Page 46 of Deal Takers

I bite my bottom lip to conceal a smile. “Okay, it’s settled then. After we fill our bellies, we can come back here and work off the calories.” I squeal when he grabs my hips and yanks me into him. “What are you?—”

He silences me by slamming his lips against mine. Brody takes a step forward, forcing me to walk backward until I’m pressed up against the door. His muscular body pins me against the wood as his large hands cup my jaw possessively. When he pushes his tongue into my mouth, I’m a goner. This isn’t the first time we’ve kissed, but it’s more carnal than it was before. I’m breathless and dizzy, burning with desire. Just when I’m about to beg him to rip my clothes off, he pulls back, wearing the biggest cat-that-ate-the-canary grin I’ve ever seen.

“What was that?” I pant.

“Thatwas a preview for tomorrow night.” I step aside as Brody turns the doorknob. As he’s stepping over the threshold, he adds, “Sweet dreams, princess.”

Gobsmacked. That’s what I am right now as I watch his cocky, swaggering self step into the elevator without looking back. Oh lord, what am I getting myself into? If one kiss has me this discombobulated, what will I be like when we actually do the deed?

CHAPTER 30

Rainey

“Shit! I’m so late!”

I’m supposed to meet Brody for dinner in ten minutes, but instead, I’m rooting through my purse looking for my keys. “Where the hell are you, you little bastards?”

It’s going to take at least twenty minutes to walk there. I grab my cell off the counter and pull up my Uber app. I try walking whenever possible because downtown parking is an absolute bitch, but at times like this, Uber is my BFF. The app tells me my driver will be here in five minutes, so I resume digging through my bag. Why do all purses have built-in black holes? I swear it doesn’t matter; big or small, every handbag I’ve ever owned has the ability to swallow something I really need. And the most annoying part is when I do finally find said item, it’s somewhere I’ve already looked three times! It’s more mystifying than socks disappearing in the dryer.

“Finally!” I shout when my finger loops through the keyring.

I fling open my door and shriek when I see the man standing in the hallway.

“Hi, darlin’,” he says with a wink. “It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for you to come out for twenty minutes.”

“What are you doing here, Brody? You were supposed to meet me at the restaurant.”

He holds up a brown bag. “I was already there. I thought takeout might be a better option.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You did, huh? And why would you think that?”

He raises his other hand, producing a DVD case. “Dinner and a movie.”

I smirk when I see which movie he’s picked out. “Top Gun, huh?”

“If you ask me, Iceman is way hotter, but I’m man enough to give Maverick another chance.”

I laugh and grab the bag of delicious-smelling food out of his hand. “Come on in. I just need to cancel my Uber, then we can dish up.”

Brody walks into my kitchen like he owns the place, opening drawers until he finds the one he wants. Pulling out two pairs of chopsticks, he says, “Go put the movie in and have a seat. I’ll get this. Do you want the broccoli beef or Kung Pao chicken?”

I can’t fight my smile when I see he chose my favorite dish without having to ask. “Kung Pao for the win, baby.”

He returns my smile before pulling two beers out of the fridge. “Movie. Couch. Now, woman.”

I head over to the DVD player and pop the movie in. “Okay, bossy pants.”

We settle into the couch and dig into our respective cardboard containers of MSG-laden goodness. I’ll admit. I was worried this might be weird, but being here with Brody, doing something so domesticated is oddly comforting. Maybe it’s because we’ve known each other for so long, so there’s none of the first-date awkwardness you’d expect. Not that this is a date, of course. We’re just two friends hanging out and enjoying a meal. So what if we’re planning to have sex afterward? Not date-ish at all.

I honestly expected Brody to jump me the second we stepped into my apartment, but he hasn’t made a single pass at me, and the movie is almost over. He hasn’t even dropped a single innuendo, which is very out of character. Has he changed his mind about our arrangement? That’s stupid, right? He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to have sex with me. I study him as the credits roll, and he looks perfectly relaxed. My brows furrow in confusion as I try figuring out what’s next.

Brody reaches over to run his index finger over the crease between my eyebrows. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Have you changed your mind?” Damn it, I can’t stand how insecure I sound.

He blinks rapidly. “Why the hell would I do that?”

I gesture to the two feet of space in between us. “Because you’ve been sitting on the other end of the couch all night. And you haven’t cracked a single dirty joke or tried feeling me up.”

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