8. Skye
Ipaced across the floor of my pottery, completely ignoring the unfired pieces waiting to go into the kiln.
What the hell had Brody been thinking last night? Had he really been keeping his feelings a secret all this time? Or was it just some impulsive reaction to me wanting to meet someone? Maybe he was worried about losing me, the way I’d been worried about losing him, and this was his way of holding on.
If that was the case, he’d gone about it the wrong way. What would probably be a short-lived fling would kill our friendship far more surely than if one or both of us became involved in a serious relationship.
And why did he have to kiss me? Couldn’t we have had a conversation about his feelings?
Because that kiss. I brushed my fingertips over my lips the way I had last night, the memory burned into my nerve endings. Would I ever forget it? Or would I remember it every time I saw him? Would the shadow of it hang between us forever?
God.
I sat on my stool and dropped my head into my hands. Questions bombarded my mind, making me feel a little crazy. Because as much as the thought of having a doomed relationship with Brody terrified me. I’d enjoyed his kiss far too much. The touch of his lips had sent sparks crackling over my skin. Even now, the memory of his hard muscles pressing against my softness had heat pulsing through me.
It had been everything I’d never felt before. No man had ever come close to setting my body ablaze the way Brody had with a single kiss. And now… now I’d be comparing every other kiss to his. And that just wasn’t fair.
As my frustration and confusion grew, so did my need to vent. To get this antsy, itchy feeling out of my bones. I had to see Brody; I needed answers.
I pulled on my jacket and grabbed my purse. When I stepped out of the pottery, a gust of wind almost ripped the door right out of my hands. The weather was worsening. I needed to find Brody, demand an explanation, and then head home. Because I had a feeling this storm might be a bad one.
Ducking my head into the collar of my jacket, I dove for my car. Brody was off work for the next few days, and on his days off, he usually headed to the gym around this time.
I drove in that direction, wondering if this was a good idea. But the prospect of being at home with these thoughts running through my head while a storm kept me trapped inside was unbearable.
I drove through the swirling snow, and after finding a parking spot outside the gym, I rushed inside, weaving my way around all the equipment as I looked for him.
He wasn’t there, but Holden was.
I hurried over to him as he finished up at the leg press. “Is Brody around?”
He stood from the machine, giving me a curiously assessing look, then rasped his hand over his stubbled chin. “Let me guess. He told you how he feels, and you freaked out.”
I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. “You knew?”
“It wasn’t hard to figure out. I assumed he’d be quick to try to lock shit down now that you’re apparently ready and willing to be locked.”
Dread filled my stomach. I was right. It wasn’t that he’d been madly in love with me this whole time. He was doing this because he was nervous about my decision to start dating. Like me, he was probably questioning what it might mean for our friendship. If it were anything more, he’d have said something before. He couldn’t have been in love with me and watched me be with other men all this time, surely. And he hadn’t exactly been celibate and pining, either.
“Anyway,” Holden continued, oblivious to the whirlwind of thoughts whipping through my head. “He called this morning and said since he had a few days off, he was going to head up to his cabin. To be honest, he didn’t really sound like himself.” He cocked his brow at me.
Was Brody as upset and confused as I was? The thought that I might have hurt him made my chest tighten.
I needed to see him. His cabin, the one his grandfather had built with his own hands, then gifted to Brody when he was old enough, was up in the mountains. I’d been there many times over the years for ski trips. I knew the way.
“Thanks, Holden. I’ll see you later.”
I drove as quickly as I could through snow that was blowing more thickly than before. The lowering sky had me peering through the windshield. The weather forecast had the storm hitting tomorrow, but with the snow falling more heavily now, I had a feeling it might be sooner than that.
I wasn’t too far away from Brody’s place, though. I was sure I’d have time.
But only a few miles later, the steering wheel jerked in my hand, and my car skidded sickeningly. I took my foot off the accelerator and tried to steer into the skid, the way I’d been taught, but I slid sideways off the road and into a snowbank, anyway.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared in shock at the now snow-covered passenger-side windows. This shouldn’t have happened. My car had snow tires, and I hadn’t been going that fast, had I?
After waiting a few minutes for my pulse rate to slow, I tried to maneuver out of the mound of snow. But the wheels only spun uselessly. There was no doubting what that meant. I wasn’t going anywhere.
I looked out at the driving snow and shivered. Getting stuck in my car during a snowstorm was less than ideal.
I reached into my purse for my phone and swiped the screen, blowing out a relieved breath when I saw it had a signal.
After tapping Brody’s name, I bit my thumbnail as I listened to it ring. Would he answer? Maybe I should have called Ivy. Just before I was about to hang up, he answered.
“Hey,” was all he said, tension swirling through the single word. The distance that had already wedged its way between us set my teeth on edge.
But I needed him, and Brody would be there for me, no matter what. The way he had been for so many years.
“I was driving up to your cabin, and I don’t know what happened, but I skidded off the road and ended up in a snowbank.” It came out in a rush. “Is there any way you could come and pick me up before I freeze to death?” I was joking, but the heat was already leaching from the car, sending another shiver through me.
“Shit, Skye.” Concern replaced the coolness in his voice. “Where are you?”
I gave him my approximate location and exhaled in relief when he told me he’d be there in twenty minutes.
As I waited to be rescued, I thought over what I wanted to say to Brody. Much of the frustration and anger that had been simmering in me had dissipated, especially knowing he was coming to my rescue, no questions asked, after how I’d run away from him last night.
I could never stay upset with him for long, anyway. And if there was one thing I knew, it was that Brody would never intentionally hurt me. So the kiss last night hadn’t been a joke, and he hadn’t meant to be malicious.
But for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why, if he’d felt this way for a while, this was the first I was hearing about it.And instead of telling me, why had he spent weekends away hooking up with random women—only declaring himself when I was considering meeting someone? It just didn’t add up.
When Brody arrived, we’d just have to have a calm, logical discussion. Then we’d probably laugh about it and put it behind us as if it had never happened.
I firmly pushed the memory of that kiss out of my mind. Again.
A little while later, I was too busy shivering in my seat to think about what I’d say to Brody. Since I didn’t know the status of the exhaust pipe, I’d left the engine turned off. But that meant the cold air outside was quickly stealing the heat from the car. I had an emergency winter kit with a blanket in the trunk, but the thought of going out into the snow and getting soaked and icy held zero appeal when Brody would be here soon. Although if he took too long, I’d probably be forced to.
Ten minutes later, when headlights shone through the snow, I was huddled in the corner, with my arms wrapped around myself, debating making the dash to the trunk.
Brody’s big black truck pulled up next to my car, and he jumped out while I was still clumsily fumbling with the door handle. He rushed to the driver’s side door and pulled it open, supporting me so I didn’t tumble out.
“Dammit, Skye. What are you doing driving out here with a storm coming?”
“I n-needed t-to t-talk to you about l-last n-night.”
“Haven’t you heard of a cell phone?”
I gave a brittle laugh. “Huh, d-didn’t think of that.”
“Come on, let’s get you warmed up.” He guided me to his truck and helped me into the passenger side, then slammed the door behind me.
The heat pumping out of the vents was heavenly, but it was only when Brody hopped in the other side that I truly started to relax.
He started the engine, but I put my coldhand on his warm one before he could put the truck in gear. “Th-thank you for c-coming for me.”
His eyes were dark and serious when he looked at me. “As if there was any possible scenario where I wouldn’t come for you.”
I smiled and let his hand go, allowing him to maneuver the truck back onto the road and toward his cabin.
Neither of us said much after that. I stared out at the blowing snow, just absorbing the heat and letting my mind wander aimlessly.
The motion of the truck and the hypnotic swipe of the windshield wipers lulled me so much, I was almost asleep when we pulled up to Brody’s cabin. I roused when he swung his door open and made his way around to my side.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside” He put his arm around me, and we hunched into the wind as we trekked to the front door of the cabin that was barely visible through the swirling snow.
A big gust followed us inside, and Brody had to force the door shut.
Thankfully, once he did, the roar of the growing storm outside dulled to a bearable level.
“Well,” Brody said, dusting the snow out of his hair and off his shoulders. “I think we’ll both be sleeping here tonight.Probably tomorrow night too, the way it’s looking right now.”
His eyes met mine, and for some reason, heat bloomed across my cheeks. I turned away from him quickly so he wouldn’t notice my reaction. I’d slept here plenty of times before, so why was the idea of spending all night alone with him suddenly making me blush?
“Do you want a hot shower?” he asked, seemingly unaware of the confusion I was struggling with.
I’d mostly warmed up, but a shower and some time away from Brody seemed like a good idea.
“Thanks. That would be great.”
“Okay, let me grab you a towel.” He walked to the only bedroom in the cabin and disappeared inside while I loitered nervously by the door, wondering what the hell was going on with me.
How could one little kiss have changed so much between us?