Rogue Devil (The Rourkes #11) - Kylie Gilmore Page 0,23

to be a big deal.

I’ll go for a walk.

Halfway to the door, I hear a sound in the hallway and still, my heart picking up speed. Is it Brendan? I can’t go out now. It’ll look like I’m trying to run into him.

I slide both hands through my hair and close my eyes. This is nuts. Don’t be a wuss.

A knock on my door startles me. Is it him? It’s got to be someone who lives in the building. Otherwise, they’d have to be buzzed in through the intercom. Maybe he had the same idea that we should clear the air. The awkward factor was off the charts. He had to have noticed it.

I go over and peek through the peephole.

It’s him.

I pull the door open. “Hi.” That’s all I’ve got.

Brendan leans against the doorframe and crosses his arms, his snug blue T-shirt hugging his biceps. His forearms are corded and muscular. And he’s in faded jeans. I love the look of jeans on a guy’s ass. Yup, my lust for him stays strong. This is so embarrassing.

I meet his sky blue eyes gleaming devilishly, a hint of a smile playing about his mouth, revealing his dimple, barely visible through his short beard. Just like I remember.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey.”

This is going well.

I take a deep breath. “So,” I say at the same time as he says, “I thought…”

“You go ahead,” we say at the same time.

I laugh a little. “This is weird, isn’t it? I swear I didn’t know you lived here.” I hold my palms up. “It doesn’t have to be awkward. I’m perfectly capable of keeping to myself. You won’t even know I’m here.”

He straightens. “You don’t have to hide out or anything.”

I worry my lower lip, unsure if I should bring up the unwanted kiss and assure him I’ll never do that again. Maybe he forgot?

An awkward silence settles between us.

He looks over my shoulder and does a double take. “What is that?”

I glance back. “It’s my study space.”

He stares. “What is that ugly thing with the wrinkled face and blue hair sticking straight up?”

I laugh. “That’s my troll doll. They bring good luck. He goes with me everywhere.”

A smile tugs at his lips. “Troll doll, huh? What’s its name?”

“Kablooey.”

He flashes a smile that lights up his face. “Because his hair looks like it went kablooey.” He widens his eyes and explodes his fingers around his hair.

My cheeks flush. “Yeah, and I thought it was a cute way of incorporating blue into a name.”

He stares at me for a moment. “You and Kablooey all set for a summer of study, party girl?”

I tense. He called me party girl several times that night at the bar in Villroy, which means he remembers the incident I’m desperate to forget. Attempted seduction fail. I have to deal with this in a mature and responsible way. Then we can put it behind us.

I gesture vaguely behind me. “Yeah, that’s my usual mode plus work at the lab, of course. That last night in Villroy got crazy. I never drink. I wasn’t myself at all.”

His gaze drops to my collarbone. “I remember.”

“Yeah. Ha-ha. Wild night! Anyway, back to study mode.”

He lifts his gaze, his bluest of blue eyes making my breath catch. I so wish I weren’t attracted to him. I hope he can’t tell.

“I’ll leave you to it,” he says, lifting a hand in farewell.

I belatedly remember he started to say something before I blurted all my no worries about the lusty woman next door stuff. “What were you going to say before? I cut you off. When you first got here, you said, ‘I thought,’ and then I interrupted.”

His jaw works for a moment before he says, “Nothing.”

“But you came over here for a reason, right?”

His lips press together as he shakes his head in denial. “See ya,” he mutters, turning and letting himself out.

I cross my arms. That was weird. And I don’t think it was just me that made it weird. What’s going on in his head?

7

Brendan

I head back to my apartment, turn on the TV, and crash on the sofa. That was weird. I thought I’d clear the air so it wouldn’t be awkward every time we ran into each other. I planned to say I’d be super busy this summer, but let me know if she needs anything. Neighborly, not too friendly. I needed to set expectations so she didn’t think we were going to hang out like we did in Villroy. I’ll never get her