CHAPTER 476

“Maybe last night when I was up walking the floor with him at four a.m. I considered loading Landon up and driving to your house.”

“I can imagine.”

While she struggled—Brandt sensed she wanted to say something—just for a second, he closed his eyes and pretended this was a normal night in his life. A sweet, sexy wife to come home to. Supper on the stove. A cold beer nearby. As the phantom life teased him, he inhaled slowly. The scent of her shampoo drifted into his nose, filled his lungs. The scent was hard to place—a mix of fruit and honey. But beneath that aroma was the undeniable heady scent of Jessie. Which was better than any perfume in the world.

“Brandt.”

“Mmm?” He let his thumbs sweep across the muscles between her shoulder blades.

“You said ‘backing out of this deal’.”

“And?”

“And what am I getting out of this deal?”

That snapped him out of his fantasy lickety-split. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know yet. But I’m thinking about…some things.”

Brandt angled just a little closer.