Amanda turned to Hue, still angry with her brother, but willing to direct that anger toward him.
Holding up his hand, he said, “I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m ready to go,” Amanda hissed at her brother. “Tell Tess I will call her soon. And you can tell her she is dating a jerk, and I wouldn’t marry you either.”
“Low, Mandy,” Math said as Hue ushered her out the door.
Once in the pickup cab, she took some deep breaths. It was a baseless anger, even she knew that. But her brother had more than a little of their mom in him. He, too, could find that one thing. The only positive was that he didn’t call her fat and lazy, just lazy.
“Are you going to be okay, Nordskov?” Hue asked from the driver’s seat, not touching her like he had on the way out this morning. She was missing that touch.
“Yes, just give me a moment.” She closed her eyes to try and get her emotions under control. To try and figure out what was bothering her so much since waking up.
“I will give you the car ride. But once I get you back to your apartment, I am going to do my best to distract you.” Hue smiled at her but kept both hands on the stirring wheel.
“You sound pretty confident over there that you can take my mind off Math,” she said shyly.
“I hope to god that within a minute of shutting that door, you will forget you even have a brother.” Hue reached over and ran a hand lightly over her hair, like he did it all the time. The touch was just what she needed.
“What brother?” she asked as his hand did it again and ran over her hair.
“I have no idea.” He turned on to Main Street.
Hue parked the pickup right outside their front door, and since it was the Friday after Thanksgiving, Main Street was empty. Racing up the stairs, they didn’t make it into her apartment before he had her pinned to the wall and was making her forget the entirety of her family and every friend she had ever had except him.
Later, as she made them a quick supper, he went into the hallway and stairwell to collect the clothes that had been shed getting to the apartment. Watching the almost naked man walking around her apartment, she wondered why she wasn’t shouting to the world that she had herself a man? But instead, she wanted to keep him to herself, just like her baby, getting as much happiness from it as she could before it was over. Because in her heart, she knew it would end.
No matter how pretty his words were, she was just Amanda.
No matter what he said or did, in the back of her mind, she knew it was short-term. That he would get bored with her, that he would realize what she looked like, that he could do better. Because everyone in her life had. How was Hue any different?
CHAPTER13
Sunday was lookingto be another great day, but he was getting to spend it with Amanda, so of course it was going to be great. Saturday they had spent together, mostly on the couch, mostly naked and mostly arguing over something until she fell asleep. Then he watched her sleep and made sure she was warm enough.
Now he was showered, shaved, and heading back to her place for another day. No Math today—he was busy with his family, so it was going to be a no-distraction day. With Amanda. Grabbing the chips, he headed out the door, just like he wanted to every Sunday. Or any day of the week, actually.
He wanted to press her about telling people about their relationship, but he knew she would have some excuse why they shouldn’t. It was too soon, too new, too close to the holidays, her sister had met someone, let her have the attention for a bit… Every excuse was believable, just to a point. It didn’t matter how long it had been or who else was in a relationship. They were in a relationship. But he let it go every time.
Today he was wearing his football jersey and black shorts, like many Sundays when he didn’t have to go outside in the cold. He was hoping not to be wearing them long. Opening the door, he saw her sitting at the table with papers in front of her. She was wearing her glasses. Since he had left nearly an hour before, she had put on a Landstad Tigers sweatshirt and black leggings, and she looked adorable but overdressed.
“Nordskov, what have we talked about? The home team needs you,” he teased.
She looked down at her outfit. “The home team has to do without me today. My shirt is dirty.”
“It is supposed to be dirty; that’s where the luck lives,” he explained with a grin.
Her face fell instantly, and she asked in disbelief, “Have they been losing?”
“Yes,” he answered honestly, but it maybe wasn’t the shirt’s fault. Nothing was the shirt’s fault when Amanda was wearing it.
“I think I washed the luck off your shirt.” She slid off her glasses with a smile she was unable to hide.
“When?” he asked breathlessly. Mostly because she was so sexy when she did that. And even if he had made love to her a few hours ago, it was still the little things about her that were so sexy.
“Two weeks ago. That’s okay, right?” Her frown was adorable.
“You have killed the season, Nordskov.” He stomped over and threw the chips on the table, on her paperwork in feigned outrage.