Page 26 of That One Night (The Heartbreak Brothers Next Generation #4)

His gaze narrowed as he looked at her. “Yeah, well it all comes down to nothing when you can’t do well academically.

My mom was beside herself when I was finally diagnosed.

She thought she’d let me down by not finding out earlier.

But I’d hidden it pretty well. Just made it seem like I didn’t care about school or learning.

I was all about sports and being outside and she was okay with that. ”

“Because she loves you.”

“Yeah.” His voice was thick. “And I had my brothers. They helped with my homework enough for me to scrape by.” He shrugged his shoulders, like he didn’t care even though she knew he did.

“So there you have it. I’ll never be the kind of guy who can provide luxury.

I’ll never be a bank manager and I don’t want to rely on my folks to keep a roof over my head.

This is me. What you see is what you get. ”

“Do you think I care that you have dyslexia?” she asked him, frowning.

“Because I don’t. I just told you I can’t cook.

I also can’t seem to figure out my own life.

And here’s you, running a farm all by yourself.

Succeeding against the odds.” She reached for his hand, squeezing it.

“You take care of me. You make me smile. You protect me, even when I’m not sure I need protecting. ”

His jaw tightened but he said nothing. Maybe he just needed to listen right now.

“All the book learning in the world doesn’t make you a good person,” she told him. “Ask me how I know.” Her voice cracked, because she didn’t want to think about her past.

She just wanted to move forward. With him.

“Emery…” His voice was thick.

“What?”

“Can you come over here before I drag you across the table?”

She laughed softly, then did as he asked, walking over to him, letting him pull her onto his lap. He held her close, burying his face in her hair, like he was trying to breathe her in. She slid her arms around him, hugging him like she thought he needed to be hugged.

Fiercely. Unashamedly. She needed him to know that she didn’t care. That nobody who really knew him would. It was a diagnosis, not an affliction. His heart was pure, and that’s what mattered to her.

He’d shown her more kindness in the last few weeks than she ever thought she deserve.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her, his voice rough as he lifted his head, his gaze catching hers.

“Not really,” she admitted. Her stomach felt too tight for food.

“Good.” He stood, pulling her into his arms. “Because I need you.”

She stroked the hair from his brow, her heart doing that little flip it always did whenever he touched her. “You’ve got me,” she whispered. And he had no idea how true that was.

He had her, and she never wanted him to let go.

“Stay with me tonight,” he murmured an hour later.

They were both naked and sated, her body curled against his as they came down from their highs.

He was holding her tight, the way she’d learned he liked to, his fingers playing along the ridges of her spine.

The way he softly kissed her brow made her chest tighten.

He’d made sure she felt good again – more than once – but it had been the way he’d stared into her eyes as he spilled inside of her that made her feel like there was this unbreakable connection buzzing between them.

They’d both shared their secrets. Laid themselves open to each other. And somehow the honesty between them had made sex even better.

“My mom will be home from Chairs soon.” She took a deep breath, because part of her was afraid. Of upsetting her mom, of destroying her hopes and expectations.

But the bigger part of her needed this. “Let me send her a message telling her I’m heading to bed.”

“Won’t she check on you?” he asked.

“Probably not.” She turned her head to the side. “But I could always run over and make it look like I’m under the covers.”

In the end, he came over with her, the two of them sneaking into her mom’s house like naughty teenagers, rolling up some clothes and pushing them under the covers until they looked vaguely like a human form all curled up sleeping.

“Grab some fresh clothes for the morning,” Hendrix instructed her.

“Good idea.” She nodded. “I can get my toothbrush, too.”

He tipped his head to the side, looking amused. “Didn’t you ever sneak out for the night as a teen?” he asked.

She frowned. “No. Can you tell?”

“Yep. Bad boy one-oh-one. Don’t take your toothbrush with you. It’s a dead giveaway.”

Emery blinked. “How many times did you sneak out?”

“Too many. Best not to ask.” He winked. “Shit, there’s a bit of a t-shirt sticking out. We need to tuck it in.” He pulled at her pillow, and she realized what he could see.

Not her clothing, all piled up to look like her. But the t-shirt she’d been sleeping with every night.

He lifted it up then looked at her, his lip quirking.

“Shut up,” she said, grabbing it back. “I like to smell it, all right?”

His smirk turned into a full-on grin. “You can smell the real thing tonight.” He folded it up and put it back under her pillow. “If you’re short of clothes, Emery, all you have to do is ask.”

She laughed, because she liked how lighthearted he was right now. Their talk earlier felt like it had cleared the air. He was so handsome when he was chilled out. It made her heart feel tight.

“I thought tonight was all about not wearing any clothes,” she teased him.

“My thoughts exactly. Now, are you coming back to mine, or do I have to carry you there?”

She glanced at her watch. Another half an hour and her mom would likely be home.

“Carrying would probably be faster,” she told him.

But before she could tell him she was kidding, he was lifting her over his shoulder, strolling out of her room with her in his arms like she was no weight at all. And she knew that to be untrue.

Still, he managed to get down the stairs without dropping her, and closed the front door behind them without letting go. She was still upside down, her face against his back, when they made it back through his own gate.

Frank let out a low noise. Like they were disturbing him.

“Sorry, fella,” she murmured. “Now I know how you feel when he carries you.”

The goat didn’t even open an eye as Hendrix made it through the front door, not letting her go until he’d closed it firmly behind them.

And once she was upright – and a little dizzy – her stomach let out a low grumble.

“You’re finally hungry,” he murmured. “Let me warm up the pasta. Get you fed and back to bed.”

“Every woman’s dream,” she told him. “Now get to it.”