Good or bad, no matter how Brody reacted to the secret she was about to reveal, she’d remember every breath of this moment forever.
“What it feels like to kiss you.” There. She’d said it.
Now all she could do was hold her breath and wait.
11
Ro could feelBrody’s heart pounding away beneath the touch of her hand. Its hard and fast staccato of a beat matched almost perfectly with the wild thumping inside her own chest.
He didn’t pull her into his arms and devour her like she’d seen in the movies. He also didn’t move away.
“You’re hurt, Ro.”
“It’s just a scratch.”
“You’ve been through something traumatic, and you’re not thinking clearly.”
“Now you’re going to tell me what I’m thinking?” Ro frowned. “Didn’t Ijustsay I was in complete control of my faculties?” Smartass that she was, she tilted her head to the side and pretended to think a moment. “Yes. Yes, I do I believe those were my exact words.”
“Aurora.”
“Brody.”
Several seconds passed as the standoff continued, each staring deep into the other’s unwavering gazes without moving a muscle or saying a word. For a moment, Ro considered dropping the subject and giving the man his space. After all, he wasn’t exactly jumping for joy over her blatant advance.
He’s also not pushing you away or running in the opposite direction.
No, no, he wasn’t. And since she’d already put herself out there…
May as well go for broke.
“I want you, Brody.” Ro moved in even closer. “I have for as long as I can remember. Apparently Meg’s known pretty much that whole time, even though I never said anything to her or anyone else. And there’s a laundry list of reasons I kept my feelings a secret before now, but…” A soft, breathy chuckle released from her chest. “After what happened, everything on that list suddenly seems so insignificant.”
She stopped there, because really…what more was there to say?
Taken off guard by the confession, Brody’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “You…want me?”
“My whole life.”
And now he knew everything. Well,almosteverything.
“You never…” A frown lowered his dark brows. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
One corner of her mouth quirked up. “Laundry list, remember? And I’m telling you now. Only question is does anything I just said even matter?”
Brody flinched, his brows knitting together with confusion and a bunch of other stuff she wished she could decipher. His lips parted, his jaw falling with intended words that never came.
Aaand…there’s your answer.
This man didn’t want her. Of course, he didn’t. And she was the idiot who thought opening herself up was a good idea.
At least now you know.
“It’s okay, Brody. Really.” She shook her head with a forced a smile to show there were no hard feelings. “You don’t have to say anything.”
Hurtfeelings, perhaps. Crushed dreams she’d have to find a way to forget. But she would…eventually. Because her inner voice was right.
She’d put herself out there, and though he hadn’t reacted the way she’d hoped, she now knew and could finally move on. How she would do that, Ro had no earthly idea. But she’d figure it out.