his face a fraction, giving me a sideways look. “Whatever we want.”
“Ah.” I sucked in a breath. “Does that mean we’re alone?”
“Mitch and Violet are still here. The rest went home.” From his tone alone I gathered that he had sent them home. Or he had Mitch or Mick do it. He excelled at that, giving orders.
I lifted my brows. He lifted his hands.
“Where’s Mick?” I asked.
“Gone. He had some schoolwork to finish. You wanted to talk. We have some of that left to do.” Brando’s voice was soft, but there was an edge to it.
“Brando?”
“Yeah.”
“Do people always do as you tell them to?”
This time his grin was as genuine as I had ever seen it. “All but one, Ballerina Girl.”
“Smart girl,” I said and smiled.
He didn’t return it.
The caffeine started to course through my bloodstream and I felt wired all of a sudden. “Brando? One more thing.” I lifted the mug from the stand. “This cup seems to be too big for this small table. It might fall over and break. A mess. Can you pick up the kitchen table and bring it over here, please?” I bit my bottom lip, sucking it in.
He looked at the table, looked at me, and when the truth dawned on him, I exploded with laughter. He threw his shirt at me and then he disappeared behind the bathroom door. Without hesitation, I flung off my pajamas and slipped his shirt over my head. A frisson of excitement rushed over me, along with his scent.
I inhaled deeply, feeling him from the inside out. No doubt. Mine.
Chapter Seventeen
Scarlett
After Brando had taken his shower, he came out to find me wearing his white thermal and my holey overalls, rolled up to the ankles. I slipped into a pair of Converse for comfort’s sake. He stared at me for some time, eyes absorbing.
“Nice shirt,” he said finally. “Seems comfortable.”
He was messing around with me, giving me hell about taking his shirt, but underneath the surface, he was more than pleased. In fact, something deep and warm radiated from him—the certainty of it could be felt in my veins.
“Yes,” I replied, shrugging. “It is. Smells even better than it looks. And it goes perfectly with a fine Italian leather jacket I have too.”
His hair had been slicked back and was as black as I had ever seen it; it was still damp from the shower. Instead of the darkness overshadowing the color of his eyes, it accentuated it and made him seem even more mysterious.
I longed to reach out and touch the soft strands, to run my fingers through the volume of it, to feel his hair slide between my fingers.
I did just that as we rested in the sun, Brando’s head on my legs. We had scrounged up whatever food had been left in the cabin and took it outside for a picnic with Mitch and Violet.
Sunday was my favorite day of the week. Especially Sundays that warmed the blood without overheating or freezing it. Louisiana was known for its unpredictable weather patterns—the highest highs and the most bone-chilling lows; the kind of weather that seeps through clothes and hits marrow. Today, an autumn chill hung in the air, but the sun was hot enough to challenge it.
Mitch, inspired by some unknown muse, had started a lengthy rhapsody about me being the Sunday to Brando’s Saturday, and how the differences could work in our favor, or not.
Neither of us seemed to be paying much attention to him, as Brando looked up at me and I looked down at him. Until he closed his eyes, sighing, falling under the spell of my touch. His lashes fanned out against his cheeks and his hands crossed over his chest. He breathed in and out in an easy rhythm, something hypnotic to get caught up in.
Unable to stop myself, I leaned over, my hair creating a curtain around us, and kissed him softly on the mouth.
It was the first time that I had kissed him. This bold move seemed to take him by surprise, and the look in his eyes did the same to me. He stopped the air from touching my lungs.
“Time for a walk,” he said.
I agreed.
Before we left Mitch and Violet to their own devices, Violet lifted her Polaroid camera and ordered us to smile. He didn’t; I did. A minute or two later, Brando took the picture from her and stuck it in his back pocket with the rest of the ones she took without me