“Pancakes, you say?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged as he let me go, keeping my body flush with his as I slid down. “But then you called me an old man.” I snorted, but the grumbling of my stomach interrupted us. Brody looked down, his hand gripping my hip. “Food first.” He nodded to himself. “Let me feed my woman.”
“My god, you sound like a caveman.”
“Me man, you woman.” His grin was electrifying and intoxicating, all in one fell swoop. It wasn’t fair for him to look the way he did and have a personality to go with it.
“Me hungry,” I added, heat spreading over my cheeks as he stared at me. Gone was the fun look and in its place something darker. A war was taking place on his face, and he was letting me witness it.
“How the hell did you get under my skin so quickly?”
I wasn’t sure he wanted an answer, but I gave him one anyway. “I have no idea, but you
’re just as far under mine.”
He tipped his head to the side and bent his knees so he was closer to my face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He slowly—oh so slowly—dipped his head and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I wanted— needed—more, but he was pulling away all too quickly. “Let’s get you fed.”
He pulled the door open behind me and stepped back, waving his arm for me to get into his car. I did as he requested, and he jogged around to the driver’s side. His large hand gripped my thigh as he turned the engine on and maneuvered the car out onto the road.
I ran the tip of my finger over his knuckles, fascinated with the scars there. Each one would no doubt hold a story, and I couldn’t wait for him to tell me them all.
We were seated at a table in the same diner he’d taken me to a few months ago. He held my hand as he sat across from me and placed his legs on each side of mine, surrounding me completely, and I loved it.
We ordered our food and picked up our cups of coffee, an air of peace surrounding us. “How’re the classes going?”
“Good.” I placed my cup down and fiddled with the napkin on the table. “I only have a month left of my first year, but damn, it’s killer.”
“I get that,” he told me.
“Did you go to college?”
“Of sorts.” He didn’t expand. Instead, he leaned forward. “What about the kid you’re tutoring?”
A smile spread over my face at the thought of Cade. He’d made leaps and bounds since we first started, and there was no way you could miss the confidence he had in his work now. He rarely needed me to prompt him, but when he asked, I was always there to guide him. It was something I’d never thought I’d be good at but came naturally.
“I can tell from that smile that it’s going good.”
I flicked my gaze over Brody’s face, taking in the stubble lining his jaw, the slight crook in his nose, and the lashes framing his dark-brown eyes. “Yeah. This kid, he’s just...he’s doing so well. His work has improved, and his mom messaged me earlier to tell me what he got on his last report card. He’s gone from Ds up to Bs.”
Something flashed in Brody’s eyes, but it was gone in an instant. It wasn’t the first time that had happened. “What was that?”
“What?” His brows pulled down, and he leaned back in his chair, his hand still covering mine. “What was what?”
I made a circle with my finger at his face. “That. That looked you just did. It was like you were off somewhere else for a second and then came back when you remembered where you were.”
“I…” He opened his mouth and closed it when the waitress brought our food. “There are some things you don’t know about me,” he continued once she left.
My stomach dipped, my head swirling. This was it. This was the moment it all came crashing down. He’d tell me he wasn’t who he said he was or that Hut had put him up to this. I held my stomach, scared I was going to throw up at any second.
“Hey, hey.” His voice rang out, but I was too into my own head. “Lola, darlin'.” Hands cupped the side of my face and dipped my head down, bringing me face-to-face with Brody where he crouched in front of me. “Baby, just breathe. Breathe.” I pulled in a breath. “That’s it.” His voice was smooth, soft, gentle—a caress against my soul. “It wasn’t anything bad. I was just going to say that I have a past.” He paused and stared as I inhaled another breath. “What just happened?”
“I…” Now the shoe was on the other foot, and I had no idea what to say, so I went with the truth. “I thought you were going to tell me this wasn’t real.” I sniffled, willing the tears burning the back of my eyes to stay away.
“Baby.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “This is the realest thing I’ve ever had.” His fingers tensed. “You’re more to me than you think. You don’t know it right now, but there’ll be a time when you realize what I’m doing for you, and I just hope you don’t end up hating me.”