"I'll phrase it exactly like that."

"That's smart."

"Heather is going to have a fit when she finds out I left."

"She's not your mother," Liz said, rolling her eyes. She'd had enough of Heather for one night. "Wait, you're really going to leave?"

The pause made her uneasy. She wished that she knew what he was thinking in that moment. She wanted so desperately to get him to understand, to have a shot at making amends. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"I think it's better that I come to you," Brady finally said in answer.

"I'm slightly intoxicated, so that might be a good idea."

"Why does this not surprise me?"

"Hey, I broke up with my boyfriend today. Alcohol is allowed," she said, trying to make light of the situation.

"I bet that was a fun conversation," Brady said tersely.

"When you come pick me up, I'll tell you all about it."

"You do realize you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met, right?"

"That means I'm unforgettable," Liz said with coy smile.

"Now, that is spin from a reporter, if I've ever heard it."

"I didn't get a job at the New York Times for nothing."

"The New York Times?" Brady asked with a low whistle afterward.

Liz preened a little at the recognition. It was a good job, a really, really good job. She was proud of it, and she hadn't even gotten to celebrate.

"I'll tell you all about it when you come to get me."

"Just don't go to sleep," he said firmly. "I'll get there when I get there."

Brady was coming. He was actually coming to see her. This wasn't like the last time, when he had picked her up outside of school. While she had the same emotions swirling through her about Hayden, she was no longer denying how she felt about Brady.

It made her body hum with antic.i.p.ation. She couldn't sit still and she ended up changing her outfit half-a-dozen times. She finally decided to go casual in a pair of dark jeans, a red V-neck sweater, and black riding boots with gold buckles. Her hair and makeup were still done up from going out with Victoria earlier that night. That already felt like forever ago. It was hard to believe it had only been a few hours since her world had shifted. The job offer, Hayden's byline in the newspaper, Clay revealing that Brady was no longer with Erin, and then finally she was going to get to see Brady. Her body could hardly keep up with the highs and lows.

Every time a car drove down her street, she jumped up and looked to see if it was the familiar Lexus pulling up to get her. But after a couple hours, she was starting to wonder if Brady had lied to her. That wasn't like him at all. He would have just told her that he wasn't coming if he actually wasn't going to come see her. But still . . . she couldn't keep from getting frustrated as the hours ticked by.

Headlights flashed in her window and Liz jumped up, hoping, praying that he was finally here. She glanced down at her phone to check the time. Three twenty-seven in the morning. Christ! If it were anyone but Brady, she would have probably already pa.s.sed out.

The car turned into her driveway. Liz's heart leaped. Brady! He was actually here. She grabbed her purse, threw it over her shoulder, and then dashed out of the house. Before Brady could even kill the engine or get out of the car, she was already sprinting around the front and pulling the door open. Liz ungracefully plopped down in the pa.s.senger seat and slammed the door.

"Hey," she said breathlessly. She needed to play more tennis if a short sprint knocked the wind out of her. Or maybe it was Brady's gorgeous face staring back at her.

His hair had grown out a bit since she had last seen him. He was probably due for a haircut, but it couldn't look bad on him. His brown eyes were shadowed in the night. His full lips as tempting as ever. Liz was surprised to find him in casual clothes as well. It was after three in the morning, but still, this was Brady. He had on jeans, a dark fit T-shirt, and the Arc'teryx jacket he had worn that day at the diner when they had agreed to pursue this relationship. She just wanted to reach across the car and kiss the life out of him.

He shook his head at her breathless entrance. "Hey."

"It's good to see you," she whispered, biting her lip.

Brady's eyes roamed her face, down her body, and then back to the windshield. He shifted the car into reverse before backing out of her driveway. "I'm going to have a lot of people angry with me in the morning," he said in response.

Liz didn't know what she had been expecting. Here she was putting herself out there again, and she was dealing with the same cold Brady. She hoped that once they got wherever they were going, his ice would thaw.

"Does that mean we won't be back in the morning?" Liz asked hopefully.

"We'll see."

Well, this was starting off promising.

"I . . . Look, Brady . . ."

"Let's save the conversations for when we get to where we're going," Brady said.

"Okay," she said softly. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he told her. "You should try to nap now. It'll be a while."

Liz raised her eyebrows. Her interest was piqued. He was taking her somewhere far enough away that she could sleep on the drive. He must be trying to go somewhere that reporters wouldn't think to find him . . . them. Yeah, if they were seen together tonight, the night the story broke, it wouldn't be in anyone's interest.

"All right," she said before settling into her seat and turning her body to stare up at him. It had been so long since she had just been able to look at him that if she was going to be here for a while without talking, she was going to take advantage of the opportunity.

Twenty minutes into the drive her eyes started fluttering closed and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to hold on to consciousness for much longer.

"Brady," she whispered into the silence. She moved her hand across the car and covered his with hers.

"I thought you were asleep." But he didn't move her hand away.

"I'm sorry."

He sighed, lacing their fingers together. "I know. Go to sleep."

The soft click of a door and the feel of her body being held by a rather strong, capable man woke Liz up. Then her mind latched on to what had happened. Brady. Brady was carrying her. Oh G.o.d, she could die happy. She must have been really out of it for her to sleep through him lifting her out of the car and carrying her nearly all the way inside.

"Mmm," she groaned softly as she came to. She leaned into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Good morning," he said, coming to a stopping point and setting her gently back onto her feet.

When she was set down, she wobbled slightly as she tried to wake up. Brady held her steady and she leaned forward against him.

"Good morning," she murmured. All she wanted to do was rest her head against his chest, have him wrap his arms around her, and fall back asleep. She could not think of anything she would want to do more than that in this moment. Okay . . . maybe one thing.

"You look dead on your feet."

"Just . . . tired," she said through her yawn.

"I've no idea why. It's only five in the morning."

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around for the first time.

Liz took in her surroundings and her eyes lit up when she realized where they were. The lake house. She couldn't believe he had brought her here. The last time had been Fourth of July weekend two summers ago. She only had good memories here. She hoped it stayed that way.

"I see you approve," he said with a small smile. "Why don't you camp out on the couch? I'm going to make a fire to try to heat this place up and then we can talk about why you called me."

She nodded her head forlornly. She was not looking forward to this conversation. There was so much to say, and she didn't know how much of it would make a difference. He obviously cared about her enough to leave everything behind and take her to the lake house to get away. But that didn't mean that things would suddenly change between them . . . that everything would be better.

Fifteen minutes later a fire was roaring in the fireplace, and Brady dropped down into the seat next to her. Her eyes opened wide. She hadn't even realized that they had been closed.

"You're sleeping again on me, baby," he said softly, brushing her hair out of her face.

Baby. He had called her baby. It was such a small gesture, and yet it meant so much. His touch sent b.u.t.terflies through her stomach. She had craved it for so long. And it happened so unexpectedly. She had expected him to be angry, to yell at her. Yet here he was being gentle and caring and open. She wished that she knew what it all meant.

"Sorry. I'm so tired, but we need to have this conversation."

"You know," he said, taking her face in his hands and staring down at her deeply, "I'm not normally a talk-first-and-act-later kind of guy."

Liz's heart skipped a beat. Was he . . . ? No. He wasn't suggesting . . . She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unable to come up with a response to that.

"I'm going to be really frank with you right now." Liz licked her lips at Brady's words, preparing for the worst. "I'm p.i.s.sed at you. I'm so angry that it hurts me to look at you. Thinking about you is more painful than a sucker punch. You f.u.c.king train-wrecked through my life, and I can't get rid of you. But at the same time, Liz, my entire body is aching to touch you. I just want to taste your lips and breathe you in, and bury myself inside of you. I feel like I'm going insane, that I'm splitting in two. Because everything tells me I should run headfirst in the opposite direction, but then I look at you, I hear your voice, I see those pleading blue eyes and I'm lost. I forget everything I should do, and I just know what I want to do."

He pulled her forward until their lips were merely an inch apart. Her breathing was ragged. Her heart beating out of her chest at his declaration.

"And this is all I want," he whispered before claiming her lips for his own.

Chapter 26.

ACT LATER.

Liz couldn't have imagined a more perfect kiss. Brady's lips, which were normally so demanding, moved with hers sensually, evocatively, captivatingly. They were joined as one, lost in each other's tender embrace. It was just a kiss, and yet it was so much more than that. It held the promises that Brady didn't speak.

Her arms wrapped around Brady's neck as he pushed her gently back into the sofa. She knew that they needed to talk. There was so much left unsaid. But for now she let their bodies do the talking and knew the words would come when they were needed.

Brady's hands slid under her sweater and ran along her firm stomach. She groaned at the feel of him. His touch sent shocks throughout her body. Her mind was lost to this man and this feeling, which she had never really been able to give up.

Heat radiated from their bodies as they moved against each other. More than a year's worth of pent-up s.e.xual frustration coaxing the fire between them. Liz's fingers tangled in his dark hair as his tongue met hers and they ma.s.saged each other. Her legs bent almost subconsciously and pushed her pelvis up against him. Brady moaned into her mouth and she felt his weight shift until she could feel the hardness through his jeans.

He broke their kiss to pull her sweater over her head and then took a moment just to stare down at her torso with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s spilling out of the skimpy black balconet bra she had chosen. She hadn't known what was going to happen with Brady, but she sure as h.e.l.l had decided to come prepared. He playfully snapped the strap of her bra with a dirty smirk on his face.

"Black lingerie?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"It's what you wear when you want someone to see it." She ran her knuckles down his jawline. "I wasn't sure if you were going to, but just when I think that I have you all figured out, you surprise me."

He grabbed her hand in his and kissed each knuckle softly. "Funny. I find that you surprise me constantly."

Brady placed her hand on his shoulder and then dropped his hands to the waistline of her jeans.

"s.e.xy."

He popped the b.u.t.ton.

"Smart."

The zipper dropped to the bottom.

"Funny."

His hand slid under the material and dragged them down her legs.

"Kind."

He placed light kisses up her calf, over her knee, and across her inner thigh.

"Delectable," he murmured, nipping lightly at her black lace thong.

Liz groaned and pressed her hips up invitingly. He was going to drive her mad. "You sound like you're going to eat me up."

He moved the lace aside and swept his tongue gently against her folds. "I am."

"Oh f.u.c.k," she moaned.

Her whole body pulsed at his words. She just wanted him. All of him. As she had never wanted anyone or anything else in her entire life. Walking away had been the hardest thing she had ever done, but being with Brady was the easiest. It was just right. Like all the pieces fell into place and the world was singing to their tune and the entire universe was in alignment.

Her thong met the same fate as her jeans. His tongue swirled around her c.l.i.t and she bucked against him. Brady forced her hips down roughly as he continued his work, sucking her c.l.i.t into his mouth and nibbling lightly on the small bead. Her moans increased in volume and he took the opportunity to trail his index finger down her wetness.

He kissed her once more before pulling back and glancing at her panting on the couch. "Someone wants me," he said, twirling his fingers in a circle over her opening.

"You think?" she groaned, throwing her hands up and gripping the armrest.

"I wasn't sure. I think you'll have to beg me for it, baby." He planted another teasing kiss on her.

"I'll do whatever you want," she murmured. "Just please, please . . ."

"Please what? Do you want to come?"

"Yes," she whimpered. His fingers stilled and she nearly cried out in frustration.