But then she glimpsed the swollen red mark beneath his cheekbone, and all she wanted to do was take care of him.
“Come on, we should put some ice on that.”
Neither of them spoke as they walked inside. In the kitchen, Brett grabbed a bag of frozen peas from the freezer, then pressed it to AJ’s cheek.
God, she hated that he’d gotten hurt defending her, but she knew she’d never forget the lightning speed with which he’d moved, or the waves of danger that had rippled in his roped muscles.
And yet she wasn’t surprised when he voiced a quick, shame-laced apology.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have wailed on him like that.”
Frustration clamped around Brett’s throat as he once again apologized for who he was. As he once again ducked behind the mask and hid another part of himself from the world.
He’d done it earlier too, when they’d been around his friends. Darcy’s coldness had been annoying, but that wasn’t the sole reason Brett had been upset when they’d gotten home. She hadn’t liked the way AJ had acted at the club. Mr. Good Guy, pouring drinks for everyone, bending over backward to make up for Darcy’s hostility, biting back the raunchy remarks he usually had no problem saying to her.
She understood why he felt the need to project that image, but damn it, she didn’t like it. She liked AJ exactly the way he was, every complicated facet to him. Sweet and tender. Bold and reckless. Strong and deadly. Indecent and dirty.
“Don’t apologize,” she said quietly. “He had it coming.”
“Oh, a hundred percent. But…” A beat of hesitation. “But I wish you hadn’t seen me like that. So out of control.”
“You looked very in control to me.”
“Yes, but…” He visibly gulped. “I don’t want you to be scared of me.”
“Scared of you? God, AJ. I could never be scared of you.” She dropped the bag of peas on the counter and reached up to cup his strong jaw. “I don’t think you realize how good you’ve been for me.”
A tentative smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Really?”
“This is the healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in. I’m…” She chewed her lip as she tried to put her emotions into words. “I’m not a pushover when I’m with you, and you don’t demand that I devote every second of my time to you. I mean, I see you almost every day, but I’m still focused on work and able to do my job. It’s like I’ve finally found a way to balance life and a relationship.” She offered a little grin. “And watching you kick Troy’s ass tonight was a major turn-on. Now I’m dying to track down footage of your old fights so I can see some more ass-kicking.”
“Yeah?” he murmured.
“Oh yeah.” She brushed a kiss on his lips. “You defended me tonight, and I’m very grateful for that. Troy was the one who was out of control. I thought I could handle it myself, but now I’m not so sure. I’m glad you were here.”
The confession seemed to drain the remaining tension from his body. He sagged into her touch, rubbing his cheeks against her palms. “I’m glad I was here, too.”
Brett rested her head on his bare chest. The thump of his heartbeat vibrated against her ear, soothing her.
Let me show you who I am.
The husky words he’d said to her at Sin floated into her mind. He’d kept that promise. He’d shown her exactly who he was that first night, and she found comfort in the knowledge that AJ didn’t hide himself from her. But he hid from everyone else. His friends, his family…
Brett didn’t like it. She wanted AJ to be as proud of himself as she was of him.
Now she just had to convince him.
Chapter Sixteen
Two Weeks Later
It was Meet the Parents day.
And no, not a movie date featuring one of Brett’s all-time favorite films. But by God, she wished it was.
She wasn’t ready for this.
Which was more than a little ironic because she was the one who’d insisted. Actually, she’d done a lot of insisting these past couple weeks, and she was kind of surprised AJ had put up with it.
When she’d finally been granted access to his sacred apartment last week, she’d promptly taken it upon herself to bring some life to his sterile surroundings, in the form of colorful rugs, throw pillows, and some of her framed drawings.
When she’d discovered what a horrendous cook he was, she’d taught him how to prepare a hearty Irish stew that he could freeze and then nuke as needed.
When she’d found out he didn’t own a DVD player, she’d gone out and bought one for him, then proceeded to make him marathon six hours of vampire television.
And when he’d mentioned last night that he was going to his parents’ house the following afternoon for lunch, she’d offered to go with him.
AJ hadn’t complained about any of it, including her suggestion to meet his parents. He’d hesitated for only a split second before nodding in agreement, and that told her he was actually doing it—taking steps to be the man he was, and not the one he pretended to be.
But Brett was still nervous about meeting them, even more so after AJ had awkwardly asked her if she minded covering her tattoos.
Her first instinct had been hell no, but AJ had been honest about how traditional his folks were, and since his mother was already in poor health, Brett had decided it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she pruded it up today. It was only for a couple hours, and besides, if her and AJ’s relationship continued the way it was, his parents would eventually see her ink.
“Is this outfit okay?” she asked as she slid into the waiting Jeep by the curb.
Her distress grew when she noticed what AJ was wearing. Board shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers, an outfit that made perfect sense for a hot mid-June afternoon. Her attire, on the other hand, looked insane compared to his. Jeans to shield her legs, a cardigan to hide her arms, and socks to cover her feet, just in case she was asked to take off her shoes at the Walsh house. She would have to make a conscious effort to keep her sleeves from riding up; otherwise the ring of roses around her wrist would peek out.
“You couldn’t find a lighter shirt than that?” AJ said skeptically. “You’re going to be sweltering sitting by the pool.”
She paled. “Pool?”
Oh God, what if his parents wanted her to go swimming?
“We won’t be taking a swim,” he assured her. “Honestly, I think it’s just a show pool. I’ve never seen either one of my folks go in.”
Brett fiddled with the edge of her sleeve. “I tried to cover everything up. That stuff you said about your mom being fragile after her heart attack freaked me out.”
AJ sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry. I feel like an ass for even asking you to do it, but I just don’t want to make any waves today. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw Reed’s tats for the first time. They almost fainted in horror.”
“It’s okay. I’m not mad that you asked. I totally understand.”
Did she, though?
She couldn’t deny that she’d experienced a teeny-tiny pang of resentment when AJ had made the request last night. She wasn’t used to altering her appearance to appease other people. She was proud of the way she looked.