“You okay?”
“Better than okay,” he said, remembering the first time Brantley had asked him that. It was after their first kiss, right here in this very same bed.
Seemingly content with his answer, Brantley crawled out of bed, headed for the bathroom. Reese heard the sink running, then when the shower came on, he decided to join Brantley.
There was minimal washing that ensued. More kissing and touching than anything.
Before the water could go cold, Reese flipped it off, grabbed two towels, tossing one to Brantley. They dried off, but before Brantley could leave the bathroom, Reese stepped in front of him, reached up, and cupped his face.
“Don’t let me fuck this up,” he whispered, more of a plea than a request. “I don’t wanna fuck this up.”
He couldn’t. Not again. Reese wanted to be what this man needed. Screw his own insecurities. But he needed Brantley’s help.
“You won’t.” Brantley’s hand curled around his cheek in a similar manner, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched. “No more games, Reese. This is it. No more back-and-forth.”
“No more,” he agreed. “But you’ll have to be patient with me.”
Brantley pulled back, grinned. “I’ve got you, baby. Of that you can be certain.”
Reese watched Brantley saunter out of the bathroom. Baby. Brantley had called him baby. Probably should’ve sounded strange. Oddly, it didn’t. In fact, it felt … right.
His heart slammed against his ribs, warmth consuming him.
***
Corinne Greenwood stepped into her apartment and immediately sighed. It was the middle of the night, she’d had a few drinks, was almost certain she was tired, but the instant she closed her door behind her, she was invigorated.
What was it about coming home? Didn’t matter what kind of day—or night, as was the case here—that she’d had, didn’t matter how many times she’d done it, coming home to her apartment in the heart of downtown Austin always gave her a sense of both pride and relief. Smiling, she admired all her things, once again proud to have a place of her own.
She kicked off her heeled sandals at the door, slipped the little clutch she’d taken with her to the bar into her coat pocket before hanging it up in the little closet. Her cell phone buzzed in her hand, a smile instantly forming on her lips.
Nope, she wasn’t quite ready to get to bed. Not when she was in the middle of a rather lovely chat conversation with the man she’d met a couple of hours ago at the wine bar. Felt almost wrong that she was excited to talk to him considering she’d already been talking to another man on Facebook.
But, hey, she was young, she was single, and she was letting fate dictate the way her life played out. Who was she to intervene if the universe wanted to send another handsome, charming man into her life. Who knew? He could possibly be the one.
While she waited for him to respond to her last message, Cori pulled a glass down from the cabinet, retrieved the opened bottle of wine from her refrigerator. Perfect night to sit out on the patio. Now that the storm had passed, the evening was cooler and she loved to watch the sky as the clouds moved out.
With glass and bottle in hand, she picked up her phone and headed outside. The sky was bright thanks to the lights of the city, no stars overhead, all hidden by the lingering clouds. It wasn’t like Coyote Ridge, where the sky seemed to go on forever, the stars somehow brighter because of the lack of lights. But she didn’t mind the difference between the two. Living in Austin was what she wanted to do. For now, anyway. In the future… well, Cori didn’t know what the future held for her, but she was excited about the prospects. Only a few more months and she would graduate from the University of Texas, armed with a degree that would hopefully land her an exciting job.
Her phone buzzed again as she retrieved her chair cushions from the patio closet, where she’d tucked them away that afternoon to keep themfrom getting drenched. Using a towel she kept in the closet, she made a quick pass over the wicker to dry it and the chair was as good as new.
Cori smiled down at the phone as she settled into the thick cushion, relaxing as she read the text that came back. This guy seemed too good to be true, if she did say so herself. The corporate type, Andrew was well-dressed, well-spoken. Not to mention, movie-star handsome with a bright smile and those eyes. So very blue, they glowed like the waters of the Caribbean in the sun.
Forcing herself not to giggle like a schoolgirl, she responded to his next question, shooting back one of her own, letting the minutes tick by as she finished off her wine and sleep began to look like a better and better idea.
