Part 3 (1/2)
His eyes were wary and watchful, but once Elise had relaxed, he had too, and a light of amus.e.m.e.nt had come into them. No wedding ring and no women's names on the tats she could see. And yes, she had totally looked.
In short, he was fascinatingly s.e.xy in a way she'd never really considered before. Rough edges, but the way his voice changed when he spoke of his siblings told her a lot about what he was like inside. He cared about his brother and sister and they clearly cared for him too. A very good sign of character.
A dinner couldn't hurt. She did want to make friends, and the neighborhood seemed rather close. And as Rennie had so helpfully pointed out, Mrs. Cardini had given him the thumbs-up after the ambulance had taken him off to the hospital. He'd brought in her groceries and now her trash cans. It was the neighborly thing to do. To thank him for his help. Her mother would want her to.
”He's kinda cute in his own way,” Rennie observed as the two of them moved around the kitchen, pulling out what they'd need for dinner.
Elise laughed. ”Sure. And he seems very nice. Why don't you set the table, please. Then you can go out in the back to play if you want.”
Rennie finished the table and raced outside with her ball. She'd become obsessed with soccer, so they'd spent the evening before setting up a goal net in the yard.
Elise ran back to her room to freshen up. Just because she wasn't looking for a boyfriend didn't mean she couldn't look nice enough to inspire some w.a.n.k fantasies for Brody, did it? She touched up with a tiny bit of lip gloss and brushed her hair, only barely resisting the urge to change into a sundress or something. He'd have to live with Capri pants and a sleeveless s.h.i.+rt.
Just as the scent of the sauce had risen enough to make Elise's belly growl, there was a knock on the door. She liked that he didn't just come in. It was locked anyway, but still.
She looked out the window just to the left of the door to make sure it was them, and opened up.
”Come in,” she said, stepping back to allow both men to pa.s.s.
”I brought some wine and some sparkling water too.” Brody handed two bottles to her and turned around to the guy who had to be his brother, and holy cats holy cats, his brother was Adrian Brown. The The Adrian Brown currently on her CD player. Adrian Brown currently on her CD player.
”This is my brother, Adrian. Aid, this is Elise Sorenson, and apparently she's already a fan.” Brody's crooked smile put her at ease even though she knew her face was bright red.
”I . . . I'm so embarra.s.sed! I didn't know, and I don't know if I should feel bad for not knowing or for having your music on and knowing you by sight. It's not that I've never been around artists before.”
Adrian stepped forward and took her hand. He wasn't as large as Brody, but was still tall. He approached slowly, wearing a s.e.xy smile. She wondered if Brody had noticed how freaked she was before and warned his brother.
”You shouldn't feel bad either way. Honestly. I'm flattered you like my music, and I'm really happy you invited us for dinner, especially now that I've smelled the sauce. Only so many bowls of cereal and take-out pizzas a guy can eat. It's nice to meet you, Elise. I've been wanting to thank you for helping my brother out.” Christ, but he was charming.
”Of course I helped. I expect he'd have done the same for me. Well, come on through to the kitchen. I think I'll have a gla.s.s of wine now.” Now that she'd babbled like an idiot.
”Where's your little girl?” Brody asked, looking around as he took the wine bottle from her. His fingers brushed the outside of her hand, just above the thumb, and sent s.h.i.+vers through her.
Time slowed like honey when he met her eyes, and every cell in her body responded. She watched as if in slow motion when his lips parted and his Adam's apple slid up and down as he swallowed.
Adrian cleared his throat, and the sc.r.a.pe of a chair as he pulled it away from the table brought her back to her senses.
”She's, um, out in the backyard. She's doing this soccer day camp thing this summer and loving it. We set up a net so she's kicking goals over and over. Which, well, let's be honest, is awesome for me because it runs her down and there's no three-hour battle to get her to sleep. She's pretty high-energy.” She paused and laughed. ”That's a nice way of saying she's hyper.”
Both men laughed.
Brody held up the corkscrew and the bottle. ”Shall I open the wine, then? Is it all right to have a gla.s.s in front of Irene? I brought the sparkling water for her if she likes it. Less sugar than soda and stuff.”
Wow, he thought of her kid. ”Thank you for asking, Brody. Yes, it's fine. I mean, I don't get snockered in her presence or anything, but my parents are European. Drinking wine with dinner is a pretty normal thing for her to see.”
She bustled around as he watched her. The place was a surprise. He hadn't gotten a very good look the week before when he'd brought her groceries in. He'd been so focused on her, he hadn't really seen much of the interior.
He'd expected something either super-feminine, with lots of pink, or perhaps very cool and elegant. But the house was warm, with deep, earthy colors, art on the walls, a lot of photographs. It was comfortable, homey.
He handed her a gla.s.s of wine and she smiled, thanking him and clinking her gla.s.s against his and then Adrian's. ”A votre sante.” ”A votre sante.”
”To your health,” Adrian said back, and she took a sip.
”Very nice. Perfect with the spaghetti.” She drained the noodles, pulled out the garlic bread and put them on the table. She leaned out the back door. ”Rennie, time to eat. Wash those hands.”
Rennie grumbled, but scrambled quickly to obey. She returned shortly, holding her hands out for her mother to inspect.
”Fabulous. Sit now. Rennie, this is Adrian, Brody's brother. Adrian, this is my daughter, Irene.”
”Hi there! You're cute. Do you have any girlfriends? 'Cause Gran says Momma needs a man in her life. Then Pops says, 'Pffft, Martine, the last thing Elise needs is a man!' But I think my Gran is right.”
”Rennie, for tonight, let's play the think-about-what-we-saybefore-we-say-it game.”
Adrian tried to hide his smile behind his hands as he and Brody shared a glance. ”Nice to meet you, Irene. Or should I call you Rennie?”
”My mom calls me Irene when she's mad. Irene Anne Sorenson when she's really, really mad. But mainly everyone calls me Rennie. Everybody but Gran. Gran calls me Irene 'cause that was her mom's name and she says it's more than good enough for me. Mom says Gran is in a category all her own, so you'll probably want to call me Rennie too.” Rennie grinned up at Adrian, and Brody saw that his brother was just as charmed by the Sorenson females as he was. Well, he hoped not as as charmed, because Elise Sorenson was a woman he didn't want to see his brother with. Selfish though that might be. charmed, because Elise Sorenson was a woman he didn't want to see his brother with. Selfish though that might be.
Brody took in the efficient way she filled her daughter's plate and then her own. Around that, she pa.s.sed platters and made sure everyone had enough of everything they needed.
He liked to look at her. She was beautiful in a way he'd never seen up close before. Big, china-blue eyes, pale skin. Probably the type to burn like mad in the sun. Her features were delicate and nearly perfect. But at the same time, despite the outward fragility, she was clearly capable. Her manner with her child was the biggest indicator. A kid like Rennie would take a lot of energy to guide, to not overprotect her but also to give enough s.p.a.ce for that sharp little mind to grow and learn. She was a free-spirited child, but not bratty. Keeping that balance, he knew, was difficult.
The long line of Elise's neck called to his fingers. Hard, flat muscle lay over her bones. She wasn't bulked by any stretch of the imagination, but clearly she worked with her body. Yoga maybe?
”This is really delicious.” Brody dug in, enjoying every bite.
”Thanks. It's a standby recipe. Easy and fast. Lots of food groups represented.” She shrugged. ”So what is it you do?”
”I run Written on the Body, a tattoo shop about two miles from here. We know what Adrian does, when he's not clearing my pantry of all food items. What about you?” He looked around and saw the partial answer to how physically fit she was. ”I see from the pictures that you dance. Do you do it professionally?”
”I used to. For ten years. I'm just teaching now. I started a studio just north of downtown. I do group cla.s.ses and some individualized teaching.”
”Who did you dance with?”
”The Ballet Theatre. Started in school with them when I was pretty young and landed in the company later on.”
Her voice was soft, smooth, without the snags and burrs in his own. He realized he could listen to her for hours without getting bored. The sound of her was as soothing as the sight of her. Just beautiful, elegant lines and tones.
He wanted to ask her more but wondered if there was tragedy there. Had she been injured? Just gotten too old to do it? The life of someone who danced like that on a regular basis would have to be incredibly hard on the body. What if she just wasn't good anymore? That would suck. He didn't know her well enough to push, so he'd let her take the lead in how much she revealed.
”I don't have any tattoos. I've wanted one for some years now, but never got around to doing it. Are you any good?” She leaned forward, amus.e.m.e.nt showing in the cant of her mouth.
He laughed. ”I've been told, yes.”
Adrian interrupted, ”What he's too humble to say is that he's one of the best tattoo artists in the country. People come from all across the States to get his ink.”
Her face lit up. ”That's wonderful. What a talented bunch you Browns are. So much artistic expression in one family.”
”I'm going to be a painter one day.”
Adrian and Brody looked to Rennie. Adrian grinned and asked, ”That so? Tell me about it.”