“Make sure you use soap to wash yourself and not just stand under the water for a minute,” she called out. The only answer was the slamming of the door.
“You know that bar of soap or body wash isn’t going to touch his body, don’t you?” Brodie stood and came over to where she was standing, his hands landing on her shoulders.
“Yep, I do. And I take it you’re speaking from experience?”
“I cannot confirm or deny that accusation.”
“Boys.”
Brodie laughed and dropped a kiss on her nose. “But you love us.”
Cerise stilled. He didn’t mean that she loved him, did he? No, he had to be talking about Finn and boys in general. No one fell in love after just two full days together. And one night and a serious, toe-curling kiss.
“Umm, sure,” she said. She pulled out of his hold and wandered over to the couch, where she plonked herself down and grabbed one of her throw pillows, holding it close to her chest.
“You know I was speaking in general terms, don’t you?”
“Sure, I did. I’m just tired and wanted to sit down. Plus, my butt is sore.” Oh God, why had she gone and said that? Now she imagined Brodie’s strong hands massaging her ass. Not a bad vision to have but not the right time to have it. Especially seeing as things were a little awkward between them right now.
Unless she was the one making it awkward and he didn’t have any sort of feelings for her at all.
He came and sat on the couch next to her, his fresh citrusy scent drifting over her. It had been slowly driving her crazy since he’d caught up with them in the main ranch house. He’d gone and showered before they left because he and Finn had been roughhousing and he’d ended up in a small mud puddle that had formed from where they’d hosed down the horses. Finn had thought it hilarious and so had she.
She and Finn could’ve left, but Brodie had offered to drive Finn home in the truck, and she didn’t want to take that treat from him.
“Did you arrange a meeting with the lawyer Daphne suggested?”
Whoa, she totally hadn’t expected Brodie to ask her that. “Yeah, I saw him yesterday. When I phoned, they’d had a cancellation and offered it to me, so I jumped on it.”
“How did it go?”
Cerise sighed. She’d been trying to keep her optimism high, but the more she thought about the meeting, the more she was coming to the conclusion that maybe her dream wouldn’t come true. “It went okay. Even though we know my chances are probably slim, being single and all. He said he’d help me proceed with the application and see how it turns out. We also negotiated a fee I’m happy with paying.”
Brodie twirled a piece of her hair around his finger, and she wanted to lean against him, but controlled the urge. “Would it help if you were in a relationship, do you think?”
Cerise’s heart skipped a beat before returning to its normal rhythm. He wasn’t suggesting what she hoped he was, was he? “Daphne and the lawyer did mention that when it comes to adoption, couples do tend to have more success than an unattached person. I knew from the beginning my single status would be an issue.”
Brodie reached over and picked up her hand. Like always her flesh heated at the simple contact. “I want to help you get Finn. The kid deserves to be happy. He’s only been with you about a week and the difference in him today from the boy I first met is obvious.” He paused and cleared his throat. Was he nervous? What was he about to say next. Her stomach churned with a mixture of worry and anticipation. “He loves being with you andyou bring out the best in him. What if you tell the lawyer you are in a relationship ... with me?”
What the helldid I just do?
His heart pounded in his chest so violently, he was surprised his shirt wasn’t moving in rhythm with it. In his mind the words hadn’t seemed so monumental, but saying them out loud—well, they packed quite the punch. But he wouldn’t take them back, no matter how much he may think the idea was preposterous and so extreme, it wasn’t funny.
The thought of being in a relationship with Cerise wasn’t over the top, as he could easily see himself floating down that river with her. He liked her. Respected her and was attracted to her. There were times that he felt more connected to her than he had with a woman he’d been dating for months. How was that even possible? They’d only shared one kiss, but it had been amazing and he’d been wanting to sample her lips again.
He understood that getting her alone was going to be difficult. Her focus was on Finn and he wouldn’t want to draw her attention away from the boy. But these little moments they shared when it was just the two of them, were what he lived for. And he’d take whatever he could get from Cerise.
She pulled her hand away and it was like she cut the tenuous connection that had built all day between them. “Umm ... I think you may want to reconsider what you just said.”
A second ago he would’ve jumped on her offer, but now that the shock had settled down and he’d allowed himself to think further about them as a couple, it wasn’t even a consideration.
“Nope. I’m not retracting what I said. Even if you didn’t have Finn, I’d want to date you. I like you, Cerise. I don’t know about you, but when I touch you, I want to get closer, closer than I’ve ever wanted to with a woman I’ve dated. And I know it seems too soon to be saying all of this, but it’s what I’m feeling.”
Her eyes widened and her tongue slipped out to swipe across her plump bottom lip. Groaning, he closed the small distance and gave into the temptation that had been his constant companion since their last kiss. Her arms wound around his neck and she sank into him. He pulled her close, her breasts crushed against his chest. His hand roamed down her back to the place where her shirt met her jeans. His fingers dipped into the gap ready to lift the fabric so that he could smooth his hand across her flesh. The next instant he was shoved back and Cerise was up and standing by the coffee table.
It took a few seconds for the sensual haze that had engulfed him from the moment his lips touched hers to lift. “What the he—?” he swallowed the rest of the word when he spied Finn entering the room. The buttons of his pajama top were askew, and his hair was sticking up all over the place.
“You didn’t do any more while I was in my shower, did you, Brodie?” He plonked down on the ground studying the partly built LEGO fire station.
