Crushed (Torn #7)(52)

She frowned. “Well, aren’t you quite the Doctor Doom.”

Someone had to be. Seriously.

“I’m being serious, Trista. Drop the pride or you’ll end up like Emma when Bass wouldn’t take her back. You’d be in that position, and we all know how horrific that was.”

I cringed thinking about it because, for so many nights, I could hear that poor woman puking in the toilet due to the breakup making her too sick to function. Emma had been a hot mess, and I could easily see Trista heading in that direction. She should know better after what Lindsey and Emma had gone through. She knew she had to learn how to fight the right battles, most especially for men who loved their woman, even their rotten core.

After our interesting dinner, everyone helped clear the plastic plates and utensils before dumping them in the nearby trash bin.

I was on my way to the cooler to get some beer when Brody tried to stop me by using his body to block me from getting to my destination. Body blocking apparently was his secret weapon—you know, since he knew how I loved his smell and the heat that radiated off his hot bod.

Well, what could I say to that?





Chapter Twenty-Seven





“I need to talk to you.”

“Brody…” I meekly greeted him with a shaky smile. “Do you want another bottle, too?”

He paused as he boldly stared back at me, not quite amused at my question. It was obvious he didn’t want any damn beer.

The very thought of us, alone so we could properly speak, was a glaring red flag. I mean, my resistance was already on shaky ground, and if he pushed further, what then? Well…

Don’t f*uking go there, I silently cursed at myself for lingering for far too long on the glorious possibilities of what could happen if I did stop resisting him.

Clearing my throat and my thoughts at the same time, I tried to avoid his eyes as I mustered all of my energy on the task of fetching a damn chilled beer while those intent, laser-like, beautiful, dark eyes stared at my body.

“Does it have to be now? Can it wait?” I asked, hoping he would skip the idea altogether.

Brody was already impatient, though. I could feel him simmering mere inches from me.

“Of course it can’t f*uking wait or else I wouldn’t be asking you right now.”

f*uking Hell. What was his problem? Why did it feel as though everyone was mad at me tonight? First Trista then Brody … Who was next? Couldn’t a girl simply have fun without being grilled with questions? Shoot.

“Fine.” It was either I concede to his request or risk him blowing up like a ticking time bomb right here, before our friends, which wasn’t really a choice.

His response was a simple glare before he harrumphed and headed indoors, maneuvering towards the front door.

Great, I thought snarkily as I remembered all too clearly who he had been chatting with out front the last time I had seen him.

Once we were out the door and it was shut, I didn’t waste another second before delving into whatever was itching to come out of his mouth.

“What are you so mad about?” I asked, barely holding it together as I tried not to snap at him.

“Mad?” he snorted. “You’ve basically told everyone that you’re single while you slept in my arms for the past week, doing and sharing everything with me.”

Wow. That was rich coming from him when it was merely yesterday he had been openly flirting with Joanna. Come on, who was he trying to kid? Been there, done that when it came to him.

“We’re just hanging out. Why are you being so literal about everything?”

“We’re hanging out,” he said, shaking his head. “So what does that mean in ‘Amber’s Dating Rule Book’? Does that even mean exclusivity, or does that mean you can do what the f*uk you want to whomever you want?

“What do you want from me?” I asked him. We’d had a deal, hadn’t we?

He gave me a pointed look then made a quick shake of his head, as if to say he couldn’t believe he had wasted his breath on me. “Nothing. I guess we’ll f*uk around the way we usually do.”

His statement nagged at me, bothering me to no end. Not to mention the fact that he was seriously fuming at me. That I couldn’t take. He’d been there for me, and I couldn’t leave him hating me forever.

“Please don’t be angry.”

“I don’t have any right to be…” Sadness laced his voice. “I guess there’s really no point in me not going out there and dating, as well.”

I immediately caught on. There was only one woman he had been constantly around. It wasn’t hard to guess. “You mean with that chick named Joanna?”

“Whatever.”

What a double douche!

“You can’t just do something like that to specifically hurt me—”

“Hurt you?” He laughed cruelly. “I’m hurting you…” he whispered before staring me down with those powerful eyes, striking me breathless. “Don’t you ever pause for a second and maybe even consider that you’re hurting me, as well?” he ground out, almost hissing. “Do you know how it felt to be there in that room, planning what to do to you tonight when we’re in bed together, while you declared that you’re single and willing to go on a date? Even Cooper gave me a look because, you see, I thought we were together—well, I thought you’d eventually come around, and I’ve been waiting for you to come back since you left my bed yesterday morning.”