Gripping the back of her chair, I lean over her shoulder until my lips are a breath’s-width away from her ear. The late morning sun shines through the sliding glass door and illuminates the goose bumps that prickle up along her neck.
“I remembereverything, ladybug.”
She sucks in a deep inhalation and holds it, then slowly blows it out when I stand back up and walk around to the other side of the table and take a seat. Brandon brings two plates of food with him and sits down next to Aria, who’s already shoveled aforkful of fluffy pancakes into her mouth. Her eyes close and she moans at the first bite, like it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever tasted. My jeans get a bit uncomfortable when my dick perks up at hearing her make that sound.Not today buddy.
“Did Mason tell you he’s the new head baseball coach at school?” Brandon tells Aria as he slides me a plate across the table.
Her fork arrests in front of her mouth and her gorgeous green eyes meet mine. “No, he didn’t,” she replies with her mouth full. She swallows, takes a sip of coffee, and asks her brother, “Didn’t you already have breakfast?”
Rolling a pancake like a burrito, he shoves the entire thing in his mouth. “Yeah,” he muffles, rolling a second pancake just like he did the first one.
“Can you eat somewhere else then? I need to have a word with Mason. In private,” she adds.
Brandon rolls his eyes in the same way Aria does, and I tamper the grin that twitches the corners of my mouth.
“Fine. I’m supposed to meet up with Danny at the batting cages anyway. Hey, would you mind if I picked your brain about something?” he asks me, standing up from the table.
“Sure.”
“No,” Aria says at the same time.
We both ignore her.
“I’m having trouble with follow through on my swing. I think it may be my grip, but I’m not sure.”
“How about I drop by later today once we get back—”
Aria’s fork clanks on the plate when she drops it. “We’re not going anywhere together.”
“—and you can hit some balls for me in the backyard so I can see your form.”
His face alights. “Awesome. Thanks, man.”
“Absolutely.”
We bump fists.
“See you later.” Brandon kisses the top of his sister’s head.
As soon as he leaves, Aria whisper-hisses, “You will not use my brother to weasel your way back into my life again. He’s been through enough with the divorce and doesn’t need you pretending to be his friend.”
I reach across the tabletop and take her hand. “Your mom and Dirk are getting a divorce?”
I knew she never liked her stepfather, but she loves Brandon like he’s her flesh and blood.
She stares down at where our hands are connected, then carefully extricates hers and places it in her lap.
“That’s why he’s living with me. Things with his dad aren’t that great right now.”
The subject of parents is a touchy one for me for obvious reasons, seeing as mine abandoned me to live out my life being tossed around from foster family to foster family.
“First, I’m not pretending to be his friend, and I’m insulted that you’d think that lowly of me, regardless of what happened between us.”
Her expression turns contrite.
“Second, if you ever want to talk, I’m here.”
Her apologetic demeanor vanishes, and fiery green eyes flash a warning at me from across the table.
