“Brady, I feel bad taking your money. I love Izzy like she’s my own, and I’m happy to help as long as you need me. Please don’t feel like—”
“Katherine, stop. I’m paying you. In fact, I just transferred over some money yesterday so I can write you a check.” I wipe my hand on a napkin and do my best to glare, but her pouty lips are making it difficult. “I’m serious. You can’t go around doing everything for free.”
She nods like I’ve scolded her, and now I feel like an ass.
I soften my voice, wanting her to know I’m in her corner. “I just don’t want anyone to take advantage of your kindness, so please tell me that diner pays you.”
Her cheeks, which are already flushed from the alcohol, turn a deeper shade of red. “Yes, they do.”
Obviously, this girl needs the money or she wouldn’t be waiting tables. Not that there’s anything wrong with waiting tables, but she’s capable of so much more. Which makes me realize how little I know about her.
“So, your family is in Corpus? Is that where you went to school?”
“Yeah, I went to high school in Corpus. Was more or less homeschooled before that because we moved so much. Ended up at Texas A&M for my undergrad.”
“So you’re an Aggie?” I shake my head at her like I’m disappointed.
She smacks my shoulder playfully. “Hey, don’t make fun. I know UT is cooler, but my dad would rather get dipped in hot tar than let his daughter go to a liberal school in Austin.”
“Are you conservative too?”
Her eyebrows knit together and she shakes her head. “God, no. I’m sure I would’ve preferred attending UT. I got a full ride to both schools, but I went to A&M because I didn’t want to let my dad down.” She sighs. “I know that sounds lame.”
“Full ride, huh?” I’m not surprised with the way she runs things around here. She’s a powerhouse. She reminds me of a little hummingbird, the way she never stops working.
“Yes, that’s how my nerdiness through high school was rewarded.”
“You? A nerd? I find that hard to believe.” Especially in that dress. I fight to not glance down at her bare thigh that’s peeking through the slit in the front.
“I’m sure this is gonna sound strange, but it was tough to finally settle down and go to an actual school. I was so used to studying when we were on the road. Reading under a big oak tree or in a field of cotton with the wind blowing in my face.”
I smile at her Southern accent and the way studying and reading sound like studyin’ and readin’.
“A lot of kids in situations like mine miss school and end up dropping out later, but my dad was on my butt every day. He’d get assignments from my aunt. She’s a teacher. So yeah, when I finally went to high school, I was a bona fide nerd, complete with glasses and a mouth full of metal.”
I chuckle as I pour another shot. “Braces aren’t so bad. I had a retainer in high school. Great for my teeth. Bad for making out with cheerleaders.”
“Cheerleaders, huh? You and I ran in different stratospheres then. But I’m not surprised you dated cheerleaders. You probably still do.”
I wait until she looks up at me. “Cheerleaders are overrated.”
She stares at me a moment before a smile spreads on her face. And then she laughs. “I have a t-shirt that says, Nerds Do It Better.”
“I bet.” And maybe it’s the alcohol that’s letting me take a few liberties, but I give in to the urge I’ve had all day and let my eyes wander over her body. “I’d like to test that theory sometime,” I mumble under my breath.
The blanket has fallen off her shoulders, and she’s sitting with her legs tucked under her while she sports that little nineteen fifties-style dress that makes my pulse kick up. Which is surprising because it’s modest. Demure even. But fuck, all I can think about is the way those buttons lead between those lush breasts, and I can’t help but wonder how she'd feel in my hands.
When my eyes lift to hers, I see the same longing reflected back at me.
We’re sitting side by side on this huge couch. It would be so easy to lean forward and delve between those luscious pink lips.
Warning bells go off in my head.
This is wrong. I’m leaving soon. I have a shitload of responsibility that makes having a relationship right now impossible. Izzy. My parents. A farm house. A failing business in Boston. And I doubt Kat is the kind of girl to hook up.
But between the emotional day we’ve had and the alcohol numbing my brain, I can’t deny how much I want to strip her of that dress and lose myself in her body.
We stare at each other, and it’s all I can do to not reach for her. But then a thunderbolt shatters the silence, and we both jerk back.
I’m not one for believing in signs, but if ever there was one that screamed, Don’t be a fucking idiot, that was it.
I laugh nervously and find a reason to take a breather. “Be back in a sec. Nature’s calling.”
20
Katherine
My heart is racing the whole time he’s gone. The way Brady was looking at me, like he wanted nothing more than to yank me into his lap and have his way with me, made my body spark to life. Even now that he’s stepped away, I want to chase after him.