Her brow furrows as she sniffs again. “Is this freshly ground Arabica?”
“Yeah.”
When more questions dance in her eyes, I force myself to admit, “I remembered that you used to drink it.” Since I don’t necessarily want to bring Andrew into the conversation, I finish with a lame, “Before.”
“It’s my favorite,” she acknowledges with a nod. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Another silence falls over us as we stand with the apartment door open and stare. As it turns awkward, I say, “I have my car. Do you want a ride to school?”
“Oh.”
My attention drops to her mouth as she chews her bottom lip with indecision. It takes every ounce of self-control not to close the distance between us, pull her into my arms, and kiss her the way I did last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after we got off the phone. There were so many times when I wanted to blurt out the truth. In the end, I pussied out. I’m afraid that it’ll push her away when all I want to do is hold her close.
When she makes no move to accept the offer, I cajole, “Come on. You can enjoy your coffee on the way to class instead of walking six blocks to campus.”
Another handful of seconds slowly trickle by before she finally gives in with a reluctant nod. “Okay. Let me grab my bag and we can go.”
Instead of slamming the door in my face, she leaves it open before swinging around and beelining to her room. As I glance inside, Sasha steps out from the kitchen with the coffee meant for me. Her eyes narrow as she uses two fingers to point at her face before aiming one of them at me like a weapon. She repeats the gesture a few times just to make sure I understand that she’ll be there every step of the way, watching me like a hawk.
I wouldn’t expect anything less. The two girls have been friends since freshman year and have always had each other’s backs.
It’s almost a relief when Brooke returns with her bag. “Ready to go?”
“More than ready,” I mutter, shooting one last glance at Sasha’s now smirking face before swinging away.
Brooke closes the door behind us before falling into line beside me. Instead of waiting for the elevator, we take the stairwell to the lobby before pushing our way out into the chilly sunshine. She tugs the black leather jacket she’s wearing over a short white sweater more firmly around herself.
“It’s cold this morning.”
“Guess it’s a good thing you’ve got a ride,” I shoot back easily.
Her lips lift into a slight smile. “I’ll let you know once we reach campus if that turns out to be the case.”
I snort. “Touché.”
Once we arrive at my Mustang, I click the locks and open the passenger side door. She hesitates, angling her head to give me a considering look. It only proves how much my previous behavior hurt her.
“Thank you,” she murmurs before slipping inside the vehicle.
The engine purrs to life before I shift the gear and reverse out of the parking space, taking off down the tree-lined road that leads to campus. We only have a handful of minutes to ourselves, and I don’t want to waste any of them.
Between sips of coffee, her attention flickers to me. Even though I stay focused on the ribbon of road beyond the windshield, I can feel the burn of her gaze. The questions and confusion that continue to simmer at my sudden shift in attitude. I search my brain for something that will lighten the atmosphere, but my mind remains frustratingly blank. I’ve always been smooth with the ladies.
Brooke is the exception to that rule.
It’s almost a relief when she clears her throat. “About last night…”
Even though traffic has picked up, becoming heavier the closer we get to the university, I can’t stop myself from stealing a glance at her. “I enjoyed it a lot.”
When she leaves me hanging, twisting in the wind, I chance another look in her direction, only to find her staring at the cup in her hands as a rush of color pinkens her cheeks.
“And I want it to happen again,” I add, just so we’re clear and there are no misunderstandings as to what’s going on here.
Even though I should slow my roll, I find myself unable to do that. After that kiss last night, all I can think about is how good it felt to have her in my arms and on my lap, grinding against my erection.
By the time I swing into the parking lot near the athletic center, the tension filling the small space is almost suffocating in its intensity. I kill the engine and turn toward her so we can face each other. My hand slips into her hair before wrapping around the nape of her neck.