Page 168 of Collide
“Mmm,” I hum, mouth full. “God. That’s actually amazing.”
“Nothing beats grilled cheese.” He’s grinning as he takes a bite from his own.
“Thank you,” I murmur, the words slipping out before I can second-guess them.
His gaze lingers on my mouth, steady and warm as he watches me take a few more bites.
“You’ve got a crumb,” he says, his voice dipping low.
His eyes—dazzling green, sharp as glass, soft as moss—search mine, something unspoken threading tight between us.Then his thumb lifts, brushing the corner of my lip with a gentleness that makes my breath hitch.
Just a swipe.
Bare skin against bare skin.
But it tingles, sharp and electric, a spark that runs straight to my toes.
He doesn’t move right away. His hand hovers close, as if he’s caught between pulling back and leaning in, trapped in the same breathless space I’m drowning in.
My stomach flips violently, nothing to do with the grilled cheese cooling in my hands.
Broderick finally steps back, tearing another bite from his sandwich like he didn’t just tilt my entire world sideways.
He leans against the counter, watching me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“You know,” he says, waving his sandwich vaguely at me, “this is kind of unfair.”
I barely register it until I follow the line of his gaze.
Oh, fuck.
Me.
Perched on marble in the middle of the night.
Dressed in nothing but a silk negligee, nipples pert and feet bare, eating grilled cheese, while he stands there, shirtless and impossibly gorgeous in his own right.
Heat blooms under my skin, crawling up my throat, burning at the tips of my ears.
Broderick’s still watching me like I’m something delicate and risky at the same time. Like if he looks long enough, I might disappear.
“You’re testing this friendship,” he growls, eyes dropping to where the silk clings to my skin. “You in that dress. Eating grilled cheese like afucking tease.”
The sound reverberates through me, and I clench. I swallow a gasp.
I should laugh. I should say something flirty, something stupid. But I don’t.
I can’t.
Because all I can think about is the almost kiss.
Broderick takes a step closer, not much, just enough for his thigh to brush my knee. My breath stumbles.
His eyes flick down to my mouth.
For one suspended second, he leans in.
My lips part. I don’t move.
