Her cheeks warmed as she realized she was reciting her family history to him like she was in a genealogy seminar, but she was nervous again, and when she got nervous, she babbled.
As if sensing her agitation, AJ crossed the room and swept a gentle hand over her cheek. It amazed her how attuned he was to her every response.
That keen intuition definitely extended to sexual responses, too. Because holy moly, the man had rocked her world last night. He’d known exactly where to touch her, how to make her scream, moan, beg…Yep, she clearly remembered doing some begging, just like he’d promised her she would.
Bottom line: AJ Walsh had dominated every inch of her last night.
And she was dying for him to do it again.
He must have glimpsed the sexual longing in her expression, because heat flared in his own eyes. “That was some really good sex, huh?”
“Amazing sex,” she corrected.
Their gazes held. A bolt of awareness streaked between them. AJ’s gaze dipped to her bare legs, and the predatory gleam she witnessed sent a shiver dancing through her.
God, she wanted him again.
And if the growing bulge beneath his zipper was any indication, he wanted her too.
“Anyway.” Brett cleared her throat, trying to drag her mind out of the gutter. “I’m in the process of trying to convince my family that I’ve cleaned up my act, and right now it’s more important than ever to prove myself to them.”
“Why is that?” He led her to the bed and tugged her down beside him.
“My family owns a couple of tattoo parlors. Rob runs the one in Southie—I work there as an artist—and then there’s the west-side location that opened a couple years ago. Mike manages that one. But my dad is planning on opening a third location in the north end.” She let out a breath. “I want to run it.”
“Ah. I see. What about your other brother?”
“Jordan?” She couldn’t help but laugh. “Poor guy can’t even draw a straight line—seriously, he has no artistic talent whatsoever. He’s a mechanic.” She squared her shoulders. “And even if Jordan was in the business, I’d be a way better manager than him. Except…well, my track record isn’t really helping my cause.” Her posture drooped. “My dad thinks I can’t handle the responsibility.”
“What happens if you don’t manage the shop? Will your father do it?”
“No, he’s really keen on retiring. He’d have to hire an outsider.” Frustration jammed in her throat. “But I know he’d rather keep the business in the family, and I know I can manage that shop. I’d be really good at it.”
“Of course you would.”
The conviction in his tone startled her. AJ barely knew her, yet he sounded more confident of her abilities than all her brothers combined.
“Dad gave me six months to prove I’m mature enough to run the business, and my time is almost up. He’s supposed to give me an answer at the end of the month.” A stab of misery twisted her stomach. “I was finally starting to convince them I’m not the party girl I used to be. That’s why I told Rob we’re dating. If he knew I brought a stranger home for the night, he’d totally tell my dad.”
“Seriously? He’d do that?”
“Oh yeah,” she said grimly. “There are no secrets in my family. And they all hated the last guy I was seeing. Troy was the least reliable person on the planet, and the two of us brought out the worst in each other. My family already thinks I have terrible taste in men—the last thing I need is them finding out that I had a one-night stand.”
“I get it.” AJ’s tone grew oddly strained. “I know all about family expectations.”
“You do?”
He nodded, but rather than offer any details, he suddenly flashed that boyish smile she was growing accustomed to. “All right. Ask me.”
She knit her brows. “Ask you what?”
“To be your pretend boyfriend. Isn’t that what this heart-to-heart has been leading to?”
Brett faltered. “Actually, I was only going to invite you to the barbecue. I figured a few days after that, I can just tell them I dumped you.”
Those green eyes sparkled. “Bullshit. They’d never believe it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m fucking awesome, Brett. You’d never dump me.”
“Gee, it’s good to know you don’t suffer from any confidence deficiencies.”
“Seriously, it would look too suspicious if you announce out of the blue that we broke up. Besides…” The twinkle in his eye turned to smoky promise. “We have the perfect opportunity here, and I’m not about to pass it up.”
“What opportunity?” she said slowly.
“To turn this one-night stand into a several-nights stand.” AJ smiled again, and a dimple she hadn’t noticed before appeared in his chin. Sweet Lord, the guy was unbelievably cute.
No, he wasn’t cute. He was sexy. And she’d be lying through her teeth if she said the idea of sleeping with him again wasn’t incredibly appealing.
As if he’d read her mind, his voice grew low and husky. “You still want me as much as I want you.”