Page 25 of The Hang Up

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. Then Angel smiled for the first time since I’d been there. “Can Sean ride with us?”

As they all left, I wondered at the way Brock had made this happen. Until my eyes met his. God, he was pissed.

CHAPTER8

Brock

I stomped toward the pharmacy,feeling childish but too angry to stop. Joshua followed me. I knew he would. Because if he hadn’t? I would have hunted him down.

“Brock—”

“What in the hell?” I was so angry I couldn’t speak. Several scenarios ran through my head, each worse than the last. But there was one right on top. And I needed that answered immediately. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a small alcove that housed the vending machines. We wouldn’t have privacy for long, but hopefully long enough to get the answers I needed. “Are you—”Come on, Brock. Spit it out.I took a deep breath, focusing on a KitKat hanging precariously from the candy dispenser, absently wondering how many times the machine had been kicked trying to dislodge it instead of Joshua’s stupidly handsome face. “Is there something going on with you and my mom?”

He didn’t answer, and my eyes flew up. He was staring at me with his mouth open. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Just answer the question.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “No. Of course not.”

“She’s your age. And a woman.”

His sound of frustration went right to my dick. What the hell was he doing to me? He grabbed my face and crushed our lips together. Punishing kisses that soared through my body. “You’re all I think about, Brock. All I want.” And then he kissed me again. His firm lips. The burn of his beard. The taste of him. The sounds he made. Dear Lord. He deepened the kiss, sucking me in as if he was dying of thirst and nothing in that vending machine could quench it. Only me.

This time, when he pulled away, I stared at him. At his handsome face. The dimples. His molten gray eyes.

The laughter was a warning, and we backed away from each other as a couple of kids rushed in, laughing and pushing as they argued about what candy to buy. They barely glanced at us, and I wanted to yell at them to pick something and move along. Once they left, I kept my distance.

“Are you here because of Angel? I know you paid off the medical bills.”

“I’m not here because of Angel. But I did pay off the medical bills.” He folded his arms and looked away. “I’m sorry. I know—”

I grabbed him and kissed him again. He was sorry for saving my family because he didn’t want to upset me? Who was this man? His arms wrapped around me, and I got lost in the sensation of being held by him as he kissed me. Warm. Safe. Intoxicating. His cologne smelled like wood and spices. It was comforting and exciting. I started to pull away, but he held me tight. “I have to go. Mom will send out a search and rescue team.”

He chuckled, and I felt like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Was I drooling? “Go out with me,” he said in that smoky voice I dreamed about.

“What?”

“A date.”

“A date?” Was my brain not working? Joshua wanted to go on a date with me? It made sense and yet didn’t at all.

“Just you and me.”

“What if someone sees us?” I asked, unsure how this could work but wanting it more than anything.

“We’ll be careful. There are places we can go.” In secret. That was what he meant. And even though that was what I wanted, it still hurt.

I nodded, and he kissed me again. That one was a promise. But what was he promising? And would it be enough?

* * *

“I don’t seethe problem, Nev,” I said as we worked prep for the next day.

“Okay, first, it’s weird that I’m the cautious one. Not a fan.” She chopped vegetables. “But a date? With your best friend’s dad? And you don’t see a problem?”

“It’s…just a date.”

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