His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason Page B

trying to scrub away her foolish tears before Brody caught sight of them, wishing she had been just a few steps faster. She was just about to step into the elevator and leave when he caught her.
                  “Don’t pretend that you didn’t hear me calling you. Don’t pretend that you didn’t know I would come after you. What kind of game do you think you’re playing? What do you think you’re doing?”
                  He turned her roughly to face him and she saw the way his eyes narrowed at the brightness in hers. She didn’t want him to question her. She didn’t want him to know that she had been crying. “Brody, I’m late for class.”
                  “To hell with your class,” he said angrily, holding her firmly in place. “The next time you feel the need to meddle in my life, remember this. I’ve never had to be fixed up with a woman before, and I’m not about to start now. My private life is none of your business.”
                  He released her and walked away, leaving her standing there shaken, tears falling from her eyes.
                  Brody could not have made his feelings any clearer if he’d told her outright. She was nothing more than a friend. At this moment, she wondered if she was even that.
                  The elevator doors slid open and through the blur of tears, she stumbled inside.
                  Well what had she really thought? That he would proclaim his undying love for her. That they would live happily ever after. Reyna laughed bitterly as she left the building.
                  There had been so many times when she had wondered what he felt for her. He seemed to grow closer, to need her in a way that gave her hope. Now all that false hope was gone. He had forced her to face the bitter truth. He would never love her the way she wanted him to.
                  Reyna promised herself as she stepped onto the subway car and found a seat that she would never embarrass him again. She would never let him know that for her, he was more than just a friend. He was the love of her life.
     
    Chapter Ten
                 
                 
    By eleven, Reyna gave up listening for Brody to return long enough to shower.
                  There had been no message waiting for her when she got home. No phone call since, to let her know he was running late as normal. Nothing.
                  Brody was furious with her. That much was for certain. He hadn’t even tried to hide that anger from her. She wanted to scream at Jenna for showing up unannounced and forcing her to do what she did not intend to do.
                  Reyna picked up the phone and dialed her cousin’s number only to hear the answering machine pick up. The thought of Jenna being with Brody made Reyna physically ill. She couldn’t bring herself to think about the two of them together.
                  Reyna gave up even thinking of sleep. She picked up her classroom notes instead. She should at least attempt to go over the material covered in tonight’s class. Her professor had promised there would be a test on the subject matter the following Tuesday.
                  After several failed attempts at concentrating, Reyna abandoned the notes entirely and went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.
                  She was just pouring the hot drink into her cup when she heard Brody’s key in the door. She didn’t want to talk to him right now, but before she could escape, he spotted the kitchen light and found her there.
                  “What are you doing up? It’s late. I expected you would be in bed hours ago.”
                  She turned off the tap and put the saucepan in the dishwasher, not looking at him.
                  “And I expected you to be home hours ago. I guess we both