Page 48 of Girl Going Nowhere

But as soon as I step out of the bathroom and bump into Brodie, it’s obvious to him something is wrong when his eyes lock with my bloodshot ones.

“Who do I need to kill?” he all but growls.

My jaw quivers.

I fight the tears as hard as I can but fail.

Suddenly, I’m pulled into two strong arms until my face is pressed against a soft cotton tee. I feel his fingers in my damp hair, brushing the strands I haven’t tended to yet.

“Let it out, baby,” Brodie says softly. “I’m right here. Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

Those are dangerous words.

Fear sinks its claws into my chest, forming a black hole that I’ll easily get sucked into if I let it take over. So, I look up at him and tell him to do the one thing that can pull me out before it’s too late. “Kiss me.Please.”

Even through the blur of tears, I can see indecision masking Brodie’s face. His eyes give him away—he wants to. The blueish-gray color darkens like an oncoming storm, and I can tell he’s thinking about what would happen.

My palms find his chest, moving their way up to curl around his shoulders. When I dig my fingernails in, I see him shiver. Those stormy eyes turn lethal as they pierce mine.

“Blake…” His voice is low as his hands find the small of my waist and squeeze. “I don’t know what happened today, but I do know that this isn’t going to fix it.”

I blink, wondering if he’s saying what I think he is. I’m not sure until his fingers tighten around my waist one more time before dropping back to his side.

“God help me,” he murmurs with a long-winded sigh. Reaching up, he uses the pads of his thumbs to wipe off my damp cheeks. “I’m not going to kiss you right now. Not because I don’t want to, but becausewhenI do, it’ll be because you want it. Not because you need it.”

My lips part to reply, but silence is all he’s rewarded with.

Brodie flashes me a sad smile that barely meets his eyes. “Yeah, I know. Guess I can surprise myself too.”

Swallowing down the subtle rejection, I take a step back. “I could just go ask someone else to distract me if I really wanted to. Finn. Dante.”

It’s a fact, not a promise.

Brodie studies me for a second before slowly nodding and swiping at his jaw. “You could. But if you care about me, you won’t.”

And there it is.

A silent ultimatum.

Them or me.

I have to look away because his gaze is too intense for me to keep contact with. It’s quiet in the house. No TV. No music. No conversation.

Brodie turned me down even though we’re alone. Nobody would have had to know. Still, he didn’t make a move. Didn’t cave.

Letting out a fragile breath, I say, “Somebody knows about me and Maia’s father.”

In my peripheral, I see Brodie’s stature go rigid. When I finally peek in his direction, his teeth are grinding. “Who?”

Weakly, I lift a shoulder. “Some random tabloid. I’ve been getting harassed for weeks by numbers I don’t know. The woman said a reputable source told her about my affair with…”

Brodie curses under his breath. “Did they mention Maia?”

I shake my head. “No. But if they really do know. If there are pictures like they said…”

“Hey now.” He stops me. He lifts my chin to meet his eyes, which are much softer than before. “I won’t let that happen. None of us here will. Okay?”

There’s no way to promise something like that, but I find myself nodding anyway.

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