Page 35 of The Irresistible Distraction

But there’s something about Brody that makes me want to engage. “What would you have done if I had said yes to breakfast today?”

“What?” From the way his eyes narrow, I’m certain he knows where I’m going.

“You showed up at Vera’s house less than an hour after texting me, asking if I was free. Had you already texted Vera saying you’d be coming earlier? Or were you just checking in on what all your options might be?”

Brody looks vaguely uncomfortable, and even though he’s close enough for me to smell his spicy cologne, I tell myself to focus.

“To be fair, Vera wasn’t expecting me until tomorrow. I wouldn’t have been canceling any plans with her, merely prioritizing time with you.”

“And yet you’ve been here since at least Friday.”

“For a work party.”

I raise an eyebrow. I don’t have to say: You made time for me, but not your aunt. “The past few days have been lovely.”

“Is that why it sounds as if we’re breaking up?”

“We would have had to be in a relationship to necessitate a breakup.”

Brody crosses his massive arms, eyes narrowing a little. “Felt like a relationship.”

Though I know we’re likely alone, that Vera is likely in the back corner of the house, trying to give us as much space as possible, my cheeks are warm as I glance around. “I don’t have enough experience to tell if that’s a line, but⁠—”

“It’s not.”

I think of the number of times I’ve heard Vera talk about Brody and his girlfriends and adventures. There’s no way to compete with any of that, no way to hold the attention of a man who’s always chasing that next high. “From everything I know about you⁠—”

“Almost all of which is hearsay, if we don’t count the last two days.”

“—you don’t seem like someone who wants, or is ready for, anything complicated or ad—” I try to stop myself from finishing, but it’s too late, Brody finishes for me.

“Adult.” His voice is a shade more grim as he asks, shuffling his feet and kicking at the dust, “This is your opinion of me?”

I ignore his question, because there are no safe answers. “My life is unnecessarily complicated right now, meaning regardless of my opinion of you, it might be time to just . . . cut your losses, pursue one of the plentiful uncomplicated women who would love a vacation fling with a sexy, charming tourist.”

Brody’s smile is back. “My takeaway is that you think I’m sexy and charming.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “It’s going to be exhausting if we have to spend the next two months fighting each other. If you’re still willing to watch Sebastian⁠—”

“Of course I’m going to watch Sebastian.”

My eyes drift closed in relief. “Then we can’t do the rest of this.”

“Okay.”

It’s the answer I wanted, and yet still, I find myself taken aback by how quickly he’s given in. “Okay we can just call last night what it was?”

“Sure.” He unfolds his arms so that he can lean forward a little, not quite crowding me, but definitely closer than he was a moment ago, the two of us still out in the open, and yet . . . his nearness, the way he’s leaning, creates the illusion of privacy.

A part of me knows that I should stop while I’m nominally ahead, that the smile playing at the corners of Brody’s mouth is likely a dangerous thing. Now that I know my Clark is also Vera’s Brody, I’m remembering some of the other details, that Vera’s nephew graduated from a prestigious law school, for example, and that people pay him to argue and negotiate. My voice is cautious as I ask, “What is it you think we’re agreeing to, exactly?”

“To call last night a spectacular beginning to what is sure to be a glorious romance.” I press my fingertips to my eyes as he continues. “Not that I know, truthfully, exactly where this is going⁠—”

“Nowhere.”

He frowns at me, disappointed but undeterred. “We’re compatible, available, and mutually interested. Why wouldn’t we explore this?”

“Because I don’t do casual and you can’t do serious.”