Chapter 9
Brody
"Goddammit," I grumbled as she walked away. Every cell in my body screamed for me to follow her, force her to see me. To hear me.
"What's up with you tonight, man?" Daniel moved up beside me, his face filled with concern.
"I don't know." I looked over my shoulder as she shook her hips. Her pretty ass jiggled just under her dress, giving me confirmation that the fox had on a G-string. My cock hardened to the point of throbbing, and yet there was nothing to do about it. She wasn't going to relent, and I wasn't going to push.
Or was I?
"Did something happen with you and Cora?" He pushed his shoulder against mine.
"How do you know her name?" I turned and lifted my eyebrow as my voice dropped a little.
"Whoa." He stepped back and lifted his hands. "I'm an innocent by-stander here."
"Yeah, sorry." I patted his chest and rolled my shoulders. "I know it's going to sound crazy, but I haven't had a girl deny me in years."
"First time for everything?" He laughed and took a drink of his beer. "Come on. There are lots of women here tonight. Let's grab a beer for you and get the fun started. No worrying about the one that got away. She wasn't even that attractive."
I laughed loudly. "Is this your way of making me feel better?"
"Yep. She's the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life." He walked to the door to the house and held it open. "She looks like one of those chicks who would rock a business suit and rule the world, yet turn into a complete whore in the bedroom for the right man."
I popped him in the gut as I walked in and groaned. "Really? Fucker."
"Sorry, dude. You know I have a problem with not being totally honest all the time." He shrugged. "It was a hard life growing up with older brothers."
"I want her, Daniel. I haven't wanted anyone for a long time." I glanced around, not seeing her and feeling a sense of relief over it. She wasn't the prettiest girl I'd ever seen in my life, but combined with her attitude and confidence? I was sold on the idea of trying harder than I had in a long time for a girl.
"Well, it's good to want, right?" He picked up a beer and handed it to me. "It makes us appreciate those things we wanted if we ever get them.”
"Not now, dude. I can't handle an in-depth discussion over the human psyche. I'm hiding a boner and my heart is racing." I gave him a quick glare.
"Over one girl? Seems out of character for you." He shrugged and took another drink of his beer before patting my chest. "I'm thinking you have some repressed women issues, but we'll talk later. Go woo the girl."
I ignored him and looked around for her. She was standing in a group with her friends and some of mine. Perfect.
Walking over, I stopped beside Clay and lifted my beer to my lips, looking away from the group as if searching for someone. She wanted to play hard to get? Fine. I was down for a challenge. It felt good. Having my heart racing and blood pumping was almost addictive. It had been far too long.
"Let's go dance." Dedra moved past me as she tugged on her redheaded friend's hand. Cindy? Candy? Cindy.
"Sounds good to me." Derek tugged at my shirt. "Come on, lover boy. Come show these girls how it's done."
"Can you dance?" Emily asked me, moving up to my left. The girl was cute, but seemed to be hiding behind her over-sized shirt and tights. I'd seen her on the dock earlier that day without her shirt on. There was no need for her to wear something so unattractive, unless she wasn't looking for attention.
"I've been known to steal a few hearts on the dance floor." I turned and reached for Cindy, pulling her toward me and spinning her.
She laughed and pressed her hands to my chest. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a blond Chris Evans?"
"Nope. Never." I chuckled, lying to the petite thing. I spun her around the floor, taking care to keep her from running into anyone. I could almost feel Cora's eyes on me, but I ignored the need to turn around and show her just how interested I was in gaining her attention. I'd been playing this fucked up game for most of my life. This wasn't the first time a girl had given me the cold shoulder, just the first time in a really long time. I found that after I took the others like her to bed, the excitement died. It would be no different with her.
The thought calmed me a little. I enjoyed the high her denial provided. To push too far, too fast would leave it over before it started.
"Where are you from?" Cindy asked as she pressed herself against the front of me.
"Around." I winked and glanced up to see Derek headed our way. "I'm thinking my cowboy friend wants to spin you around a little. You up for it?"