The Baller: A Down and Dirty Football Novel - Vi Keeland Page 0,23
together?”
“Sure.”
I looked at Brody questioningly. He gave me a sly grin and came around to my side of the table, squatting down so we were at eye level.
“You ready?” the waitress asked.
Brody leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’d much rather be eating you than anything on the menu here.” He pulled his head back to catch a glimpse of my expression. “Ready,” he called back to the waitress, who captured a photo of Brody’s eyes twinkling as they looked over at my hooded ones.
We ordered, and I did my best to pretend I wasn’t affected. “Tell me something about you,” Brody said, resting his arm casually along the back of the booth.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Anything. Tell me something about you that annoys people.”
“You ask odd questions.”
“Good thing I don’t have your job then.”
I chuckled. “True.” Sipping my soda, I gave his question some thought. “I talk during movies.”
“So? Everyone talks during a movie at some point.”
“No. I talk during movies. Mostly it happens when I like the movie. I get excited and need to retell everything that’s happening on the screen to the person next to me.”
Brody looked amused. “So better to take you to a movie you don’t like, then?”
“Well . . . if I don’t like the movie, then I tend to get bored and daydream a bit and I lose track of what’s going on. Then I ask loads of question instead of retelling you the movie.”
“If you know you do it, and it annoys people, why don’t you stop doing it?”
“I can’t help myself. So what do you do that annoys people?”
“I say what I think.”
“You sure do.”
“Does it annoy you?”
“At first it did. I guess I’m starting to expect it now.”
“I’m like fungus, I grow on you.”
“Charming.”
The hours disappeared while we talked. Especially when we argued about football. It was almost midnight by the time we were ready to leave the diner. The waitress brought the bill, and Brody refused to let me pay, even though I’d argued it was technically a business dinner, and the station would pick up the tab. He didn’t say anything, but I caught that he left the waitress a tip of at least a few hundred dollars. The fact that he didn’t want me to notice what he’d done made the gesture that much more meaningful.
He hailed a cab, and light late-night traffic had us pulling up in front of my building in less than fifteen minutes. Brody told the cabbie to give him a few minutes and walked me into my building.
“Thank you for taking the time to let me pre-interview you. It’ll actually make me a lot more comfortable on Saturday now that we’ve done that.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I pushed the button to call the elevator. “And thank you again for dinner.”
Brody nodded. “You know . . . I still have that one personal question left.”
I had actually forgotten. “Saving the best one for last?”
“You could say that. Yes.”
The flutter in my stomach knew what was coming. In a sweet gesture, he brushed the hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His hand caressed my cheek and then tipped my chin slightly so I was looking straight into his eyes when he spoke. “What’s it going to take to get you underneath me, Delilah?”
I swallowed. He wasn’t teasing to get my attention this time. No, he was dead serious and watching me intently, waiting for an answer.
“I like you. You’re full of yourself and direct. But despite all that, I actually really enjoy spending time with you. I’m just not looking for a physical-only relationship. I need more than that.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Dating. Going out together. Exclusivity. I need to spend time with someone, other than just in his bed. Like talking to them during a movie.” I forced a smile. “It’s just who I am.”
The normally slow elevator appeared quickly for a change. The doors slid open behind me, and I waited for Brody to say something. But he only nodded.
“See you Saturday?” I asked.
“Saturday.” He nodded.
The doors slid closed and carried me up to the fourteenth floor. But it felt like a little piece of my heart had been left behind.
Chapter 10
Delilah
Only two days had passed since I’d seen Brody, yet I still couldn’t get him out of my mind. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one.
“Cute.” Indie gave an unenthused wave to the guy at the other end of the bar who tipped his drink in our direction. She