by Natalie Rios
Am I seeing Brody? This is the million-dollar question.
Obviously, I can’t speak for Brody. But I like him. A lot. He has this quiet, alpha male quality about him that excites me. Only problem is, his quietness makes it hard to get to know him. Plus, I have no idea how he feels about me. I mean, I know he likes the sex. And he can be ultra-possessive. But does that mean he wants to be with me?
Having nothing else to go on, I think back to my conversation with Ellie earlier and the question she posed: how would I introduce Brody to people?
Gut reaction: he’s my boss. Plain and simple.
Ignoring the little pang in my stomach, I answer, “We’re not together.”
Eddie purses his lips, seeming to doubt my answer. “Really? Because from what I heard-”
“We’re not together. He’s my boss,” I cut him off. No need to overshare my sex life for the second time in one day. “Now tell me why you’re here.”
“I already told you, I’m worried about you. Can’t a guy check on his friend?”
“Considering you don’t even check on your own sister...”
“Not this again,” Eddie groans, slumping in his chair.
“Yeah, we’re going to talk about it again, Ed. We’re going to keep talking about it until you stop being an ass. Would it kill you to fly down to Miami and visit your twin sister and her new husband? I mean, you don’t even know this guy!”
“Liz doesn’t need me to check on her. Perfect Liz still managed to marry her soulmate even while blacked out drunk,” Eddie sneers. “Only Liz can drunkenly marry a guy she’s known all of two hours and still make it work somehow.”
I don’t like the way he’s talking about Liz, though I can’t say this is the first time it’s happened. Eddie’s hated Liz forever. Since before I met them, I think. I don’t understand why. Maybe my opinion is a little biased, but Liz is an awesome friend. Uptight and controlling at times, but loyal. Always there for you when you need her. As much as I hate being in the middle, I have to stick up for my friend.
“He’s a nice guy who absolutely adores her. And he makes her extremely happy. Isn’t that all that matters?”
“Carter only chased after her once he found out about her fat bank account.”
Well, I can’t argue against facts. Their relationship had started off all wrong. “All the more reason for you to check on her-”
“Whatever. I’m not here to talk about Liz.” Straightening in his seat, he takes my hand in his. “This is just a friendly visit from your favorite Rockwell, darling.”
“As if,” I snort, tugging my hand away. The last thing I need is a café employee telling Mina they saw us holding hands. “You’re not my favorite Rockwell. Liz is.”
“Second favorite, then.”
“Not even. Mags,” I elaborate at his bewildered expression. Though I don’t get to see her as often anymore, Mags is the third member of our little college trio. She also happens to be Eddie and Liz’s cousin.
“Favorite Rockwell male then.”
“Oooh, sorry. That spot officially belongs to Robbie.”
“Robbie?” With a cynical smile, Eddie shakes his head. “Give me a break. When was the last time you even saw him?”
“Last week,” I shoot back, much to his shock. Whipping out my phone, I show him the receipts (aka the pictures I took of me and Robbie hanging out). “We went out for coffee.”
“Robbie actually left the cabin?” Eddie’s awe is entirely merited. I have no idea why, but Robbie’s been living in seclusion for over a decade now. “What the hell? I’ve never gotten him to go past his driveway. Are you fucking him?”
Okay, so now he’s being crude. And I’m no longer in the mood.
“Of course.” I smirk at his gaped expression before continuing. “We fucked in the car first, just to get it out of the way. Then, after one cup of coffee, he led me to the men’s room and demanded I blow him. Right there, on the floor of a Starbuck’s bathroom. After another cup of coffee, he returned the favor in his backseat before driving me home. It was the best day of my life. I masturbate to the memories every night.”
He remains silent, patiently waiting while our waitress stops by to collect our orders. Once she’s out of earshot, he moves in closer and lowers his voice to just above a whisper. “You’re messing with me.”
I shrug. “Am I? I mean, that’s the only reason a man would want to take me out, right? They can’t possibly just want to talk to me.”
“I’m sorry, Char.” Fisting his hand, he knocks the side of his forehead a few times. “I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that...Rob leaving the cabin is kind of a big deal and I don’t understand why he would do it for you and not for-”
He stops, but I hear the rest nonetheless. Not for me.
“I wouldn’t take it personally. It was a right place, right time type of situation.”
And this is definitely the wrong place and the wrong time for me to talk to Eddie. He isn’t answering my questions and I’m now officially too pissed off to have a civilized conversation with him.
I try again to ask what he’s doing here, but he deflects by asking me questions I don’t particularly want to answer. Have I had any panic attacks lately? Am I still taking my anti-anxiety medication? Am I seeing a therapist?
I know he means well, but by the time I finish my meal, I want to strangle him.
“Look, I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I’m fine. No panic attacks.” At least not in the past few weeks. “Thanks for checking, but I’m good. Happy, well, and good.”
“So you don’t want me to delete your number?” At my grimace, Eddie laughs. “I’m kidding. I know that was more for his benefit.”
Nope. Not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.
The waitress returns with our check. After a five-minute struggle for the bill, I end up slipping the waitress my part of the bill in cash while Eddie isn’t looking. No way am I going to let him pay and make this seem like a date.
“Before you run off...” Eddie snags my wrist as I’m approaching the café entrance to do just that. “I have a present for you. It’s upstairs, in my room.”
His room? “I don’t think that’s such a good idea-”
“Relax, this will be quick. I promise. I just couldn’t bring it with me or keep it in the car because...well, you’ll see.” Smiling, Eddie pulls me along into the main building.
“I don’t know about this-” I start again when we reach his door. I can’t go in there. It feels...wrong.
“Ta-da!” Eddie throws open the door and at first, I don’t understand the big reveal. I mean, it looks like your standard hotel room, if you ask me. “Look down,” he advises.
And that’s when I see it. A tiny ball of white fluff curled up on a dog bed.
“What’s that?”
“A dog. Specifically, a Havaton.” I groan while Eddie bounces with excitement. “It’s a mix between a Havanese and a Coton de Tulear. She’s only eight weeks old-”
“Eddie,” I grind out. “What am I supposed to do with a dog?”
“Walk it? Pet it? Love it? I don’t know. Whatever it is people usually do with their dogs.”
“Do you know how much work having a puppy is? You have to let it out practically every hour, train it to go outside, train it not to destroy your stuff...I don’t even have a home, Eddie. Not one in my name, anyway. I share a house with two other roommates. I can’t just get a puppy. I don’t even know if they’re allergic to dogs.”
Eddie looks crushed, but I have to say the rest.
“I’m sorry, Ed. I appreciate the thought, but I’m not in a place in my life where I can take on a puppy. Between my job and my roommates…I know you were just trying to be thoughtful, but I can’t accept this. She’s cute, though,” I add, crouching down so I can pet her.
“What am I supposed to do with her? Can you return a dog?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you keep her?” With one last pat on her belly, I get b
ack up and face an irritated Eddie. “You don’t have a job and you live in that huge condo all by yourself.”
“Can’t you just-”
“Night, Ed.” I sprint away, down the stairs and out of the resort. He doesn’t follow me, thank Jesus.
When I get to the front door of the house, I almost barge right in. I need a long, hot shower. Stat. Except I can hear Fallon and Mina talking inside. Likely waiting to grill me about Eddie.
Fuck my life.
Chapter Nineteen
This might not be the best idea I’ve ever had.
See, as much as I love Mina and Fallon, I don’t want to talk about Eddie. Which means I have to sneak into the house. Conveniently, there’s a tree with a long branch just outside my window. All I have to do is climb the tree, crawl across the branch, open the window from the outside and voila! I’ve successfully crawled into my room, undetected.
Easy as pie, right?
Except I hadn’t counted on this branch being so far apart from the one I need to get to. On the ground, they look fairly close together. In reality, I think I would need to be a professional basketball player in order to reach that next branch.
My skirt and heels aren’t helping. Neither is the lack of light. With the sun setting, it’s difficult for me to find smaller branches I can use to help boost me up.
So, yeah. There I am, stuck in a tree, thinking I might have been better off facing the firing squad in the first place, when I hear his voice.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Standing underneath the tree is an irate Brody, looking as yummy as ever. Wearing black athletic shorts and a white t-shirt, he’s probably out for a run. Or maybe just finishing up, judging by all the sweat.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m climbing a tree.” I’m trying very hard not to stare at his abs. You can almost make them out through his sweat-soaked t-shirt. Can you believe we’ve had sex three times now and I still haven’t seen him naked? Ridiculous!
“Really?” Hands at his hips, he sends me a wry smile. “Could have fooled me. Considering you haven’t moved in the past five minutes, I assumed you were stuck in a tree. But please, continue climbing.”
Well, shit. I can either embarrass myself by trying to climb some more or embarrass myself by admitting I’m stuck. Option #2 seems the least likely to result in a broken neck.
“Okay, so I’m kind of stuck.”
“And why are you stuck in a tree, exactly? I can see up your skirt, by the way. At least you’re wearing underwear.”
“No thanks to you!” Wrapping my arms around the trunk, I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to see Mina and Fallon right now. They’re going to ask about Eddie and I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
“So you decided to climb a tree instead?”
“Well, yeah.” Annoyed, I roll my eyes even though I know he probably can’t make out my facial expression in the growing darkness. “This tree is right outside my bedroom window. Perfect for sneaking in.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I don’t know how the hell you come up with this shit sometimes.” Shimmying his way up the trunk, Brody hoists himself onto the branch below mine. “Give me your hand. I can pull you down from here.”
“And have to face Fallon and Mina anyway after all this trouble? No way! I’m climbing this damn tree.” I nod for emphasis, but don’t move an inch. Yeah, I still have no idea how I’m going to get to the next branch. And the deductible on my health insurance is no joke.
“You can spend the night at my place.”
Ladies and gentleman, the magic phrase. I’m not about to pass up on an opportunity to see where Brody lives and sleeps.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I jump off the branch, landing on my ass with a hard thud.
“Are you crazy?” Brody demands, hopping off his branch and joining me on the ground. His eyes rake over my body, his hands following at a slower pace. Likely checking me for bruises. “You could have snapped your neck!”
“Relax, Dad.” Shoving him away, I get on my feet and dust off the back of my skirt. “I’ve done this before.”
“Jumped out of a tree?”
“Jumped off, climbed up...When I was in prep school, I used to sneak into the boys dorm by climbing trees. And before you go all caveman on me, I was visiting my brother and cousin.”
As much as I would love for Brody to throw me on the ground and have his way with me, there are public decency laws to keep in mind.
Brody doesn’t respond, instead choosing to silently lead the way to his cabin. Which is fine by me. My mind is busy racing with a hundred million thoughts. Such as, where am I going to sleep, exactly? His bed? The couch? And what about clothing? If I go to work tomorrow wearing the same clothes, everyone will know I’m doing the walk of shame.
And the worst part is, they’ll probably assume I spent the night with Eddie.
Fretting over that possibility, I follow Brody inside. Only to awkwardly stand in his foyer. What am I supposed to do now?
“You should probably take a shower,” Brody says, making his way down the hall. “Bathroom’s this way.”
Okay, I guess I’m supposed to follow him.
“Why would I need a shower?”
Without missing a step, he looks over his shoulder and smirks at me. “You were hugging a tree and then fell on your ass. You’re covered in dirt and tree debris.”
Tree debris? I’m about to ask what that is when a leaf comes flying out of my hair.
“But what will I wear-” I stop. We’re inside a bedroom. His bedroom. I just know it’s his.
A large, four poster canopy bed takes up the majority of the room. But what a bed it is. Solid hardwood with a warm cherry finish, complete with a dark leather headboard. The bed looks luxurious, but masculine and sturdy enough to hold Brody’s large frame. Adorned with grey throw pillows and black sheets, I know he decorated the room himself. No woman would have chosen such drab colors for such a beautiful bed.
Brody strolls across the room and opens a door leading into the master bath. “Towels are in there,” he points to an open linen closet in the corner of the room. “I’ll get you a t-shirt and some sweatpants. I apologize in advance since I don’t own anything in purple.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. As you can see,” I gesture at my current outfit, “blue and white work just fine.”
Brody chuckles as he exits. What the hell is happening here? I’m standing in Brody’s private bathroom, getting ready to use his soap in his shower. I’ll probably walk out of here smelling like him. To sleep god only knows where.
He isn’t gone long, returning with the promised clothing in under a minute. What really shocks me is what he does next.
He closes the bathroom door. With him on the inside.
“Um, what are you doing?” I ask, nervously tugging on my earlobe.
“I’m going to shower.”
“I thought I was going to shower.”
“Yeah.” He leaves it at that, tugging off his athletic shorts and boxers in one swift move.
“But...Um, how can I shower if you’re showering?” It’s a miracle I’m able to speak at all, given the fact his massive schlong is waving in its full glory.
“The shower’s large enough for the both of us.” He strips off his shirt and oh my god. This is the first time I’ve seen him naked and the image is enough to distract me from my budding anxiety.
Because I was right. There are lots and lots of rippling muscles hiding underneath his shirt. A sculpted chest complete with a taut six pack. He’s the epitome of masculinity, all hard edges and glistening skin. I am completely mesmerized by the beautiful male specimen standing before me.
“You want to shower together?” I ask, still a bit apprehensive. I’ve never showered with a man before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been completely naked in front of a man before either.
“Saves water,” Brody reasons, walking past me into the shower.
Frozen in place
, I watch water slide down that beautiful body as I debate my options. Showering together would be a huge step, right? Not just for me personally, but for us. Whatever we are. But am I ready for this?
Brody ends up settling the matter for me.
Picking up the extendable showerhead and turning it to full blast, he sprays me with it.
“Hey!” I sputter, now soaking wet. The devil has the nerve to laugh. And spray me again. “What are you doing?”
“You’re wet now, might as well hop in,” he coaxes. We lock eyes and that’s when it hits me. He’s smiling. Smiling and laughing. After he’d completely hosed me down. This is playful Brody, a side of him I haven’t seen before. And just like that, the jitters are gone.
I have no idea what we’re doing, but I like Brody. More importantly, I trust him.
Unzipping my skirt, I wiggle my way out of it before dragging my blouse over my head. My bra and panties are next. I make sure to maintain eye contact with Brody throughout, except for the five seconds I spend staring at his very much aroused nether regions.
“Can I ask you a question?” I’m shivering as I approach the shower, more from anticipation than nerves.
“Yes,” he replies, voice all husky. “So long as the question is Brody, will you please fuck me against this shower wall?”
My lips part, a small gasp escaping them. “Well, then. Two questions, because that will definitely be the second.” I wait until he nods, granting me permission to continue. “Did you play football?”
Arching a brow, he nods. “Tight end. High school and college.”
Figured as much. A man of his size would be a top recruit for football or maybe even hockey. Though I’m surprised he played at Princeton. Ellie is too young to have ever crossed paths with him, but maybe Drew watched a game or two of his.
I’m definitely going to be Googling the shit out of this later. I need to see this man’s body in action.
Curving my lips into my coyest smile, I lightly brush my fingertips against his rock hard chest. “Brody...” I purr. “Will you please fuck me-”
I don’t even get to finish my question.
