Read Online Dismantling Evan by Venessa Kimball - Free Book Online Page B

their privacy. “Oh, sorry. I was worried he was out here by himself,” I say timidly.
    I turn to head back into the house, but Brody calls to me. “What are you doing up so late?”
    Did he ask me or Gavin? “ Me?” I ask, looking at him again.
    “Yeah you, who else?” A smirk plays on his lips.
    His curt response reminds me of my last encounter with him; asshole .
    I respond with equal curtness. “Well, I was trying to, but I heard Gavin and I was worried.”
    “Yeah, you already said that.” He shakes his head then looks out into the yard at Gavin.
    I didn’t need to stand here and listen to him snap at me. As I turn to go back into the house, he asks, “Where are you going?”
    Is he serious? I turn back and notice he has risen from his seat and is walking across the grass toward me.
    “Inside,” I say simply.
    He stops just shy of the fence and tucks his hands in his pockets. “Why? You can’t sleep, right?” he asks, furrowing his brows around his deep set hazel eyes.
    Feeling the pressure of him looking at me and being closer than he was before, I respond nervously. “No, but I shouldn’t be out here. I don’t want to bother you all or scare Gavin like I did earlier.”
    He folds his arms across his chest, making it look even broader. “You didn’t scare him,” he says, impassively.
    “Yeah, well it seemed like he was pretty freaked out by me,” I say.
    Brody glances over his shoulder at Gavin then back at me. “No, he just gets stuck sometimes. Then you went and touched him.”
    I look over at Gavin as he continues to circle the same spot in the yard, head bowed; his gait shifting from side to side like it did earlier.
    “Come over?”
    Brody’s question is a surprise.
    “What?”
    “Come over through the gate. You aren’t going back to sleep, I can tell.” The way he says, I can tell, is kind of sexy. It makes it hard for me to think... until I remember his asshole behavior earlier.
    “You called me an idiot and you think I want to come over and hang out?” The sarcastic query flows from my mouth before I can really think. It was a good dig though for sure.
    He gets a look on his face, like I have slapped him or something. “What? I didn’t call you an idiot,” he challenges.
    What is wrong with this guy? Does he suffer from short term memory loss or something? My voice rises a little louder than I expect. “Yes you did!”
    I look back at my house cautiously, hoping no lights turn on or back doors open from my raised tone.
    When I look back at Brody, I lower my voice. “Earlier... after you told me Gavin doesn’t like to be touched, you called me an idiot.”
    Brody’s furrowed brow relaxes and he smiles coyly as he shakes his head. “I wasn’t calling you an idiot. Look, just come over through the gate, I will explain, all right? Please.”
    Frustrated, but also curious, I exit our side gate and enter theirs, latching it behind me. I have to admit, Brody’s looks were making it really hard to stay angry with him. I step into the light of their porch. Brody is sitting back in the chair he occupied earlier. He meets my gaze and says, “Pull up a chair.”
    He takes hold of the top of the chair next to him and pulls it evenly next to his. Unhurried, I step up onto the porch and sit down next to him. He flexes his arms back and pins his hands behind his head as he looks out at Gavin, who is still circling the yard. I try to glance sideways at Brody without appearing like I’m staring. His white t-shirt isn’t so white. He has a couple of grease stains on it, like from a car or something. With his face lit by the porch light, his unshaven jaw line is prominent now. The unshaven thing looks really good on him. Where did he get the grease stains from? Was he working on his car or something?
    He gives off this kind of bad boy persona that makes me more curious about him, something I only experienced with Josh briefly. The difference is Brody doesn’t look like that kind of bad