Hate to Love Him

by Jody Holford

  She reached her apartment and unlocked it before turning to say good-bye. He was in her space. Right in her space. Sharing her air. His face was too close to hers and suddenly she wasn’t warm. She was overheated.

  “You ever wonder why we’re always biting each other’s heads off?” His breath fanned her ear. She shivered.

  Without looking at him, she tried to keep her tone light. “Mostly I attribute it to you being stubborn and annoying.”

  His fingers grazed over the goose bumps that covered her arm, leaving more in their wake. “That could be part of it. Or your incessant need to be right. About everything.”

  Her hand clutched the doorknob like a lifeline. “I’ll admit to that being a possible factor.”

  Brady’s laugh was low and sexy. Undeniably sexy. Not that she planned to react. Or move. Or breathe. She’d just stand still and pretend the one man who tied her stomach in knots and made her skin feel too tight wasn’t the same one who stomped on her last nerve with steel toe boots.

  His finger skimmed on up, over her shoulder, and then toyed with a strand of her hair.

  “It could also be a sign of some pretty off-the-charts chemistry.”

  She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his hand in her hair, even though it was making her head spin.

  “Unlikely.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded breathy and unconvincing.

  Mia opened her eyes and stared into Brady’s. Her brain was misfiring, telling her to lean forward, and tilt her head up just a fraction.

  He stepped back, taking the warmth of his body heat with him. Which was for the best because they were not a good idea. But she itched to reach out and run her hands over his chest. She could still feel the hard contours under her fingers if she thought about the day she’d fallen into him. She bit her tongue to keep from sighing over the memory.

  “You feeling okay?”

  At least she wasn’t the only contradictory one. One minute he seemed to dislike her and in the next, his eyes gave off heat like the sun and he was worrying about her.

  “I’m fine. Honestly,” she added when he didn’t look like he believed her. “Careful, or I might think you’re starting to like me.”

  She’d meant it to be teasing, but when his eyes flashed with heat, her stomach bounced. “I might be,” he said simply.

  Mia tried not to be affected by the way he stepped closer as he said it.

  “Good. Then maybe we can be friends.”

  One side of his mouth tipped up in a boyish smile that tripped her heart. No. Stomach flutters are one thing, but there will be no heart tripping. No heart involvement at all. Because even if they could put the past behind them, who knew what she’d be doing to impact his future. Even if it wasn’t what she wanted, converting the building to a hotel could wreck the shaky on-off friendship they had going on. Worse, he could end up hating her for real. “I didn’t think so before, but maybe we can.” He looked at her mouth and she stopped herself from licking her suddenly dry lips.

  “Hmm. Truces and agreeing with me. We’re going to be best friends if this keeps up.”

  “I can be a good friend.”

  No matter differences, she knew that was true. Mia looked in his eyes to make sure he saw that she was serious. “I know that. You’re a great friend. And a wonderful uncle. And a really good guy.”

  He leaned forward and whispered close to her ear, “Unless I’m making you mad.”

  Her skin danced, tiny bumps traveling up and down her arms. If she turned her face, just an inch. Without meaning to, she reached out and steadied herself by putting her hands on his biceps. Bad idea.

  She dropped her hands. “Despite when you make me mad.”

  He stepped back and Mia put one hand on the frame of her door, using it as an anchor.

  Brady’s intense look made her knees feel unsteady. “I know your day was already unexpected, but I have to say, mine has turned out that way as well. Oh, by the way, the damage to your car is mostly superficial. I’ll have the dent out of it by Monday, and I’ve ordered paint to touch up the scratches.”

  “Great. Thank you.”

  “No problem, princess.”

  She groaned, even though his tone when he said it annoyed her less than usual. “What are we doing tomorrow?”

  “Not telling.”

  “Whatever it is, I look forward to beating you so you can’t call me that anymore.”

  Brady shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t always mean it negatively, you know.”

  Mia’s heart rate spiked. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow and then maybe we can make some exceptions.”

  If she didn’t figure out the mess with her brother, then Brady and his friends, along with the other tenants, might call her worse things than princess.

  He nodded, looking like he wanted to say more. “Good night, Mia.”

  Letting herself into her apartment, she leaned against the closed door and willed her heart to quit jumping erratically. Why was nothing simple? Pushing off, she went to get ready for bed. As she crawled between the covers, the whisper-soft brush of the sheets reminded her of Brady’s fingers on her skin. Squeezing her eyes shut tight, Mia wished something in her life was black and white instead of several fuzzy shades of gray.

  Chapter Ten

  What the heck was he thinking? Not only had he made a date with someone in his building, but she was also his landlord. And if his life were a comic book, she’d be his nemesis. My incredibly hot nemesis. She’d looked so…forlorn the night before. Surrounded by all of them, it seemed as if she put a bubble around herself—purposely cutting off her own access to their fun. She’d been more relaxed than she was when it was just him, but there’d been an undertone of sadness. Brady couldn’t help but wonder why. Which had led to walking her to her place.

  In his life, he couldn’t remember wanting to kiss a woman the way he’d wanted to kiss Mia. Walking away without doing so had been a unique kind of torture. Like running his hands over her brother’s Aston Martin would have been. What the hell was he getting himself into? Nothing. Just finding some common ground because we live in the same building and have friends in common. Brady knew they had more than that in common, though—Mia had wanted him to kiss her as badly as he’d wanted to. The image of her eyes fluttering closed was lodged in his brain as he took a breath and knocked on Mia’s door.

  When she opened, Brady was glad she was wearing jeans and a sweater. She looked almost like the proverbial girl next door. He knew then that last night’s desire to kiss her hadn’t been a one-off. The urge to pull her in and press his mouth to hers had him shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, reminding him she was as out of his league as her brother’s car.

  “Hi. I just need to grab my purse. I wasn’t sure what to wear since you won’t say where we’re going,” she said, leaving the door ajar while she grabbed a jacket and purse.

  Brady leaned against the doorjamb, telling himself to relax. He’d been on dates before and this wasn’t even a date. It was a truce-outing. A platonic activity to ease the tension between them. Then why does it feel like there’s even more tension? Just a different kind.

  “You look great.”

  She glanced at him as she slid her phone in her purse. “Thank you.”

  “Justin was up early ready to paint,” Brady said, as Mia locked up.

  They took the stairs to the parking garage. “He’s seems very eager and very nice.”

  “I think he’s both. Haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “Oh? Do he and his parents live far away?”

  Something like that. Far away and in different directions. “His parents split when Justin was a kid. He went back and forth between them, but mostly lived with his mom. His dad is my brother.”

  “Older or younger?” She asked as he opened the door to the next floor.

  “Older.”

  “We have that in common,” she said.

  She smelled like flowers, he thought, as she wa
lked beside him. “Who would have thought? Us having something in common,” he remarked.

  Once in the parking garage, they walked to his Mustang and he held the door for her, standing close enough that she had to brush past him to slide in. She looked up when she was seated.

  “It’s like an alternate universe or something.” A small smile played on her lips.

  He walked to his side, slid behind the wheel. Now that he’d decided to stop feeling irritated, it didn’t seem all that hard to get along with her. The day is just starting.

  Brady looked over at her as he let the car idle a moment. “I meant what I said about a truce. Shay and Gabby are really fond of you and Justin thinks you’re awesome. I don’t want to fight with you.”

  She nodded, glanced down at her purse in her lap then met his gaze again. The small smirk on her lips caught him off guard. It was nearly playful. “I kind of figured that out when you almost kissed me last night.”

  Brady’s jaw dropped. Putting the car in drive, he thought about how to respond. He hadn’t expected her to just put it out there like that. A couple of months ago, he wouldn’t have imagined ever wanting to kiss her. On some level, he’d acknowledged the physical attraction, but he’d felt removed from it. Like the attraction he felt for Emma Stone or Jennifer Lawrence. No possibility of anything happening. Now, he was trying not to think about how much he wished he had.

  Make light of it, like she did. Clear the air. “Funny, I thought it was you who got all breathy and close.”

  When he glanced at her, she was glaring, but he’d been on the receiving end of plenty of her body-shriveling looks and this one held no weight. “I was not breathy.”

  He grinned. “Hmm. Seemed like it to me. Your voice went all soft and I think I saw disappointment in your eyes when I stepped back.”

  Energy buzzed around the interior of his car like a nest of bees. “Do you always imagine things? Maybe you should get that checked out.”

  Brady chuckled. They were standing on some pretty shaky truce territory here. “Maybe. Or maybe I should have kissed you to prove that all this tension between us is chemistry.”

  “How can it be chemistry if you don’t like me?”

  The usual confidence in her tone had wavered, hitting him in the gut with the realization that she could be vulnerable. Human. “I like you, Mia. Maybe I’ve misjudged you. I’m trying to fix that.”

  She said nothing and the back of his neck itched. Stopping for a light, he looked over at her. She was staring at him. “You could say you like me, too.”

  A small smile shifted her lips upward. Don’t look at her lips.

  When he pressed his foot to the gas, he heard her quietly say, “Maybe I like you. A little.”

  Pleasure expanded his chest. He didn’t even try to fight the feeling. He’d take the small victory. “That’s a good start. Let’s see if we can bump that up to a lot.”

  “But then who will I argue with?”

  Brady laughed. Who knew she could be funny. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can still make you mad.”

  “You’re probably right,” she agreed.

  They drove the rest of the way in the kind of silence that didn’t bug him but surprised him. He wasn’t used to feeling at ease in her presence. It could be more dangerous than being pissed off at her. He should have asked Justin if he wanted to join them—with it being a truce, not a date—but the kid was already knee-deep in paint. Which was good for him. Jared hadn’t phoned back, yet, and Brady hadn’t heard from Justin’s mom either. If he was actually going to stay, they needed to iron out some boundaries. That’s what he was supposed to do, right?

  “You’ve gone quiet,” Mia said as Brady drove through mild traffic.

  “Thinking about Justin. He showed up looking a little lost and already he seems more like himself.”

  “Did he say why he came?”

  Brady took a left onto a side street. “No. I need to get him to open up, but I didn’t want to be another adult in his life pushing him before he was ready.”

  “Kind of stressful, though, isn’t it? You said you’re expanding your business, you have your existing business, and now this?”

  He sent her a quick glance. “Life is stressful. Doing what you love makes it less so. Same goes when you’re surrounded by people you love. I know when I go home at night, the people I need are there. So yeah, it’s a bit worrisome wondering why he’s here, but the happiness I feel outweighs the worry. As far as my shop, I’ve wanted it for as long as I can remember. My dad owned it. Planned to pass it onto Jared who wanted nothing to do with cars. We inherited it when he died. I bought Jared out.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Thanks.”

  “You bought him out?” Mia asked.

  He felt her eyes on him and heard the sharp note of curiosity in her tone. “Yeah. Seemed easier. He got money and I got the business. We both got what mattered most to us.”

  When he pulled into the parking lot of Geronimo’s, he enjoyed the way her face scrunched up with uncertainty.

  “What are we doing here?”

  He shut off the ignition, popped his seat belt, and turned to face her before releasing her strap. “Go-karting.”

  Mia straightened her spine. “Excuse me?”

  Would she do it? Let down her guard and do something so basic with him? “Go-karts. They’re like minicars. You have a Lexus, so I know you can drive.”

  Her lips tipped down. “Of course I can drive. But…”

  He smiled. “But what, princess?”

  She glared at him. “I am not a princess.”

  Brady laughed and pushed open his door. “Oh yeah you are. But I won’t hold that against you.”

  He came around to open her door for her, but she’d already done it. He held out a hand and she looked at it for a few seconds before taking it. When she stood in front of him, he didn’t let go immediately. Her skin was satin against his own.

  “You’ve been here before?”

  He grinned, excitement swirling. “Yep. Ever done it?”

  “No.”

  Instead of letting go of her hand, he linked their fingers together. “I won’t hold that against you either. Come on. Live a little.”

  She didn’t protest or take her hand back, but instead, walked beside him without complaint.

  Inside smelled like motor oil and popcorn. Brady loved it, but stopped just inside the door and glanced at Mia. Even dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, she radiated class and sophistication. He was second-guessing his weak attempt at testing her. What had he thought? That she’d throw a fit and say no? She’d already proved herself not to be as prim and uptight as he’d originally thought. But he’d brought her here anyway. To a racing pit that smelled like oil and gas. What was wrong with him? No wonder he pissed her off. He was an idiot.

  “What’s wrong?” Mia asked, looking around like the dull gray interior and loud revving sounds didn’t bug her.

  “I, uh, just realized maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”

  She pulled her hand from his and put both hands on her hips. “Because you think I’ll beat you?”

  Eyes widening, he stepped out of the doorway, hooking her arm to bring her with him. “No. Not because of that.” He gestured to the dull concrete interior. “This isn’t somewhere you’d normally hang out.”

  The smile she gave him was different than any other he’d seen. It was…sly. Sexy as hell. And fairly freaking seductive. She stepped closer to him, letting the front of their bodies touch.

  “I usually hang out in my apartment, alone. But if you want to wimp out, I’ll try not to make fun of you.”

  He lowered his head. “Wimp out?”

  She patted his chest, the heat of her palm leaving an imprint he was sure he’d feel for the rest of the day. “It’s okay if you don’t want to embarrass yourself by losing, but I’m here now, so I think I’ll give it a try.”

  The princess had a competitive streak. She turned her s
exy self toward the front counter where one of the guys who ran the place was shooting a small basketball into a mini hoop against a far wall. When the guy turned and saw Mia, he dropped the ball. Literally.

  “Hi there. What can I do for you? Did you need to use the phone or something?”

  Brady followed behind—amused and surprised.

  Mia put her hands on the counter. “Does anyone ever come in to use the phone? I would have thought in the age of cell phones, asking to use a house phone was sort of an obsolete practice.”

  The guy’s mouth dropped open. “Obso—what?”

  Brady chuckled and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He put his driver’s license on the counter. “We need two carts. You need to give him your driver’s license, princess.”

  With a frown, she pulled her own wallet out and found her license, passing it over. They filled out the paperwork in silence and then were given keys to two carts.

  “You’ve been here before, right?” the guy asked Brady.

  “Yeah.”

  “You want me to walk you and your girl through it?”

  Brady’s eyes narrowed at the way he stared at Mia when he spoke. Then his brain registered the words “your girl.” As if. Mia looked at him with a strange expression.

  “I’m sure Brady can show me everything I need to know,” she said.

  She walked toward the race pit. There were a couple of cars out on the circuit, but since it was midday, it was quiet. Other than the sound of engines.

  Mia grabbed a helmet and looked at the inside of it.

  “They’re sprayed after each use,” Brady said, grabbing one of his own.

  “I didn’t say anything,” she said, frowning.

  “I was just telling you. Don’t want you worrying about who wore it before you.”

  With a look that said she’d like to throw the helmet at him, she stalked closer in her heels.

  “We got off on the wrong foot. Tension, distance, and the problems at the apartment made things worse. Then we had a nasty argument the other day and even though I said sorry, I feel like you don’t believe I am. I was rude and I shouldn’t have been. Can we put it behind us and have a real truce or are you going to keep making little comments?”