“Seems like an awful lot of work,” I mutter, my mouth full of gooey chocolate. Despite the fact I think I was four the last time our mother baked cookies, and she stopped cooking altogether by the time I was ten, Destiny’s got the baking thing down. While Grandma was teaching me guitar, she taught Destiny everything she knew about pastries and cookies and cakes. Everything she makes is amazing. But we usually don’t have the money. “You really think Bran’s worth that kind of effort?”
“I have responsibilities.” She threads her finger through the hair on the top of her head and grabs a fistful. “I need someone who’s steady and reliable and can support us.”
I nearly choke on my last bite of chocolaty goodness and feel my eyes widen as I realize exactly what she meant by “long-term plan.” “You want to marry him?”
“We need this, Lilah.”
I force myself to swallow. “But why Bran? I mean, you’re gorgeous. There have to be a million guys who would want to marry you who aren’t player bartenders.”
“Because I like him,” she says with a self-conscious shrug. “He’s exactly the kind of guy I want. He’s strong and loyal and…” Her face scrunches in embarrassment. “He’s crazy hot, Li. Once he comes around, he’ll be amazing.”
“Crazy hot” is an epic understatement, but I don’t correct her. What I say instead is, “You’ve known him two weeks, Destiny. He could be an ax murderer for all you know.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve seen how he treats the people he works with. He’s a really good guy, Li.”
“Carol’s his cousin, right? And pregnant. He’s going to treat her good.”
“He even treats the cook, Jeff, like family. And you should see him with his mom. He turns into a big teddy bear. I’m telling you, he’s one of the good ones, even though he doesn’t seem to realize it yet.”
“If you say so.” I blow out a breath as I stand and head up the hall. “Good night.”
She pushes up from her chair. “’Night, Li.”
I take the money with me and tuck it into my pillowcase. When I finally turn out the lights and get in bed, I realize I’m shaking a little. I guess Stalker freaked me out more than I realized.
Or maybe it’s just the things Branson Silo does to me—and the things he makes me want to do to him—that scares the crap out of me.
Chapter 7
Bran
I’m under the hood of my car, still sweating from my morning workout at the gym, when Destiny pulls up in her green Dodge Neon.
Dread snakes through my gut as I gear up to explain, once again, that I’m not into her.
She pulls into an open space across from my carport and I stand and lean against the fender. She’s in shorts and a tight T-shirt, which showcase all her best assets. And in her hand is a big baggie of chocolate chip cookies.
“I haven’t seen your car in the daylight,” she says, and it occurs to me, as much as they’re nearly identical on the outside, Destiny’s voice doesn’t pull at my balls the way Lilah’s does. “It’s awesome.”
I wipe my hands on my jeans and pat the hood. “She’s my baby.”
There’s an awkward silence and she holds out the bag. “I made some cookies last night, but if I eat them all they’ll go straight to my ass, so…”
I take them. “Thanks.”
“So…” she says, fidgeting with the strap of her bag. “I was just on my way to the bar, but I wanted to stop by with those.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you later,” I say, setting the bag in the V between the open hood and the windshield.
She just stands there as if waiting for me to say more, but I’m not sure what she’s expecting. Finally, she opens her mouth.
“If you don’t have other plans, I could stop by with some ice cream after you get off tonight.” She nods toward the cookies. “Those make killer ice cream sandwiches.”
I take a deep breath. “Listen, thanks for the cookies. Seriously. But, I meant it when I said I just don’t see this happening again,” I say with a wave of my hand between us.
She tips her head. “I’m only talking ice cream sandwiches, not diamond rings, Bran.”
I shove a hand into my hair and blow out a long breath. May as well come as clean as I can at the moment. “You are totally hot, and I had an amazing time with you, but there’s someone else I’m sort of into right now.”
Her eyes widen slightly before she can fully contain her surprise. “The redhead at the bar last night? Lilah told me about her.”
At her sister’s name, my insides prickle with a rush of adrenaline. “It doesn’t matter who, Destiny. I told you before I’m not really feeling this, and that hasn’t changed.”
Her mouth presses into a tight “oh well” half smile and her eyebrows go up as she backs away a step. “Just thought we were having fun. If you’re not into it anymore, no problem.”
I lift the bag. “You want these back?”
She looks over her shoulder at me as she turns for her car. “Of course not. I made them for you.”
And with that slip, I know for sure nothing about this is casual for her. I totally fucked up bringing her home.
“Thanks,” I say, reaching into the bag and popping a cookie into my mouth.