More than Once

22

One date. That was what we’d agreed to. It didn’t have to lead to anything more than that. We could have some fun together and then… Well, I’d worry about the rest later.

For now, I had another few hours to spend as Brett to impress the… Hmm, I really should know Becca’s last name by now.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she nuzzled into my neck. She mumbled something and wrapped a leg around me, and I smoothed a hand up and down her thigh.

“Merry Christmas,” I whispered in her ear.

“Mmm,” she murmured, her voice sleepy.

“What’s your last name?”

She tilted her head up, blinking at me. “What?”

“I just realized I don’t know your last name.”

“It’s Collins.”

“Nice to meet you, Becca Collins,” I said with a smile. “I’m Andrew West.”

“It’s actually Rebecca, but only my parents call me that,” she said, pulling the blanket up to her neck. “And I can’t believe you woke me up for that.”

“You were already awake.”

“Maybe.” She smiled and relaxed against my chest. “I’m very glad I ran into you yesterday, Andrew West.”

“Me too. I wish I had called you sooner.” I played with her hair, loving how soft it was against my fingertips. “I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So why didn’t you call? Was it only because of Tara or…?”

“Partly, yeah. It took me a long time to get over her, and I’m still not ready for another relationship.” I paused, debating whether to tell her the next part, but I wanted to be honest with her. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about being with her—how easy it was to talk to her. “But it was partly because after the way things ended between us, I didn’t think you wanted me to call.”

A throaty laugh escaped her. “That’s why I didn’t call you either.”

“We’re both idiots, then.”

She traced lazy circles on my abs. “I didn’t call you because I didn't want to be a rebound… And because I know I’m not good enough for you.”

I grabbed her hand, stilling her. “Why would you ever think that?”

She gave a little shrug. “You wear suits to work, went to a fancy college, and drive an Audi. I wear beat-up combat boots, dropped out of college, and can’t even hold down a shitty job. The two of us…we’re complete opposites.”

“I don’t care about any of that. I like you the way you are.”

“The way I am now? Or the way I was before?”

“Both. I like your new determination to make your life what you want it to be, and I love seeing you with your family. You’re different with them. More relaxed. But I also like your bad-girl side.” I touched her ear, running a finger along the lobe. “I miss all your piercings.”

She brushed her lips across mine. “Tara didn’t know what she had.”

“And what’s that?”

“A good guy who turns into a bad boy behind closed doors.”

“Is that what you think of me?” I asked with a grin. “Maybe I am now because of you. I wasn’t so ‘bad,’ as you say, with Tara. Or any other girl.”

“Why was it different with me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you were a stranger or because you told me you liked it rough or because I was just having a really shitty day and didn’t want to hold back. Something about you made me feel like I could finally be myself.”

She gave me a faint smile. “I like that I’m the only one who knows this side of you. But you must have dated someone since you moved to Dallas…”

I shook my head. “Some of the girls in my office seemed interested, but I avoided all of that. My head wasn’t in the right place.”

“Not at all? Not even quick hookups or casual s*x?” She sounded surprised. She’d obviously moved on to other guys after moving back here and probably assumed I’d done the same.

“Nope. You were the last girl I was with.”

For a minute she was silent, simply curled against me with her palm flat on my chest. “I haven’t been with anyone either,” she finally said.

“What? Since me?” I searched her face, unable to believe it. “What about perfect boyfriend Brett?”

“I never slept with him. We’d only been dating a few weeks, and I was taking it slow, trying to have a real relationship for once, with dates and meeting the parents and everything. You saw how well that worked out for me.”

“Brett is a jerk. But I’m a selfish asshole ‘cause I’m glad he broke up with you.”

“I am too.”

She slid her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against me. I held her tight, and we fell into a slow kiss that started out tender and soft and then became more intense and demanding. She teased me with her tongue and I tugged at her lower lips with my teeth. When she spread her legs around my hips, I knew she could feel how hard she’d made me.

She drew back from the kiss and met my eyes. “Everything I just said about taking it slow with Brett was an excuse. I didn’t want to sleep with him for one reason: he wasn’t you.”

“Becca…” The words fell away, my mouth suddenly dry. So many emotions rushed through me that it became hard to breathe. The desire was still there, of course, but it was pushed down by the overwhelming pleasure and relief from hearing that she hadn’t been with anyone else since me and didn’t want to be either.

And that was f*****g terrifying.