Finn’s eyes widened as if he’d been given the biggest gift in the world. “Yes!” He trotted off to the living room.
“You know you really are good with him,” Brodie said quietly as he added one more dumpling to his plate.
“He’s a good-natured kid which makes it so much easier.” She brushed past him and her floral scent teased his senses. He really wanted to find out if it was her perfume or a lotion and if her whole body smelled that way.
“Sparkles.” Her nickname came out as a strangled whisper, and his body tightened when her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip.
“Yes.”
He placed his plate down on the counter and grabbed hers, repeating the action of putting it out of harm’s way. He wanted to kiss her, and he didn’t want her food all over the ground. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t message you. I finished at the fire and got home in time to change to go to work. Then my phone died.”
“It’s fine, Brodie. I understand.”
“I don’t think you do.” He massaged her scalp beneath the fall of her silky hair. “I know what I said last night probably freaked you out. And maybe I said it all wrong, used Finn as a reason, but I want you to know that I want to date you. Even without Finn being a factor, I want to get to know all about you. I like you—a lot.”
All the tension seemed to escape out of her and she relaxed against him. “I like you, too, and I, umm...”
She tried to look away but he kept his hand at the back of her skull. “What?”
“I made a decision today too.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I decided that I wanted to date you too.”
He pressed his lips against hers, unable to stop himself from wanting to taste her. He’d been craving her all the drive over from his place. The need to see her dissipated his tiredness and energized him.
This desire to see another person every day wasn’t something he’d ever experienced, but he couldn’t deny he liked it. Perhaps because it was Cerise that had him feel this way.
Brodie adjusted his stance so that he could deepen the kiss. Express everything he was feeling for her in his kiss.
A sound penetrated the fog he’d fallen into the second his lips had crashed down on Cerise’s. Softening the kiss until his lips barely touched hers, he glanced up and found Finn in the doorway, a look of fear on his face. “Finn.”
Cerise pulled out of his embrace and whirled around, rushing over to the boy, pulling him into a hug. The boy resisted and Brodie cursed himself for forgetting that the boy was in the house and all the things he’d gone through with this aunt every time she got a new boyfriend.
He hoped he hadn’t created a huge problem for Cerise and for their fledging relationship.
Finn waslike a brick wall in her arms, and she wished she could turn the clock back just a little. Not completely because she loved being in Brodie’s arms. But enough to break the kiss before Finn saw them.
“It’s okay, Finn. I’m not going to send you back. I know you’re having trouble believing me but please trust me. I love you, Finn. I would never hurt you.”
“Aunt Poppy told me once that she loved me, right before she told me to pack my bag.”
It took everything in her to stifle the anger at the cavalier way Poppy treated her nephew. “I’m not going to ask you to go pack your bag.” She released her iron grip on him and squatted down so that she was at eye level with him, grabbing his hands so that he knew he wasn’t totally alone. “Finn, look at me,” she said quietly. Behind her she sensed Brodie coming up to stand with her. He laid his hand on her shoulder and she appreciated his support. “Finn?”
After a moment the boy looked up. His teeth worried his bottom lip ,and she reached out to stroke his face. “I meant it. I love you. You are an amazing boy, and I feel privileged to have you in my life. I want you to know that Brodie and I are going to start dating. We like each other and want to get to know each other better. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t important to me. You are.”
“To me as well, buddy. I know I haven’t known you that long, but I want you to know that I would never make Cerise send you away.”
“And I would never let him. Anyone who wants to date me has to understand that, for as long as you live with me, they’re basically dating you too.”
His little arms almost strangled her as he hugged her. “I want to live with you forever, Cerise.”
She closed her eyes and hugged him tight, aware that Brodie’s arms were also enclosing around them. Making them a unit. A family.
If only that was the case.
“I will do everything to help you keep him safe. He needs you, Sparkles. Just like I need you.” Brodie whispered the words in her ear and her whole body shuddered in response at the implication of what he was saying. All she could do was nod to acknowledge she’d received his message and understood it.
