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“But Brady said….”
He laughs under his breath. “Forget what Brady said. He doesn’t share his feelings easily. Trust me, he wants to be more than friends, and honestly, I think Brady’s more your type.”
“Yeah, my type and the type of every other person on the planet with a uterus.” I laugh nervously. “And probably even a few without.”
“He is pretty. Of course, I’m a little biased because he’s my brother and I love you like a sister.”
I’m so thankful we had this talk. Tug’s pretty sharp when he’s not being a smart-ass. “You’re a good brother, Tug, and a great friend. Thanks for the pep talk.”
He nudges me with his shoulder. “You’re welcome. Hey, if it doesn’t work out with dumb or dumber, would you go out with me?”
“I’d rather lick maggots off cow dung than go out with you, Tug.”
He grins and wags his eyebrows. “Ah-ha, there’s my girl.”
As Tug and I sit on the beach, finishing our ice cream, I realize another one of the Hunter boys has genuinely surprised me this week.
Chapter 17
Tori
Thursday is fairly uneventful. I spend the morning arguing with Liv about what she wants me to wear to the beach Saturday, as if shorts and a T-shirt are not beach attire. I will finally get to meet her new boy toy, Tyler. She’s been spending most of her time hanging out with him, and she’ll be bringing him along to the bonfire. I text with Harrison a few times and don’t allow the conversation to get too friendly. I still have to decide how I want to play things with him and Brady. On Thursday evening, I work my shift without spilling a single drink.
Friday morning I wake early and am grateful to see a note from Liv telling me she’s out with Tyler and plans to stay at his place for the night. This works out perfectly for me, as her nosy butt won’t be around to question why I’m leaving with Brady and where we are going.
As noon approaches, I’m surprised by how nervous I am to see Brady. Liv says he’s been staying with Jesse. Having not seen him for a couple of days, I haven’t had the opportunity to confront him about his note. After sitting on it, I’ve decided not to. I came to the decision when Tug mentioned Brady was “loyal to a fault.” Brady’s just looking out for me. He would do the same for anyone else he cares about. As much as it’s killing me to know why he needs to look out for me with Harrison, I’m dropping it. Without my participation, there’s no game to play.
I stack the boxes packed with toys on the front porch and walk back inside, leaving the door open. Brady pulls in the driveway at noon and stomps up the front stairs noisily. The cursed Timberlands, I assume. When he opens the front door, he gives me a look that tells me he is expecting me to be snippy after the note he left in my car. Little does he know that I have no plans to be snippy.
“Hey, stranger,” I say, gawking at how incredibly hot he looks in dark-wash jeans and a snug-fitting gray T-shirt. When I glance down, I roll my eyes. Goddamn boots.
“Hey, Sunshine.” He’s grinning with one eyebrow raised defiantly, waiting to see if I keep my promise about ripping his balls off for calling me that.
I ignore the ridiculous nickname. “I have some boxes on the porch. Can you help me load them?”
“What’s in them?”
I shrug. “Just some old toys that I cleaned out of storage.
Nothing too exciting, but I thought the kids might enjoy them.”
He seizes me around the waist with one arm. Chills come over me, and all I can think about is throwing myself at him. It staggers me how much his touch affects me. “That’s what makes you so special. You’re pretty fucking great. You know that?”
Barely able to breathe, I pull away from Brady. My heart hammers in my chest. “Careful, Brady, you keep throwing compliments at me, I might start to think you like me.” I say it confidently and hopefully in a way that will provoke him.
He’s watching me with an inquisitive eye. I open the door and strut onto the porch, purposefully swaying my hips. Maybe I have learned a thing or two from Liv.
He grumbles under his breath and follows me out onto the porch. When I turn around, his eyes are raking up and down my body. “I never said I don’t like you, Sunshine. Believe me, I like you. I only said I wasn’t good for you. If things were different, you’d be mine. You’d be in my bed, underneath me anytime I wanted.”
I turn away, desperately trying to ignore the heat burning inside of me. With my hand on my hip, I look at him over my shoulder. “Maybe I’m capable of deciding what’s good for me, Brady. I happen to think you’re pretty fucking great, too.”
He looks at me dejectedly, like my compliment causes him pain. “That’s only because you don’t really know me.”
Ouch. That one hurts. I decide to be resilient. “I think I do,” I say contradicting him. I pick up a box and shove it into his chest. “This conversation is over, Brady. Take this to the truck, please.”
He smiles, biting down on his bottom lip, and shakes his head. He doesn’t argue his point further and it makes me smile. I might have shocked Brady for once.
Score one for me, finally!
