Page 12 of Adoring Ink

And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

It seemed she wasn’t sure of anything anymore, but when she saw Brody next, she’d have her swimsuit on and find out what his plans were. This was all part of her frayed plan to discover new things about herself. She might as well keep at it.

She wasn’t sure what would come with that. She didn’t know Brody’s intentions, but maybe, just maybe, that was part of her being daring.

She would just have to wait and see.

Again.

Chapter Four

There was just something about Holly Rose. Brody wasn’t sure what it was, but it made him want to take too many chances and help her in any way he could. He knew being with a woman like her probably wasn’t the smartest thing for him to do, but he didn’t care. She was the type that needed someone stable, despite the fact that she wanted to throw caution to the wind when it came to the activities he took her on. Just because he was helping her take more risks and do things on her bucket list, didn’t mean he had to get serious about her.

Because Brody didn’t get serious with women.

Ever.

That only led to pain and heartache and expectations that would be dashed and left for dead. He’d seen what happened when people tried to stay together despite the world saying there was no use, and he refused to do that to another person. He refused to be that person.

He rolled his neck as he pulled into Holly’s driveway behind her car. The small cottage-style house she owned was perfect for her. She was an elementary school teacher with a soft smile and softer cardigans, and the house shone brightly with that character. Even her fledgling flowerbeds in front of the place were lined up right but not too organized—it just looked as if someone with the right amount of care had planted them.

She was totally out of his league.

He was a plain mechanic with a high school education and the necessary certifications on top of that. He hadn’t been able to afford college when he’d finally ripped himself from the cankerous sore that was his family home, and it wasn’t like he’d been smart enough to get an academic scholarship or good enough at sports to try for an athletic one. He did the only thing he knew how to do in order to keep a roof over his head: he used his hands. He now worked at a decent shop that had good hours and benefits and had made friends along the way, but he still wasn’t the type of man Holly should be hanging around.

That’s why what they did today might have to be their last outing. He wasn’t sure he was strong enough to hold back when it came to her, but he sure as hell wasn’t good enough for her either.

She’d said she wanted to try new things and not be the same old Holly; well, he could at least help with that this afternoon. He’d taken her on her first bike ride, and she’d apparently loved it. Today, they’d take his truck up to a place he loved and somewhere he figured she hadn’t been before.

It wasn’t anywhere dangerous, but it was something different for her.

At least, he hoped.

And if somehow this ended up not being the end of it all, he’d have to think harder about the next few times they met. Coming up with new and exciting things would be tricky until he got to know her better. He simply had to be careful not to get too close. That’s how unreasonable expectations occurred and left people hurt in the long run.

He didn’t want to hurt Holly. That’s why he needed to keep his distance. So, of course, taking her to a place where she’d be in a swimsuit probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Hopefully, she’d wear a one-piece that covered so much of her he wouldn’t think bad thoughts. She tended to wear sweaters and the like, so hopefully her swimsuits would err on the side of caution.

For his dick’s sake, he hoped that was the case.

He’d driven the truck instead of his bike because it would be easier to go down the back roads on it, though he’d miss the feel of her behind him. He’d loved the way she’d pressed herself against him when he went faster, the way her nails had dug into his chest when he’d gone over small bumps. He’d had dreams of those nails digging into his back as he pumped in and out of her, their bodies sweat-slick and never fully sated.

Nope. He shouldn’t be thinking about that. At all. If he weren’t careful, he wouldn’t be able to hide his hard-on from her. As it was, he was already half hard and getting harder by the minute.

Oh, boy.

He got out of his truck and started up the walk to her house when she opened the door. She’d pulled on jeans and a tank and had draped a jacket over her arm. Since the tank had thick straps, he couldn’t tell what kind of suit she wore, and that annoyed him. He wanted to know so he could prepare his dick for what was to come.

No pun intended.

“I saw you pull up,” Holly said before pointing down at her outfit. “Is this okay? I wasn’t sure if we were taking the bike or not.”

He let his gaze travel down the curves of her body once more, and he swallowed hard so he could speak. “Yeah, you look fine.”

She snorted. “Good to know.”

He winced. “I mean, you’re fine for what we’re doing. You look a hell of a lot better than fine.”

If the guys could see him now, they’d be on the floor laughing. Normally, he was a little better with women, but Holly threw him off-kilter. He didn’t know what they were to each other, or what they were doing, and his brain didn’t seem to want to function normally. This didn’t bode well.