“Are you having second thoughts?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just all happening so fast, I need to breathe.” I smiled to reassure him and myself.
“Kacie, I like you, there’s no doubt about that. When I went home last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. That’s why I came back. The more I know about you, the more I want to know.” He bit his lower lip and paused for a second, thinking about what he was going to say next. “I’m in no rush, I’m not looking to get married tomorrow. Hell, I wasn’t even interested in having a relationship until I met you. And now that I’ve met you, walking out that door with no plans to see you again isn’t an option. We can take this as slow as you want, just give it a chance.”
My heart raced around my chest, probably in an attempt to leap out of my body and land at his feet as an offering. I closed my eyes and took a deep cleansing breath before responding.
“I like you too, Brody, more than I want to, actually. I’m not used to this feeling. It scares and excites me at the same time. We’re so different—our worlds are so different. And the thought of putting myself out there to be hurt again-”
“Stop right there.” He cut me off as he took my face in both hands, squatting to be eye-to-eye with me. “You’re not a conquest and I don’t play games. I told you I haven’t really ever done the girlfriend thing and you haven’t done the boyfriend thing in a long time. Let’s figure it out together.”
His persistence beckoned me. The way he sounded so sure, so certain … maybe this would work.
I smiled at him and clasped my hands over his. “You’re right, it’s silly not to try. But … under a couple conditions.”
He let go of my face and stood up tall, crossing his arms across his chest. “Conditions, huh? Interesting. Hit me.”
“Well … first the girls can’t know anything is going on. I always said if and when I dated someone, he wouldn’t meet the girls until we were very serious. No way was I going to have a bunch of guys floating in and out of their lives. I know this thing between us wasn’t exactly planned, and you’ve already met them. Hanging with them is okay, but no kissing, holding hands or anything like that when they’re around. Deal?”
He flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes at me, contemplating what I’d just said. “Deal. But … that just means when I’m alone with you, I’m going to be extra … attentive. Double deal?”
Every vein in my body damn near exploded from the surge of excitement that jolted through me with that sentence. I had no idea what he meant, but I wanted to. The possibilities were endless.
“Deal,” I replied, my head held high and my voice deceptively confident.
“Is that it?”
“One more,” I answered, biting my lip. “No pressure.”
He looked confused as he arched a brow at me. “No pressure?”
“Yeah, you said we’re taking this slow and I’m good with that.” I looked into his dark green eyes, wondering if I would be able to keep my own deal. “Nothing serious. Let’s just have fun. No pressure. Get it?”
“Got it. No pressure.” He smirked, entertaining me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I suddenly needed air. Being this close to Brody, with all of his energy focused on me was intense, overwhelming. “All right, I gotta check on Lucy and Piper.”
I walked over to the pantry door, and just as my hand grabbed the knob, Brody’s arm shot in front of my face and grabbed the doorjamb on the other side of me, blocking my path.
Baffled, I looked up at him, butterflies swarming my stomach.
He licked his lips as a sexy grin spread across his face. His gaze burned down on me.
“Pay the toll.”
Instantly, my butterflies morphed into pterodactyls.
“Where’d you disappear to this weekend? As if I didn’t already know.” Andy badgered sarcastically on the other end of the line.
“Uh … Kacie’s.” I yawned, still half asleep.
“No shit, Sherlock. How did that go? Did you two crazy kids profess your undying love for each other? Will I be getting a wedding invitation in the mail?”
“No, asshole. We just hung out,” I snapped back, slightly irritated at his teasing.
“Wow! Little defensive, aren’t we? Okay, okay. I’ll back off. I do have a question for you though, actually a favor.” Hesitation rang loud in his voice and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what this favor was.
I sighed. “This is gonna piss me off, isn’t it?”
“Probably.”
“What is it?”
“Remember I told you last week that Blaire is trying to turn into Suzy Homemaker? Well, she’s hosting a party and doing all the cooking to show off her new … skills.”
“No,” I shot back before he had a chance to continue.
“Come on, Brody. Don’t make me suffer through this by myself,” he begged.