“You look a little wet,” I commented, raising my brow and smirking.
Brody pushed his hand through his hair, swiping it from his face, and Jesus Christ, I’d never seen anything so mouthwatering in all my life. His dark-brown eyes glinted off the overhead light as he stepped forward, his jeans clinging to every part of his thighs and hips. And I meant every. Single. Part.
“It’s raining out there,” he said, shivering. “And fuckin' cold. We’re meant to be in the height of spring, not winter.”
“Ahhh, the weather.” I leaned back in my seat. “How all good conversations start.”
Brody’s gaze flicked down to my chest, and he backed away a step. “Fuck.” His hands clenched at his sides. “I gotta go.”
“What? You just got here.” I frowned and stood, not understanding what his problem was. I’d seen him flip his switch in the blink of an eye and pull on his impassive mask before, but this one was new. He was angry, but I wasn’t sure what he was angry at.
“Motherfucker.” He stared down at his combat boots and held his hand up. “Don’t come any closer, kid.”
“What? I don’t—”
“You’re wearing fuck all and sitting in the middle of the kitchen.” His head snapped up, his narrowed eyes focusing on me. “I’m old enough to be your fuckin' dad, Lola. I don’t need to see that shit.”
“Really?” I raised a brow but didn’t move to cover myse
lf. For starters, I was in my own home, and secondly, I was wearing a tank top and shorts, not a bra and thong. He needed to man the hell up. Jeez. “If you’d had me when you were sixteen, then sure, you’re old enough to be my dad.” I stepped forward and relished in the tick of his muscles as he tensed. “But the fact that you’re standing there and saying that tells me more than anything.”
“That right?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “What’s it tell you, kid?”
I took another step, this time slowly, and cleared my throat. Maybe the darkness of the night did make you bolder because I never would have done this if the sun was high in the sky.
“Yeah, that’s right.” I moved even closer, stopping next to him and staring up at his face. “You don’t want to look at me,” I whispered, scared to talk too loud. “But you can’t help yourself.” I bit down on my bottom lip and swore I heard a growl come from his chest. “You hate that you can’t not look at me because that would mean you want something you shouldn’t.”
“You’re stepping into territory you have no knowledge about,” he warned, his gruff voice causing goose bumps to spread along every inch of my skin.
I lifted up onto my tiptoes. “Sometimes it’s good to be bad, Brody. Sometimes…” I trailed off and let out a deep breath, knowing it would hit his neck. “Sometimes being bad is really good.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed but he didn’t look away. He kept his gaze fixated to mine and his body as still as a statue. Had I not felt his breath on my face, I wouldn’t have even thought he was breathing.
I waited for him to make a move, a move I’d been wanting him to make for weeks now, but he didn’t. He just stood there, waiting me out. Maybe it was a test to see if I really meant what I said? As much as I wanted him—I flicked my gaze down to his lips—as much as I craved to have his lips pressed against mine, I wouldn’t beg him for it. I’d laid my cards out in so many words, and now it was up to him.
I could feel his energy. I could sense the kind of man he was. He was in Hut’s crew, but that didn’t define him. There was more to him, and I was chomping at the bit to find out what the more was.
* * *
BRODY
She was playing with fire, but she didn’t care. The brighter and hotter the flame burned, the closer she got.
I shouldn’t be thinking about doing anything with her.
I shouldn’t want to press my lips against hers.
It was wrong, on more levels than she knew about. So why couldn’t I stop staring at her? Why was the thought of letting her walk out of this kitchen destroying me?
It wasn’t meant to be like this. This wasn’t the plan. But the train was starting to tilt, and it’d be off the track in seconds. I didn’t have the strength to put it back on the lines. No matter how hard I tried.
She was centimeters away from me, her breath fanning across my cold skin. If I breathed too hard, we’d be touching. Her hazel eyes stared at me, hope rearing its head inside of her reflection. Hope I shouldn’t have given her. Hope she shouldn’t want when it came to me.
She huffed out a breath and took a step back, her eyelashes fluttering as her eyes closed. Her tan skin was pale in the harsh lights, and I longed to reach out and see if it was as soft as it looked, but once I touched her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.
She was becoming my addiction, and damn if I hadn’t needed a fix tonight. I’d barely been at Hut’s house. I’d barely been back to my apartment. Every spare second was spent searching for more intel. But tonight I’d craved her face. And now that I had seen her, why was I still standing here?
Lola took another step back, but my arm whipped out, my hand gripping her wrist in a silent plea not to leave. Her gaze flicked up to mine, her frown marring her brow. She wasn’t the only one confused. I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but I had a feeling that after tonight, nothing would be the same again.