You could tell her now.
Ro couldn’t spill that kind of tea with one foot out the door. She nearly smiled thinking of how it would go…
Thanks for coming over early to help me get ready for tonight’s party, Meg. Oh, by the way, I stuck my tongue down your brother’s throat last weekend. See ya later!
Rather than picture what Megan’s shocked face would look like if a moment like that actually occurred, her mind created another imagined image. One of her, standing shirtless in her living room while she devoured Brody’s mouth the way she’d always dreamed of.
For Brody, moment had truly existed. But for Ro, it was simply a figment of her imagination.
Because fate was a snarky, backstabbing bitch who apparently thought it would be funny to grant Ro her greatest wish…and then rip the memory away forever.
“Hey, you okay?” Megan’s voice tore her from her thoughts. “You look a little flushed.”
“Huh?” Ro zeroed back in on the mirrored image before her. As expected, her cheeks were noticeably rosier than they’d appeared minutes before. “Oh. Yeah. Probably just a little hot from rushing around, that’s all.”
You’re not red because you were hurrying. That blush in your cheeks is from thinking about him.
Her inner voice was right. It was the same crawling heat she’d felt off and on every day this past week.
Every time she entered a room, and Brody was there. Or when she’d look up to find him smiling back at her or flashing one of those panty-dropping winks her way.
Even the way he’d looked at her when he’d shared the embarrassing tale of their forgotten kiss had made her blush. And the shocking revelation he’d revealed during his unexpected confession…
I kissed you back.
Those words had rolled through Ro’s brain on a near-constant loop since he’d uttered them. At first, she’d taken the comment as a joke.
A flippant remark meant to lighten the weighted mood. It was easy enough to believe, she supposed. Especially considering neither of them had broached the subject since.
In fact, in the days following Brody’s massive bomb drop, they’d pretty much been avoiding each other at all costs.
He’d kept his distance with her, most likely because he still felt like he’d taken advantage of her inebriated state when he’d kissed her. But like Ro had told him, she’d acted, and he’d merelyreacted.
Just like any other single, hot blooded man would have.
Ro had also been quick to remind the stubborn man he’d also been the one to put a stop to things before they could get too far. His words, not hers.
She’d kissed him; he’d stopped her, and then, according to Brody, she’d passed out cold in his arms. So yeah. She’d been playing the avoidance game, too. A feat that was pretty much impossible for them both since he’d insisted on staying at her place at least until after tonight’s launch party.
Just as a precaution.
That’s what he’d told her, anyway. But Ro could tell Brody was more worried about her safety than he’d let on. The proof of that was in the brand new, state-of-the-art security system he and the other Delta men had installed the day after the break-in.
However there’d been something other than worry and guilt in those eyes over the past few days. Though she had no evidentiary proof, Ro had all but convinced herself that the new, tiny flickers she’d seen staring back at her were what she’d wished upon every star in the sky to see.
Desire.
It was well-hidden, or so the man probably thought. But she’d seen it with her own two eyes on more than one occasion. The first was during their conversation in the kitchen over grilled cheese and soup. And, unless Ro was mistaken, she’d seen it in several stolen glances since.
She’d been watching for it, of course. Every chance she got. A glimpse here, a sideways glance there. Yes, she’d taken advantage of them all.
And unless she was totally off her rocker—a diagnosis still under review—she was pretty sure Brody King, at the very least, found her physically attractive.
Hence the ruched, off-the-shoulder dress that showed just the right amount of cleavage, hugged every God-given curve, and stopped two inches above the knee. Appropriate for the party’s requested cocktail attire, yet sexy enough to catch a certain fella’s eye.
Hopefully.
But even as the word flittered through her mind, a familiar trepidation began to settle in. It was the same feeling Ro had gotten every time she’d thought about putting herself out there. A seed of uncertainty her father’s heartbreaking demise had long ago planted.