that guy and he knew it. Beau had been a bully in high school and I was shocked when my sister had told me she was dating him. There was nothing about him that was appealing. The fact that he’d managed to fool Nora for two years was beyond me. I was grateful that Reid had shown back up in Halstead and rekindled things with my sister. I didn’t want to see her waste her life with Beau. I missed her but I knew that with Reid she was respected and loved.

“He’s a piece of work, that’s for sure.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe that he would even talk to me.” He sighed, the same sigh that all of us let out when we thought about him getting away with tampering with Reid’s bike. “I really wish there was some way to prove that he was the one who did it, you know?”

“Oh, believe me. I know. I’ve racked my brain trying to think of some way to make it happen.” No fingerprints. No witnesses. No nothing.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Brett said. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself. “He’ll get his.”

“Enough about him,” I said, taking my fingertips across the top of Brett’s arm which was laid out across the back of the couch. I traced along some of the black ink that laced his skin. Never in my life had I thought I’d be attracted to a guy with tattoos, but I was becoming quite a fan. Each one was a story that I couldn’t wait to hear about. The tire track and gears were self-explanatory, but there were other ones hidden in the design.

“What’s this one represent?” I asked, stopping on a simple star. I felt his muscles tense under my touch. Goosebumps splayed across his skin. I was glad I wasn’t the only one. Each time he touched me I wondered if he felt the same. Now I knew.

“Home,” he said. “The Lone Star State.” That made sense.

“And this one? Is it an acorn?”

“Yep, because I’m a little squirrelly.”

“Fitting.” I grinned at his ability to not take himself too seriously. I turned his arm over to read the line of text running down the center of his forearm.

When we let go, we are free.

“It’s true,” he murmured.

“I hope so.” There were so many scenarios in my life where I imagined those words were true. It was actually the letting go part that I was having a hard time with. I would keep trying though. I’d start with being more free with him.

“So what do you want to do now?” I offered up my most seductive smile. I wasn’t even sure if I was doing it right. I was definitely out of practice when it came to seducing a guy. I remembered what my sister said about it being okay to be selfish. Selfishly, I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to touch him.

“For starters…” he said, leaning toward me. His fingers threaded in my hair as he pulled my face the rest of the way to his. His lips were on mine possessively. He kissed me until we were forced to break for a breath.

“It’s like you read my mind,” I said with a smile.

“I’ve been waiting to do that since I saw you take that first drink of Coke,” he confessed. “When you said you loved it, I had no idea how much you meant it,” he laughed. “Watching you drink that ranks near the top on the list of sexy things you do.”

“If I would have known you’d like it that much, I wouldn’t have waited so long to drink one in front of you.” I slid onto his lap, splaying my hands across his chest. Before our mouths met again, he hesitated.

“You sure you want to start something this late at night?” he asked. “It’s almost midnight.”

“I thought booty calls usually happened after midnight?” I teased. I saw his eyes glance at the coffee table and I knew what he was thinking. I took his hand in mine and stood up. “Come on.” I pulled him to his feet and led him toward my bedroom, swallowing back the nervous lump that had formed in my throat.

“I just don’t want you to do something you’re not ready for,” he said, hesitantly following me.

“I am,” I said. I think I am. “Really only one way to find out.” He didn’t say another word as we walked down the short hallway and through the door of my bedroom. The firm grip of his hand was reassuring and I knew that he would never push me to do something I wasn’t ready for. I walked over to the edge of my bed and sat down. I tried to ignore the nervousness I felt in my stomach. I was ready for this. I was ready for something new.

Thankfully, I’d at least had the foresight to make my bed and pick up the dirty clothes off the floor that morning.

He stood in front of me for a moment. Probably to make sure that I was really thinking through what the two of us in a bedroom together meant. I knew exactly what it meant. I reached for him. Pushing the black t-shirt he was wearing up enough to grab the waistband of his jeans and pull him toward me. I’d be lying if my curiosity about what the surgical nurses saw hadn’t got the best of me. Judging by the bulge I could see straining against the denim, Miss Hair Toss hadn’t been far off in her assumption.

He stepped over and stood between my legs. My breathing hitched momentarily. I could have easily pulled him on top of me, but I took a moment to let my eyes roam over his body. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. I ran my tongue over my dry lips and I started to unfasten his belt. He was just as incredible up close as he’d been all those times I’d sneaked a peek at him when he wasn’t looking. I wanted to run my tongue over his stomach and feel each ripple of his muscles. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his skin. A moan rumbled in his chest and I could feel him tense under my kiss.

“You have no idea how sexy you look right now,” he said, letting one of his hands tangle in the hair at the back of my neck and directed me to look up at him.

“I’m sure,” I said, biting back a laugh. I was about as far from sexy as they came. My hair was a mess, my clothes were way too big and I was exhausted, despite the sudden burst of energy he gave me.

“I’m serious,” he said, leaning down and peering so deeply into my eyes that I believed every word he was saying. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” If his words didn’t take the air out of my lungs, the kiss that followed surely did. He slowly placed his lips on mine and then traced his tongue over their seam. When I opened my mouth, he swept it through in a way that had my insides flipping end over end.

As he lowered me back onto the mattress, he continued to kiss me so deeply that I had no choice but to surrender to what I was feeling. I arched my back as he slipped an arm underneath me and prayed that he wasn’t too good to be true. My entire body was shaking but in a good way.

I ran my hands down his back needing to feel every inch of him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. His lips trailed down my neck as his hand snagged the edge of my shirt and slowly started to pull it up. Each inch of my body that he uncovered, he slowly lowered his mouth over and the heat coming off of his lips had my skin tightening beneath it.

I lifted my arms above my head and let him pull the shirt off of me. I was completely exposed to him and I felt completely secure. It wasn’t until I saw where his eyes were lingering that I realized my past was once again interfering with my future.

Between my breasts, the long chain of my necklace was anchored in place by my engagement ring from Jamie. My forgetfulness and longing to hold onto some piece of my past life had rendered Brett frozen in what had been our hottest moment together.

“I’m sorry,” I said, grabbing the necklace and pulling it over my head. Brett stood up as I rolled over and reached out to place the necklace in my nightstand drawer. “I forgot I was wearing it.”