Page 36 of Cross Check Daddies
She sighs and finally says, “Give me ten minutes.”
The city’s quieter at this hour, but my pulse isn’t. I watch the glow of her building as I wait, leaning against the hood of my vintage ‘69 Camaro. My hand runs over the curve of the door as I hear footsteps. When I look up, she’s there—red shorts, matching top, sandals that click softly on the concrete, and ahigh ponytail that makes her look younger than she should, like summer bottled into a girl-shaped silhouette.
“Hey,” I say, voice lower than I intend. My eyes sweep over her without apology. “Beautiful.”
She shifts her weight, arms crossing like a reflex. “What are you doing here, Tanner?”
“I want to show you something.” I nod toward the car.
She eyes it. “I thought you rode a bike.”
“Sometimes I prefer leather. Tonight, I prefer horsepower.”
A smile flirts with her lips as she follows me, the door creaking open when I reach it first. She slides into the passenger seat like it’s the most natural thing. Once I’m in, I turn the key. The Camaro growls awake, and we pull away from her building and into the flow of the city’s night. She watches the buildings blur by, quiet except for when she asks, “Where are we going?”
“Not far.”
I drive toward the financial district, cutting through side streets until we reach one of the tallest towers downtown. She’s looking at me again, confused. “Tanner…”
“Trust me.”
I thank the doorman with a nod and a folded hundred, and he lets us into the private elevator.
Brooke glances around, then back to me as the doors slide shut. In the silver reflection, she’s radiant. Tension rolls off her, but so does curiosity. I don’t speak. I just watch her.
Damn, she’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen. She tilts her head toward me like she knows what I’m thinking but doesn’t want to acknowledge it.
The elevator dings. We step onto the rooftop and walk into warm night. Above us, stars stretch out over the Miami skyline, diluted only slightly by city lights. She walks to the ledge and looks out. “It’s really beautiful up here.”
I smile and pull my jacket from my shoulders, spreading it out over the rooftop’s concrete for her to lie on. “Got one more surprise.”
Her gaze lingers as I sink down to my knees, then lie back, arms behind my head. “What are you doing?”
“The stars are better like this,” I say, patting the spot next to me.
She hesitates as I guide her down gently, hand on the small of her back. Her shorts shift higher up her thighs as she folds down beside me, her hair swaying over her shoulder. She smells like coconut and something sweet I can’t name, and it’s driving me insane.
“There,” I murmur, pointing up. “That’s Orion. You can see his belt right there. And over that way, that’s Lyra. They say it holds the brightest star.”
“Wow,” she whispers, her breath brushing my jaw. “How do you know all this?”
“Came here a lot. When I first got drafted. When the city felt too loud. I’d climb up here, stare at the sky, tell myself it was okay to want more. That I could have a piece of something good, too.”
She looks at me like I just handed her a secret. “It’s really gorgeous.”
I turn toward her. She turns too. Our faces close now. Her lashes flutter as her eyes lock with mine.
“What was that text about?” I ask, voice quieter now.
“You know,” she replies.
My hand lifts, my thumb brushing over the soft curve of her cheek. “It’s okay if you don’t want to be my friend anymore,” I say. “Because I don’t want just that anyway.”
Her lashes lower. “Tanner.”
“Listen,” I say, pressing in. “There’s something here. You know it. Stop pretending you don’t. Stop overthinking every second.”
“We can’t,” she breathes.
