Page 63 of A Little Bit Engaged
The three left the room and lingered in the hallway. No one spoke. Brody wanted to etch the memory of Slayter permanently into his brain. The kid had made a mark on his heart.
As had Cara.
Brody’s chest tightened as if he were wrapped in chains and pinned to the fortress wall in the first movie. He’d decided to wait to pursue Cara. That had meant no touching or kissing, but holding off no longer felt like the right call. He didn’t want to keep his distance from her, especially after the visit with Slayter.
Why should Brody?
Everyone thought they were engaged. Couples in love kissed, so he lowered his mask and hers before capturing her lips with his.
She inhaled sharply before relaxing inch by inch. Her lips pressed against him, and he felt as if he were being launched into space, autopilot in control, afterburners on.
He’d been trying to act as if they were just friends when all he wanted was to be more than friends. He’d also been afraid once he kissed her that he wouldn’t want to stop. Here, surrounded by others, he wasn’t worried about that.
This kiss wasn’t to distract Cara or to prove to others their relationship was legit. This was for him to thank her, show his gratitude, and get another taste of her sweet lips. A way to tide them over until they could be together for real.
A man cleared his throat. “Must have gone well.”
Jackson.
Slowly, Brody ended the kiss and glanced at Jackson, who’d been waiting outside the room. “It went great.”
Brody wasn’t just talking about the visit but kissing Cara.
“Best thing I’ve done in a long time,” Lex said.
Cara nodded. “Me, too.”
“How did you get that script?” Brody asked.
“Rizzo.” She grinned. “I asked him to grab the screenplay along with Loki’s mice toys last night.”
Lex gave her the thumbs-up sign. “Nice touch.”
She shrugged. “Slayter will get more use out of it than me. Besides, I figured Caitlin would ask for the script back one of these days.”
“She knows how you care for your books and assumed you would keep it safe.”
“The screenplay is safer now.” Cara didn’t miss a beat. “Slayter won’t let anything happen to it.”
“Finished with the self-congratulatory chitchat?” Jackson sounded more annoyed than before. “Someone posted about the visit online. There’s a crowd out front wanting to see El and his crew. We need to get out of here fast.”
Brody swore under his breath, but this was not unexpected. “Gotta be honest, I’m not sorry we did this.”
Both Cara and Lex nodded.
“And I’m not sorry I put a plan in place as soon as you told me what was happening.” Jackson was examining something on his phone. “We’ll exit through the parking lot in the basement. It’s mainly used for service vehicles and staff. Rizzo is meeting us there with one of the SUVs. Kai is by the door.”
“Get Cara out of here. I’m tired of hiding. No more.” Slayter was the definition of bravery given his illness. Time to act like the hero the kid thought Brody was. “I want to speak to the media.”
She touched his arm. “You sure about this?”
“Positive.” He flashed a wickedly charming grin, one of his character Eleon’s trademarks. “Plus, it’ll piss off Caitlin.”
“Go for it.” Cara kissed his cheek. “For luck.”
“Thanks.” But Brody didn’t want luck. He wanted her.
Now to figure out how to make that happen…
