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“Those aren’t the circumstances I was referring to, and you know it,” I whispered testily. I darted a glance at Brody. He’d finished setting up snacks and looked like he was headed in this direction but was continually waylaid by parents wanting to chat with him. “And could you quiet down, at least a little? Brody probably feels awkward enough without overhearing you commenting on his ‘fine ass.’”
Gwen surveyed my face and nodded once. “I was going to ask you how married life was going, but I guess that grumpy face is my answer, huh?”
“What?” I scowled. “No. It’s going great. It’s terrific. The school is happy. The girls seem happy. Brody seems happy.”
“And you?”
“I’m happy, too.” I snorted. “Obviously. Why wouldn’t I be?” Other than intense, unrelenting sexual frustration, of course.
Humerus, radius, ulna…
She regarded me with one dark eyebrow raised, but I ignored her.
I glanced back down the field in time to see Brody peer over at me. Our eyes met, and Brody’s eyelids fluttered a little in surprise. He sent me a goofy, awkward grin and a little wave that made my pulse race.
Carpal, metacarpal, phalanges.
The body had only two hundred and six bones, and if Brody kept being so damn unintentionally sexy, I was going to run out of them quickly.
I turned to Gwen and whispered low and fast, “Fine. If you must know, it’s fuckingtorture, okay? It was bad enough before the whole marriage thing, but it’ssomuch worse now. At least before, I knew I couldn’t touch him or stare at him for too long. There wererules. Everyone knew he was my employee. But now…” I blew out a breath. “I’ve got this ring on my finger, and I like it. The girls expect us to sit next to each other on the sofa when we watch movie night. They expect me to give Brody a hug and a cheek kiss when I get home from work, just like I do with them. People think it’s weird when I don’t stand close enough to him, like at Back to School night. Hewaves at me.” I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s the best-worst thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
My dick was hardconstantly. My skin tingled in anticipation of the slightest touch. My stomach had tied itself into a knot of sexual frustration. I wanted him so badly… and I still couldn’t have him.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Gwen shook her head. “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel and put both of you out of your misery?”
I blinked at her, horrified. “Gwen, he’s myemployee. And Brody is a saint for agreeing to marry me in the first place. I’m not gonna make the situation even weirder by making unwanted sexual advances! Can you imagine?”
Her eyes widened. “Unwanted…” She shook her head firmly. “No. No, Grant, evenyoucannot be that oblivious. I refuse to believe it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, shit,” she whispered, covering her mouth with one hand. “Or maybe youcan. You really don’t know, do you? Oh, honey.”
“Gwen.” I looked around us again. “Can you stop? People are looking in our direction, and Brody’s going to come over here—”
“Yes,” she interrupted quickly. “Yes, Brodywasyour employee, and I understood you not wanting to abuse your position. That probably makes you a really honorable person, with integrity or whatever.” Gwen waved a hand, brushing aside honor and integrity like annoying flies. “But that’s over now. You’re not his boss; you’re his husband. There’s no power imbalance because he can leave whenever he wants and claim spousal support for a few years. It’s in the prenup you signed, correct?”
“I… I suppose, yes,” I agreed. I’d wanted to make sure he’d never regret the time he’d given up for my family, and I needed to know he’d be taken care of financially.
“Good. Then let me rock your world right now by informing you that Brody has wanted youat leastas long as you’ve wanted him.”
I shook my head and sipped my iced coffee. “That’s ridiculous. I’m a decade older than he is. He likes some blue-eyed gym rat.”
“Brody Kelly worships the ground you walk on. He looks at you like he wants to have your babies.”
I choked on the coffee, nearly splattering it all over the Mountbatten golf shirt Mia had picked out for me that morning. “What?”
“He’s always been mature, Grant. And what he went through with his parents matured him even faster. That’s why you were so impressed with him in the first place. Remember?”
“But…” Brody had saved our household from chaos, and he’d been everything stable the girls had needed. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d do without him. Just thinking about him wanting me back made my skin buzz and my heart beat erratically.
“Next time he talks to you,” she hissed as Brody headed in our direction, “stop worrying about the wayyou’relooking athimand notice the way he checks you out.” She turned and opened her arms to wrap Brody in an enormous hug. “Brody, we were just talking about you! I was telling Grant that you’re an absolute dream, and I don’t know how Mountbatten ever ran this place without you.”
“Oh.” Brody blushed and glanced up atmebefore looking at Gwen. “Thank you. That’s so sweet, but I’m really not doing much. Just helping out.”
For a second, I wondered if Gwen could possibly be right, but…
God,what if she wasn’t? What if I made him feel pressured? What if I said or did something that ruined everything? I wished that I had the ability to read emotions that seemed to come so easily to people like Gwen and Brody.
