Be My Love (5 page)

After searching a few drawers, Brenna found the matches. She milled around, lighting candles and placing them in the kitchen and living room. The soft light flooded the cabin, adding shadows and the soft fragrance of vanilla. She didn’t use all of them. The candles and flashlight batteries needed to last. They might be holed up here for days.

Days.

Alone with Eric Buchanan in a candle-lit, secluded cabin.

Another deep breath.

She switched off the flashlight and turned to Eric. He sat in front of the fire, leaning back and supporting himself with his arms. The light from the roaring fire licked his chest and highlighted his well-defined abs.

As if he sensed the weight of her attention, he turned and his green gaze locked with hers. Images overtook her mind—their naked bodies entangled in the dancing light of the fire, his hard body pressed against hers, Eric leaning back wearing the same content expression he wore now as she straddled him.

A little devil popped up on her shoulder.
You could have that.

Brenna squeezed her thighs together as heat pooled between her legs—legs she’d like him to part with his hands before delving his tongue—

“Brenna?” Eric called to her. “Join me?” He patted the space on the rug beside him.

What the hell? She didn’t like Eric Buchanan.

A little angel popped up on her other shoulder.
He broke your heart.

The devil snorted.
That was high school. Get over it.

Brenna sighed, ignored both voices, and walked over to Eric. He was very attractive. If they didn’t have history, she probably wouldn’t hesitate jump him, even if it was only a physical liaison, and not a relationship or a promise of one. Girls had needs, too.

But she had history with Eric.

Oh crap.
Did she even have a right to hold his eighteen-year-old actions against him? It wasn’t as though they’d dated. One serious conversation followed with his…

Brenna shook her head. She’d fallen for his charm. After nursing a raging crush on him for all of high school, she forgave him for the years of torment after one well-acted “heartfelt” confession and apology. Completely fell for his, “I’m a different person” routine. Then, he’d turned around proved he was exactly who she originally thought—a playboy jerk.

She sat down beside said jerk, crossed her legs, and leaned back. The heat of the fire rolled over her and her chocolate-soaked clothes. She should probably clean them as Eric had, but that would involve undressing. Would she resist the temptation beside her without the barrier of clothing?

She wasn’t the same person she was in high school. Maybe Eric had grown as well.

Her parents certainly thought well of him. Though she avoided this cabin, they hadn’t, and they stayed in touch with his parents. Whenever she casually inquired about the Buchanans, hoping for details on Eric, they’d gush and regale her with the latest information, which always painted him as an accomplished gentleman. Maybe the reality matched the fantasy she’d created over the years.

She glanced over to find him studying her with those green eyes.

Maybe he’d finally grown up.

They shared a smile.

He straightened and leaned forward.

Her heart leapt into her chest, her breath staggered and paused. What would she do if he tried to kiss her?

“Not a lot to do in a secluded cabin,” she blurted. Her heart continued to race. The fire became too hot. Little pebbles of sweat broke out across her nose.

Eric stilled. With his thoughts private, his mouth twisted up, he sat back.

Oh my god.
Had he wanted to press those firm lips against hers and explore her mouth with his tongue?

She licked her lips. Again.

Eric’s gaze dropped and followed the action. He cleared his throat. “What were you going to do?”

Rip his underwear off and ride him like a bronco? She bit the inside of her cheek, and tore her gaze away from his chest to stare at the fire. “What do you mean?”

“What had you planned to do up here? We already ruled out the randy lumberjack.”

Ironic words, since aside from the facial hair and lack of plaid with overalls, Eric reminded her of a lumberjack. What had she planned? This weekend was supposed to consist of three things: reading romance novels, eating candy, and feeling sorry for herself.

The little devil popped back on her shoulder.
You were going to read smut and touch yourself.

Her face heated.

Busted.

By her own little internal devil.

“Read,” she answered, her voice growing thick. “But the books are in the back of the truck with my clothes.” Along with my vibrator…

Eric’s gaze bore into her as he studied her. Did he detect her secret plans? Could he see the blush burning her cheeks? Silence fell over them as the wind continued to howl. The force of the storm rattled the cabin.

“There are other things we can do.” His rough voice broke the moratorium and left little room for misinterpretation.

Her breathing quickened, and her head snapped to him. “Are you offering?”

“Shit, Brenna, of course I’m offering.”

“Huh.” Her gaze drifted down his body again. Was she seriously considering it?

Eric shrugged. “If you want to sit around and read from the one book in the entire cabin instead, I’ll support that decision.”

The Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures
? Brenna snorted. Not likely. Despite her mom and dad’s elaborate bedtime stories, she never bought into all that hocus-pocus stuff.

A mean burst of wind shook the cabin. In the distance wolves howled, or maybe it was the storm. No wildlife would venture out in this crap. The lights flickered on, then promptly shrouded them in fire-lit darkness again.

“We don’t have condoms,” she blurted. What the hell? Warmth crept up her neck and lit a fire in her cheeks again. Did she seriously say that?

Eric chuckled. “Brenna. Your brother brings his ‘lady friends’ up here almost every other weekend. There’s probably a bulk supply of condoms in this cabin.”

“Ew!”

“Mood killer?”

She laughed, and they shared another look. She froze as his gaze sparkled from the firelight and flickering candles. Her body warmed from more than the fire.

The little angel and devil on her respective shoulders bickered back and forth as Brenna mulled over the decision.

It’s just sex,
the devil whispered.
You don’t need to like him to have an orgasm.

This isn’t you. You don’t have casual relationships,
the angel fired back.

Exactly! That’s why you haven’t gotten laid in eons. Imagine how good it will feel.

He chose to have sex that night with Anna, not you.

That was ten years ago. He’s had sex with plenty of women since then. He’s experienced. He’ll know what he’s doing. And if you don’t like him, you don’t have to see him ever again.

The angel huffed, momentarily at a loss for words, or argument.

As if sensing her inner turmoil, Eric relaxed. He reached out and ran a finger down her face.

“I never slept with Anna,” he said.

The little angel and devil on her shoulders recoiled with shock before winking out. Her brain shut down.

She turned to him, mouth agape. “What?”

****

Eric enjoyed watching Brenna’s best fish-out-of-water impression. Her confusion wiped away quickly, as a look of relief played across her pixie features. He loved reading her expressive face like a book. The hunger burning in her gaze earlier hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, nor were the flashes of doubt. He needed to clear up their past first.

“I never slept with Anna,” he repeated. “Not that night. Not ever.”

“But, I thought—”

“I know what you thought. Not at the time, though. I assumed you’d changed your mind about me, and decided not to come back to the room. It wasn’t until weeks later, I learned you’d walked in on Anna throwing herself on me. By then, it was too late.”

Back then, not everyone had a cell phone. Certainly not Brenna Jones. When he’d learned the truth, he’d sought out her parents to get in contact with her, only to learn she’d left for university and had met some guy during orientation week.

“Too late?” she breathed.

“You were dating someone. Josh something-or-other. Your parents seemed to like him.” Well damn, his tone came out a bit more bitter than he’d like.

She didn’t comment, but a wry smile spread across her face as if recalling a funny memory. He didn’t care about past boyfriends. He cared about now. They sat in silence while he watched the wheels turn in her head.

“You spoke to my parents?” she asked.

“I wanted to find you to explain things, but you’d already moved on, and…” He’d assumed he was unwanted…and unworthy.

Brenna studied her hands in her lap. How he wanted to pick them up and place them on his body, feel her wanting him as much as he wanted her.

“I thought about you,” she said.

“You did?”

She nodded. “Thought about what a jerk you were, and how I’d fallen for your act.”

He winced. “It wasn’t an act.”

“How do I know this isn’t an act, too? You’re very charming.”

He clenched his teeth, and his hands balled into fists. “I’m not playing around, Brenna.”

She flinched before turning that large soulful gaze on him. “I’m getting that. But can you understand how it looked?”

He nodded. “You’d confronted me and told me I’d been a jerk to you throughout high school. I acknowledged my stupidity and apologized for it. I explained I treated you that way because I really liked you. You admitted when I wasn’t a jerk, you really liked me, too. I believe you mentioned a ‘crazy girl crush.’ We made out. Things got intense. You went to call your brother to let him know you’d walk back to the cabin with friends, and when you came back, unbeknownst to me, you found Anna Walker kissing me.”

“The same Anna Walker you’d been dating, and rumour had it she planned to lose her virginity to you at that party.” She jabbed a stiff finger into his chest.

He chuckled. “Well, one, she was no virgin, and two, we’d broken up the weekend before, but she plotted to seduce me and get me back.”

“She was in her bra and panties sucking the life out of your face while dry-humping your leg.”

“Yeah.” He scratched his jaw. “By the time I untangled myself from that girl’s clutches and tried to find you, you were gone.”

Brenna huffed. The way her mouth naturally pouted sent a twinge to his cock.

“It seems our lives have been entangled with misunderstandings. At least where you and I are concerned,” he said.

“Yeah.”

He leaned forward, drawing in her rosy scent. “Let me make it up to you.”

She took a deep breath and turned to him. With her shoulders pulled back, she met his gaze. Those pouty lips parted, and his stomach lurched. She was going to say, “No.”

“Okay,” she said, instead.

****

For a dazed second, Brenna’s breath caught in her throat as Eric sat beside her, blinking. Maybe he hadn’t heard what she said? Maybe he already changed his mind?

Without warning, his large hands gripped her arms and pulled her roughly to him. Her breasts smushed against his hard chest. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Or was that his? He leaned in, and his mouth crushed hers.

Full lips warmed hers as his hot tongue slipped inside her mouth. This kiss was nothing compared to the one from ten years ago. This kiss put the other one, the kiss she’d held on a pedestal and used as a benchmark for the last decade, to shame.

A storm built inside her to match the one outside. Her blood turned molten as it flowed through her veins. Eric’s mouth explored her face and neck as his large hands moved along her body, discovering her curves.

She wanted more. She wanted to touch and taste. Her own hands snuck up his torso and splayed against his hard chest. His heartbeat pounded against her open palm.

Did their history matter? Not right now. Who cared what happened after they left the cabin? Brenna certainly didn’t. Not at this moment. Not with his tongue tracing a swirling path down her neck.

Eric suddenly pulled back with a groan. He tugged her bottom lip with his teeth. “One minute.”

The sexual fog lifted from her senses and the surrounding environment refocused. Wood burned in the fireplace, cracking and popping as the heat laved her skin. The occasional cold draft from the poorly sealed windows and doors snaked across the room, the faint smell of dish soap used to clean the couch and Eric’s clothes, the vanilla candles, the howling wind blasting through the surrounding forest outside… One sense overpowered it all.

Taste.

The taste of Eric’s chocolate-infused mouth coated her tongue. Her eyes started to drift shut as she enjoyed the lingering flavour teasing her taste buds.

“I’m going to go look for something,” Eric said. “I’ll be right back.”

Ah yes.
He probably meant her brother’s private condom stash. “Maybe I should look for them?”

“Unless you know his exact hiding place, I think I have a better shot at finding them.” He darted in and nipped her jawline before standing.