“I don’t really want to meet your mom when I’m sporting a cut-up face.”
“My mom’s not like that. She’s cool. She’ll baby you the whole night.” He paused and lowered his gaze. “And, um, I’ve already told her about you.” His eyes traveled slowly up to meet mine. “Don’t be mad. I just wanted her to know in advance what your situation was if you ever needed a place to go.”
Tears pushed at the back of my eyes. I sniffed and cleared my throat. “And… um, and she was okay with everything?”
“She wasn’t okay that someone was hurting you, but she was very okay with you having a safe place to come if you needed one. Don’t worry, Willow. She’s going to love you.”
Brody lifted my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist, letting his mouth linger. Giant butterflies invaded my stomach. My arm tingled under his lips. They were soft and moist. I wanted them on my mine. My lips parted, and I sighed. Brody looked into my eyes and grinned against my skin.
He placed my hand in my lap and wrapped his hand behind my neck, leaning into me. My breath came in little gasps, and my heart did a free fall to my toes. I ran my tongue over my lips, leaning toward him. He kissed the space behind my earlobe. I sucked in a breath and threaded my hands through his hair, gripping his head to me.
“Mm, I love the way you smell,” he whispered in my ear. “Like raspberries.”
I closed my eyes and let his voice wash over me, concentrating on his mouth on my skin. I think I answered him. I was positive I didn’t use an actual word because at that moment, I couldn’t put two coherent words together. My lips ached for his. I tightened my hold in his hair and pulled his face to mine. His lips skimmed mine when he spoke, just a whisper of a caress, barely a touch at all.
“We need to go inside,” he murmured, reaching up and pulling my hands from his hair.
He pulled me gently from the Jeep and led me to the door. His mother had her back to us when we went inside. She sat on the large couch, watching television. She turned when she heard the door open.
“Brody, you’re home early—” She stopped abruptly when she saw me standing behind him. “Introduce me to your friend.”
She stood and walked toward us. Tall like her son, she shared his thick hair and color. Hers was cut in a short bob that was businesslike and feminine all at once. Slim, but curvy, and dressed in designer jeans and T-shirt, she looked almost like Brody’s older sister, or maybe an aunt, than his mother.
“Mom, this is Willow.”
“Hi, Willow,” she said with a smile.
“It’s nice meet you, Ms. Victor,” I said, trying to cover the gash on my check with my hair and standing behind Brody’s shoulder.
“Oh, call me Anne. Come on. Let’s get that cleaned up. Do I get to ask what happened? I’ll be honest, as long as I feel you aren’t in immediate danger, I won’t call the police or your parents.”
“My ex-boyfriend didn’t take the news that I was breaking up with him very well,” I said quietly, not meeting her eyes.
“Ah. Well, not to worry. We’ll get this taken care of. Brody, don’t just stand there, get Willow something to drink.”
“Sorry. Do you want a Coke?”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Ms. Victor was incredibly nice. Brody was right; she did baby me the entire time I was there. She didn’t ask too many questions. Occasionally, she’d slip a question or two in about Brody’s and my relationship. I let Brody handle those. I wasn’t sure how to answer them yet. At least not to his mother. Brody didn’t seem the least bit bothered by them.
“We’re dating. That’s why Willow broke it off with her ex.”
“I see. How long have you been dating?”
“Since tonight. We started out as friends, Mom. Willow broke up with her boyfriend when we decided we were crossing the friendship line. We officially started dating tonight. Right, Willow?” He took a drink of his Coke.
“Right, Ace. I mean, Brody.” I could feel my cheeks warm at my unintentional use of his nickname.
He smiled and threaded my fingers with his.
“Ace, huh? Do I want to know?”
I laughed. “Probably not. Let’s just say we weren’t a match made in heaven when we first met.”
“Brody gets that a lot,” his mother said and waved her hand in the air, dismissing the comment. “He comes off as arrogant.”
“That’s for sure. And judgmental,” I muttered.
“Hey, I’m in the room, you know?”
“Yes, dear, we know. Well,” Anne said with a sigh, gathering her Coke can and the shoes she’d flipped off at some point. “I’m tired. I’m going upstairs to read for a while. It was very nice to meet you, Willow. I hope I’ll be seeing more of you.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Ms. Victor.”
She squeezed my shoulder as she walked by. “Anne, remember?”
I smiled and nodded. Anne climbed the stairs, leaving Brody and me sitting on the couch, alone, in the great room. I suddenly became very nervous.
“So…” Brody let the word trail off and looked at me.
“Yeah.”
“You’ve met my family. My mom and my aunt. When do I meet yours?”
My heart sank. Everything around me slowed. I could hear my heart plodding along in my chest, squeezing blood out like a sponge. The ticking clock slowed. A second felt like a minute. Then, just as fast as time slowed, everything sped up and righted its self.
“My mom and stepdad are Jaden fans. It’s going take them a while to adjust to the break up and accept the fact that there’s a new guy in my life. I think we’re going to have to take it slow if we want them to be okay with us.”
Brody stared at me for what seemed like forever. I fought the urge to squirm under his gaze. “Is that the only reason?” he finally asked.
“What do you mean?” I paused. Then it clicked. “Yes! Do you think I’m embarrassed for you to meet my parents? That’s not even close. I’m not embarrassed by you. I’ll stand on the busiest corner of town and scream that I’m Brody Victor’s girlfriend if you want me to. I’m embarrassed by them. I know them and how they can be, especially Ralph.”
He didn’t say anything, just stared into my eyes, his bright blue ones boring into mine. Finally, a slow grin spread across his face. “You don’t need to scream. You can just wear a sign.”
I laughed. “Yeah, okay, I’ll get right on that.” I sighed and stood. “I need to go. I don’t want to be late for curfew.”
“Okay. How are you going explain your face to your mom?”
My hands stilled for just a moment as I gathered my things. I took a breath to steady myself and looked up at Brody. “It won’t matter. She’s used to it.” I could see his jaw clench. His hands opened and closed in fists. I took one of his hands in mine. “Hey, it’s okay.” I smiled at him.
He nodded once and tried to give me a smile, but it wasn’t one of his easy smiles that made my heart flutter and insides melt. It was forced. I reached up and brushed my hand over his cheek, wanting to wipe away the sadness and anger I saw in his expression. He turned his head and kissed my palm, making my knees feel like jelly and my breath hitch in my throat. Just a simple kiss caused my body to rage with emotions, and I didn’t want it to stop.
I could feel his breath quicken against my skin, and it made my heart beat faster. I took a step closer, nearly touching him. He laid his hand on my hip, gripping the waistband of my jeans in his fist. When he wrapped his other hand around my hair, I gasped at the shocks of electricity that sizzled through my body.
I looked into his eyes and watched them darken, his gaze locked on mine. It felt as if the world had stopped spinning. Everything was still, waiting for what came next. It was all I could do not to grab his shirtfront and yank him to me. My lips tingled with the need to feel his lips on them. My very core needed his closeness. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was so much more. Emotions were both confusing and all encompassing. I needed him, needed that connection, and I could tell by the way his eyes darkened and lips parted that he felt the same.
He lowered his head toward mine. My heart sang in my chest. But he didn’t kiss me. At least, not how I longed for him to. He gently placed an open-mouthed kiss on the curve of my neck, sucking at my skin ever so slightly. I moaned and ran my hand through his silky hair, opening and closing my fingers around the dark strands. He planted soft kisses up the side of my neck until he reached the sensitive area behind my ear. Kissing it gently, he let his tongue touch my skin, pulling another moan from my lips.