Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,33

my spine and told Brody flat-out, "If you think you can run me off, forget it."

"Me?" He offered up a cold smile. "I wouldn't dream of it."

God, I hated this – the tension, the anger, the pressure building between us. Desperate to release at least some of it, I tried for a joke. With a nervous laugh, I said, "You do realize, if I happened to 'slip' off the roof or something, you'd get some super-bad publicity."

His expression only darkened. "Let's get one thing straight," he said. "You're not getting anywhere near that roof."

Oh, for crying out loud. "I was joking."

"It's no joke," he said. "I don't need some amateur messing this up."

"Oh come on. I just meant—"

"I know what you meant." A new edge crept in to his voice. "And let me tell you something. Even though I wouldn't toss you off – since I'd be stuck cleaning up the mess – I can't say the same for my brothers."

At the implied threat, I felt the blood drain from my face. "What?"

"You heard me," he said. "Now, you want some advice?"

"From you? Not really."

"Stay out of their way," he said. "And mine, too, while you're at it."

I made a sound of frustration. "I already told you, I was joking."

But in front of me, Brody looked like he wouldn't know a joke if it hit him in the face with a hammer.

Still, I tried again. "And you were joking, too." I hesitated. "Right? I mean, your brothers wouldn't seriously toss me off the roof or anything." I felt myself swallow. "Would they?"

"Think what you want," he said. "We start tomorrow at eight." His gaze raked the length of me before he said, "And wear a jacket or something, will you?"

I frowned. "What?"

His gaze settled rudely on my chest. "Unless you want to put on a show."

I looked down and immediately saw what he meant. My pale-yellow T-shirt was still damp, and my bra wasn't nearly thick enough to hide the fact that my nipples were embarrassingly erect.

Well, this wasn't humiliating or anything.

But it wasn't my fault.

Earlier I'd been hot. Now I was cold. And, so were my nipples, apparently. Or maybe – and this was the worst part – they were responding to Brody on some primitive level.

The little traitors.

Now, my mortification was complete.

Still, whether Brody meant to or not, he'd done me a favor by reminding me that I'd need to be more careful in my attire – unless I wanted to flash my goodies to millions of strangers.

And to him.

The jackass.

But I hadn't meant to flash anyone, especially someone who was making it his personal mission to humiliate me. Seriously, even when he was giving me a heads-up, did he have to be so rude about it?

But this was Brody Blastoviak, so yes, apparently, he did.

And already, he was turning away.

I called out, "Wait!"

He turned back and eyed me with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "For what?"

"A question." I cleared my throat. "The job offer – it included room and board. Do you know anything about that? Like where I'll be staying?"

He glanced down, taking in my stocking-clad feet. "Seems to me you already know."

My face flushed with renewed embarrassment. Great. Now like I felt like an oaf for removing my shoes. But I'd had a good reason. Stiffly, I informed him, "My shoes were messy."

"So?"

"So I didn't want to track grass through the house. It is your house, right?"

Without bothering to reply, he said, "Are we done?"

"No. You never answered my question."

"Which was…?"

"Where I’m staying. Is it here? In the crew house? That is what Waverly called it, right?"

"You could say that."

I wasn't even sure which part of my question he was replying to, but it was pretty obvious that my hunch was correct. "So…do you know who else is staying here?"

He looked at me for a long cold moment. And then, his lips formed a tight imitation of a smile. "Waverly."

My stomach sank. "What?"

I'd feared as much. Still, the confirmation felt like a kick to the gut. Even so, I reminded myself that it could always be worse. Sure, Waverly obviously hated me, but somehow, I'd make it work.

And besides, it wasn't like I'd be living with a whole group of people who hated me.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a wicked gleam appeared in Brody's eyes. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "And me."

Chapter 20

Brody

Chase was laughing his ass off. "No fucking way. Have you told Waverly?"

It had been only ten minutes since