She laughed. “Why? You have something to hide?”
He leaned in a bit, like he was going to tell her a secret. “Only that I’ve got a mad crush on a girl who won’t even tell me the littlest thing about herself.”
The balmy notes of his voice moved over her like a caress, turning her insides liquid. She attempted a lighthearted smile. “There’s just not that much to tell. I’ve been going to community college for two years and am working to save money so that my sister and I can move to Austin in the fall. I have a scholarship to UT. That’s about it. My life isn’t exciting like yours.”
He sniffed. “You think my life’s exciting? I go to summer school, and then play the political game for the rest of the afternoon.”
She turned onto her side, mirroring his pose, needing to get some space between them. “You don’t seem to mind playing the role at work.”
“Being good at something and enjoying it are two totally different things. I hate the whole song and dance of politics. Drives me nuts. I just want to tell all those people who are trying to kiss Uncle Patrick’s ass via mine to fuck off. But he’s done a lot for me, so I smile and shake hands like I’m supposed to.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why do you live with them?”
“They’re the only family I have around here.” A glimmer of sadness crossed his features. “My mom died of cancer when I was twelve. Aunt Roslyn took me in, and she and Patrick adopted me officially a year later. Hence, the Jamison last name.”
“I’m sorry. Losing your mom that young had to be hard.”
“Yeah, I didn’t handle it so well. Gave my aunt and uncle hell for a few years. I was pretty angry at the universe. But then I realized my mom would’ve kicked my ass if she saw how I was behaving, so I got my act together.” The corner of his mouth tilted into a wistful smile. “I wish she were still around. She was awesome—really got me, you know?”
Brynn nodded, although she had no idea what it must feel like to have someone like that.
“But at least I had somewhere to go when I lost her, even if it meant dealing with all that goes along with filling the role of the Jamison son.” He leaned over and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, sending goose bumps down her neck. “That’s one of the things I like about you. You don’t seem to give a damn about who my family is, so I can just relax around you.”
She laughed. “Yeah, once I found out you couldn’t fire me, you lost all shot of me kissing your ass.”
He slipped a hand onto her hip and pulled her closer, their bodies almost touching. “So what’s your stance on kissing other things?”
Every muscle in her body strained to move forward, to close the sliver of distance between them, but she held still. “Probably not a good idea since we work together.”
He smiled and shook his head. “See, you’re always such a half-empty kind of girl. Working together means we’ll get paid to hang out with each other.”
“And everybody in the office will think I’m hanging out with you for the wrong reasons.”
He shrugged. “That’s why we don’t tell. It’s none of their business anyway.”
She chewed her lip. “I like you, Reid, but I don’t know… it’s just complicated. I’ve got a lot—”
He put a finger over her mouth, hushing her. “Stop overthinking things, Brynn. It doesn’t have to be so complex. I know you don’t bullshit, so I’m not going to either. Since the first day I met you, I haven’t stopped thinking about what it would be like to touch you.” He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her lips. “To taste you. I leave the office every day fighting a hard-on because just hearing your voice sets me off.”
She swallowed hard, the blunt words and his finger on her lips throwing gasoline on the flickering flame of longing she’d been fighting since they’d left the office.
“So in about three seconds, I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want that, you tell me to stop, and I’ll never try again.” He curled his hand around the back of her neck, his gaze tattooing her. “One… two…”
“Three,” she whispered.
He leaned over and touched his lips to hers, a deceptively gentle press that, from someone else, would’ve seemed sweet, innocent even. But the heated grip on the back of her neck and jolt of awareness that sizzled down her nerve endings were something else altogether. With a maddeningly slow pace, he tasted each part of her mouth—the corners, the bow at the top, the line where both lips met—like he was cataloguing every nuance of her skin, each flavor. She gave a little whimper of protest and he pulled back, holding her gaze for a moment. “Changed your mind?”
She should stop him; that’d be the smart thing to do. But her hormones claimed veto power over her brain. She reached for him, gliding her fingertips over the hint of stubble on his cheek, then down his neck to his collar. She gave it a gentle tug and pulled him with her as she rolled from her side to her back. If she was going to be stupid, why do it halfway? “Kiss me like you want to kiss me. I can feel you holding back.”
The blue in his eyes darkened as they swept over her face, her neck, lower. “Be careful what you ask for, sugar.”
She shivered beneath his hungry perusal. “I trust you.”
Something unidentifiable flickered across his features before he dipped his head and claimed her mouth again, blanketing her with his upper body. This time, there was no tentativeness, no teasing. Only white-hot rawness.
Just like in the fantasies she weaved in the privacy of her bedroom, Reid took control—his kiss as unapologetic as the man himself. Commanding fingers twisted in her hair, and his tongue coaxed her lips open, exploring her mouth with an adeptness that made her ache for more of him. Her nipples tightened against the thin material of her bra at the mere thought of what Reid’s talented tongue could offer them. She fisted the back of his polo shirt and arched into him.
He dragged his teeth against her lower lip and then nibbled along her jawline, making his way down to her neck. “God, you taste better than I could’ve imagined… so sweet.”
She writhed under his attention. The thought that he had imagined what she would taste like sent a ridiculous giddiness through her. Her voice came out in a whisper: “You’ve thought about this? About me?”
He groaned. “Every fucking day, Brynn. I can’t get you out of my mind. Every time you even look my way at the office, all I can think about is how bad I want you, wondering what it would be like to have you come apart beneath me.”
She shuddered against him, and a murmur of pleasure passed her lips before she could stop it. She’d never had a guy talk so blatantly about sex, but instead of offending her, it made the throbbing between her thighs more unbearable.
He chuckled, the sound low and dark. “And you like dirty talk. Sugar, you’re going to make me lose my damn mind.”
He moved lower, pressing soft kisses to her collarbone, then to the vee of skin exposed by her blouse. His fingers toyed with the first button and paused for a second, as if waiting for her to say something. When she didn’t, he unfastened the top two and opened her shirt. Gentle hands caressed her over her bra, providing just enough stimulation to whet her need, but not enough to satisfy. She closed her eyes, her voice a quiet plea. “Please.”
“Unhook it for me, show me what you want,” he said, his seductive tone like warm cashmere against her skin.
With clumsy fingers, she released the front clasp of her bra, baring her curves to him and the muggy night air. A lazy smile crossed his face as he cupped one of her breasts and ran a thumb across its peak. “I could