Page 4 of Forbidden Dreams
"You know how you fall back into the role you had as a kid when you're around your parents and brothers?"
"I guess."
"It's the same with us." He waved his hand. "You see me as another brother competing for your parents' attention."
"You're saying that you see me as a little sister?" I asked, unsure why that bothered me so much when I'd drawn the same conclusion over the years.
He cleared his throat. "I don't know what else you'd call it."
I sighed and looked away, noting that a few more people had filed inside since we'd arrived. "We can't fight all the time. It's not fair to Eve. She probably needs to reduce her stress while she's pregnant."
"I agree."
My face pinched. "I don't like it."
"I don't either," he agreed.
I stood and held out my hand for him to shake. I thought the change in position would give me control over this situation, but he was almost as tall as me sitting.
His hand closed around mine, and I was unprepared for the jolt of electricity that shot down my arm to my elbow.
I quickly pulled away, shaken from my body's reaction to his touch. To cover my shock, I asked, "Can you cook?"
His lips quirked. "I'm a single man living alone. I need to eat."
I frowned, not liking that he was single. "I thought you were dating Cassie or Callie?"
He sobered. "Her name was Tess. We broke up."
What kind of woman did he attract? Why didn't it work out? I couldn't help but ask, "Was it your grouchy personality?"
He considered me for a few seconds before he finally nodded. "She said I was emotionally detached.”
I was a little surprised by his answer and didn't have a quick comeback to his honest admission.
He stood and pushed the chair into the table. "I better go grocery shopping if I want to have something edible on the table for dinner tonight."
I nodded, my stomach flipping at the idea of being alone with him in his house. "Right."
He gestured for me to walk in front of him, and I was hyperaware that he was following me. Was he looking at my ass? But that was ridiculous. He was like a brother to me, wasn't he?
When we reached the door, he leaned past me and pushed it open. He was standing close. So close I could smell his clean, masculine scent.
As soon as I was outside, I moved away from him, drawing in cool air to clear my lungs. If we were going to work together, I shouldn't be thinking of him as anything other than an older brother. One I respected.
"Where you headed?"
"Home." I needed to get away from him and figure out how this had gotten so out of control so quickly. I was supposed to yell at him, and then we'd go our separate ways. How did I agree to dinner with the enemy?
"You're living above the bakery now?" he asked, easily keeping pace with me.
Was he intending to walk me home? "I am."
"You like the apartment?"
"It's small, but it's all I need." I'd love to buy a home someday, but the cost was out of reach. Even though I worked multiple jobs, cobbling together the wages from each didn't come close to a down payment. As much as I liked my easy lifestyle, it wouldn't pay for the things I'd eventually want in my life. That's why this job was so important. I wanted to make it permanent. For once in my life, I craved stability.
He stopped at the base of the steps to my apartment. "You have my number?"
