Talking. He talked to her. Opened up.
Cracked his shell and let her see inside as if she wasn’t blind. It wasn’t enough. And at the same time, it was too much, because in that moment, he was Brant, her Brant.
The Brant she’d fallen in love with.
The Brant she’d hoped to see again at the auction.
The Brant she’d slept with.
The Brant she still wanted.
With a shiver, she held her head high and moved to open the bedroom door, only to have it jerked open before she could get the chance.
She stumbled against a warm, rock-hard chest. Her hands pressed against the skin, and a slow throb started pulsing through her body.
“I got you a robe, and clothes are getting sent up.” Brant’s low timbre always had a way of causing shivers to wrack her body, as if she’d never heard a man’s voice before. Were things different between them now? Better? Did she even want to go there?
Who was she kidding?
Brant wasn’t the type to just blurt out his feelings and then take another leap toward the very person who pushed him out of his life.
The truth was, she didn’t remember saying any of those things to him. For four years she’d thought he’d just given up on them because he couldn’t take it anymore, because she’d finally pushed him away. And when she’d gotten hurt she just assumed he couldn’t deal with one more thing.
It had hurt her deeply.
They lost a child. And then she lost him.
Instead, he was suffering with his own silent pain over her words, words that she didn’t even remember saying about how he took everything from her.
Would he have stayed?
Had she not deliriously blamed him for everything?
She’d unintentionally wrecked him, and at the same time she was so angry that he would hold something like that against her when she was in so much pain.
It was jarring to come to the realization that she’d been just as guilty. The last thing she’d wanted was for the love of her life to leave her.
She gulped and touched the clothing. “Thank you.”
Brant backed her up into the bathroom, and the door clicked shut. “We have company.”
“Here?”
“Drop the towel, Nik.”
“I’m cold.”
“That’s why I got you the robe. Besides, the last thing you need is to walk out there almost naked in front of my entire family.”
She groaned. “They’re all here?”
He nodded. “The towel?”
She sighed. Her hands clutched the towel so tightly her knuckles were probably turning white.
“Would it help if I closed my eyes?”
A nervous laugh escaped. “We had sex last night, you just showered with me, saw everything, and even though most of my dignity is gone, I’m pretty sure my honor is still intact.”
“Not for lack of me wanting to strip it away.” His voice was close, his hands on her shoulders as the heat from his body surrounded her.
She let out a little gasp, her lips parting, opening, waiting for a kiss.
“I want to try.”
Her heart nearly stopped as it bounced in her chest with excitement. “Really?”
“I’m saying this wrong.” She felt him pull away, physically, emotionally. “I want to try to be…friends.”
Friends.
After everything they’d been through. After sleeping together. After rescuing her, saying all of those things in the shower? After admitting that she still owned him? He wanted to be friends?
“Yeah,” she found herself saying, like an idiot. “That’s a good…” She nodded a few times. “Let’s do that.”
Don’t cry. Do. Not. Cry.
He exhaled and touched his forehead to hers. “Thank you.”
Sure, no problem. Just rip my heart out and stomp on it.
“Well.” She pulled away; she had no choice. It wasn’t even the sting of rejection, it was the feel of hope dying. She’d hoped—it was a dangerous thing, especially where Brant was concerned.
Stupid. She was so stupid.
With a sigh, she dropped the towel and quickly reached for Brant. A terry cloth–type material met her fingers, and was slid over her body and tied so tight she sucked in a breath.
He knotted it at least four times.
“Is that necessary?”
“The last thing I want”—he jerked the material tighter (Another knot? Really?)—“is this robe opening up and showing anyone what isn’t theirs to see.”
“You included?” She just had to say that, didn’t she?
He was close again, she could feel the heat from his lips as he whispered, “Me included.”
“Brant!” Nadine’s voice was shrill, loud, and completely welcome. Nik needed to get away from him, away from his heat, his so-called friendship, and the freaking way her body still yearned for him. “Get out here!”