by Addison Cole
Brianna looked at her daughter and sighed. “I think I’d better talk with her first.” She leaned against the booth, fidgeting with the towel. “Hugh, before I talk to her, I think we need to talk. Can we talk after she goes to bed?”
“Sure. Should I be worried?”
“No. It’s just that telling her is a huge step, and I want to be sure we’ve thought things through before we do that.” She touched Hugh’s arm, but her eyes remained trained on Layla.
“Do you want me to wait and walk you to your car, or would you rather I didn’t?”
“Yes, please. I want you to.”
Hugh breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll go wait with Layla.”
BY THE TIME Brianna finished cleaning up, Layla had fallen asleep across Hugh’s lap. He sat with his head back and one arm protectively around her.
“I’m sorry.” Brianna slid in across the booth from him. “The night ran much later than I expected.”
Hugh spoke softly. “My only plans for the night were to work out and think about you.” He reached across the table and held her hand. “I got to meet Layla and I was near you. Double bonus.”
“It seems like you’re always rescuing me, and before I met you, I never seemed to need rescuing.” Brianna had been protective of Layla for so long, and with Hugh the introduction came so easily. Naturally. She’d anticipated Layla being confused or at the least upset when she met Hugh, but he’d woven his way into their lives seamlessly. And from the look of Layla sleeping peacefully on his lap and Hugh looking perfectly content as her pillow, she realized it was because it was him. Everything about Hugh felt right. Even this.
“Sometimes it’s the people who don’t know they need rescuing that need it the most. But the truth is, you didn’t need rescuing at all. I have no doubt that you would have figured out your car situation, and you would have figured out tonight, when Layla showed up, too. But it never hurts to have someone to help share the burden of these little snags as they arise. Come on. Let’s get this little princess home.” Hugh gathered Layla’s stories and put them in his pocket; then he picked up Layla and covered her with his coat. She snuggled against his shoulder. With one arm around Brianna’s shoulder and the other safely holding her daughter, they left the bar.
Brianna wished she had a working camera. Layla’s cheek rested beside Hugh’s, and the moonlight cast a romantic glow across them both. She imagined the angles she’d shoot and envisioned the finished photograph hanging on the wall above his fireplace. I’m getting way too far ahead of myself.
He settled Layla into her booster seat and hooked the seat belt, then covered her with his jacket. “She’s out like a light.” He closed the car door softly. “Did you decide if I can do something princessy for her?”
He looked so hopeful that she couldn’t say no. “One princessy thing. Deal?”
“Deal. Every little girl should have one princessy dream to hold on to. Why don’t I follow you home and carry her upstairs?”
The image of Hugh carrying Layla to her apartment incited thoughts of a future together, and Brianna’s stomach fluttered again. “I can do it. I’ve been carrying her since before she was born.”
“I know you can. Let me ask you another way. Is it okay if I come with you and carry her upstairs? That’s kind of what boyfriends do.”
“You’re so…chivalrous.”
“You’re so…beautiful.” He stepped closer to her. “Smart.” He kissed her lips. “Sweet.” Hugh kissed her neck. “Loving,” he whispered against her ear.
Brianna’s fingers grazed his stomach. “Hugh,” she whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers again, pressing his body to hers. Her back met the cold metal of the car. His arms enveloped her, stealing the cold and replacing it with excruciating heat that radiated from his body right through hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his body, the taste of his lips, the passionate swipe of his tongue. His hands roved over her back to her hips, her bottom, and back up again. Every caress pulled at her most sensitive areas. He had to feel the way her legs lost their strength as she clung to him for support. When he settled his mouth around her neck again and buried his hands in her hair, tugging her head back, she could barely contain the begging moan that welled within her. His hips gyrated against hers, and another rush of heat settled between her legs. With a final—Oh, my—hot stroke of his tongue, he pulled back from her.
Come back. Brianna’s eyes fluttered open, and when he whispered in her ear, Should I follow you home? It took all her focus to manage a nod.
Chapter Twenty-Five
DUCK DYNASTY WAS outside when Hugh and Brianna arrived at the apartment complex. Hugh carried Layla, and when his eyes met the bearded man’s, the man went inside. Darn right. He reached for Brianna’s hand and mounted the stairs with a little stronger peace of mind.
Layla awoke when Hugh laid her down. She looked from Hugh to Brianna, and a smile crept across her lips.
“Good night, Mommy.” She reached her arms up for a hug.
Brianna kissed her forehead. “Good night, princess.”
Layla reached her arms up toward Hugh. “Good night, Prince Hugh.”
Hugh brought her covers up to her chest and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Princess Layla.”
She curled around her Piglet doll, and within seconds, she was fast asleep again. Brianna took Hugh’s hand and led him out to the living room, closing Layla’s door behind them.
Hugh tried not to notice how sexy Brianna looked with her sleepy eyes and graceful movements, but how could he not? Brianna nibbled on her lower lip, and he went to her. She wanted to talk and he wanted to kiss. How could he be expected to want to do anything else so soon after she’d given him the green light to act upon his feelings? That’s all it had taken for a flood of emotions and desires to surge forward. Her whole body had reacted to the kiss in the parking lot—and left him wanting more. A taste of Brianna just wasn’t enough. With one hand on her waist, he glanced at Layla’s toys on the counter and it returned his mind to what mattered most.
“You wanted to talk?” He buried his face in her neck, taking one small taste to hold him over.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
He reluctantly pulled away. “Let’s sit down.”
The scent of her perfume called to him. She was close enough that all it would take was leaning over a handful of inches and his lips would meet hers, a few more and their bodies would be intertwined. What am I doing? Just because she said it was what she wanted didn’t mean he needed to go into full-on make-out mode.
He brushed her hair from her shoulder and rubbed the knot at the back of her neck. “What did you want to talk about?”
Brianna sighed. “That feels so good. Thank you.”
“You worked hard tonight.” Brianna had glided through her busy night at the tavern without so much as a complaint. She didn’t fall apart when Layla showed up unexpectedly, and she didn’t get flustered when she had five booths and two tables of rowdy couples to wait on. She was one of the most in-control women Hugh knew.
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. When she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Hugh knew that whatever she wanted to discuss was not only important, but unsettling.
He held her hand between his. “Tell me.”
She let out a loud breath. “I’m probably jumping way too far ahead here, and I feel stupid even bringing it up, but…” She glanced toward Layla’s room.
Hugh drew her face back toward his. “You’re worried about Layla? I shouldn’t have offered to stay with her at the bar. I’m sorry, Bree.”
She shook her head. “No. That’s not it at all. I love that you did that.”
Hugh never claimed to be an expert at understanding women, but he was pretty sure he didn’t suck at it. However, at that moment, he had no clue what Brianna was trying to tell him. “You’re totally confusing me.”
“I know. It’s because I’m confused, so how can I be clear if I’m not even
sure what I’m thinking?” She withdrew her hand from his and rose to her feet. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pinched tight.
Hugh’s stomach knotted. He forced himself to remain seated, giving her space to pace, as she was doing now, with her arms folded over her stomach. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that whatever it was, they’d work it out, but as she took her lower lip between her teeth again, he held back, allowing her to tell him whatever was eating at her when she felt ready.
A moment later, she stopped pacing. Her eyes filled with sadness and her brows pinched.
He couldn’t take another minute of it. “Bree?” He reached for her, and she sank to the couch. “You’re worrying me.”
She blew out another breath. “I like you a lot.”
But…He held his breath. He finally met a woman who sparked the emotions he hadn’t been sure he’d ever feel, and now his heart was going to get crushed? This couldn’t be happening. Hugh wasn’t the dumpee. He had always been the one to walk away. This was all wrong, and no matter what, he didn’t want to walk away from Brianna—or Layla.
“Bree—”
“Let me get this out, please. Hugh, seeing you with Layla made me realize how much I like you, and I’m afraid it’s a lot more than like.”
Hugh closed his eyes for a breath. Oh thank heavens. When he opened them again, she was holding her lip captive again. Damn.
“It’s just…Can we talk about our lives for a minute?”
“Of course. Whatever you want to know. My life is an open book.” He’d been asked all sorts of intimate questions by previous lovers, and none of it worried him. He’d always been careful, protected himself from sexually transmitted diseases, and though he’d slept with many women, he’d promised Brianna that he’d always be honest, and he intended to honor that commitment.
“Tell me about your schedule.” She tilted her head, her brows still knitted together.
My schedule? She didn’t want to know about his past lovers, or if he’d told women this or that. Of course she didn’t. Brianna was practical, responsible. She had a daughter to worry about.
“What do you want to know about it? We race February through October, typically two races each month. I used to do the larger circuits and race weekly, but recently I’ve cut back and joined the Capital Series.”
“Capital Series. What does that mean?”
“It’s just the name of the race series. What it really means is that I have an innate need for speed and I thrive on the thrill of racing at mind-blowing speeds.”
Brianna nodded and pressed her lips together again. Hugh could practically see the gears in her brain processing and conjuring up the best way to ask whatever was on her mind.
“If you love it, why did you cut back?”
Hugh leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. He rubbed one hand with the other. He hadn’t shared the truth of his answer with anyone. When the press questioned him, he gave them an off-the-cuff answer. I want to try a different circuit. Don’t want to get stale. I’m looking into other endeavors.
Brianna’s trusting eyes pulled the truth right from his heart. “Please don’t repeat what I tell you, because I haven’t been forthright with the press, and managing public relations can be a nightmare.”
“I promise. But before you tell me, is it some awful reason that will make me want to turn away? Something scandalous that if I knew about it, I’d want to protect Layla from it?”
There they were again. Her mama instincts taking over. I love that. He shook his head, wanting to smile and assure her with a happier face, but the truth was not easy to spell out, and he felt as solemn as he knew he looked.
“It’s nothing like that.” He stretched one arm over the back of the couch, more for something to hang on to than for comfort. “You know I grew up without my mom.”
“Yes,” she whispered, and at the same time, she placed her hand on his thigh.
Hugh’s chest tightened. “I’ve always been the live-fast, no-tethers guy in the family. I breezed in and out of family gatherings like the wind, even though my family is the most important thing in the world to me. But I think it’s because I know they’ll always be there. To be honest, I did the same with women.”
Brianna dropped her gaze.
“Please look at me, Bree. I will always be honest with you, and this isn’t easy for me. I need to know that you see me when I say it, and that you don’t see an image of me that my admission conjures up.”
She met his gaze.
“I’ve stopped doing that crap, so before I continue, just know that that’s who I was, not who I am.” He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “I’ve never brought a woman home to meet my family, and when discussions grew deeper—with family or women—I’ve always made light of them. Then my father had some heart problems, and something in me clicked.” He paused, thinking of how his father’s illness had hit him like a knife to the chest. “Life moves fast, and my life moved even faster than most people’s. Without anything to ground me, I had no limits.”
Brianna pulled her hand from his leg. “Drugs?”
“No. Bree, I’ve never been a guy who wanted to ravage his body with drugs, so you don’t have to worry about that. Nothing illegal. Just…life. Ride hard, play hard. That’s who I was.” He leaned forward again, rubbing his hands together. “My dad still lives every day for my mom. He talks to her, and I swear, sometimes I can feel her around, you know?” He drew his eyes to hers. “She had this horse. Hope. My dad still has Hope, and he treats her like Mom is part of her.” He knew how crazy it all sounded, but even as a lump swelled in his throat, he continued. “So there I am, looking at the man who is everything to me. The man who filled the hole my mother’s absence left, and I’m thinking, What happens when you’re gone?” Hugh’s eyes welled with tears, and he pressed his finger and thumb to them. “I haven’t learned enough from him yet. Ugh. I sound like a fool.”
“No, you don’t.” Brianna scooted closer. She tucked her legs beneath her on the couch. Her knees brushed his thigh.
He nodded, unable to look at her until he got it all out. “After that weekend, I took a long look at my life. My crazy, whirlwind, no-ties life, and I realized that besides my family, my life was pretty lonely. I realized that I had learned what I needed from my dad after all. I just hadn’t listened to what he’d taught me.” He blew out another breath, relieved to get some of the feelings that he’d kept trapped for so long off his chest. She watched him intently, and her trusting eyes gave him the strength he needed to continue.
“Brianna, I thrive on thrills, but it’s not who I am. I spent a few months trying to figure out who I was. I always thought I was so different from my brothers and my sister. They always seem to do the right thing. Even my love for them never kept me tied to the family gatherings for very long. I always had to be moving forward, looking for the next thrill. I’m not proud of all of that, but I am proud of the changes I’ve made.”
“Cutting back on your racing?” she asked.
“That and other changes. I’m reaching out more to my family, spending more time with them. I spent time with Dane on his boat recently. Just stuff like that, and I’m taking more downtime now. I think one reason I never took time off before was that I had built this rep that everyone expected of me, so I felt like I had to live up to it.” Hugh felt the tension in his neck ease. “I like who I am, Bree. It took a little getting used to, not going out all the time, slowing down, but I’m a good man. I’m a nice guy, and I’m learning about things I’ve never even considered before. And mostly…” He took her hand in his. “I realized that I want what my father had.”
“Hugh, you don’t have to tell me all of this.” In Brianna’s eyes he saw the same unconditional love that his father had for him. He knew she didn’t need to know everything he was telling her, but he wanted to tell her.
“You asked about my schedule, and I know I’m giving you a diatribe about my life, but I think you
need to understand why I made the changes. The main reason I cut back on racing was that while it filled my need for thrills, it left other parts of me empty. I can’t build a relationship or have a family if I’m racing every week. I need to nourish all the parts of me, not just the thrill-seeking part. I want to love the way my father loved and the way my brothers and sister love their partners. I want to be a good boyfriend and a great husband, not just a fun guy. I want to have children and raise them to be good men and women.” He searched her eyes for a hint of what she was thinking. She swallowed and licked her lips. What did he expect? He just laid a future out before her when she’d asked for a little background.
Brianna looked down at their hands; then she put her hand on his cheek and said, “You are a good man. I always thought Mack was the best man I knew, but you’re right there with him.”
He tried to swallow past the lump that was now firmly lodged in his throat. In lieu of words, he kissed her hand again. He loved her hands. He loved when she touched his cheek, or held his hand, or touched his body. I love her. All of her. He suppressed the urge to tell her. She had a heavy enough load as it was.
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything,” he answered.
“How does it all work? If you race twice a month, where do you live? How would you maintain a relationship with so much travel?”
Hugh reached around her and pulled her closer. She stretched her legs out behind her on the couch and leaned across his lap. Gazing into Brianna’s eyes, Hugh didn’t need to dig too deep to find the answer. Truth found his lips again.
“Until I met you, I didn’t have to worry about that.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “All I know is that I don’t want to leave your side, and now that I’ve met Layla, I don’t want to leave hers, either.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
