Chapter 27

CHAPTER27

“But…” Cayley mumbled sadly, making Bryce chuckle as he pressed a kiss against her forehead before he stepped away.

“Give me a minute,” Bryce said absently as he took in her apartment, taking in the boxes stacked in the corner, the Christmas tree that even he had to admit was beautiful, before shifting his attention to the scented candles on her coffee table and decided that they would have to do.

“Why are you playing with my emotions like this?” Cayley asked as Bryce crossed the room and turned the Christmas lights on before making his way to the coffee table and lit the candles.

“Have you always been this impatient?” Bryce asked with an easy smile as he made his way across the room and turned the lights off, only to chuckle when she said, “Yes.”

“I don’t know how my brother puts up with you,” Bryce said, sighing heavily as he made his way back into the kitchen, noting the curious expression on Cayley’s beautiful face as she took in the softly lit apartment.

“I’m a pleasure to be around,” Cayley assured him with a solemn nod as he pulled her into his arms.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Bryce murmured, kissing her forehead as he took her hands in his and placed them on his shoulders.

“Ummm, what are we doing?” Cayley asked, sounding curious.

“You’re dancing with me,” he said, only to bite back a sigh when she pointed out, “There’s no music.”

“You really are a pain in the ass,” Bryce said, pressing another kiss to her forehead before he reached over and grabbed her phone. After a quick search, he found what he was looking for.

“I can’t dance,” Cayley reminded him, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as Bryce placed her phone back on the kitchen island as soft music suddenly filled the small apartment.

“Doesn’t matter,” Bryce said, pulling her back into his arms.

“Why doesn’t it matter?” Cayley asked as she reached up and placed her hands back on his shoulders.

“Because I just want an excuse to hold you,” Bryce admitted, pulling her even closer as he began moving them around the small kitchen.

“You’re very good at this,” Cayley murmured on a pleased little sigh as she laid her head against his chest.

“You think so?” Bryce murmured, kissing the top of her head even as he had to admit that he’d never tried before, probably because he’d never felt like he had something to lose, but with Cayley…

“Tell me where you want to go on our date,” Bryce said, needing the distraction.

“You’re gonna let me pick?” Cayley asked, sounding completely relaxed in his arms.

“I’m considering it,” Bryce murmured, pressing his lips against the top of her head again.

“What if I want to be surprised?” Cayley asked, making him bite back a groan when he felt her lips brush against his chest as she tilted her head back so that she was looking up at him.

“I suppose I could do that,” Bryce murmured absently as he found himself looking into her beautiful green eyes, barely aware that they’d stopped moving.

“Do I really terrify you?” Cayley asked, drawing his attention to her lips.

“God, yes,” Bryce whispered as he found himself leaning down only to groan when she met him halfway and brushed her lips against his.

Her lips were so much softer than he’d imagined, Bryce thought as he slowly brushed his lips against hers, savoring the feel of those incredibly soft lips moving against his and-

“I see that my work here is done.”

Realized that he’d never been closer to killing his brother than he was at that moment.

* * *

“Stop touching me, you pervert!”came the demand of outrage as Cayley stood there, watching as Sean struggled to drag himself across the floor only to yelp when Bryce, who looked really pissed, released his hold on his brother’s legs so that he could reach down and-

“You bastard!” Sean snapped when Bryce grabbed him by the back of his pants right around the time that Cayley decided that she’d had more than enough for one night.

Ignoring her best friend’s gasps of outrage, Cayley turned around and headed for her bedroom, only to decide that she’d more than earned a late-night snack tonight. Decision made, she turned right back around, stepped over Sean as he released a pained gasp while Bryce did things that would probably leave a mark in the morning and made her way to her fridge, where she discovered that her freezer was empty.

Not really surprised, Cayley closed her freezer door and turned around, stepping out of the way when Sean scrambled to get away from Bryce and-

“Son of a bitch!”

-debated her options. For a moment, Cayley considered going to bed, but honestly, there was no way that she was going to be able to sleep right now, not when she was struggling to wrap her mind around what just happened. He’d barely brushed his lips against hers and…

She definitely needed ice cream, Cayley decided, slowly exhaling as she carefully stepped over the large men struggling to put each other in headlocks and headed for the door. A few minutes later, she was sitting on Bryce’s couch with a pint of chocolate ice cream on her lap, a Christmas movie playing on the TV, and a wistful sigh leaving her lips as she sat there, wondering why she’d never reacted this way when Kevin kissed her.

His kisses had been nice, incredibly sweet, and she’d enjoyed them, but he’d never made her feel the way that Bryce did, never left her struggling to stay in control after one kiss, and God help her, she’d never wanted him the way that she wanted Bryce. He’d barely kissed her and…

She was going to kill Sean, Cayley decided with a bite of ice cream and a nod as her attention was drawn to the apartment door as it was thrown open and Bryce walked in, breathing hard, his muscles tense as his eyes locked on her and-

“That’s right, you better walk away!” came the taunting words that had Bryce going still before he turned around and walked back the way that he came, leaving Cayley sitting there trying to figure out what the hell she was doing.

After what happened with Kevin, the last thing that she needed was to jump into something that she wasn’t ready for, but…

God, she wanted him, Cayley thought with a heartfelt sigh as she watched Sean walk in and-

“Ow! You mean bastard!” Sean bit out, only to release a gasp of outrage as Bryce, who she’d like to point out had never looked angrier, grabbed him by the back of his neck and shoved him out of his apartment before slamming the door shut in his brother’s face. That was followed by Cayley pausing with the spoon halfway to her mouth when Bryce leveled a glare on her that was a bit concerning as he threw the lock and made his way over to the couch.

Before she could say anything, Bryce was sitting down on the couch next to her and pulling her onto his lap. Never taking his eyes off her, he leaned forward and finished off the bite of ice cream as he took the pint of ice cream and spoon out of her hand and placed them on the end table and-

Tore a soft moan from her when his lips found her neck. His hands found her thighs a few seconds later as her arms wrapped around him and a soft sigh escaped her lips as her head dropped back, making it easier for Bryce to kiss a path up her throat. When his lips found her chin, Cayley slowly lowered her head and met his lips for another slow kiss that tore a whimper from her.

Bryce took advantage of the move and turned his head, deepening the kiss as his hands slid over her thighs until they reached her hips. He used his hold to bring her closer and-

Made her breath catch when the move placed her directly against the large, hard bulge between his legs, letting her know just how much he wanted her. It should have been the wake-up call that she needed, the one that had her breaking off the kiss and putting some much-needed space between them so that they could slow down, but she didn’t want to slow down.

She wanted him to keep kissing her, Cayley thought, running her fingers through his hair as she parted her lips and tore a groan from the man that was driving her crazy. She loved the way that he kissed her, the way that he wrapped his arms around her, and the way that he left her desperate for more.

They ignored Sean pounding on the door, the demands to be let in, and the promises of revenge as the world disappeared around them.

And-

“Spend the night with me.”

-it was time to slow down.