Page 26 of Dirty Like Brody
I walked around the corner of the wraparound deck, still smiling, and ran into Jude. “Hi!” I said brightly. The many cocktails I’d enjoyed had left me pretty damn giddy and really, all these happy, groping couples and swinging dicks, along with the feeling that everyone here, except me, was probably getting laid tonight, was making me feel like an awkward teenager at a party I didn’tbelongat.
Been therebefore.
Jude was on his phone, but he flashed his gorgeous grin at me as I walked on by. “Don’t go far,bratface.”
“Yes, sir.” I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’tseeit.
Bratface. There was one nickname I hadn’t missed. Except that I kindofhad.
I’d missed everything about my oldfriends.
Now that I was here, among them again—and I’d had enough booze to let my guard down a bit, and enough fun to start to remember how much fun we used to have—I could admit it tomyself.
I’d missed them all, likecrazy.
I wound my way around the deck and down a flight of stairs to the boardwalk in the near-dark. Then I burst into laughter in the fresh, coastal rainforest air under the stars. Seemed like a good idea. Therapeutic, even. A hell of a lot better than crying, which I would’ve thought I’d be more likely to be doing thisweekend.
Then I heard a creak on the boardwalk. I turnedaround.
Brody was standing in the shadows, about three feet from where I’d just had my one-woman giggle fit. I’d almost walked right into him inthedark.
“Uh… hey,” I said, breathing through the last of my laughter and choking agiggleback.
He just stared at me, his eyes seeming to glitter in the dark. Amused, maybe. Still pissed off, probably. I reallycouldn’ttell.
So I shrugged and said, “So… dicks waving all over the place… not yourthing?”
“Could do without,”hesaid.
“Yeah. Um…me,too.”
Then silence fell betweenus,fast.
I wanted to say more. There were six-and-a-half years’ worth of things to say, and not one of them came to my lips. Instead, I pictured his hands on Amanda’s bare back as she stretched up on her toes tokisshim.
“I guess, I’ll… uh… justleaveyou…”
I started to turn away—but the next thing I knew, he’d grabbed me by my waist and yanked me against him. Hard. Our hips slammed together; so hard I felt the firm package in his jeans. My chest squashed against his and his warmth sank into me. His warmth and his smell… his musky, manly smell, a smell that had always reminded me of fresh air and deep, green woods, and still did, even when we were surroundedbyboth.
My heart pumped against his as I drew a shaky breath, my hands settling on his shoulders. I didn’t push him off. My fingers, involuntarily, dug into hisjacket.
I looked up into the dark of his eyes. He was scowlingatme.
“You have any idea what you almost did?” hegrowled.
I swallowed thickly. “Wh—what?”
He jerked his chin, glancing over my shoulder. I looked back; over the edge of the boardwalk behind me… and into theabyss.
An ice-cold shiver prickled through me. There was no handrail behindme.None.
I’d almost backed right off theboardwalk.
The sudden sensation of tumbling into the dark, my body breaking on the rocks below, tore through me… and a chill shuddered up my spine, accompanied by a wave ofnausea.
I’d be dead. If it wasn’t for Brody’s quick reflexes. If it wasn’t for his strength. If it wasn’t for him holding me right now, tight against him, I’d be dead on the rocksbelow.
I peered uneasily intothedark.
