Obligation, page 22
“You can sit, if you want,” she said and tossed her keys onto her desk.
“Right.” He nodded, his gaze darting from one bed to the other.
She nodded to the bed on his left. “That one’s mine.” She gave him a knowing grin.
Bradley set his backpack on the floor, then sat on her bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. Not quite as soft as his, but not horrible, either. “Okay, let’s do this,” he said, his words intentionally suggestive. “Prove me wrong. If you can.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, then crouched at the foot of her bed. She rummaged around until she found the tote in question. Holding it up, she said, “Time to show you just how wrong you are.”
“By all means…” He waved his hand in her direction.
Carissa set the tote on the bed and flipped off the lid. Her eyes widened with horror, and she jerked her head up to look at him. “This isn’t possible.” She lifted the shirt from the tote, her hands noticeably trembling. “I swear to God, I did not put this shirt in here.”
Bradley was on his feet in a flash, and he snatched the shirt from her hands before she could stop him. “Sure you didn’t.” He smirked and held the shirt up to study the picture on the back. “Just admit it, Carissa. I won’t make fun of you. Promise.”
“Tiffany,” she grumbled. “I’m going to kill her.”
Laughing, Bradley lowered the shirt. “I’m going to have to send her a thank you gift.”
“You’re ridiculous.” She held out her hand. “Well? Give it back. It’s not yours.”
He laughed even harder. “Oh no.” He shook his head. “I’m keeping this.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Is that your prize for winning this bet? You want me to give you the shirt?” She planted her hands on her hips.
He hesitated. He really did want the shirt, but he wanted something else even more. Reluctantly, he handed the shirt back to her.
She shoved it into the tote, then hid the plastic box beneath her bed. “Okay, lay it on me.” She crossed her arms. “What do you want from me?”
“Wow. Don’t sound so excited,” he teased.
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
He rounded the foot of the bed and stood in front of her. “Remember how I told you my sister owns a ranch?”
“Yeah,” she said slowly, drawing out the word.
“Well, every year, she has this huge fundraiser. A formal black tie affair. And every year, she hosts a bachelor auction.” He took her hands into his and brought them to his mouth. He kissed each hand, his lips grazing her knuckles tenderly. “My brother and I are on the auction block this year. Normally, I tolerate it for the sake of my sister and the kids she helps, but this year… Well, the idea of being sold to the highest bidder for a date isn’t quite as appealing.”
“Are you asking me to bid on you so you have to go out with me instead of a stranger?” she asked, her tone full of amusement.
“No. I’m asking you to go to Texas with me for the fundraiser and pretend to be my girlfriend so I don’t have to participate in the auction at all,” he said.
Her jaw dropped, and she blinked her wide eyes. “Uh… what?”
He used his hold on her hands to tug her closer. “I want you to go to Texas with me and—”
“Oh, I know. I heard you,” she said breathlessly. “I’m just trying to figure out if you’re being serious or not.”
“I’m dead serious, Carissa.” His heart pounded. What if he couldn’t convince her to go with him? “Spend a few days with me in Texas. Meet my family. Pretend to be my girlfriend and save me from the auction.”
“Wow.” She slipped her hands from his and paced the room. “I thought you were going to ask me for a date or something. But this?” She stopped, an incredulous laugh filling the space between them. “You want me to lie to your entire family?”
He frowned. “Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds really bad. But I’m desperate. Do you want me to beg? Because I will.” He dropped to his knees in front of her, hands clasped. “Please, please, please take pity on me.”
She shook her head, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. “You really are so ridiculous.”
“Is that a yes?” He flashed his sexiest, most charming smile.
Carissa chewed on her bottom lip, indecision warring across her face.
“I’ll owe you. Big time. Anything you want. All you have to do is ask,” he said. “I’ll even pay you if you want.”
She glared at him. “Seriously? You’ve gone from prostitute to pimp since we met. At least you’re moving up the sex worker ladder.”
Laughing, he got to his feet. “Are you going to answer me? Or do I need to keep begging? Because I can. I will. And I promise, my pleas will only get more ridiculous.”
“I doubt you can top anything more ridiculous than offering to pay me to be your pretend girlfriend.”
He raised a brow. “You underestimate me.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him, but he clutched her wrist and yanked her into his arms. He didn’t give her a chance to respond before his mouth was on hers. Her soft sigh of pleasure spurred him on. Kissing her was probably a mistake considering their current circumstances, but he had very little control where she was concerned.
“Please go with me, Carissa.” He nipped at her bottom lip. “I’ll buy you a pretty dress and sparkly shoes.”
She laughed against his lips and coursed her hands up his chest and around to the nape of his neck.
His hands, which had been on her waist, roamed around to settle against the small of her back. She arched into him like she had at the library, and just like that, he had an instant erection. He’d never needed a woman as badly as he needed her in that moment.
“Jewelry, too,” he mumbled, not releasing her lips. “Lots and lots of jewelry. And a new purse. Girls like purses, right?”
Carissa sighed, her hot breath tantalizing. “Stop trying to buy me.”
“Consider it bribery, then.” He traced her bottom lip with his tongue, and her mouth parted for him. “I don’t really care what you want to call it.”
“Bradley?”
“Hmm?”
“Stop talking.”
This time, he was the one to laugh. “Answer me, and I will.”
With a frustrated huff, she firmly pushed against his chest. He eased back and met her gaze. “Do I really have a choice? You won the bet. I have to do this for you,” she said.
“Hey. No.” He released her and stepped back. “I mean, yeah, I won the bet, but you always have a choice, Carissa.” His tone was unwavering.
The very last thing he ever wanted to do was make her feel like she was trapped or had to do something she didn’t want to do. He wasn’t that kind of guy, and he needed her to know that, even if that meant he had to go to Texas alone and get auctioned off.
Gently, he rested his hands on her shoulders. “If you really don’t want to go, I’ll understand.”
“You will?” Her eyes filled with tears.
Where had those come from? And why? He assumed whatever had caused her tears was leftover stuff from how Danny treated her, but Bradley wasn’t Danny, and the sooner she realized that, the better.
“Of course I will.” He smiled softly. “How about you get to choose my prize? Either go to Texas with me, or let me take you out on a date.”
“Can I have a few days to think about it?”
He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. “Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, rested her hands on his waist, and peered up at him with those big hazel eyes.
God, those eyes and that look she gave him was going to be his undoing. His heart raced, his skin tingled, and his insides thrummed with a need that rivaled anything he’d ever felt before. Gaze locked with hers, he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
The instant their lips touched, a surge of lustful desire shocked his system, and he lost all common sense. He operated on pure emotion, adrenaline, and raging hormones. His kiss was hard and dominant and somewhat demanding. He knew he needed to slow down, but she met every flick of his tongue with one of her own, her sighs and moans echoing in his head and reverberating through his body.
Picking her up, laying her on her bed, slowly peeling away what little clothing she wore would be so easy, and he didn’t think she’d stop him, either. And as badly as he wanted her naked and in his arms, he refused to have sex with her when he hadn’t even taken her on a proper date yet. Something so intimate wasn’t meant to be shared with just anyone, and he had a sinking feeling she felt the same way.
Groaning, he tore his mouth from hers. “I think I should go,” he said, panting.
“What?” Hurt laced that single word. “Why?”
“Because we both know what’s going to happen if I stay.” He cradled her face and caressed her flushed cheeks with his thumbs. “Believe me, I want that more than anything. I want you, but I also want to make sure we do this right.”
“God, you’re like an alien or something.” She covered his hands with hers, then eased them from her face. “I don’t know any other guy who would willingly walk out of this room right now when he has a sure thing standing in front of him.”
Her words slammed into him with the force of a wrecking ball. A sure thing? Maybe he should reconsider his decision. He shook the thought away. He was determined to do everything right with Carissa.
“Well, I’m not like other guys.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Her smile was flirty if not a little grateful. “Thanks for being such a nice guy.”
“Just remember that this nice is going to get the girl.” He scooped his backpack from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.
“We’ll see about that.” She licked her lips, her face still flushed from the heat of their kisses.
She was a vision standing there like that, and he once again second guessed his decision to leave. But in the end, he knew his choice would pay off for both of them. He reached for the doorknob and opened the door.
“I’ll text you the details about Texas. Just let me know when you’ve made up your mind,” he said.
“I will.”
With a nod—and a hell of a lot of willpower he didn’t know he possessed—he walked out of her room, confident this was the first of many times he’d be with her.
Chapter Thirty-One
Carissa blew out a breath and shook the tremors from her hands. Her lips were mildly numb and tingling from Bradley’s kisses, and every inch of her body was either covered in chilled goose bumps or burning from his touch.
She let out a small squeal, danced around her room, then flopped onto her bed with a dreamy sigh. Even though she was still healing from her broken and tumultuous relationship with Danny, she was flying high from her time with Bradley. Being with him made her forget everything else—all the grief and pain and heartache and fear. With Bradley, she felt alive again, like there was still hope for the future she’d always dreamed of.
Her mind wandered away from his hot kisses to his invitation to go to Texas with him. An extended weekend with him was one thing—a big thing—but she’d be meeting his family, too. That was a huge step, one she hadn’t even taken with Danny during the time they were together. If she could gather the courage to do that, could she also go along with lying to everyone? She’d promised herself she wouldn’t do that anymore, that she’d find a way back to herself.
And from the way Bradley spoke about his family, they sounded like good people. She didn’t want her first impression with them to be based on a lie. What if she did end up in a real relationship with Bradley? She’d always have their lying and deception hanging over her head. Then again, getting out of California and away from everyone and everything, even for a few days, was exactly what she needed.
Blowing out a breath, she folded her hands on her stomach and stared up at the ceiling. She’d explain the situation to Tiffany and ask for her advice. Of course, Carissa would have to check with Mallory, too, to make sure she could leave for a few days and not miss anything important with the sorority.
A loud knock startled her from her thoughts, and her heart jumped in her chest. Bradley must’ve changed his mind and came back. Excitement flared up inside of her.
She rolled off the bed and jerked open the door. “Just couldn’t stay away, could you?”
But the man standing in the doorway wasn’t Bradley.
“Danny?” she said.
He lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was red and tear-stained. “I didn’t know where else to go,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her emotions bouncing from concerned to horrified. She’d never seen Danny so visibly upset before, not even when she’d told him about the miscarriage. She shook her head and moved aside. “Come in.”
As soon as he was inside the room, he broke down into sobs. Carissa’s shoulders drooped, and her heart splintered. She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug, and he clung to her. Neither of them spoke for several moments.
“What happened?” she whispered.
“My dad’s been in an accident. He’s in ICU, and they don’t know if he’s going to make it.” He sniffled, then pulled away from her embrace. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know what I’ll do if he…”
“Hey, don’t think like that,” she said in a soothing tone. “I’m sure he’ll be okay. Doctors always have to give you the worst case scenario.”
Danny nodded. “I have to go home,” he mumbled.
“Of course.” She hugged herself, unsure what else to say or do to make him feel better. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Will you go with me?”
She took a small, stunned step back. “Go home with you?” She had to have misheard him.
For the entire year they’d been a couple, she’d suggested going home with him to meet his dad, and every time, Danny had refused, coming up with one lame excuse after another. And now that his father was in the hospital, he wanted her to go?
“I just don’t think I can do this by myself,” he muttered. “My dad’s all I’ve got.”
Carissa drew in a shaky breath. Danny had talked a lot about his dad and how close they were. Considering Danny’s mother left when he was young, she wasn’t surprised he had a tight relationship with his father. She couldn’t imagine how scared Danny must be right now.
“Please, Carissa?” he said, his eyes pleading.
What were with guys asking her to go away with them? First Bradley and now Danny. What was she supposed to say? Obviously Danny was dealing with an emotional family situation, and he needed someone he could count on. She’d vowed to be that person for him. But going with Danny would send a message to Bradley—a message she absolutely did not want to send.
She rubbed her temples, a blistering headache quickly building behind her eyes. “When are you going?” she asked.
Danny dragged his trembling hand through his hair. “Friday. I need to get home as soon as possible.”
Friday was the day after tomorrow. Talk about short notice. Not that she really had anything stopping her from up and leaving, but still. She’d have to tell her friends, and her parents, even though she didn’t want to.
Before she could respond, her phone chimed. With a heavy sigh, she slipped her phone from her pocket. Bradley’s name appeared on her screen, and she bit back her smile. She didn’t need Danny to think she was being insensitive. Opening her messages, she read Bradley’s text.
Bradley: Fundraiser is this weekend. Didn’t know it was so soon. My sister is an asshole.
Carissa let out a surprised laugh, then clamped her lips shut.
Bradley: I know it’s short notice, and I really will understand if you don’t want to go. But you will owe me that date when I get back.
She shifted on her feet, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Even though she wasn’t super comfortable with the circumstances surrounding Bradley’s invitation, she couldn’t deny that she wanted to spend a weekend with him, no interruptions or outside forces, and see if there really was something more than intense lust between them.
But Bradley was leaving the same exact day as Danny. She lifted her head to look at the man she used to love more than anything else. He was utterly broken, on the verge of possibly losing the only family he had left, and he undoubtedly needed her a lot more than Bradley did.
She had no idea what to do. Did she stand by her promise to Danny and help him through this difficult time? Or did she put herself first and follow her heart—which was very clearly leading her toward Bradley? If she went with Bradley, she was prepared to take things a lot farther with him. Would Danny expect the same from her? Was he hoping this trip would bring them back together?
“Carissa?” Danny said.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, reveling in her ability to be honest with him. “I’m not sure I can just leave.”
He nodded, his expression somber. “Yeah, no, I get it. I’m sorry I asked.”
“Don’t be sorry.” She slid her phone back into her pocket and placed her hand softly on his bicep. She always had loved how muscular his arms were. “I told you I was here for you, and I meant that. Let me see what I can do, okay?”
Not that she was fully sold on the idea of going with Danny, but she needed to buy herself the rest of the day to figure out what to do. And she desperately needed to talk to Tiffany.
“Okay.” Danny yanked a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and held it out to her. “Here’s my flight information. I have a ticket on hold for you, too.”
Hand shaking, she took the paper and clutched it in her palm. She swallowed hard but couldn’t form any words.
Danny leaned over and dropped a soft kiss to her cheek. “I hope you’ll be there,” he said, “because I have no idea how I’m going to do this without you, Carissa.” Then he left without another word.
The breath rushed from Carissa’s lungs in a harsh whoosh. She fumbled for her phone, more frantic than ever to talk to her best friend. She had new messages waiting for her.
