Starless Nights (Hale Brothers Series Book 2) (34 page)

“You’re welcome,” I say, pushing some of her hair out of her face and behind her ears.

“So, where did you get all of that money?”

“Oh, when my grandfather died, Drew, Matt, and I each were given a trust that we were allowed access to at eighteen. It’s how we bought the boat too.”

“The boat’s yours?” she asks sounding astonished.

“Yeah, who’s did you think it was?”

She shrugs her shoulders, “I guess I thought it was your dad’s.”

“Nope.” Just the mention of him makes me feel edgy.

Looking into her beautiful face, I can see the wheels turning. She wants to talk more and her eyes are searching mine. They are searching for something, I just don’t know what. Her eyes fixate on my shirt and my stomach drops as realization sets in.

“Can I see them?” she asks quietly.

“Can you see what?” I freeze, knowing what she’s asking but hoping I’m wrong.

“The scars.” Her eyes are big and innocent.

“No,” I immediately blurt out. I don’t even need to think about this one.

“Why not?” She pulls back to get a better look at me.

I shake my head at her in warning.

“You don’t trust me.” She tries to move away from me, but I grab on to her hip, and hold her tighter. I don’t want her to go.

“I do trust you, it’s just . . . I don’t show them to anyone.” How do I make her understand? I don’t want to hurt her feelings.

“No one?”

“Never. Since you’ve been back, have you ever seen me without a shirt on? Even that night on the beach, after the going away party, I made sure that we kept part of our clothes on. I always wear a minimum of two shirts too. I don’t even want people bumping up against me and feeling them. I pin your hands down. There’s a reason for everything. The only two people outside of my family who have seen me without a shirt are Grant and Ali.”

Devastation flashes in her eyes. I understand this, after all, the sex we had on the roof and last night here in bed, that’s the most intimate and trusting thing you can do with someone. She gave me that and I’m not giving her this.

“Please.” Her eyes are pleading.

“No, Lei I can’t. I’m not ready. Maybe one day, but not today, okay?” I say a little softer to her.

“Okay.”

Leaning down I kiss the side of her mouth, her cheek, under her ear, and then down to her neck. She lets out a deep breath and relaxes into me. Her skin instantly warms and still smells so good. She can feel what this is doing to me. Her back arches up underneath me, she grabs the covers, pulls them over our heads, and all conversation stops.

SOMETIME A LITTLE later in the morning, I feel him stirring, and I look over at him.

Beau is by far the most beautiful person I have ever seen. He makes my heart skip beats. He always has. With his eyes closed, he looks so much more like the boy that I knew years ago and I am so thankful to have known him then too. Although, I love that I have watched him grow into this amazing person.

Snuggling a little closer, I breathe in his warm sleepy skin.

“Are you hungry?” His voice is raspy and I find it extremely sexy.

Right on cue my stomach growls and he chuckles.

“Well, there’s my answer. How about an omelet?”

“You make omelets?”

“I make a lot of things. Like I said before, things were different after y’all left and Matt needed me to be somewhat of a father figure, who I became, and I wouldn’t change a thing. But I do feel like in the process, I’ve changed and part of me does miss the old me.”

“You have changed. We can all see it. I don’t miss the old you or any version you thought you were . . . I’ve just missed you and all the pieces of you.” Beau leans down and lightly places his lips on mine. My heart squeezes.

“Come on, beautiful. Get your cute ass out of bed and let me cook for you.” He smiles at me as he throws back the covers.

“Okay, I’ll meet you in there. I need to run to the bathroom and can I use your toothbrush?”

“Of course.” He smirks.

Beau walks out of his bedroom and my eyes follow him. He’s wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. It’s a really good look on him and I think about pinching myself to see if this is real.

Climbing out of bed, I walk into his bathroom and look around. It’s bigger and nicer than the one that Charlie and I have. It has two sinks, and for a split second I let my mind drift to a place where one of them is mine. A girl can wish can’t she?

Staring at his shower, I decide to hop in. I am eager to get back out to him, but it’s nice to be able to take a minute for myself. Being here, with him, and all his things, it still feels surreal. I need to soak it all in, right now, I want to remember every detail. For years, I have thought about being with him, and now that I am, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Drying off in a big towel, I slip back into his T-shirt, brush my teeth and hair, and walk out to the kitchen.

He’s standing at the stove, back to me and I don’t think I have ever witnessed anything as sexy as Beau Hale cooking for me in his boxer briefs and T-shirt. I squeeze my thighs together and let out a slow deep breath before moving closer.

“Did you know that the average person eats 173 eggs a year?” He glances in my direction and gives me a one-sided smile.

“No, I didn’t,” I say, hopping up to sit on the counter next to him.

“Yep, and 40 percent of all eggs are consumed in China.”

“Really? That immediately makes me think of how any type of television show, documentary, movie, or whatever from China you always see chickens running around in the streets.”

“Kind of gross don’t you think?” he asks.

“Yes, it is.”

Beau looks over at me for the first time since I entered the room, and freezes for a moment. He smirks and turns off the stove, stepping in between my legs. I smile seductively at him when I realize my presence has had an effect. His hands wrap around my butt and he pulls me forward so I am flush with him. He’s letting me know the extent of how happy he is to see me. My arms loop around his neck and he smiles down at me. His hair is messy, his eyes are a bright hazel, and the stubble on his face looks so good. He’s happy and he seems relaxed, carefree. It makes my heart smile.

“I like you being here in my home,” he mumbles into my ear as he presses even closer.

His eyes lock with mine and butterflies take off. “I like being here with you too. But it doesn’t matter where we are, I just want to be with you.” Vulnerability flushes through me and my face warms. I know that we still have a long way to go but in this moment none of that matters. I decide to take what I need and I pull his mouth to mine.

When Beau kisses me, he consumes me. It doesn’t matter that I was the one to start it, he takes over and claims every second of it. It’s as if my body knows him and immediately betrays me and panders to him.

“Mmm . . . minty.” His lips move away from my mouth and make their way to my neck. The contact makes me tremble with need.

“Mmm . . . coffee,” I retort as my hands slide from around his neck across his shoulders and to his upper back. I gasp and he freezes. Through the fabric of his T-shirt I can feel the bumps, dips, and unevenness of his skin.

Beau’s breathing picks up and he starts to shake.

“Leila . . .” he whispers out as he tries to pull away. My arms instinctively tighten around him. I don’t want him to move.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or make you uncomfortable. I forgot. Please don’t go. You refuse to show me and honestly I don’t know what to expect. But, it is just me here—me—please don’t go.”

He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, his eyes are wary, but I can see the trust in them as well as the desire for me, swimming in the background. I wrap my legs around his waist and lean into him, trying to win him over. He lets out a sigh, takes another step back, and I release him, feeling a little rejected.

“Don’t move.” Again, this is not a request; it is a command. I watch as be backs away further, then he winks and turns on his heel, disappearing from my view. Maybe he’s not rejecting me?

It’s only seconds before he strides into the kitchen with a wicked gleam in his eye and moves towards me like a panther stalking its prey. I sit stunned as he steps back in between my legs and flashes a condom at me. My heart rate speeds up with excitement, my hands immediately grip onto his hips pulling him closer, and I watch as his eyes darken while locking onto mine. One of his hands tangle in my hair and he holds my head still so I can’t look away. Slowly, he closes the distance between us completely and whispers against my lips.

“I need to lose myself in you Lei, and when we get to the point where I take you on this counter . . . I’m not stopping.”

I feel the blush that spreads rapidly from my head to the tips of my toes. Oh my word, the ache that he’s elicited has spread through me and I can’t do anything except sit here and wait for him to make his next move.

His fingertips slide over my hips to the bottom of the T-shirt. He grips the edge and lifts it up and over my head.

I feel the coldness of the countertop bite into my hot sensitive skin as he gently pushes me backward until I’m laying down. His hands slide over my breasts, across my stomach, and his fingers dip into the waistband of my underwear. Never breaking eye contact with me he pulls them down. The fabric and his fingertips brush across my thighs, knees, and calves leaving a trail of fire in their wake. My underwear drops to the floor and I am completely naked, bared to him. He smiles at me and I watch as the softness turns to pure craving as he leans over and kisses me in the middle of my chest.

As his warm lips trail down my body, the hair on his forehead falls forward causing it to brush across my skin and make me shiver. It’s soft and tickles as it chases after where his lips have just been. It’s a complete sensory overload.

“You are so beautiful,” he says as his lips move against my skin. The heat from his breath gives me goose bumps and all I can do is moan out in response.

Before I can gather my wits about me, he sinks out of sight. I’m about to sit up and look for him when I feel his breath fan across my most sensitive parts. I freeze completely. Although I’m excited to let him do something new to me, I’m also slightly terrified.

I don’t have time to voice my concerns as I feel his lips move up the inside of my thigh and over me. It’s all I can do to stay flat on the countertop. I whisper out his name and then marvel at the sound of my own voice. He’s driving me to places I’ve never experienced and I can’t keep still.

“Lei, I have no words. I’m loving every second of this.” What do I reply to that?

“Beau . . . please . . . don’t stop . . .”

I feel his smile between my legs and it pushes me over the edge. I couldn’t control it even if I wanted to. Lights flash behind my eyes as a wave of heat rocks through my body and every nerve seems to dance in the exquisiteness of this feeling.

“Leila?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. I seem to have melted into the counter as aftershocks crash against me.

“Hold on to the counter.”

Hold on? I’m confused for a few seconds until I hear the condom packet tear and then he leans forward pushing himself inside me. I slip backward. That explains his command. I grip the edge of the counter as he begins to move.

I hear him moan out my name and instinctively wrap my legs around him tighter, drawing him in deeper.
Oh my.

“Lei, you feel amazing.” His voice is rough and slightly strained.

I smile as I bite down on my bottom lip to stop the sounds of pleasure and the words of endearment that are fighting to break free from my chest. I’m not ready to tell him how I feel about him yet, but when we are like this, everything wants to burst free.

“Beau . . . oh . . .” My back arches off the counter and he feels the changes taking place from the inside out.

“Let it go Lei. I’ll be right there with you.”

His words are my undoing and seconds later, I feel his.

“I like you making breakfast for me.” I smile up at him.

I’m rewarded with the most dazzling grin I’ve even seen. This moment couldn’t be more perfect.