“Thank you, handsome.” She beamed at him, and I swore she pulled her shirt down to show cleavage. I couldn’t help but snort. “What can I get you? Anything you want, the menu be damned.”
Brooks winked at me when she turned to point at the board, and I nudged his hip with mine. He knew exactly what he was doing. “I’ll take a black coffee. Thank you.”
“Same for me.” I reached into my wallet and handed her my stamp card and a five. “Keep the change, please.”
“Appreciate it, Michelle.” She handed us two steaming cups and pulled out a stamp. Instead of just two, she gave me eight and wiggled her eyebrows at Brooks. “You into older women?”
“If I was, you would be first on my list.”
“I’m single and live above the place. If you get drunk and want to be daring, stop by. Anytime.”
“Annette,” I said, giving her a look to make her stop. She ignored it and made a loud popping noise with her lips. “My god, woman.”
“If you don’t ride him, I reserve the right to refuse you service.” She picked up a towel and started wiping down the counter, and I had no choice but to meet Brooks’s highly amused gaze. “Not a word, handsome. Not a word.”
He laughed hard when we got into his car and I tried to stop it, but it felt good to get it out. He wiped under his eyes and leaned back into his chair with a loud groan. “I’m equally mortified and amused. It’s an odd combo, that’s for sure.”
“She’s never spoken like that around me. Ever,” I said between giggles. “So inappropriate.”
“Must be why she owns the place. She is a walking HR violation.” He cringed and pretended to shiver. “Think she meant her word?”
“Her word?”
“About riding me?” he had the audacity to ask with a passive, innocent face.
I scoffed and shook my head. “She probably meant it. Good thing I already have, so she can continue to be my main source of caffeine.”
He narrowed his eyes, but that was the only sign he didn’t like my answer. He started the car and drove me back to the apartment, all sign of stiffness gone from his neck. I was impressed. My body would be hurting like hell if I’d slept like that, and I couldn’t stop myself from prying. “Your muscles are all okay? That can’t have been comfortable for you. It won’t mess with your playing ability, right?”
“Worried about me?” he teased, putting the car into park and smiling way too widely at me. “It’s cute.”
“I’m not… Well…just answer. Are you okay?”
“I’m sore here.” He pointed to the spot where his neck met his shoulder. “It’s my throwing arm, and I’ll do some stretches when I get back to my place. Shouldn’t be anything too bad.”
“Good. Good.” I chewed on my bottom lip, unsure how to depart. He was charming all the fucking time, and it exhausted me. He was so happy and kind and loved his mother…Time for me to stop.
“I should let you go.”
“No plans except our date tonight.”
“Friend date, you mean,” I corrected him and hated the slight shift of his smile. The longer I was around this man, the more the reasons I needed to stay away from him disappeared. “See you then?”
He nodded, and I jumped out of the car way too fast, spilling coffee on my shirt. I expected to see him laughing or making fun of me, but the longing on his face caught me off guard. And instead of facing it like an adult, I avoided it and walked as fast as I could to my apartment.
* * *
Havinga cheap glass of red wine while getting ready for the wedding helped with two things—my nerves at seeing Brooks again and the undeniable attraction I had to him. But it wasn’t just about attraction anymore. That was the easy part, the part I understood.
What I didn’t understand was how he kept slipping past my walls, how he made me feel like I wasn’t just the girl barely holding everything together. It scared me. Wanting him wasn’t the problem—I could handle that. But needing him? Trusting him to stay? That was dangerous.
I smoothed my dress over my hips, rolling my shoulders back. Deep blue chiffon, thin straps, and a neckline that balanced elegance with just a hint of daring. It was my armor tonight, the way my perfume was, the way my carefully tousled hair sent a message—confident, in control, totally not overthinking anything.
A knock sounded on the door.
I inhaled sharply, pressed my hands to my stomach like I could quiet the nerves, and opened it.
Brooks.
