Something faint, ghostly, crossed Brax’s features. He didn’t look away from me, but I saw the change, and it reminded me of a fast storm brewing in the ocean. Bright and sunny one second, clouds swirling overhead the next. He rapped his fingertips against the table between us, making a thudding sound. “Three brothers, one sister,” he said. Brotha. Sista. Then, the confident arrogance was back, and his eyes cleared. “They’re older, doing their own thing.” His jutted his chin. “I’m what you’d call the black sheep of the family.”
My brows knitted as I gave him a puzzled look. “Not too black if you’ve earned yourself a baseball scholarship. Besides. You may be charming but you can’t charm your way through academics.” I pursed my lips. “I’m starting to think you’re really just a geek beneath a tattooed gangster disguise.” A seriously phenomenal disguise, too, I thought, as my stare drifted from one piece of inked body art to the next.
Brax’s amused look made his eyes dance. “You think I look like a gangster, Gracie?” Gangsta.
My gaze raked over his inked knuckles, then I looked up and shrugged. “Yeah, a little.”
“And yet you climbed on the back of my bike and left campus.” Brax rubbed his chin with his thumb. “With nothing more than your little purse and a safe word. Interesting.” He inclined his head. “Unless you’re packin’.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “I said you looked like a gangster. Not that I thought you were one.”
Brax’s white teeth flashed behind his lips. “Looks can be deceiving, Gracie. Remember that.”
From his tattoos, dark hair, and vaporous blue eyes, to the silvery scars that marred his skin, I absolutely wondered about that.
“Here’s your check, guys,” our waiter said. He was walking toward me and slowed just long enough to slip the plastic holder with the receipt onto the table. Just as he leaned, the platter of drinks he was carrying tipped, too, and a tall glass fell. A gush of ice and soda splashed over the front of my top and soaked my skin.
I gasped and jumped back in surprise.
“Oh, hell!” the waiter said. “Damn, I’m sorry darlin’! Let me get you a towel.”
“I got it, man,” Brax said, eased out of the booth and grabbed a handful of napkins from the waiter’s stand. He handed them to me and embarrassment flooded my face once more as I patted my sticky wet chest. My blouse clung to my skin.
“Thanks,” I told Brax. I glanced around until I found the restrooms. “I’ll just go rinse off a little.” Scooting from the booth, my eyes darted to Brax, and laughter danced in his eyes. I skirted the bar and down the hallway leading to the restrooms. Finding the ladies room, I couldn’t get inside quick enough. It was just spilled soda. I’d been thrown face-first in horse poop my whole life, but this had embarrassed me just the same. Probably because it’d happened in front of Brax, and he seemed to think it was so funny. I stared at my reddened face in the mirror, then down to the soaked material of my floral shirt. Wetting several paper towels, I got the sticky off my skin and managed to mop up what I could of the drink. Balling up the used paper, I tossed them into the trash and pushed open the door.
“Hey, Livvy,” a voice said smoothly, and my head snapped up. Even when my vision zoned in, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Who, rather.
Kelsy Evans leaned against the opposite wall, arms folded casually over his chest, eyes dead on mine. Cold fear and panic replaced my easy-going spirit from before, and I froze. My brain scrambled around, trying to make sense of who I was suddenly face to face with. How could this be? God, how was he here? Inside, my brain jumbled into a ball of tangled barbed wire. I wanted to run, run fast and far, but that message didn’t make it to the muscles in my feet, my legs. I couldn’t move. Not a single inch.
And he knew it. Kelsy’s mouth smirked into what I once thought was a charming smile. “Funny running into you here, huh? God, it’s what? Like four hours from home?”
My mouth went dry as no words formed. I could do nothing more than stare at him. The narrow hallway, with its blue stained concrete walls and old black-framed photographs of fishing boats, floated in and out of my peripheral. But my gaze remained mercilessly locked onto his. I didn’t want to look at him. But I did.
Kelsy widened his eyes, and it made him have a shocked look on his tanned face. But I immediately knew it was as fake as that smirk. “Oh—don’t tell me you’re at Winston? Holy shit, no way.” He pressed his big-knuckled hand to over his heart and leaned forward. “Now what kind of good fuckin’ luck is that, huh? That we’d end up at the same school? Come here, girl, don’t be such a stranger,” he said, and the air completely stopped in my windpipe as he pulled my body against his into a tight embrace. I stood there as he squeezed around me, still as a scarecrow and just as lifeless. He buried his nose into the hollow of my neck and inhaled, exhaled deeply, and his breath rustled the curls at my nape. “Damn, Livvy, you still smell like daisies and sunshine.” His hand felt its way down my arm, and his fingers brushed my ring. “Still wearing this old thing, darlin’?” He whispered. “Why didn’t you return any of my calls, Liv?” He buried deeper into my neck. “You didn’t have to ignore me.”