Page 19 of Expiry Dating

CHAPTER SEVEN

It had been almost two weeks since Alice had temporarily lost her mind and kissed Brady Douchebag Mitchell. So far, she’d done a pretty good job of avoiding him, but tonight, her time was up.

Despite numerous excuses, Lily hadn’t let her bail. She’d even gone as far as physically escorting Alice up to the main house to where this little get-together was being held.

She’d been in the kitchen, draining her sister’s wine for at least an hour, before he arrived. And now he was here, in front of her, and she was suddenly glad she’d been drinking the good stuff.

“Sweetness,” he greeted before stalking toward her, “you’re looking mighty fine tonight.”

She backed away as he continued advancing. It wasn’t until her arse hit the kitchen counter that he halted. He was so close. Too close. Every inhale she took, smelled of pine and him.

Has he been rubbing up against the bloody trees?

“What are you doing, Brady?” She internally cursed herself for allowing her voice to come out so breathless.

“Maybe I wanted another taste.” His head dipped down slightly, which meant their lips were now aligned and so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her.

Where is Lily when you need her?

The kitchen, she’d learned, was just a staging area. The real party was out the back where Jake had set up the barbecue. Unfortunately, this meant she was currently alone with Brady, and she was a tad concerned with the way he was looking at her. Like a predator pursuing its prey.

“Maybe you want a knee in the groin?”

His mouth curved up into a small smile, momentarily breaking the intensity of his gaze. Being this close to him was not good. Not good at all. With him this close, all the memories she thought she’d buried came flooding back.

“Sweetness, I’ve told you before, if you wanna touch me, all you have to do is ask.”

Her heartbeat kicked up a notch. She remembered what he felt like all too well.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” The small smile turned into a big grin.

Bastard.

“You know what, Brady.”

Instead of answering, he closed the distance between them and let his lips brush against hers. It wasn’t a kiss, yet her mouth still parted for him. All of a sudden, she had a desperate need for oxygen.

He softly dragged his lips across her jaw, following the smooth line up until he reached her ear, the tickle of his breath instantly sending tingles down her spine. “Even before I got a taste, I knew you were addictive, sweetness. So goddamn sweet. I’ve been on a sugar high for weeks.”

Her sister chose that precise moment to enter the kitchen. But Brady didn’t back away. No, the smug man only turned his head in Lily’s direction and kept his body pressed against Alice.

“Oh ... um.” Lily stopped in the doorway, clearly unsure of what to do or say.

“Can you give us a minute?”

Alice could see her sister’s shock at Brady’s stern request.

“No. Lily, it’s fine. We’re done here.” Alice shot Brady her harshest glare, which apparently had no effect on him whatsoever, as he stood unmoving. Still too damn close.

“No. We’re not done.” He addressed her first, and then turned back to Lily. “We’ll be out in a sec.”

---