“I…” My voice was gravelly as I tried to figure out something to say.
Brody chuckled. “I generally don’t read romance. I mean, not just romance. I actually like romantic suspense. That’s the balance that’s best for me. I need more than just the romance, but I get why others swing the opposite way.”
“Right.” I forced myself to focus on the night ahead. “Well … should we get you a drink, or will that have you thinking about spanking too much?”
He scowled. “You’re going to turn this into a thing, aren’t you?”
“Yup.” I wouldn’t even try to deny it. “I totally am.”
SPANKY’S LOCATION WAS THE BIG DRAW,but they had a solid menu of bar food to go along with their cocktails. I was hungry—there’d been no time to eat before I left the house—so I ordered appetizers for our little area of the bar, along with my drink.
“Bring some of the fried pickles, nachos, and buffalo wings,” I said to the server. “I also want a burger with pepper jack and ketchup and onion. Nothing else.”
Brody, across the table from me, made a face. “What about lettuce and tomato?”
The question threw me. “What about them? I’m sure they exist here if you want them.”
“Yeah, but … you can’t have a burger with just ketchup and onion on it.” He looked appalled.
I smiled. “Obviously, you can.” I glanced back at the server and was struck by the way she was looking at Brody. She was practically drooling. “I’ll have the Spanky’s Sunkist as my drink and a glass of water, too, please.”
“Hmm.” The server, realizing I was talking to her, dragged her eyes back to me and frowned as if trying to remember exactly what she was supposed to be doing. “Right.” She jotted down the rest of my order. “Anybody else?” Her eyes immediately went back to Brody.
For his part, he seemed oblivious to her interest. “I’ll have the Blueberry Mule. I’ll have the shrimp po’boy with fries as well.” When he lifted his chin, he was smiling at me.
“No oysters?” I teased.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t want to offend the digestive sensibilities of an entire city.”
“I still maintain that an oyster po’boy is a crime against humanity,” Nathan interjected.
I’d forgotten he was in our general area until he spoke. He had a big personality, so it seemed weird that I would forget him. I had, though.
It’s because you’re completely focused on Brody.
I tried to ignore my internal voice. I was not completely focused on Brody. I just… knew he had social anxiety, and I wanted to make things easier after he’d helped me following the previous event.
You’re totally hot to trot for him.
I gritted my teeth and refused to acknowledge snarky inner me.
You’re warm for his form.
I’d recently gone down a rabbit hole of ridiculous old sayings because I wanted to use them for a character in my book. Now they were stuck in my head.
You want to him to rock out with his cock out.
I slapped my forehead. My inner voice was a bitch when she wanted to be.
“Bree?” Brody’s tone was full of concern, and I had to jerk up my chin. He was watching me with worried eyes. “Do you have a headache or something?”
Or something. “It’s nothing. I’m just hungry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I’m a beast when I get hangry.”
“I can vouch for that,” Hayley said.
Brody didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Okay, well, the readers will be here in ten minutes. Hopefully, you’ll have time to eat before then.”
I DID NOT GET TO EAT MY DINNER.That was a bummer and a half because the burger looked amazing. Unfortunately there were twice as many readers at this event as the one before, and I only had time to eat a few pickle spears. Nathan, on the other hand, ate all my nachos and wings.
