“While Brody is a good man, he’s still a man, and sometimes they need to be hit over the head a couple of times to see what’s in front of them. And, if you find yourself in a pickle, then think of the most outrageous thing ever to say to him,” she said.
Sydney stared at her. “What in the world could I say to shock Brody?”
“The only thing he’d never expect you to say.”
“We tell each other everything.”
Cherry raised a brow, and Sydney made a face. “Almost everything,” she conceded. “Who we’re dating is off limits.”
“And so are your feelings, apparently.”
“I can’t blurt out ‘I love you’ to him. What if he doesn’t love me back? What if he thinks I’m crazy?”
Cherry rolled her eyes. “Then pick something else to blurt out. Something he can’t resist responding to.”
“Like invite him to dinner?”
“You guys already have dinner together once a week.” Cherry thought for a moment. “Like show you the ropes of seduction.”
Sydney almost choked on her drink. “The what of what?”
The strawberry blonde lifted a dainty shoulder in a shrug. “Seduction. He’s attracted to you, even if you don’t see it, and he won’t admit it.”
Her jaw dropped. “He is?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Cherry finished her milkshake. “You’re gorgeous, and he’s always staring at you when he thinks no one is looking. And, the last time I invited him over to my place, he turned me down. Finally.”
He does? He had? “Oh.”
Cherry nodded, a pleased smile on her face. “That’s how I knew he was ready to move on.”
“Sydney.” Brody snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Hello, Sydney.”
“Oh, sorry. I was thinking.” He was sure staring at her now, staring at her like she’d lost her mind.
“About dinner?”
She shook her head. “No. About the reason why I bid on you.”
“I’m all ears.” He leaned into her, placing a hand on the truck behind her. His yummy scent washed over her.
Focus, girl. Focus.
“Remember that time you taught me how to fix my own sink when it had a leak?”
“Yeah, you have another project for me?”
“Yes.”
His face fell, and her heart beat faster. Was that disappointment she saw? “You didn’t have to pay four thousand dollars; I would have done it for free. Best friend discount,” he said with a wink.
Her heart fell to her feet, and she almost walked away right then.
Shock him, Cherry whispered in her mind.
“I have something else in mind for you to teach me,” she said. Her knees shook while she waited for his response.
“Teach you to do what?”
Before she lost her nerve, Sydney took a deep breath and said, “Teach me how to seduce a man.”
Chapter Nine
‡
Brody nearly swallowed his tongue. Of all the reasons why she’d bid on him, this reason wasn’t on the list. “Who the hell do you want to seduce?” Calm down, he ordered himself. Just because that kiss had rocked him to his very bones didn’t mean he needed to go all caveman possessive of her.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked quietly.
Oh, shit. The rookie. She’d bid on the rookie first. “Seriously, Syd?”
Fire flashed in her baby blues. “You don’t have to be so mean about it.”
“But, sweetheart, Kyle Davidson?”
The fire went out in her eyes. She stared at him blankly, and then seemed to get ahold of herself. “What, am I not good enough for him? Or am I too busy being in a fake relationship?”
Brody sucked in a breath. “Told you that, huh?”
She crossed her arms, pushing her breasts up and almost over the top of her dress. He made himself focus on her face. “He’s not very good at lying.”
Like you are hung in the air between them.
“I was only looking out for you,” he admitted. Okay, so it wasn’t the entire truth, but it was almost one hundred percent. Maybe eighty. Fine. Fifty-fifty. “Always looking out for you. I’m not going to apologize for making sure the men around here¸ or anywhere else for that matter, treated you like a lady. You don’t have anyone else looking out for you, but me, when it comes to dating.”
Her expression softened. “That’s the only reason why I’m not completely mad at you.”
“Good.”
“But, you have to make it up to me.”
“By teaching you how to seduce him? Honey, I hate to break it to you, but all you need to do is show up naked and Kyle would go off like a rocket,” he said.
A fine blush colored her cheeks. “I don’t want him to go off like a rocket. I want the stuff prior to lift-off. I figured that since you and I are such great friends that I could ask you to do this for me.”
Teach her to seduce Kyle. Teach her to seduce any man who wasn’t him. For years, he’d wanted her in his bed. For years, he loved and lusted after her, but kept it all in check because he didn’t want to ruin anything between them. He’d told himself over and over that what they had was worth more than that.
And now, she wanted to seduce the rookie? Red clouded his vision and for the first time in his life, he wanted to punch something. Something hard and unforgiving because that was exactly how he felt right now.
Hell, he felt betrayed.
“Do you have a ride home?” he asked.
“Yes.”
As pissed off as he was right now, he was glad because despite his anger, he would never leave her stranded. But, he couldn’t handle spending any more time with her right now.
“Then I suggest you go to dinner without me.” He spun around and stomped to the other side of his truck.
“Brody?” There was a vulnerability in the tone of her voice that made him pause.
“What?” he barked.
“Are we… are we okay?”
He yanked open the driver’s side door. “I’ll let know you soon.” After he talked with Cherry. There was no way he could be with…He swallowed.
“You promise?”
“I promise,” he bit out. Unable to trust himself not to say more, he climbed inside his truck and started up the engine. Then he waited for Sydney to find her ride.
He watched her walk, alone, to her sedan and get inside. As soon as she pulled out of the parking lot, he shoved his gearshift into drive and got the hell out of dodge.
*
“We need to talk,” Brody growled at Cherry. It had taken him almost a week to stop being angry and confused all the time. Now, he only got pissed when he thought about Sydney touching Kyle.
Cherry tilted her head to one side, smiling at him. She gestured to the seat across from her. “By all means. Have a seat, Brody,” she said.
He sat down in the most ridiculously tiny chair. It was made of fluffy pillows and wicker, but what could he expect in a tea shop—recliners?
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, too,” Cherry said as she stirred honey into her tea. “I think it’s time we start seeing other people.”
“Because of the auction?” he couldn’t help but ask. He wasn’t upset by her statement. In fact, he was relieved. It made things a lot easier on him because he had no idea how to explain anything about how he felt about Sydney.
She smiled. “Not entirely, but the auction confirmed my decision. How else would the two of you be able to spend time together?”
“We already spend time together,” he pointed out. “Every woman I’ve ever had anything to do with knows that. The ones who had a problem with Sydney, I didn’t see them again.”
“I know.” She sighed. “In any case, I think it’s time we moved on. You’re not getting any younger.”
They were the same age. “Thanks for thinking of me,” he said wryly.
“You are certainly welcome.” She offered him a plate of dainty-looking desserts, but he shook h
is head. Setting it down on the table, she leaned back in her chair. “What does Sydney plan to do with you?”
“Teach her how to do something,” he muttered. There was no way he’d tell Cherry who Sydney wanted to be with.
She frowned. At him. “You don’t sound very happy about it.”
“It’s not something we’ve…ah…done together before. So, I’m a little hesitant.” Hell, even with Cherry out of the picture, he wanted to refuse Sydney’s demand.
Leaning forward, Cherry patted his hand. “Bless your heart, Brody Lawson. You have to teach a gorgeous, sexy woman like Sydney McKnight how to do something.” She made a tsking sound. “What a hardship.”
“Thanks.” He knew she didn’t mean to bless his heart. She was calling him a dumbass, and they both knew it. But, Cherry didn’t understand their situation. Then again, right now, he didn’t either.
Rising to his feet, he inclined his head. “Nice seeing you, Miss Cherry. I’m glad we had this talk.”
Cherry merely smiled at him.
“Women,” he huffed as he walked outside. Now, he was as lost as before, and it wasn’t like he could go back in there and ask Cherry for her opinion. He scrubbed his hand over his face.
Sometimes, a man just had to go at it alone.
*
Sunday morning had come too soon. If he hadn’t been off today and his oldest brother hadn’t been preaching this morning, he would have kept his hungover tail in bed.
Last night, he’d driven to the outskirts of Holland Springs and gotten shitfaced at Poor Boy’s. His cousin, Bella and her husband had given him a ride home. A good thing, because if they hadn’t, then he would probably still be planted facedown into the bar and snoring.
Not his finest moment by any measure.
He adjusted his tie and walked inside, smiling tightly as people greeted him. He moved to the middle of the sanctuary, where his family always sat, filling up two rows now that he and his brothers were grown.
Dinah Lawson’s face lit up when she spotted him, nudging his dad, David, in the side. “There’s a seat with your name on it,” she said as Brody bent down to kiss her cheek.
He shook his father’s hand and sat down. “Thanks for saving it for me.”
The choir started up and so did the pounding in Brody’s head. His stomach roiled.
“Son, you don’t look so good,” his dad said quietly.
That was because he didn’t feel so good, but there was no way he’d admit it. “I’m fine.” He stared straight ahead until his vision blurred. His mouth felt cottony all of a sudden. Water, he needed water.
Slowly, he got out of his seat and made his way down the aisle, passing Tristan as he went. His brother looked like he felt.
Tristan slowly tipped up his chin. “Best not to sin on a Saturday night when you plan on confessing Sunday morning.”
“You got that right,” he muttered.
Once in the foyer, he strode to the water fountain and drank until that dry feeling left his mouth.
“Here,” Sydney said, holding out three pain relievers. “You look like you could use these.”
Grateful, he took them, washing the orange pills down with more water. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said primly. Today, Sydney was dressed more like herself in a blue dress that had a thin belt around the middle. Her hair was up and pulled straight back into a ponytail. Little diamond earrings winked at him. He glanced at her face, taking note of the pale skin and slightly glossy lips.
It was as though she’d scrubbed all traces of the bombshell who’d bid on him that night. The bombshell he’d kissed. The bombshell who had wanted his help seducing the rookie. Did she still want his help, or had he waited too long to talk to her? Was today a day of regrets?
“Are you free tonight?” he asked.
Her blue eyes widened. “Yes.”
“Can I come to your place?”
She sucked in a breath. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll bring dinner and a movie.”
Black lashes fluttered. “Oh.” Her lips flattened a little before she gave him that fake, bright smile he’d seen last night. “See you then, buddy,” she said loud enough for anyone to hear and then walked away.
He headed outside, to where he wouldn’t get struck by lightning while thinking of Sydney’s request. Last night, at Poor Boy’s, he and the bartender had struck up a conversation. Of course, Brody had laid out the entire story, from beginning to end.
But, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what the bartender’s advice had been. A car zoomed past the church, one of his favorite country music songs blaring on the radio. It was enough to jiggle his memory.
“Go for it, brother. Or you’ll regret that you didn’t for the rest of your life.”
With a smile, he got in his truck and headed home to plan.
Chapter Ten
‡
Sydney paced the floor of her apartment, more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. It was unsettling, almost as much as the night before. She’d never been nervous about Brody coming to see her.
But, now that they’d kissed—oh my, what a kiss—and she’d asked him to help her, she was anxious as anything. Plus, today at church, she’d been unable to really gauge his reaction. She assumed things were fine between them because he was bringing over dinner and a movie—a weekly ritual that had been purposefully missed last week.
There was a knock on the door, and she jumped about ten feet into the air. It couldn’t be Brody. He had a key to her place, and always used it.
She moved to the door, checked the peephole, and opened it.
Kyle stood on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers. “Hi, Miss Sydney. I came by to apologize for my behavior the other night.”
She stared at him blankly. “What did you do exactly?”
He looked down at the ground, and then at her, peering through his lashes. Oh yeah, he was smooth. She was sure that this look had gotten him out of a lot of trouble.
A dimple appeared in his right cheek when he smiled at her. “I made you uncomfortable, and I know that’s why you didn’t keep bidding on me. So, I thought flowers were appropriate—at least that’s what my momma says a gentleman should apologize with.” His smile turned into a grin. “Usually, I’m not a gentleman, but for a woman like you, I’d make an exception.”
Nonplussed, she took the flowers and smelled them. “These are lovely. Thank you, Kyle.”
He leaned against her doorframe, his pose casual yet cocky. “Does this mean you’ll go out with me? I’ll leave it up to you whether you want the gentleman or the bad boy.”
She suppressed a snort. She couldn’t help it. He was like a puppy, a big, horny puppy that wanted her to scratch him everywhere. “Oh, Kyle.” She shook her head. How did she let him down easy?
“Ms. McKnight prefers the gentleman, rookie,” Brody said as he came walking up behind him.
Kyle almost fell in his hurry to stand up straight. “Captain. Didn’t hear you walking up the stairs.”
“You might have been flirting too loudly to hear me.”
Sydney glanced between the two of them. Brody was acting uncharacteristically jealous—suddenly, she remembered their conversation. Brody thought she wanted him to help her seduce Kyle.
“Well, the lady did have every bit of my attention,” Kyle said, winking at her.
“Put it away.” Brody brushed past him, kissed her cheek—something he’d never done before—and went inside. The aroma of fettuccini wafted from his to-go bag. “We already have plans.”
“Oh yeah. I don’t know how you do it, man. Sydney, er… Ms. McKnight is too fine of a woman just to be friends with. If I didn’t know for a fact that there was absolutely nothing going on with the two of you, I’d stay away. But—”
Brody reached over her shoulder, his hard chest pressing against her back, as he started to close the door. She sucked in a breath and almost leaned into him beca
use he felt so good. “Goodbye, Rookie.”
“Later.” Obviously, undeterred, Kyle strode away. Whistling.
“Nice flowers.” Brody locked the door, and she turned to face him.
“Very nice,” she said, burying her nose into the bouquet once more. She couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’ll go put these in some water, and then we can eat.”
Brody caught her by the arm. “Still want to go through with this?”
“With dinner?” she asked lightly, glancing up at him.
His blue-eyed gaze turned dark. “Don’t. You know exactly what I’m referring to, and the guy you’re into was just here. Conveniently.”
“I didn’t make him come to my house.”
“I didn’t say you did.” Brody exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Look, this is new territory for us, and while I’m flattered you trust me so much to help you out, I really think you need to set your sights on someone else.”
He was so obtuse, just like Cherry had warned her. She’d all but spelled it out for him. Honestly, she didn’t get it and she wanted him to get it. No, she needed him to get it, but once again, she was listening to women who knew far more about men than she did.
They had to be right because Cherry and Lemon never had a problem with men—Lemon’s recent breakup notwithstanding—while she hadn’t been on a second date in years.
So, she went with lying. She hated it, but what else could she do? Besides tell the truth, and according to the women she trusted, that would be a disaster at this point.
“Kyle’s the one,” she said, swallowing a huge lump in her throat. “He’s actually nice and sweet. He even brought me flowers. I can’t remember the last time a guy gave me flowers.”
Brody stared at her for a split second. “I’ll do it.”
A rush of air went out of her. “Great. I thought we could make plans for this week and—”
“Nope.”
Her stomach flipped. “What?”
“We’re starting now.”
“Right now,” Brody added so she couldn’t mistake his meaning. “There’s no use in waiting because Kyle has the attention span of a gnat on crack.”
Love So Hot Page 6
