Page 94 of When the Storm Breaks
I drew my legs to my chest and told him whatIwas thinking. “You were thinking that you missed me. That your life is emptier without me. You were thinking that our six weeks together was one of the best times in your life and you don’t want it to end. You were thinking… what if we called and texted? What if you were to fly to the ends of the earth just to spend a day or two or ten with me? What if you met me in London and New York and L.A. and all the other towns and cities in between? And what if every song I sang was just for you? What if… what if… what if…” I let my voice trail off.
My words were met with silence. I squeezed my eyes shut and held my breath, waiting for his response.
After a few agonizing seconds he finally said, “I guess you really are a mind reader.”
Relief washed over me. I released my breath and the tension in my body. “I miss you, Brody. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Right back at you. Where are you waking up today?”
“It’s Monday. This must be Dublin.” I walked over to the windows and drew the curtains, letting some light into the room—a modern space with blond wood, white Egyptian cotton bedding, and plush gray carpeting. Dublin was overcast, the sky hazy gray and cloudy.
“What are you doing right now?” I asked him. I threw open the doors, letting the fresh air into the temperature-controlled room and stepped onto my private balcony. The temperature was cooler here than it had been in Texas.
“Right now? I’m picturing you in bed wearing one of those silky numbers.”
I looked down at Brody’s T-shirt. I’d stolen two of them and the flannel shirt I took from the tack room the night Phoenix was born. “Turns out I’m wearing an old T-shirt. Sorry to burst your bubble.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the thing about having a good imagination. I can picture you any way I want.”
I took a seat on a mint green cushioned lounger. Tucking my legs underneath me, I watched a ferry churning up the water of the River Liffey while I listened to his voice in my ear. I pictured him on the ranch with his horses, the sky so big and blue, the rolling hills so green, the sun shining on his dirty blond hair and suntanned skin.
“Like, right now I’m picturing you naked with my head between your legs,” he said. “Fucking you with my hands and mouth and tongue. Biting your swollen clit. Licking you from slit to crack and everywhere in between. Mmm… I can taste you on my tongue. Sweeter than honey. Smoother than whiskey. My very favorite dessert.”
His words had me squirming in my seat and clenching my thighs. Damn you, Brody. “Did you call me for phone sex?”
He chuckled softly. “Nah. I called to thank you. But you shouldn’t have spent all that money on sound equipment for Ridge.”
Brody didn’t sound angry, probably because I’d done it for Ridge. And Brody cared about his brother’s happiness. “It was my way of saying thank you after what he did for me.”
“You didn’t owe him anything.”
“I wanted to do it. I had to talk him into keeping it.”
“You talked to Ridge?”
“He texted me.”
He was quiet for a beat. “He’s thinking he wants to be a DJ now.”
“Ridge can be anything he wants.”
“Yeah, he can. Are you doing okay, Shy?”
“Better now that I’m talking to you.”
“What happened with Dean the douche?”
Dean the douche. Accurate. “Did you Google me?”
“Shouldn’t have but yeah, I did.”
My shoulders sagged in disappointment. I wouldn’t have expected Brody to resort to those measures. “So instead of calling me to ask how I was… instead of getting the story firsthand, you thought you’d search the internet for answers?” I couldn’t hide the hurt and anger in my voice.
“Like I said, I never claimed to be all that smart.”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But just do me a favor and don’t look me up again. Everything gets twisted, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. I was a dumb shit for getting my information from the internet. Won’t do it again. Now tell me what happened.” He paused. “Unless you’re busy… didn’t even think to ask if this is a good time.”
