Page 6 of Falling (Scared Sexy Collection #2)

C at shivered on the stoop. Behind her, the party roared loud enough to be heard through the thick oak door, the laughter and music an odd contrast to the intensity of her eye contact with Brigan.

“You’re cold,” he noted, voice low.

She barely noticed and waved this off. “It’s fine.”

His dark eyes lost their glimmer, and his words took on a protective growl when he murmured, “It isn’t fine.”

“Then tell me what you are, and I’ll go back inside.”

“Back inside to that blockhead ex-boyfriend?”

A tiny thrill wormed through her at the flash of his jealousy. “I just had multi-orgasmic sex with you,” she said, shaking her head in exasperation. “I’m not going to go back in there to the worst lay of my life.”

Brigan seemed to fight the laugh, but it lit his eyes, crinkling the corners, and something eased in her chest.

He blew out a breath. “Catalina, you’ll forget about me.”

“Wow, thank you .” She exhaled a sarcastic laugh.

“It’s better that way.”

“For who?”

“For you, of course. I’m not what you want or need, believe me.”

“What I want or need is my call, not yours.”

“You are stubborn, little lamb.”

“Maybe so, but you’re the one who criticized Jake for leaving me as soon as we got to the party, and now that you’ve fucked me, you’re going to leave me alone on the doorstep?”

Brigan fell silent at this, his expression blanking.

He looked to the side, his profile sharp and perfect in the streetlight, jaw tight.

It was several long seconds before he inhaled and then blew out a long breath as if he was finally, exhaustedly, giving in to something.

He turned back to her. “All right, then. Do you fancy a pint?”

Confusion wiped the scowl from her face. “What?”

“You’re cold, and I’d rather not linger out here on the street. Let’s walk to the small pub on the corner. I’ll buy you a pint. And I’ll promise to answer five questions if you’ll promise to leave me alone afterwards.”

“If I promise to leave you alone, I can ask you anything and you’ll answer?”

He nodded, slowly. “Only if the same goes for me.”

“You get five questions, you mean?”

He nodded again. “You must answer honestly. And then I, too, will leave you alone.”

“The thing is,” she said quietly, “I think you could make me answer honestly.”

After a surprised beat, Brigan laughed, the sound like a flood of joy from deep in his belly. “I won’t compel you,” he said. “Not that it seems to work anyway.”

Cat went still. “Is that what you call it? Compelling?”

“Is that one of your questions?”

She stared up at him, calculating. “I don’t think so. Not yet.”

“So are we in agreement? A pint, five questions each, full honesty, and then you pretend we’ve never met?”

The tension to understand him felt like a physical rod inside her torso, something rigid and pulsing.

She wasn’t sure that five questions would ease it, and she hated the idea of never seeing him again, but it was that or nothing, she could see it in his eyes.

He wanted her to say yes, but the second she said no, he would vanish again, and this time for good.

“Okay,” she said.

His black eyes glimmered, and he smiled that beautifully dimpled smile. “Yeah? All right? Cheers.” He held out his arm to her. “Shall we?”