Page 95 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet

He pushes up in bed, holds up a finger. “In my defense, that’s not a unique move during sex. A lot of people play music when it’s business time,” he says.

I roll my eyes. “Fine. That’s true, but what the fuck, TJ?”

He sits, drags a hand down his face, sighing heavily. “My heroes also always brush their teeth first thing in the morning since they hate morning breath as much as I do. So, can I please do that first?”

I laugh. “Funny, but I knew that too. That you hate morning breath.” I flash my pearly whites. “I brushed mine already.”

He gives a sheepish grin. “You remembered.”

Last night, I barely wanted to admit how much I remember. Now that I’ve learned he was secretly trying to impress me, I don’t mind admitting the truth I didn’t speak last night. “I remember a lot of things, TJ.”

He licks his lips. “Me too.”

Then, he swings out of bed, pads to the bathroom. I watch him go, admiring the curves of his strong ass. I do enjoy his devotion to the gym. A few minutes later, he returns to bed, flops down. “So, you busted me, Jude.”

I shift to my side, prop my head in my hand. “You’re not even going to protest? Try to deny it? Dance around it?”

He shrugs. “First off, I’m not a good dancer. Second, what’s the point? You figured it out.”

But I didn’t figure out the reason, and the only way to know is to ask. “Why did you do it?”

TJ stares at the ceiling for a few beats, breathes out hard. Then he looks at me. “Imagine how you’d feel if you made a deal on a bridge to see this guy again. This guy you don’t see for seven years. Don’t talk to or text for seven long years. And then boom. He reaches out, he invites you to see him, he gets you tickets for his play, and you’re likefuck yes. And you see him again after all that time. How do you think you’dact?”

I don’t have to imagine. I did the same thing he did, for all intents and purposes. I acted. “Touché,” I say, even though hisfuck yesmakes me feel like gold.

The intensity on his face tells me this isn’t easy for him, but he’s doing it anyway, like when he told me about his name. I give him all my focus as he talks.

“Jude, I got off that plane, and it hit me. I was seeingyou.And I didn’t know how the hell to act with you. I just figured I’d act like a guy who knew what he was doing.” He scratches his jaw, shakes his head like he’s annoyed. “That sounds dumb now that I say it.”

“No, it doesn’t. Look, I didn’t know how to act with you either,” I confess, since finally, fucking finally, we’re getting somewhere. We’re getting to the truth. That’s where I hoped the bedroom would lead us. Maybe our intimacy paved the way.

“Yeah?” he asks, with hope in his voice.

“I wasn’t sure how it would be to see you,” I say, but that’s only the start of it. “I didn’t know if we’d still vibe, so I...” But am I ready to tell him how I felt walking into that bar? Not good enough? No, I don’t think I’ll say that. “So I tried to be cool too.”

With a smile, he shifts closer, runs his fingers through my hair. “Jude Fox,” he says, like he has a secret. “I saw you before you came into the hotel last night.”

I blink. “What do you mean? Where?”

He points to the window of his room, gesturing to the ocean beyond. “Outside the hotel. The lobby bar has a view through the glass wall by the lobby. I swear I saw you practicing lines.”

It’s my turn to groan. I’ve been completely busted now.

TJ moves in a flash, pinning me, his hands on my wrists. “Was I right? Were you putting on your big-time actor charm for me? Like you do when you think people are watching?”

“Do you think pinning me down is some kind of torture? I quite like this position.”

He laughs, rocks his pelvis to mine. “Were you trying to charm me?”

I let out a soft moan as he presses harder. “Is that what I do? Charm you?”

He rolls off me, running a hand down my chest as he goes. “Yes. Do you have any idea how you come across? How captivating you are? When you smile at me, it’s like the world disappears and I’m caught in your spotlight.”

My body likes the sound of that, every inch of my skin warming up. My heart likes it too since it thumps harder. But still, I doubt him. Because I doubt me. “That sounds like a line.”

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Trust me, that doesn’t come from any of my books. It’s just true. I’ve always felt that way around you. You have charisma, Jude. You have so much of it. It’s like an overflow. You’re the sun. You’re the center of the world. You warm anyone who comes near you. And last night, you wanted to do that to me.”

“Maybe I’m not such a good actor. Because I did want that,” I admit, half wishing I wasn’t so easy to read, but half glad he saw through my charade.