Page 6 of Adoring Ink

“I think I can do that. Tonight okay with you?”

She let out a breath. “Okay.” She shook herself. “Yes. And thank you. I think…I think this is going to be fun.”

“Darling, this is going to be more than fun.” They exchanged numbers with a promise for him to call her later. Then Holly waved at everyone before scurrying back to the café.

Brody looked down at her number on his phone and let out a breath. He’d just told himself he wasn’t going to do this but, apparently, he didn’t have the strength to actually hold himself to that.

Derek strolled up to stand in front of him as Maya studied his profile. “You okay?” his friend asked.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Maya just gave him a look.

Brody stuck his phone in his pocket and glared at the lot of them, annoyed now. “What? I’m not going to hurt her. Hell. She said she wanted to go on a ride and I’m going to give it to her.” He groaned as Maya’s glare intensified. “Not that way, damn it. I’m not a fucking asshole. I don’t hurt women.”

“Good, because Jake will hurt you if you hurt her,” Derek put in.

Brody cursed. “I thought you said he was over her,” he told Maya.

Maya raised her chin. “Of course, he is. But she’s his friend. She’s my friend. So don’t fuck with her.”

“I don’t fuck with women,” he growled. “You know what? I think I’m done for the day. I don’t know what gave you guys the impression that I’m some kind of abuser who goes through women like candy, but whatever. I’m not a bad guy.”

He just didn’t date seriously and didn’t stay with one woman for long. But everyone knew that going in, and no one walked away hurt. It was best that way, damn it. The only way he knew how.

“We didn’t say you were,” Derek put in. “But Holly’s nice.”

And he wasn’t? Well, fuck all of them. Without another word, Brody stalked out of the shop, annoyed with himself for even getting in this situation. He’d fucked up once in the shop by asking out Hailey. But honestly, he’d done that only to make Sloane aware that others were looking at the sexy baker next door. Sloane and Hailey were married, and Sloane didn’t threaten to beat him down daily anymore.

But now, he was apparently fucking up again by getting in a sticky situation he wasn’t sure about.

Yet there was something about Holly…something that should worry him.

Instead, he shot her a quick text, asking where he should pick her up and telling her what she should wear for the back of the bike. Screw it all. He’d figure out what he was doing along the way. Because Holly was special, and just once, Brody wanted to see if he was special, too.

Later that night, Brody pulled up to Holly’s cottage home and turned off his bike. He slid off his helmet and shook out his hair, nervous, like he was a kid picking up his date for junior prom. Not even senior prom since he figured he’d have been a little more mature by then.

Not that he’d gone to either prom, but whatever.

And once again, his mind was going strange places.

He got off his bike and made sure both helmets were secure before walking up her sidewalk to her front door. He hoped this was a good idea. He didn’t want to mess everything up, but he couldn’t not take her on a ride tonight. The others might think he wasn’t good enough and that he needed to be careful, but they weren’t there right then.

He’d show them that he wasn’t a careless playboy who threw women away. Sure, he flirted. A lot. Sure, he dated. Enough. Sure, he’d never had a serious relationship. But he wasn’t a womanizer. Wasn’t an asshole. He didn’t sleep with every woman he took out on a date, and he didn’t throw them away when he was done with them. They walked away at the same time he did, mutually sated and finished with whatever relationship they’d had.

He didn’t want to think about how Holly might be different.

Couldn’t think about it.

Brody knocked on the door and caught his breath as she opened it. She stood there, her soft blonde hair flowing just past her shoulders. Her eyes were wide, a little innocent with a spark of something else he understood in their depths. For some reason, he could imagine flowers in her hair as she danced in the sunlight.

And now he knew he was going insane.

Flowers in her hair? Really? He wasn’t a damn poet, and this was so not like him. Maybe he should have said no or not even offered to take her out in the first place.

“Brody? Is what I’m wearing okay? I can change if I have to. I didn’t know how cool it would be tonight or if we were getting food or something. I’m usually a better planner, but I’m kind of throwing some things to the wind apparently.”

He blinked and looked down at her fully. She wore a dark brown leather jacket over a top he couldn’t see, as well as tight jeans that clung to every sexy curve. And damn she had the best curves ever. Perfect for his hands to grip as he slid in and out of her wet heat. He cleared his throat as he took in her matching brown boots and looked up at her face again.