Adoring Ink (Montgomery Ink #6.5)(11)

She couldn't fall in love with Brody Deacon.

But she was afraid it might already be too late.





Chapter Six



Brody was in so much trouble, he couldn't quite think straight. He shouldn't have slept with Holly, shouldn't have taken her to her bedroom after they'd almost broken her couch so he could see how she looked when she rode him.

He would never forget the way her breasts looked as they bounced and jiggled, practically begging for his lips. And because Brody was the kind of man he was, he'd obliged them by sucking on her nipples until they were red and hard and probably sore.

He'd been a very bad man, but hell, he was a sated man.

And from the way Holly had lay limply beside him, her eyes glazed and her lips swollen from his kisses, she'd been one sated woman.

Still, he knew he'd probably messed everything up by giving in.

It wasn't too late to walk away, to make sure they kept their distance.

Except he knew that was a lie. He had a date planned with her later that day at a restaurant she'd never been to. It was sort of on the list they'd come up with while lying naked the night before. She'd never been to a hole in the wall restaurant, especially one she'd never heard of, so tonight, Brody would take her to one. Not the most exciting thing to do, but the food would be good, and it would cross off one more thing on her list.

He hoped he didn't hurt them both because he was too chickenshit to walk away when he should.

"Yo, Brody, you done with that oil change? The lady is here to pick up the car a few minutes early." His buddy and coworker Grayson strolled over, a frown on his face like usual. Brody liked Grayson, but the man didn't smile much … if at all. 

Brody wiped his hands on the dirty rag next to him and nodded. "Yeah, just finished." They didn't only do oil changes since they were an all-service shop, but he did more of them than he liked. He'd rather do body work than anything, but sometimes, oil changes paid the bills.

"I'll get her settled if you want to bring the car around front," Grayson said. "I know you're off shift now so I'll finish the paperwork."

Brody tilted his invisible cowboy hat, and the man flipped him off. Brody and Grayson were both from Texas, and neither of them had ever worn a cowboy hat, but it was still fun to mess with the other man. The two of them had met in the shop, not in their hometowns since they'd grown up about six hours from each other. Texas was a big state, after all, even if people tended to brush it with one broad stroke.

He scrubbed his hands as best he could, considering he'd always end up with a little dirt and grease on him no matter how hard he washed, and pulled the car into the front parking area. He tossed the keys to Grayson as the other man walked out and nodded politely at the woman. She didn't even bother to look at Brody, and that was fine. Most people didn't give their mechanic a second glance. As long as the work was good, that's all that really mattered.

As soon as he got home, he jumped in the shower and tried to scrub off the day and the doubts. He was starting to get annoyed with himself since all he kept doing was worrying about things that hadn't even happened yet. He would do better to just live in the moment. Like always. For now, living in the moment meant making Holly happy with her list. If they both happened to get an orgasm or two out of the deal, then so be it.

"Way to be a fucking jerk," Brody mumbled to himself.

He wasn't that callous, and pretending that he was in order to get her off his mind and out of his … dare he say, heart, was going to mess him up and hurt her in the end. Better to act natural and not like a dick.

Once again, he found himself pulling into Holly's driveway. He didn't even have time to turn off the engine before the woman on his mind walked out of her house, locking the door behind her. She had her phone to her ear and was frowning as she made her way to the truck. He leaned over and opened the door so she could get in easier, and she smiled at him.

"Okay, Ari. I'm in Brody's truck now, but if you need me for anything, you call me. Okay? I'm so freaking sorry that your dad is a jerk and you're going through this. Just let me know what you need, okay? Is Harper taking care of you?" A pause. "What do you mean you haven't told Harper? Honey, you need to call him. Now."

Brody pulled out of the driveway as she mouthed "Sorry" over at him. He shook his head, understanding. From what he could tell, something had happened to Arianna, Harper and Holly's friend. He hoped she was okay, considering he didn't like it that Holly looked so worried.

"I love you, too. Now get some rest, okay? Bye, honey." She sighed as she tucked her phone into her purse. "Sorry about that. Arianna's father is an asshole." She didn't elaborate, and he didn't think she needed to. If it was her friend's problem, Holly didn't need to get into details just then.

Brody snorted. Holly didn't curse often, so when she did, it packed a punch. "Need me to rough him up for you?"

Holly gave him a small smile but shook her head. "No need, but thank you. And anyway, I think Harper would be the one to rough the man up."

Brody tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they stopped at a light. "I've always wondered what was going on between the two of them. Harper and Arianna, I mean. Harper always claims she's his best friend and nothing more."



       
         
       
        

Holly shrugged and played with the strap of her purse. "I don't know exactly since I don't spend much time with the two of them. Arianna never has time to do anything except grab a quick meal with me these days, and before he started with Montgomery Inc., Harper was working for his old boss who was a jerk, and he never got time off either. So it was a whole mess." She blew out a breath. "Nothing I can do about it, so I guess I should just let them deal with it on their own. It sucks, though."

"Yeah, it does," he agreed. "You okay to get something to eat now? We can head back home if you're not in the mood."

Holly shook her head. "I'm starving, actually. And if we go home right now, we'd both want to do something I can't exactly do this week."

He grimaced for her. He'd been around women long enough not to be an idiot about that time of the month, but he was thankful every day that he was a guy and didn't have to deal with that.

"Well, we can get you all the food you need. They have a chocolate cake thing that's really good too if you're craving that."

She gave him a look out of the corner of her eye and snorted. "Not all women crave chocolate during their periods, Brody."

"No, but you mentioned you crave chocolate all the time, so I figured I had a decent shot."

She laughed and pushed at him softly. "You're a dork, but yes, chocolate sounds good. In general. And I can't believe I'm talking about my period cravings with you."

He shrugged. "We talk about everything else, why not that?"

Only he knew it was a lie as soon as the words left his mouth. He'd noticed that both of them had steered clear of topics surrounding their childhoods. And while he had a reason for that on his end, he was afraid she had a reason as well. And maybe, just maybe, they were getting a little too serious too quickly for his liking. But he'd suck it up because, once again, he'd promised himself he wouldn't hurt her.

"You're so weird, Brody Deacon, but I like you."

He pulled into the parking lot of a rundown building and winked at her. "I like you, too."

Her cheeks flushed, and she turned away, giving the place a once-over. "This is where we're eating?" She sounded as if she didn't quite believe it. Hell, he couldn't blame her. The place had a small, faded sign in front of the door and dark windows. It looked like a place for a robbery gone bad, not a place to find good food, but he'd been inside, and he loved it.

"I have a trucker friend who delivers here and told me about it. The place is clean, and the kitchen is spotless. It's one of those hidden treasures around Denver everyone talks about but doesn't go into detail on for fear of it getting overrun. The parking lot is only half full because we're a little early for a normal dinner, but I did that on purpose. We wouldn't be able to get a table after six without a long wait." 

"If you say so," she said with a laugh. "And you know, Brody, you always seem to know a guy or have a friend who knows someone."

He frowned when they got out of his truck, and he took her hand to lead her to the front of the restaurant. "Is that a bad thing? I mean, I guess it sounds like it's shady or something, but it's not. I know a lot of people."

And didn't let them get too close. That's how he kept himself sane. Of course, he didn't say that last part.

"There's nothing wrong with that," she said quickly. "You have a lot of people in a lot of different circles, and I think that speaks more to your character than anything. You're a good guy that helps out anyone who needs it, regardless of how crazy it sounds. I mean, hello, that's how we met, after all."

He leaned down and brushed a kiss on the corner of her mouth before he opened the door. "I just wanted in your pants."

She pushed at him. "Liar."

He laughed, tugging her inside, hoping once again he wasn't making a really big mistake. The hostess smiled at Brody before glaring at Holly and then stomped them over to a corner booth. She sashayed away, and Brody winced.