Page 61 of Part of Me (The Seaside Chronicles 2)

Brody

The quiet knock on the door made me stop pacing around the bedroom.

“Um, Brody? Are you still coming down for pizza and movie night?”

She was going to kill me.

I walked over and opened the bedroom door and stared down at Sutton. She smiled, and my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest.

Tell her, Brody. Tell her you love her. Tell her you want her. Hell, pull her into your arms and kiss the living shit out her.

“Are you mad I asked you to change?” she asked. “I don’t really know what came over me. It’s been a really long day.”

I leaned closer and breathed deeply through my nose. “Is that…whiskey?”

She blushed. “I took a couple of shots. I needed to relax a bit. This whole new thing with the store and the vibrators and Jack showing up and having a key to the shop…it’s a lot.”

“Wait—what? You said Palmer forgot to lock the front door.”

“No. I called her, and she said she did lock it. I guess Jack still has a key. I have a note to call the locksmith tomorrow.”

That motherfucker. I hated the guy.

“But I’m feeling much more relaxed now,” she said.

“Good.” I motioned for her to head back downstairs. “Is this T-shirt okay?”

She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a thumbs up. “It’s perfect. What do you want to watch?”

“I’ll let you pick.”

She clapped her hands and practically skipped to the kitchen. “Awesome! I’ve been dying to watch Bridgerton! I’ve read all the books, but I haven’t been able to see the series yet.”

“What’s it about?”

She sighed as she placed a hand over her heart. “It’s about this family and how they all find love in each of the books. It’s a historical romance, so I hope that’s okay. You can pick the next thing we watch.”

“Historical romance?” I asked.

Flipping open the pizza box, she took two slices out. “It’s a bit cold.”

“That’s okay. It’s my fault for not wearing the right shirt.”

She crinkled her nose, and I nearly groaned. Fuck if that wasn’t adorable.

“Okay, bring the whole box. I’ve got our drinks out on the coffee table. You don’t need a fork or anything, do you?” Sutton asked.

“Nope, I eat my pizza with my hands.”

When Sutton grabbed the bottle of whiskey, I almost said something but then decided to let it go. Clearly, she needed it.

Except, we were only halfway through the first episode when I realized Sutton was getting hammered. Reaching for the bottle of whiskey when she wasn’t looking, I quietly put it on the floor next to the sofa.

Sutton finished off the last slice of pizza, then got up and went for the ice cream. When she walked back in with a bottle of wine and two glasses, I knew it was going to be a long night.

She set each glass down, then handed me the bottle. “Will you pour?” She giggled. “I think I might be a bit buzzed.”

“You think?”

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