Page 17 of Storm

“What I’m trying to say,” she added, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her napkin, “is that I’m not great at relationships. I can’t hold a conversation for hours, I don’t like going out much, and honestly, watching movies or reading in bed is my idea of the perfect night.”

Ah. Now he got it.

“Sunshine,” he said, his voice steady and laced with dry amusement, “do I look fucking social to you?” He gestured to himself as though to drive the point home. “The only reason I stuck around for the whole party was because Steele guilt-tripped me about the house situation—and becauseyouwere there. Normally, I’d be in my apartment, hiding all night so I didn’t have to deal with a bunch of people.”

Brook blinked, her lips twitching as though she was fighting a smile. “Carlee was right. You do curse a lot.”

That threw him off for a second, but then he chuckled gruffly. “Yeah, sunshine. I do.”

Their conversation was interrupted as the waitress arrived, setting their plates on the table. Storm asked for an extra plate, and when it arrived, he immediately set to work. With deliberate movements, he cut his burger in half, added a generous handful of fries to the plate, and slid it across the table to her.

Brook tilted her head, her brows knitting together in confusion. “What’s this for?”

“Give me some of your salad,” he said. “We’ll share. That way, you get to try two of the things you wanted, and I’ll get my vegetables for the day.”

She stared at him, her expression softening as a smile slowly playing across her face. “You’re sharing your burger with me?”

He shrugged and took a massive bite of his half, chewing for a moment before swallowing. “Yeah, sunshine. And for the record, I don’t share my food with just anyone.”

Her grin widened, and for the first time since they sat down, he felt like he’d done something right.

Even though he could have downed three scoops of mint chocolate chip, by the time they left the diner, Brook turned down going for ice cream because of how full she was. It was cute the way she rubbed her tummy and groaned. Especially since she’d only had three bites of the burger, five fries, and a few bites of salad. Storm had polished off everything she hadn’t.

“You’re sure you don’t want dessert?” he asked as they walked back toward the real estate office.

Giggling, she looked up at him. “I don’t know where you put all that food.”

“Between my hours in the shop and working out in the gym, I’m sure I burn most of it off. I’ve always eaten like that, though. My mom used to tell me I was going to eat them out of a home when I was a teenager.”

Brook laughed, the sound floating through the air like a melody. His cock twitched, but he forced himself to ignore it, hoping it wouldn’t embarrass him in the middle of Main Street.

When they stopped in front of her office, she turned to him, hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

Storm froze for a second, his brain short-circuiting, but then his arms came up almost instinctively, holding her close. She smelled like soft powder and something sweet, and momentarily, everything felt startlingly perfect.

When she pulled back, she gave him that soft smile again. “Thanks for lunch.”

He nodded, his throat suddenly dry. “Yeah. Anytime, sunshine.”

As she slipped back inside, Storm stood there for a moment, staring after her. Something shifted inside him, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. And it scared the hell out of him.

SIX

BROOK

All Brook wanted was to get home and strip away the weight of her adult headspace. The day had been long and challenging. While her job as a receptionist was usually pretty easy, today had been the complete opposite. Every so often, clients came along who were impossible to please, the type who expected the entire office to drop everything and show up at a property at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, today, they hadtwoof those clients, and to make matters worse, both wanted the same house. It was a disaster waiting to happen, but thankfully, it wasn’t her mess to clean up. The agents were the ones on the front line.

Still, the tension lingered, winding tight in her shoulders and causing her to have a headache as she drove through Shadowridge. She heaved a weary sigh, slowing as one of the town’s rare traffic lights shifted from yellow to red. Her mind wandered, replaying the day’s events, until the world jolted violently around her.

The loud crunch of metal filled her ears, sharp and shattering. Her head snapped forward, the seatbelt catching her just in time. For a moment, her vision blurred, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest.She stared at the red light ahead, unwavering in its glow, before dropping her gaze to her trembling hands white-knuckling the wheel.

She was fine. She repeated it in her mind like a mantra. Everything was fine. The airbags hadn’t deployed. It wasn’t anything major—just a fender bender. But even as she tried to convince herself of that, she quivered against the seat, her stomach churning with unease.

The sharpslamof a car door behind her snapped her out of the daze.

Right. Get out. Make sure they’re okay. Exchange information. No big deal.

Moving took more energy than it should have. It felt like everything was going in slow motion. Her fingers fumbled with the seatbelt before she finally unbuckled it and pushed the driver’s side door open. As she stepped out, she clung to the car’s frame for balance, her legs unsteady beneath her. The cool air hit her flushed cheeks as she wobbled slightly, her ears ringing faintly from the impact. Nausea threatened as she tried to take some deep breaths.

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