He swallowed hard. “Anna…”
Her heartbeat took off as if she were about to jump out of an airplane, because he was staring at her mouth with a hunger he couldn’t deny if he tried, but she didn’t so much as shift on her feet. He didn’t want to want her, even if he did. “Yeah?”
“I don’t mean to send mixed messages. I meant what I said last night.”
“Then stop looking for me every time you enter a room,” she said, her tone short. “Did you know I’m the first one you find every single time?”
He retreated a step, hitting the door with his back. He looked like a cornered lion, poised and ready to strike if she came too close. “How would you know that?”
“Because you’re the first person I look for, too. I try not to, but I can’t seem to help myself. Because I like you, Brett.” She pushed him back against the door, her hands flat on his chest, and took a deep breath. “I’m not afraid to say it, and you know how I feel about you. Just like you know, if you wanted to, that you could have me, right here, right now. No questions asked. No empty promises needed.”
Wow. Way to lay it all out on the line, girl.
He pressed his hands down on hers, trapping them on his chest, and let out a soft sigh. “I know you think you have feelings for me, but you don’t. You’ve never even kissed me or fucked me. You can’t love someone you’ve never had.”
“Oh, really?” She stepped closer, pressing her body to his. Her heart sped up at the sensation of her soft curves molding to his hard body. God, he felt so right against her. How could he not feel it, too? How could this be one-sided? “Then kiss me. Right here. Right now. Prove to me that I don’t have feelings for you.”
“No. Not just no. Hell, no.” He shakily let go of her hands, his gaze locked on her lips despite his refusal. He tried to back up more, but he was stuck between her and the door. If he thought she would give him room, then he was sadly mistaken. She was done giving him room. It was time for the truth. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” She lifted up on tiptoe, wrapping her arms behind his neck. He could have easily pulled free of her grip, but he didn’t budge. Just stood there, all stiff and unmoving. “You want to kiss me. Don’t tell me you don’t. You’re as curious as I am about what it would be like. Admit it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m not.”
“I saw it last night, in my room. In your eyes. In your…” She drifted her gaze down, drifting off. “In your body. So don’t lie to me. Don’t ever lie to me. I won’t ask for anything from you except that. All I want from you is complete honesty.”
“Fine. You want the damn truth? I want to fucking kiss you.” His jaw flexed, and his hands found her hips. He didn’t push her away, but he didn’t pull her closer, either. “But wanting to do something isn’t the same as doing it.”
Her breath caught in her throat. He’d finally said he wanted her, and it hadn’t occurred in her imagination this time. She bit her bottom lip, and his gaze fell to her mouth. When his fingers flexed on her hips, she lifted her chin. She’d never been afraid to go after what she wanted, and this time was no different. “Until it is. Kiss me.”
“I can’t, Anna. I promised your brother—”
“He’s not here.” Unwilling to accept the stupid bro-code she had no part in, she yanked him down. “Kiss. Me. Now.”
“Damn it, Anna.” With a tortured groan, he closed the distance between them until his lips touched hers.
As soon as their mouths met, the rest of the world ceased to exist for her.
All her life, she’d been picturing this moment.
How he would feel. How he would taste.
And nothing could have prepared her for how much better the reality was than the fantasy. His arms closed around her, and he took over the kiss with a leashed power that she’d only romanticized about when she was in bed alone. He left no doubt in her mind that he controlled the situation. He yanked her closer and spun them so her back slammed against the door, and now he was the one trapping her. Ravishing her.
His hands left her hips and slid into her hair, holding her exactly where he wanted her. When his tongue slid inside her mouth and found hers, she whimpered and clung to him, unable to believe he actually kissed her back. And not a half-assed kiss, but one that felt like he’d been dying to do this for years.
Just like her.
She trailed her fingers down his shoulders, reveling in the hard lines of his biceps. When her fingers left his arms and trailed across his lower back, he let go of her and stumbled back. Eyes wide, he covered his mouth and turned a ghostly shade of white. “No. This didn’t happen. This never fucking happened.”