When it was her turn, she gripped it tightly and threw it as hard as she could, only to be embarrassed when it didn’t even hit the target at all. The thing lost momentum as it went and clanged against the wall beneath the target before falling to the ground.
“I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t come here with plans to impress you,” she said, and Brogan chuckled again.
It made her heart flutter when she was able to pull a laugh or a chuckle out of him because he didn’t do it often. She’d been staying at his place for four days before she heard it for the first time. But it seemed like he was amused more and more often, usually about something she said or did.
She liked having that effect on him.
Retrieving their axes, Brogan came to stand behind her. His hands went to her hips and he positioned her body so that she was turned to the side. He moved in even closer to place the ax in her hand, making sure that she gripped it at the bottom. His warmth and hard muscles were distracting, and it just got worse when she felt his breath on her neck.
“Place your left foot on the line, pointing toward the target,” he said, and she tried to shake off the overwhelming lust she was suddenly feeling to focus. “You want to pull your back and pivot, stepping forward with your other foot. Flick your wrist as you release it.”
She did everything he said, let out a cheer of happiness as the ax hit the target this time. It was nowhere near the center. But she was proud of herself anyway. They kept doing it, with Brogan always landing the as in the center of their target and Amy getting better each time.
Finally, they stopped when her arm was too tired to keep going, but she’d enjoyed herself. Part of that was successfully throwing the ax and the other part was the closeness she felt to Brogan. It wasn’t just about the way he moved in so close to help her. They shared teasing banter as they threw the axes, and she could tell that Brogan enjoyed himself.
As they left, she expected that Brogan would take them back to his place, which she was already starting to think of as home. Instead, he pulled into the drive-thru of an ice cream shop. She was about to tell him what she wanted, but he was already ordering two scoops of her favorite - cookie and cream. He got himself chocolate and pulled forward while she stared at him.
“How did you know what I wanted?”
“You mentioned it when we were at the grocery store.”
She smiled so big that her cheeks ached. They’d gone grocery shopping together three days ago, and it was a strangely domestic experience to have with a big scary mafia man. She barely remembered saying anything about ice cream, but now she realized he was right. The selection at the store was sparse, and she whined about the fact that they didn’t have her favorite flavor.
It was typical of Brogan to remember such a thing. He wasn’t just observant of their surroundings in case of danger. He was observant ofher.He always seemed to notice things like this.
“I can’t believe you remembered that. It’s so sweet.”
“It’s not a big deal,” he murmured, and some of her happiness slipped away.
He looked almost uncomfortable all of a sudden, but why? Just because she said something affectionate?
When they got their ice cream, he handed hers over without making eye contact. He was stoic, and she felt her spirits plummet at the realization that he was pulling away from her emotionally. This almost-date was the closest they’d ever gotten outside of the bedroom, and it seemed like he didn’t want that.
Disappointment made her slouch in her seat, but he kept her mouth shut. Caring about Brogan was something that she didn’t expect when they met, but she couldn’t do anything to make him feel the same.
At least they had fun today. That had to count for something.
12
BROGAN
Why the hell did he have to be the one that was called to go get Amy the night they met? Owen had a full crew of men under his control, so why did it have to be him? Although, the real blame for all of this went to the damn Italians. The only person he wasn’t currently pissed off with was Amy herself.
Andthatwas part of the problem.
He made an effort over the years not to get close to any woman. Sex was one thing, but he didn’t know how to be a man worthy of a woman’s affection. He was a killer. He’d done it for years, and it made him paranoid and reserved. Even before all that, he’d grown up in a violent home. He didn’t know what love was, and he had no intention of letting a woman down by trying to figure it out and failing.
Amy was good. She wanted to be a doctor, to devote her life to helping people. Falling for her would be a mistake. She’d never choose him if she knew what he’d done in the past. And even now, his life was still full of violence. It wasn’t smart to care about any woman. Hadn’t he just seen that when Ruby was abducted? Mancini was planning to kill her just to hurt Owen. That alone was a hell of a good reason not to get attached, to stick to casual sex.
But when it came to Amy, he was breaking all of those rules.
It was hard to stop, so he was trying to just hold onto his anger over the situation. If that was what it took to keep from getting too close to her, that was what he would do.
Two days had passed since they went to the ax throwing place, and things had been tense between them. He was being purposefully distant with her, but he had no choice. That whole outing felt like a date.
Thisthingbetween them couldn’t be more than sex. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even be doing that if they weren’t stuck in his apartment together so much. Sexual tension wasn’t easy to ignore in a situation like that, but it wasn’t more than that. He couldn’t let it be.
So, why did the thought of parting ways with her when this was over leave him feeling completely gutted?
