Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Brodie
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With my hands full, I walk across my living room and back to the kitchen, where I left Reese filling a glass with ice for us and Jeb waiting to see if she accidentally drops some so he can eat it. The dog loves eating ice, maybe even more than the treats he begs for regularly. When I step around the corner, her eyes meet mine, and all I can think about is how pretty she is with her hair still windblown from us walking on the beach with Jeb after dinner and her nose slightly red from the sun before it set while we watched.
“Those are sports drinks?” She frowns at the plain black-labeled bottles I place on the island.
“Yeah. They haven’t shared the packaging yet and don’t want anyone snapping a picture and posting it online before they go public. Plus, one of the flavors is only supposed to be available for a limited time.”
“So, this is a big deal.”
“I guess in the world of sports drinks, it is.”
“Cool.” She hops up onto the counter to sit. “Which one first?”
I tip the bottle over and see the color of the liquid inside through the clear bottom. “How about red?”
“Red, it is.” She holds up her glass, and I open the bottle, pouring some into it for her. She takes a sip and scrunches her nose.
“Bad?”
“It tastes salty, like all sports drinks do to me, but the flavor isn’t bad. It’s kind of like fruit punch.” She hands the glass over to me, and I take a sip.
“It’s not bad. And it doesn’t taste like dirty bathwater.” I watch her smile.
“Which one next?”
“You choose.” She picks up the bottle in the middle and pours some of the bright green liquid into the glass. After she takes a sip, she holds the glass out to me, her expression blank. “Do you like it?”
“Just try it.” I take a sip and gag.
“You’re evil.” I mock glare at her when she laughs. “What the fuck is this?” I smell the glass and almost gag again.
“It tastes like pickle juice.” She takes the glass back and sips more. “I kind of like it.”
“There’s something wrong with you.” I grab the glass and rinse it out. “Hopefully, that’s the flavor they said is only available for a limited time.”
“If it is, kids will love it, even if they only buy it to dare each other to drink it.”
“True.” I laugh while I get more ice and a few extra pieces for Jeb. After tossing them to him, I take the glass back to Ree. She opens another bottle and dumps some crystal blue liquid into the clear cup. When she reaches for it, I shake my head.
“You don’t trust me?” She holds her hand over her heart.
“Not anymore.” I raise the glass to my nose and smell it while she laughs. I take a sip when I don’t smell anything odd. “Not bad.” I hold the glass out to her, and she eyes me wearily. “What, you don’t trust me?”
“Should I?”
“I’m not the one who didn’t warn you about the pickle juice.”
“It says a lot about someone when they can’t let things go.”
“It happened two minutes ago.”
With a smile, she grips the glass and takes a drink. “Oh, I like this one.” She drinks more.
I shake my head. “And here you thought I was trying to play you.” I open the last bottle. When I pour out the liquid, it’s bright yellow. After trying it, I pass the glass to her and watch her take a sip. Then, her eyes widen. Leaning over, she spits into the sink.
“What the heck is that?” She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
“My guess? Lemon.”
“It tastes like Mr. Clean.” She laughs, and I watch with my hands fisted at my sides so I don’t do something stupid like reach for her, tangle my fingers in her hair, and kiss her.
Her eyes meet mine, and her hilarity dies instantly, like she knows what I’m thinking. Swallowing, her gaze drops to my mouth, and electricity seems to vibrate through the air between us. Without thinking, I take a step toward her and then curse under my breath when her cell phone rings, breaking into the moment.
Fuck.
Hopping off the counter, she goes to her bag, takes out her phone to check the screen, and then taps the side, sending whoever it was to voicemail. She looks up at me after shoving her cell back into her purse. “I should—”
“Do you want to watch a movie?” I cut her off before she can tell me that she should leave because I know that’s what’s coming.
“Um.” She rubs her lips together, her gaze dropping to my mouth so quickly that I would’ve missed it if I weren’t watching her so closely. “Sure, okay. Yeah.”
I don’t give her a chance to change her mind. I walk into the living room and take a seat on the couch. She doesn’t sit next to me; she sits as far from me as she can get. I hide my smile and turn on the TV. After some bickering, we agree on the first Saw movie. As it begins, I feel her eyes on me more than once. I don’t ask her what she’s thinking. Instead, I decide to just let her work things out in her head. It’s obvious there is something between us, but after finding out tonight at dinner that her ex cheated on her, I now understand why she has her guard up. The thing is, I’m not in a rush. I have all the time in the world to see where things go.