"Just ask what? I'm not interested in him. Okay?" I turned a hard gaze onto Emily, and then turned to make sure Cindy saw it, too. "Not. Interested."
"Okay. Okay. Put your teeth back in your head, Cujo." Emily lifted her hands and laughed. "They were all good to me, Brody included. He's hilarious when you get to know him a little."
"Excellent. Glad you had fun." I pulled the car out of the driveway and ignored the need to scream at her. I needed to get myself together. I wasn't at all the type of person that would attack my friends due to something internally that I was wrestling with. It wasn't their fault that the center of my wet dreams was a demanding asshole who wasn't going to let up until I gave in.
Or maybe he would?
I couldn't help but remember how quickly he'd moved from giving me attention to ignoring me on Friday night. It almost seemed worse that he would pretend that I wasn't there at all. It was part of his game, and he was damn good at it, but I could play a few games of my own.
Stop it. Shit.
"So, here's what I'm thinking," Cindy began, leaning up into the front seat a little as I drove toward town, "You need to find a cute guy that's not Brody and get laid. Your mood has gone from good to worse to sucky. We're going to throw your pretty ass in the lake if you don't stop being crabby."
I laughed, unable to help myself. Emily was usually the one to set me straight and threaten my life, but never Cindy. She was too sweet and motherly for that.
"Wow." Dedra chuckled. "That's what I'm talking about. Let's get our girl laid by a non-Brody stud and we'll be back on track."
"Alright. Thanks for the offer, but I can rein myself in. No need to pimp me out." I shook my head and pointed to a café across the street. "That looks good. You guys wanna try that one?"
"Absolutely. The quiche is fantastic there and there are ten different ones to try." Cindy's voice lightened a little as she sat back. "Drop me and D off at the door, and we'll go grab a table. It gets crazy packed. You can park just about anywhere you find a spot."
"Alright, sounds good." I glanced over at Emil
y, who was smirking at me over Cindy, verbally popping me no doubt. To see our friend out of her shell a little was almost worth my mini-ass chewing.
I dropped them off and pulled into a spot near the water before turning to face my best friend.
"I'm sorry. Forgive me?" I reached over and squeezed her hand.
"What? Are you kidding me?" She tugged her hand away. "I've known you most of my life. You don't have to apologize. I know you're interested in Brody, and I know that having any desire toward him scares the hell out of you. I was there when that shit went down with Brandon, remember?"
"Yeah." I pulled my hand back and turned the car off, but didn't move to get out. "He's so damn hot. I can't stop thinking about him, and yet...there is no way in all the realms of hell that I'm letting him near me. I don't need the drama in my life, Emily."
"I agree. He's not the kind of guy that settles down, from what I can tell. The guys teased the heck out of him last night for screwing the whole damn city." She reached for her door handle. "But, I will say this..."
"No, don't say it," I chuckled and got out of the car, breathing in deeply and letting my eyes scan the faces around us. As much as I prayed that I wouldn't run into him again soon, I sure was looking for him to pop up.
"Yes, I am." She walked around the car and looped her arm into mine, tugging me toward the bistro. "He's a funny guy. I think there is more beneath the surface than he's willing to show in front of his friends. You know how guys are."
"This isn't about how he acts with his friends." I glanced down at her as I worked to pull my hair from my face with my free hand. "It's about him sleeping around. I don't care if he's cocky. I actually prefer cocky, confident meat-heads. It's that he's the exact kind of guy that would be found sleeping around, no matter what commitment he promised to make and keep."
"You're looking for a fling, though.”
"I'm done talking about this." I pulled my arm from hers, once again fighting the need to turn into a bitch. "I love you like crazy, and I'm stoked that you and Clay might have started something, but I'm not considering Brody for anything more than what he is. A good-looking guy who's part of the friend group that I'm going to be around this summer. Nothing more."
"Alright. Suit yourself." She shrugged and held the door open for me. "I guess I won't tell you how many questions he peppered me with last night."
"Questions about what?" I walked in as my chest constricted.
Don't say questions about me. Don't say-
"Questions about you." She walked by me and shrugged as I stopped dead in my tracks. "You might not be interested, but I can tell you one thing for damn sure: he is."
Chapter 11
Brody
"You guys want burgers for lunch again?" Clay walked into the living room and crossed his arms over his chest.