He left the bed and came back with a damp washcloth, his thoughts in turmoil. Candace lay with her eyes closed as he snapped off the lamp and crawled back under the covers with her, loving her intake of breath when he gently slid the washcloth between her legs. “Better?”
She turned her face into his shoulder, the shyness in the gesture inciting a whirlwind of fierce protection in him. “Mm-hmm.”
“I love you,” he murmured. There was no stopping it. He might as well have commanded the wind not to blow, such had been the need to not hold back anything from her at that moment. “I think I always have.”
As far back as he could remember, he’d never uttered those words to a woman. He couldn’t even recall the last time he’d said them to his mother. And here they’d fallen out of his mouth and he didn’t even have the throes of ecstasy as an excuse.
Well, maybe he did. He was still in them.
“I love you too,” she said, simple as that.
There was no doubt in his mind about her sincerity, even if she hadn’t been able to say it earlier. Her heart, her vulnerability, her fear…all of it had been right there in her eyes. She could break him down with a single look.
He stroked her hair back from her forehead with his free hand, propped up on his elbow. “I am so sorry I hurt you. All the way back to when we first met, I am sorry for anything I ever said or did that might have caused you even a moment’s displeasure.”
“Brian, you haven’t done anyth—”
“No, I have. Even being with Michelle when I should have been with you all along.”
“Don’t apologize for that. She liked you a lot. You liked her too.”
“She didn’t brighten the whole room for me when she walked in the door. She didn’t make my whole day better just by smiling at me, or make me ask myself what she would think of me when I said or did something shitty to somebody. She wasn’t the one who made me want to get off my ass and do more, be a better person. Only you’ve ever done that, sunshine.”
Even in the darkness, he knew she smiled. “I missed hearing you call me that. I had no idea you felt that way about me.”
“I am out-of-my-head crazy about you.”
They fell silent as she nipped little kisses across his chest. He contemplated dozing until her voice drifted through the pleasurable haze in his mind.
“Brian… I have to tell you something.”
Oh. Shit. The way her voice had darkened from its sweet coo didn’t bode well. If she was about to trot out some line about how she had feelings for him, but this had just been about sex or getting back at the parental units or whatever-the-fuck else, he might as well take a sledgehammer to his own skull right now and get it over with. “What?”
“Deanne’s wedding was today.”
Of all the things he’d expected her to say, that wasn’t it. “Weren’t you supposed to be in that or something?”
“I was supposed to, yes. I left last night after the rehearsal dinner, and didn’t tell anyone where I was going. And then I saw you this morning, and…here I am.”
Christ, she should have said something. He never would have—
Exactly. If she’d told him she couldn’t go with him, they would still be right where they were before. He wouldn’t have wanted that for all the world. “No one has any idea where you are?”
She shook her head, looking miserable.
“No wonder Michelle called me twice today.”
Candace stiffened in his arms. “She did?”
“Yeah, at the concert. I let it go to voicemail both times, and I never bothered checking the messages.”
“Don’t check them, please. I don’t want to know what’s going on. I don’t want to ruin this.” She sighed. “I hope you aren’t mad at me.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because I was afraid you might have been thinking that everything was fine and people knew I’d come here with you and were okay with it. But as usual, it’s not fine at all. I’m going to try to keep you out of it as best I can, but when I get back I’m going to be facing—”
“Don’t you dare keep me out of it. I want to be right there at your side when you go home. I want them all to know where you’ve been.”
“And I was afraid you might think I was a wimp for running away from my problems instead of facing them. Brian, I couldn’t. Deanne paired me with that guy I told you about, the one who cornered me at the party. Mom even invited him to our lake house this weekend. I ended up in a huge argument with everyone. So, wimpy or not, I ran. I couldn’t take any more.”
“I get it, sweetheart.” His vision was washed with a red haze at the thought of that douche bag trying to get his hands up her skirt all weekend long. Hell, no. That shit was over with, as of this moment. She was his, and no one hurt what was his. “I don’t want you to worry about it. I’ll be there, and I’m not going anywhere. We’ll stay gone however long you want, in fact.”
“I have to get back tomorrow. I have finals starting Monday.”
“Shouldn’t you be studying?”
“I’ll be okay. And I know there are other options out there for me, so I don’t give a damn what they think or do anymore. But I’m so used to them taking care of everything. I’m scared.”
“It’s scary for anyone. You just buckle down and get through it. But in your case, I’d wager it’s mostly their fault for sheltering you so damn much.” He gently stroked her face with his thumb. “All locked up high in your tower. I want to rescue you.”
“Like a knight in a fairy tale?” Her voice was quivering, and he wondered why. Here he was trying to be all white-knight dashing for her…
“Yeah, sweetie. Just like that.” He kept soothing her, rubbing her back, tracing the line of her nose with the barest brush of his lips until he felt her relax.
“That’s what I’ve always dreamed of. What I’ve always wanted.”
“Well, that’s good. You’ve got it now.”
“But what I’ve realized lately is that as much as I’ve fantasized about the fairytale, and wanted it to be you, what’s become most important to me is getting to a point where I’m able to save myself.”
He probably had no business being proud of anyone. It sounded condescending, and he was certainly in no position for that. The emotion that swelled in his chest for her was more like reverence. If she would keep him around so he could watch her spread her wings and fly, it would be enough. But he wanted to be right by her side. “I’m there in whatever capacity you need me. Savior or cheerleader, whatever. I’m flexible.”
“God, I love you,” she whispered, tilting her head so that she captured his mouth with hers.
Let tomorrow take care of itself, he thought. She might have left a clusterfuck waiting back home, but tonight, they only had each other. And her lips were so sweet against his, he could have eaten her alive.
In fact, that sounded like a damn good idea.
Chapter Seventeen
His friends were going to take one look at her and know, but Candace didn’t mind. In fact, it gave her a wicked little thrill.
Every time she moved, she felt him. He’d left a raw, aching fullness between her legs that kept her on the verge of arousal even when he wasn’t anywhere near her. Whenever she sat, she found it hard to resist grinding her h*ps in tiny circles to drive the sensation deeper, to send aftershocks through her body.
The faint pink mark of possession he’d left on her neck when they’d been waiting in line after the concert was plainly visible when she was wearing this tank top. She loved that it was there…even if her mom would have called her a trashy whore. The thought made her chuckle, though it was grim.
There was the music to face today.
She didn’t want to go. She could’ve lived forever in that hotel room with him, if it meant never having to face the world again. With his arms around her, she had the only thing she needed.
They stopped for breakfast and lingered over coffee, putting off the inevitable as long as possible. Her stomach felt jittery as she watched him, finding pleasure in even the most mundane things like his lips closing around his fork and the way he held his coffee mug. She would probably never get over her fascination with his mouth and his hands. Both were such efficient instruments at driving her wild.
Back at Kara’s, the crew was apparently still asleep. Brian said they’d probably only just gone to bed. Kara answered his insistent knocking with a big yawn, wearing a huge T-shirt and her hair an unruly mess. “Hey, guys. You look way too bright-eyed. Coffee?”
“Just had some, but I can always use more,” he said. They stepped in, and Candace had to laugh at the carnage of bodies and blankets and air mattresses strewn throughout the spacious living room.
“Yeah, we had a few more people come over last night,” Kara said, following her gaze as they walked toward the kitchen. She wasn’t bothering to keep her voice down. Given the snores, those guys could have slept through an earthquake. “Probably a good thing you two went elsewhere if you wanted privacy. Our neighbors are going to lynch us someday.”
“Sorry to get you up, but we need to round up my guys and get back home.” His hand stroked up and down Candace’s back. “She has finals starting tomorrow and I want to make sure she studies.”
“I told you I’d be fine,” she protested, giving him a pinch on the butt.
Kara was watching them with a knowing smile as she pulled mugs down out of the cabinet. “Awww. You guys.”
“By the way,” Candace said to her, “thank you. A million times.” The memory of the way it had felt when he stroked her depths with those beads still drove shudders through her.
Brian looked at her suspiciously as Kara laughed. “You’re welcome a million times. And I was joking yesterday. All I require as thanks is that you come with him whenever he visits us. We’d like to get to know you better.”
“Deal,” she said.
“I won’t let you corrupt her,” Brian said with mock warning. “That’s my job.”
It took forever to get the others roused, and then a heated argument ensued over who was going with Brian and who was staying to get some more sleep and riding back later with Connor and Tay. Since space was limited in Connor’s car, at least a couple of them were going to have to go with Brian.
“I’m never riding with anyone else again. I’ll find my own damn way,” Ghost complained. “Dragging my ass out of bed two days in a row…” He grumbled on into incoherence.
“Good,” Brian said, cutting him off. “All I know to tell you guys is to draw straws. And anyone scheduled to work tonight better have their asses there on time.”
A chorus of groans went up. “Shit, that’s me,” Starla said. “I’d better ride with you, then. Oh, Brian, I almost forgot.” She tugged her shirt up a bit, separating it from the waistband of her shorts to reveal a funny little happy face drawn on her midriff. “I got Jonathan Davis’s autograph! He was doing a DJ set at the club we went to after the concert. Can you ink it on when we get back?”