Room for You (16 page)

I wiped off the placemats and carried them to the pantry. Reaching up to put them on the shelf, I was startled when Brody’s strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me in close. I quickly looked past the pantry door.

“Relax, they’re still coloring,” he whispered into my ear as he leaned over and gently kicked the pantry door closed with his foot.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling his freshly showered scent. He smelled clean, yet outdoorsy. I let myself relax into his hug, losing myself in his comfort. His strong arms wrapped around me like a warm cotton sweater making me feel tiny and protected. He loosened his grip just enough for me to turn to face him. I laced my fingers together and swooped them around his neck, his hands resting on my hips.

“This has been an interesting weekend, huh?” I asked coyly, staring into his mesmerizing eyes. He grinned, flashing me his champion smile.

“To say the least. I don’t want to leave, but I have some things I have to take care of this week.”

“That’s okay, it’s probably good that you’re going. I need to clear my head.” I sighed.

Concern rolled across his face. His brows pulled together as he tightened his grip on my waist.

“Are you having second thoughts?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just all happening so fast, I need to breathe.” I smiled to reassure him and myself.

“Kacie, I like you, there’s no doubt about that. When I went home last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. That’s why I came back. The more I know about you, the more I
want
to know.” He bit his lower lip and paused for a second, thinking about what he was going to say next. “I’m in no rush, I’m not looking to get married tomorrow. Hell, I wasn’t even interested in having a relationship until I met you. And now that I’ve met you, walking out that door with no plans to see you again isn’t an option. We can take this as slow as you want, just give it a chance.”

My heart raced around my chest, probably in an attempt to leap out of my body and land at his feet as an offering. I closed my eyes and took a deep cleansing breath before responding.

“I like you too, Brody, more than I want to, actually. I’m not used to this feeling. It scares and excites me at the same time. We’re so different—our worlds are
so
different. And the thought of putting myself out there to be hurt again-”

“Stop right there.” He cut me off as he took my face in both hands, squatting to be eye-to-eye with me. “You’re not a conquest and I don’t play games. I told you I haven’t really ever done the girlfriend thing and you haven’t done the boyfriend thing in a long time. Let’s figure it out together.”

His persistence beckoned me. The way he sounded so sure, so certain … maybe this would work.

I smiled at him and clasped my hands over his. “You’re right, it’s silly not to try. But … under a couple conditions.”

He let go of my face and stood up tall, crossing his arms across his chest. “Conditions, huh? Interesting. Hit me.”

“Well … first the girls can’t know anything is going on. I always said if and when I dated someone, he wouldn’t meet the girls until we were very serious. No way was I going to have a bunch of guys floating in and out of their lives. I know this thing between us wasn’t exactly planned, and you’ve already met them. Hanging with them is okay, but no kissing, holding hands or anything like that when they’re around. Deal?”

He flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes at me, contemplating what I’d just said. “Deal. But … that just means when I’m alone with you, I’m going to be
extra …
attentive. Double deal?”

Every vein in my body damn near exploded from the surge of excitement that jolted through me with that sentence. I had no idea what he meant, but I wanted to. The possibilities were endless.

“Deal,” I replied, my head held high and my voice deceptively confident.

“Is that it?”

“One more,” I answered, biting my lip. “No pressure.”

He looked confused as he arched a brow at me. “No pressure?”

“Yeah, you said we’re taking this slow and I’m good with that.” I looked into his dark green eyes, wondering if I would be able to keep my own deal. “Nothing serious. Let’s just have fun. No pressure. Get it?”

“Got it. No pressure.” He smirked, entertaining me.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I suddenly needed air. Being this close to Brody, with all of his energy focused on me was intense, overwhelming. “All right, I gotta check on Lucy and Piper.”

I walked over to the pantry door, and just as my hand grabbed the knob, Brody’s arm shot in front of my face and grabbed the doorjamb on the other side of me, blocking my path.

Baffled, I looked up at him, butterflies swarming my stomach.

He licked his lips as a sexy grin spread across his face. His gaze burned down on me.

“Pay the toll.”

Instantly, my butterflies morphed into pterodactyls.

“Where’d you disappear to this weekend? As if I didn’t already know.” Andy badgered sarcastically on the other end of the line.

“Uh … Kacie’s.” I yawned, still half asleep.

“No shit, Sherlock. How did that go? Did you two crazy kids profess your undying love for each other? Will I be getting a wedding invitation in the mail?”

“No, asshole. We just hung out,” I snapped back, slightly irritated at his teasing.

“Wow! Little defensive, aren’t we? Okay, okay. I’ll back off. I do have a question for you though, actually a favor.” Hesitation rang loud in his voice and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what this favor was.

I sighed. “This is gonna piss me off, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

“What is it?”

“Remember I told you last week that Blaire is trying to turn into Suzy Homemaker? Well, she’s hosting a party and doing all the cooking to show off her new … skills.”

“No,” I shot back before he had a chance to continue.

“Come on, Brody. Don’t make me suffer through this by myself,” he begged.

Driving all the way out to Andy and Blaire’s house was bad enough, but having to fake through an evening of pleasantries
and
eating her cooking was going above and beyond.

Before I could answer him, he sweetened the pot. “Why don’t you bring Kacie with you? I’d like to meet the girl who has turned my best friend’s brain into a pile of shit anyway.”

Smiling at the sound of her name, I responded, “When is this grand dinner?”

“Next Saturday night. My house. Cocktails and hor d’oeuvres at six, dinner at seven. You in?” He sounded excited, clearly expecting me to say no.

I sighed. “Yeah, I’m in.”

“Kacie too?”

“Yes. It’s going to take some convincing on my part, but I’ll get her here.”

Convincing, begging, whatever.

“Awesome. Thanks, bro. It means a lot to me. By the way, you might want to eat before you come out here, but don’t tell Blaire I said that.”

“You busy?” Kacie’s voice was soft and sexy, tempting me to jump into my truck and drive back to her house right then, just for one more kiss.

“I
am
busy actually, but I’d drop just about anything for you.”

Wow. Okay, way to sound like a lame teenager, Brody.

“You’re sweet, but stop it or you’re gonna make me like you even more.” She giggled.

Challenge accepted.

“How’s your morning been?” I asked.

“It’s been full of Lysol and laundry detergent.” She sighed. “Both girls have the stomach flu. I was actually calling to warn you. I hope you don’t get sick.”

“Eh, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, I’m more worried about
you
.”

Hmm, getting sick might be a blessing. It would get me out of Blaire’s fake ass dinner.

“I’m okay. I think between the girls and all the people I’m exposed to at the inn, my immune system is made of steel. I almost never get sick.”

“Never say never,” I teased her. “So, let’s assume for a minute that I did end up with a raging case of the stomach flu. Would you come down here and take care of me?”

Silence on the other end of the line.

“I’ll take that as a no.” I laughed, trying to break the tension.

“No, that’s not a no. I just haven’t really thought about the whole coming to your house thing yet. It caught me off guard,” she said quietly.

“Funny you should mention that...” I said matter-of-factly.

She inhaled quickly. I could feel her anxiety through the phone.

“Before you freak out, nothing has changed, we’re still taking things slow … but I have a dinner party to go to next weekend and I was hoping you’d be my date.”

“Oh. Wow. Coming to your house…” She paused. “Um, I don’t know.”

“That’s not the answer I was hoping for. I was looking for something more along the lines of: ‘Why yes, Brody, I’d love to spend the weekend at your house having copious amounts of crazy, sweaty monkey sex.’”

Silence.

“Kacie, I’m kidding. Look, if sleeping here makes you nervous, I have a spare room with its own bathroom. You are more than welcome to sleep in there. I won’t be offended. No pressure, remember?”

“Okay.”

I could tell she was smiling now, thank God.

“I have to run it all by my mom and see if she minds watching the girls for the night.”

“Maybe you could come down on Friday and go home Sunday?”

“I don’t know, Brody, that’s a long time to be away from them. I’ve never been away longer than a few hours.” She sounded unsure, nervous even.

My jaw was on the floor. “You’ve never been away from them overnight?”

She giggled. “Nope, they’re my life. I hate to be away from them. Besides, where would I have gone?”

I hadn’t thought of that. “True.”

“How about we compromise … I’ll come Saturday morning and stay until Sunday afternoon sometime. Okay?”

“Kacie, I’ll take what I can get with you.”

“You’re doing it again.” She laughed.

“I can’t help it.”

“Hang on…” I could tell she put her hand over the phone and was hollering at someone. “Brody, I gotta go. Lucy is getting sick again. I’ll text you later?”

“Go. Be with them, I understand. Text when you can.”

To say I was excited for Kacie to get here was putting it mildly. All week, Kacie and I had texted throughout the day and at night after she put the girls to bed. We talked well into the morning. I felt kinda bad about that. I could sleep in, but she was functioning on only a few hours of sleep each night. She never once complained though, and each night on the phone, we got more and more comfortable with each other.

Friday afternoon, I decided to tackle my ghost town of a guest room. No one had stayed with me in a while, and she slept in my bed, not in here. I spent the better part of the day washing sheets and dusting bookcases, doing whatever I could think of that would make Kacie as comfortable as possible while she was here.

A little while later, my phone chirped. It was Viper this time.

V: DUDE. SHIT HIT THE FAN AGAIN TODAY. CAN I CRASH AT YOUR PLACE TONIGHT?

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Of all nights he wants to stay here
tonight
?