“Yeah, that’s why I’m in Christian’s room right now.”
She stands and walks to her dresser. She casts a quick glance at me after grabbing her yoga pants. “Is it that bad?
“Yes!” I blurt out, a straight up lie, and reverse the camera so she can’t see my face. Wanting her attention off me, and how I kind of enjoy being here in luxury, I pull open the nightstand drawer, and come face to face with a mega box of condoms—for her pleasure.
“Dear God,” Kaitlyn says. “Does that say magnum size? Bring me closer.”
I stifle a laugh, and slam the drawer shut, then glance over my shoulder again when I hear footsteps in the hall. I hold my breath, but they move down the hall.
“He even has his own bathroom,” I whisper.
“Ooh, fancy. Take me in.”
I tiptoe across the room, being careful in my boot, and push open the door. I do a quick scan and revel in the big tub and separate shower. “A girl could get used to this.”
“I would do anything for a bubble bath in that tub.”
“Me too.”
“Go for it,” she tells me.
“I’m not getting in his tub.”
“Why not?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Then again, he did say his place was my place.” I walk across the room and pick up a plastic bottle to examine the contents. “Grapefruit body wash.” I laugh. “No wonder he always smells like citrus.”
“You always did like grapefruit.”
I set the body wash back down, and take a big, rejuvenating breath, reminding myself who I am and who I’m not. One thing is for certain. I do not belong here, with Christian none the less, and I’d be wise to remember that.
“One week,” I say under my breath. “Then I’ll be back.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you something,” Kaitlyn says her face twisted.
“What?”
She looks a bit sheepish when she says, “Your room kind of flooded.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope, we had all that rain, and you know the shingles are bad. Water dripped all over your bed and floor. Looks like you won’t be coming back here for a while.”
Son of a bitch.
10
Christian
I shouldn’t be nervous, or excited, as I park my Jeep and head back inside Wolf House. But no matter how many times I try to convince myself that I’m just helping Maize out, the thought of her in my room, my bed, does the strangest things to me. Watching her nap earlier, hearing her soft breathing sounds, her little sleep murmurs was enough to make me want to crawl in there, wake her with a hot kiss, and bury my face between her long, gorgeous legs.
Fuck me sideways.
I take the steps to the front stoop two at a time, and push the front door open harder than necessary. I catch it before it bangs against the wall, and shake my head to get myself together as I shut it quietly behind me.
Rumblings from the kitchen, along with light, breezy laughter from the girls who stayed over last night fill the front hallway. Honestly, I’ll be glad when I can get my own place and have a bit of privacy. I suppose I could have done it before now, but there was no pressing need, no girl like Maize that I wanted to keep in my bedroom all to myself. Obsessive and possessive, which isn’t really like me. Wanting to get straight to Maize and avoid small talk with my brothers, I head to the stairs, but Andrew comes from the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in his hands.
“Hey,” he says, around a mouthful of food as his spoon clinks against the ceramic bowl. He glances at his watch. “You’re back early.”
“Yeah, I cut out a bit early.” Volunteer work is important to me. Not just to look good on paper, but because I like putting a smile on the faces of sick kids, and tossing a ball around with those who can. It’s just something private I do for them and for me. I don’t want glory, and I guess it’s not totally altruistic, because I get something out of it too. I might have been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and a nice trust fund, but I have values and morals—I did until I bought Maize—and try to give back as much as I can. I won’t always have football, and when my career is over, I want to be a well-rounded guy.
“Where have you been hiding?”
I stop on the first step and turn to him. “Not hiding, just busy.”
“I was surprised to see you in the…basement.”
I shrug and take another step. “Yeah, well. Surprise.”
He shoves a spoonful of sugary cereal into his mouth. “Who’s the girl? She’s kind of cute.”
My stomach tightens with possession. “Yeah, I’m helping her out. I injured her, so now I’m doing the right thing.”
“Thor said something about that. She’s staying here, then?”
He has a grin on his face as he questions me, and I get it. This is out of character for me. They know it, and I know it, but I’m doing this to right a wrong. My father is a Supreme Court judge, he’s all about justice, which has rubbed off on me. While that’s all true, and no matter how hard I try I still can’t ignore the fact that she intrigues me, and I like talking to her.
“Just until she gets on her feet.” He nods, and I rush up the steps. My heart pounds a little harder as I head down the long hall to my room. I knock, and when no answer comes, I try the knob, half expecting it to be locked. I turn the handle and push it open, and disappointment sits heavy in my gut when I find my room empty.
She’s gone.
Fuck, of course she is. I probably scared her off when I told her I planned to take care of her. I drop
