He shook his head and laughed. "I'm not sure if I'm glad or terrified that I moved back to Farley with her."
"Just don't pass on any of your inherent sexism and all will be fine."
He stared at me with his brows raised.
"Down with the patriarchy!" I said, raising my fist just above my shoulder.
"And now I'm not sure if you're going to be a good influence or a corrupting one for Jacks."
"Good, of course. She needs to know that she can do anything, be anything, she wants to be. That she can earn what she wants, no matter her gender."
Once again, he placed his hand on the small of my back, something that usually drove me absolutely nuts, and guided me down the front steps toward his car. Strangely, instead of feeling herded, I had the sense of safety. That he cared. Which was ridiculous because I'd barely seen him in the last seven years.
"Has someone ever made you feel something other than that?" he asked.
I grabbed the handle on the car door a split second before he did and opened it. I leaned against the frame and looked back at him. "Not my family. And not you. But yeah. There have been times when I was treated differently from the boys in my college classes or at my part-time job while I was in school." I shrugged one shoulder. "It could have been a lot worse. I could have had parents that encouraged me to get married young and start popping out babies, that my only value lay in the roles as wife and mother." I realized how that sounded and continued quickly. "Not that wives and mothers are worth less. Just that I wasn't pushed into that. That wasn't all that was expected of me. There's nothing wrong with a woman having those goals, just like there's nothing wrong with a man having them. Shit, I'm making a mess of this explanation, aren't I?"
Brody's eyes were oddly intent as he looked at me. "No, I understand exactly what you mean. And I just decided that I wouldn't be upset at all if Jacks picked up your attitude."
I grinned at him before I climbed into the car. "You say that now. Wait until she's fourteen. Or have you forgotten what I was like?"
"Dear God, you're evil to wish that upon me," he grumbled. He waited until my feet were inside the car before he shut my door.
But I was pretty sure he heard my laugh as he walked around the car to the driver's side.
Less than five minutes together and this night was already entertaining.
As soon as we got to the theater and found seats, I realized this was a truly horrible idea. Brody drove us to a movie theater near the Dallas area and the armrests lifted up between the seats. Which he promptly did, claiming it would be more comfortable.
As soon as I sat down, my arm brushed his and my thigh made contact with his leg. Eleven years ago, seventeen-year-old me would have been in a state of bliss.
But twenty-eight-year-old me felt like she was coming out of her skin.
At Brody's insistence, we both got drinks, but he asked if we could share popcorn. I hadn't argued because he refused to let me pay for any of it. He'd even grabbed a pack of Raisinettes.
To distract myself from his proximity, I turned to Brody and said, "Thanks for getting me some Raisinettes. I'm surprised you remembered."
His answering look was droll. "Surprised? You only begged for them every time we came to the movies from the time I met you."
I shrugged one shoulder and struggled with the plastic wrap on the candy box.
Brody's laugh was soft as he took the box from me. "And this hasn't changed either, I see."
I swallowed hard as he used his teeth to pierce the plastic wrap and he deftly ripped it off the box. Without asking if I wanted him to, he jabbed his thumb into the perforated section and peeled the top of the box back.
"Thanks," I murmured when he handed it back to me.
I held the bucket of popcorn in my lap and dumped a pile of chocolate-covered raisins in my palm. The lights dimmed and I nearly jolted out of my chair when Brody reached across me to grab a handful of popcorn. It put his upper body so close to mine that I could feel the heat emanating from his skin.
It was official. This was the worst idea ever. I'd once thought going to his wedding was the stupidest decision I'd ever made. But offering to be his friend? That took the cake.
I should have known better. He was even more handsome now than he'd been seven years ago. And it had been way too long since I'd been touched by a man.
I cleared my throat to hide the way my breath hitched and forced my eyes to stay on the screen. But my attention was split between the movie and the man next to me.
Which sucked because I'd wanted to see this for months.
Maybe I could talk Sierra into coming back with me tomorrow. To a different theater.
My distraction was complete when Brody leaned over and whispered something in my ear about the movie. His lips brushed the shell of my ear and I could swear I felt that contact shoot straight to my nipples.
Holy shit. His mouth had barely touched my ear and I could feel it all over my body. What would it be like if he...
I cut off that train of thought with merciless precision. I would not fantasize about my brother's best friend. He was off-limits. Under absolutely no circumstances could I go there.
Besides, there was a strong chance that he would push me away if I threw myself onto his lap and tried to get him to put his mouth on other parts of my body. Any part.
Thank God he didn't seem to expect a response from whatever he'd said because he leaned back in his seat and munched on the popcorn he'd just grabbed from the bucket.
For the rest of the movie, all my focus was on the movement of his arm when he reached for the popcorn and the slide of his leg against mine when he shifted in his seat.
By the time the end credits rolled, a light sweat had broken out on my back and my thighs were sore because I'd clenched them together so tightly.
I ignored the way my legs wobbled as we got to our feet. I had to get my shit together before we left the blessed darkness of the theater. I couldn't let him see the way he affected me. God, it was even worse now than it had been when I was in high school.
Probably because I knew exactly what I was missing during my dry spell.
Back before I truly understood how good sex could feel, I'd yearned for him to hold my hand, to kiss me, but my imagination didn't go much further than that. I'd had mediocre sex and even some really good sex with my last boyfriend, but something about the way my body reacted to Brody told me that the pair of us together and naked would be utterly, deliciously combustible.
But I would never find out for sure.
That thought was enough to cool me right down.
By the time we made our way back to the lobby, my cheeks were no longer flushed and my body was under control.
"So what do you think?" he asked me.
I blinked at him for a moment, wondering if I'd been so lost in my own thoughts that I'd missed a huge chunk of conversation. "I'm sorry, what were you asking me about?"
Brody grinned. "I should have been clearer. I meant, what do you think about the movie?"
"It was fun," I answered with a shrug. "A break from reality."
He eyed me, his gaze speculative. "Something wrong?"
I shook my head. "Nope. I think it just hit me that I have a night off and I wasn't spending it sleeping for a change."