Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (12 page)

"Why? I was just kidding. You know
you're the hottest girl in this town. Stop getting offended so easily. You're
wearing your emotions on your shoulders. That never works well for people like
us." He reached out and pulled me closer, helping me to avoid the bikers
coming our way.

"People like us?" I huffed and
hugged the movies to my chest. "I'm nothing like you."

"No?" He jogged up the steps to
the house, pulling the door open. "Maybe not. I guess I would need to know
you a little better before imposing my own assumptions about you. Otherwise,
I'm just being a complete ass, right?"

"Asshole." I walked into the
house, clearly getting his underlying hints. He wasn't the only one being an
ass. I was, too.

Now to figure out how to stop.

Chapter 13

Brody

Fuck
this girl and her preset notions.

I held the door for her before grabbing a
beer and walked back out to the patio. Clay and Emily followed me out, and I
was grateful to see the door close behind them. While Cora was exactly the type
of woman I wanted to press to the bed beneath me, she was quickly turning me
off with her pissy, “better than you” attitude.

"Let's get the grill fired up and we
can put the brats out here." I glanced over at Emily. "Did you guys
want me to put anything else on here will I'm at it?"

"Yeah. I think we got”

"Corn and hot dogs." Cindy
walked out and gave me a warm smile. "I can't believe you got
The Notebook
. It's my favorite, though I
swear I never make it past the first scene."

I laughed and nodded. "Exactly. It's
a make-out movie, right?"

"Totally." She moved up beside
and helped lay everything out on the grill before glancing over her shoulder.
"Hey, I'm sorry about Cora."

"What? What about Cora?" I
didn't turn my attention on her. I couldn't.

"She's gone through some rough shit
this last semester. Her boyfriend of two years was cheating on her and had been
for the whole two years. She's just incredibly sensitive right now." Cindy
closed the grill, and I turned as Emily started talking.

"She's a really great girl. The
best." Emily smiled and moved into Clay's lap, leaving me needy for
someone to reach out and show me a bit of attention. Not someone: Cora.

"I'm sure she is." I shrugged
and took the beer that Cindy offered me. "I don't want to cause any
trouble, but I am who I am."

"And, we love you that way,
buddy." Clay lifted his beer. "You make us feel better about
ourselves."

I laughed. "Jerk."

"Only with you can I be myself."
Clay wrapped an arm around Emily before pulling her down for a long, passionate
kiss. I turned my attention to Cindy and shook my head.

"These kids nowadays." I
followed her back into the house, not at all thrilled to see Cora laughing at
something Daniel was saying. Maybe he was a better match for her mentally. Physically,
it was one hundred percent me, but maybe she was too broken to do anything but
seek out the weakest link. Cool. I could deal with that.

"You're too funny." Cindy
glanced over her shoulder. "Did Derek tell you I made a new dessert for
you guys?"

Derek piped up. "For me, girl. For
me."

"For all of us." I picked up a
pillow on the couch and tossed it across the room to him.

"For all of you." She smiled and
turned her attention on Derek. "You want a beer?"

"A pretty redhead who can dance, cook,
and offers to get me a beer?" Derek let out a long dramatic sigh and let
his head fall back. "Marry me, Cindy."

"I need to make sure you're good in
bed first, but if so...then yes." She giggled and walked toward the
kitchen as a genuine smile lifted my lips. I turned to follow her as Derek
continued to sing the girl's praises.

Cora glanced over at me from the kitchen
table, but I ignored her. She was damaged goods. Better let Daniel handle her,
instead. He was the sensitive type of guy.

I would hang out for a little while and
then be on my way. There was no need to stand around in hopes of something that
wasn't going to happen.

"You know," Cindy turned from
the counter where she was working on uncovering a bowl of dip, "if you
work on being friends rather than trying to get her in bed, it might
work."

"I don't need it to work, but
thanks." I kept my voice soft and friendly, even though I felt the exact
opposite. I wasn't a lovesick fool with my eyes on one woman. I was interested
in the sexy brunette at the kitchen table for a few hours of sweaty fun.
Nothing else. Obviously, I was giving off the wrong vibe to everyone, seeing
that they were all handing out advice or teasing the hell out of me over her.

"I'm sure you don't, but we have the
rest of the summer, and if I was going to go after anyone on this whole lake,
it would be Cora." Cindy shrugged. "She's the full deal. Smart,
beautiful, sexy, funny, daring, strong, and the best friend we all have."

I glanced over at her as my heart swelled
in my chest. It wasn't love. It was infatuation to know the woman Cindy was talking
about. I'd seen enough of that around the edges of the cold-hearted bitch that
had Daniel laughing like a school girl, but I wanted to see more.

"I'm sure she is, Cindy, but she's
not interested, and I'm not the kind of man who chases after a woman. I'm just
not." I opened the bag of chips closest to me and walked over with a chip
in hand. "Now, stop trying to sell me off to the nearest available girl
and let me taste your dip."

She smirked and held out the bowl.
"You're lucky that cowboy in the other room is so cute, or I'd let you do
more than taste my dip."

I laughed. "Good to know."

"What are you two giggling
over?" Emily walked into the kitchen and picked up the bag of chips.
"Oooo, is this Cindy's enchilada dip?"

"No clue, but it's fucking
amazing." I reached over for a few more chips as the flavor of the dip
rushed across my tongue. It had to be one of the best things I'd ever tasted.

"It's the taco dip, but close
enough." She gave us a sweet smile. "Do you guys really like it, or
are you just being nice."

"Just being nice. It tastes like
shit." I grabbed the bowl and the bag of chips and walked to the living
room. "I'll take one for the team and eat it all."

"No, you won't." Cora walked
into the living room and sat down beside me.

Daniel dropped down beside her.

"What's the big deal with the
dip?" He pulled his glasses off and cleaned them. "Is it really that
good?"

"The best." Cora reached for the
chips, but I pulled the bag away.

"What do you say when you want
something someone else has?" I let my eyes move down to the thickness of
her bottom lip, wondering how good it would feel pressed between mine. She had
to taste like passion and feel like heaven.

"Give me the chips or I'll kick you
in the crotch?" She smirked and reached for the chips.

I leaned in, unable to help myself.

Her breath caught as I paused just before
kissing her and let my eyes move up to lock onto hers. Being close to her tore
down my facade and stripped me for the moment.

"You say, please," I whispered
and licked at my lips before moving back and handing her the bag.

The slight widening of her eyes and the
fast ticking along the side of her neck left me with no doubt that she was at
least curious. Maybe not interested, but curious.

"Please." She took a chip and
dipped it into the dip before handing it to Daniel, who was standing up,
looking around. "Here. Try it."

"Daniel," Dedra called from the
porch. "Come here. I want to get you to look at this bite. I swear it's a
spider.”

"Coming." He took the chip from
Cora and smiled. "Always nice to be needed even before I finish my
schooling."

"You'll always be needed,
buddy." I smiled at him and tugged the chips back from Cora before leaning
back and pressing my shoulder against hers as she reclined into the couch next
to me. "So, I know Emily can cook, and Cindy obviously can. How about
you?"

"Looking for a woman who can fuck all
night and still make you breakfast in the morning?" She glanced over at
me, the emotion on her face drawing me in.

"Wow. That was almost a record for
us, and we just met." I took another chip from the bag and dipped it in
the creamy rose-colored dip. I lifted it to her lips and nodded. "Why do
you keep bringing up sex, Cora? Is that all you think about when you look at
me?"

She leaned forward and bit the chip, not
answering me. "I'm getting a beer; you want one?"

"Yep." I pushed at her back to
help her off the old couch and couldn't help but breathe in deeply as the scent
that was uniquely her rolled over me. A mixture of coconuts and cinnamon.
Delicious.

She handed me a beer as she walked back in
and let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry."

"For not popping the top? You should
be." I moved the chip bag from behind her and winked at her. "Derek
gets a woman who loves to cook and totally gets why
The Notebook
is a make out movie, and I get berated for being a guy
with hormones. Typical Sunday night!"

She smiled and shook her head. "No,
I'm sorry about being an ass. I just-”

"No. Don't let up on me just yet. I
was starting to think I needed to change my ways. Keep giving me shit, and I
might turn into a good guy at some point this summer." I ran my finger
around the side of the bowl and licked at it. "Fuck, this is good."

Her eyes moved along my face as she leaned
back and ran her finger along the inside of the bowl, too. "I'm not
sleeping with you."

"Why do you think that I'm interested
in sleeping with you?" I laughed, wanting to be crude and make her feel as
if she were the furthest thing from something I might desire, but I couldn't do
it. I wouldn't. Not after Cindy told me about her situation. I'd never cheated
on a girl, but then again, I'd never been in a relationship long enough to
consider it.

"You're kidding, right?" She
licked at her finger sensually. Bitch. She had to be playing a game with me. I
couldn't even seem to tell anymore with her.

"Brats are done!" Clay walked in
with his hands in the air. "No thanks to you."

"Me?" I got up, ignoring the
desire to grab Cora's hand and lick her finger clean for her. She had no clue
how good I could make her feel, nor would she if she kept it up. I could handle
a bit more, and then I was hitting the door.

Keep
telling yourself that.

We gathered around the large kitchen table
in the dining room as Dedra and Emily started to open windows. The spread on
the table looked great, and my stomach growled as I reached for a plate.

"Hold up, handsome. We gotta pray
over the food." Dedra bumped me with her hip and smiled.

"Go for it." I smiled at her and
bowed my head as she prayed. I glanced up to see Cora watching me as if she
wanted to ask a question. I mouthed, “what?”

She mouthed back, “Close your eyes.”

I winked at her and closed my eyes,
licking at my lips in hopes that she would know that I was teasing her for not
closing her eyes, too.

"Amen," Dedra finished up and
lifted her hands. "Eat up. We'll start the movie after this."

"The horror movie, right?" Clay
grabbed a plate. "Cause Brody here hates a fucking chick flick."

I pretended to gag. "Only good for
one thing."

"Making out!" Cindy laughed.

"Exactly. That's my girl." I
pointed to her as Derek growled at me. "Or your girl?"

Clay shook his head at us. "You guys
are ridiculous. A chick flick is the perfect excuse to get out a good cry and
still keep your man card."

"A good cry?" Derek laughed.
"That's it. Get his card." He nodded toward me, and I handed my plate
to Cora who'd moved up beside me. We moved toward Clay as he lifted his hands.

"Come on, man. Not here in front of
the girls." He tossed his empty plate at me as the girls started to laugh
and Derek moved around the other side of the table, effectively helping me trap
Clay at the back of the table.

"Leave him alone, or I'll get you
both." Emily held up the large squeeze container of mustard.

"And, I'll help her." Cora
grabbed a bottle of ketchup, giving me the chance to turn on her instead of
Clay.

"Oh yeah? I thought you like mustard
with your wieners." I moved toward her as Emily opened the mustard.

"Watch it, mister. We'll get
you." Emily wagged it at me. I reached out and grabbed it from her,
squirting some in my mouth as they laughed.

"Everyone calm down. Let's eat and
get the movie started.
Friday the 13th
is
my favorite." Daniel chucked a hot dog bun at me, and I turned in time to
catch it.

"Alright, fine, but I'm taking all of
you out the first time I get you in the lake." I wagged my eyebrows and
glanced around at them, landing on Cora. "Especially you."

"Me?" She lifted her eyebrows as
she sat the ketchup down. "Fine, but I'm going to tell everyone that you
cried during
The Notebook
."

"Psssttt. I'm not crying tonight. I
might make out a little if you're up for it, but crying? Never." I
couldn't help but laugh at the cute look on her face. Somehow, it would seem
that I was the last person in the room she would consider snuggling up to. Too
bad, because as much as I was done with being judged by her, I didn't see
myself leaving any time soon. There was far too much possibility between us.