of year and it’s definitely chilly.” Rafe’s tone was butter-smooth. “Poor Hollie got cold in her tiny swim thing.”
Hollie frowned. Tiny swim thing? Clearly she’d have to do a swap with him—he could teach her dirty Spanish and she’d teach him basic items of clothing.
“So maybe you’re the adventurous one,” Paige mused, her doubt clear.
Clear to Hollie, but not any of the knuckleheaded males who’d already moved on to thoughtfully examine the charcoal briquettes and the grill. Rafe included, because circling a grill was a time-honored male task like clustering under the hood of a car as if they knew squat about what was happening.
Interest in her and half-naked Rafe—vanquished as if it had never been. Oh yeah, because it hadn’t.
Dammit, couldn’t a girl get caught inappropriately having sex anymore?
All right, she didn’t want her brother walking in on her doing the Humpty dance with Rafe. Ick. But still. What about some raised eyebrows, a little overprotectiveness, some judgy comments? Were those too much to ask for, really?
Wade had the overprotective thing all sewn up. He would’ve more than fulfilled that role. Colt, on the other hand, wouldn’t blink if she ran through the backyard waving a box of glow-in-the-dark condoms. Not if he was otherwise occupied anyway. He wasn’t big on subtleties.
Condoms. Good point. Did she have any left that weren’t expired? She’d forgotten to check dates and restock before her failed bar expeditions, and well, hers hadn’t been used for a fortnight or fifteen. Did Rafe?
Would she ever get to use a condom again?
“So what’s the real deal?” Paige asked in a low voice, moving over to nudge the picnic basket with her open-toed shoes.
“What real deal? I’m not adventurous enough to go swimming in the winter. That’s for you and your sex maniacs.”
Paige simply smiled. She was used to putting up with a double dose of snark, thanks to the two men in her life.
She also wasn’t put off by Hollie’s prickly nature. No one was. They all thought she was cute and adorably grumpy, like a disgruntled porcupine.
“Rafe has some chest, doesn’t he?”
Hollie glowered at the picnic basket. He’d forgotten to pick up the blanket, so she knelt to handle the task. “Rafe who?”
Laughing, Paige crouched beside her to help. “My best friend’s brother. Your brother’s best friend.”
“Ex,” Hollie said automatically.
“Not really ex. They’re just having an extended joint mantrum. I have faith they’ll work it out.”
Hollie snorted out a laugh as she folded the blanket. Paige popped open the top of the basket so she could tuck it inside. “You have more faith than I do. Rafe carries one hell of a grudge.”
“He loves hard, so of course he hoards his anger. Usually what people do who feel a lot.”
She started to argue. Rafe love hard? He didn’t love anyone but his mama and Charli. Wade was far in the past. She didn’t even know if he had any other close friends. As for lovers, she was pretty sure he was mostly celibate, other than the lovers he’d mentioned that afternoon, and if he hadn’t been, she didn’t want to know.
But he would die for his family. She had no doubts about that one. He just kept his circle super small.
“Yeah, okay, I guess I can see that,” she admitted.
“He’s a careful guy, you know? Doesn’t do anything casually. Not even date. So if he does do something, you can bet he’s thought it through from every angle. And he’s decided it’s worth enough to pursue.”
Hollie digested Paige’s words, then glanced at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“This, for one.” Paige held up the bikini top that Hollie had held—and must’ve promptly dropped, after pouting that no one had noticed she was being a bad girl.
Yeah, right. She couldn’t even be a bad girl with assistance.
Now she had to deal with the fallout. Time to see if she lied as badly as
Hollie frowned. Tiny swim thing? Clearly she’d have to do a swap with him—he could teach her dirty Spanish and she’d teach him basic items of clothing.
“So maybe you’re the adventurous one,” Paige mused, her doubt clear.
Clear to Hollie, but not any of the knuckleheaded males who’d already moved on to thoughtfully examine the charcoal briquettes and the grill. Rafe included, because circling a grill was a time-honored male task like clustering under the hood of a car as if they knew squat about what was happening.
Interest in her and half-naked Rafe—vanquished as if it had never been. Oh yeah, because it hadn’t.
Dammit, couldn’t a girl get caught inappropriately having sex anymore?
All right, she didn’t want her brother walking in on her doing the Humpty dance with Rafe. Ick. But still. What about some raised eyebrows, a little overprotectiveness, some judgy comments? Were those too much to ask for, really?
Wade had the overprotective thing all sewn up. He would’ve more than fulfilled that role. Colt, on the other hand, wouldn’t blink if she ran through the backyard waving a box of glow-in-the-dark condoms. Not if he was otherwise occupied anyway. He wasn’t big on subtleties.
Condoms. Good point. Did she have any left that weren’t expired? She’d forgotten to check dates and restock before her failed bar expeditions, and well, hers hadn’t been used for a fortnight or fifteen. Did Rafe?
Would she ever get to use a condom again?
“So what’s the real deal?” Paige asked in a low voice, moving over to nudge the picnic basket with her open-toed shoes.
“What real deal? I’m not adventurous enough to go swimming in the winter. That’s for you and your sex maniacs.”
Paige simply smiled. She was used to putting up with a double dose of snark, thanks to the two men in her life.
She also wasn’t put off by Hollie’s prickly nature. No one was. They all thought she was cute and adorably grumpy, like a disgruntled porcupine.
“Rafe has some chest, doesn’t he?”
Hollie glowered at the picnic basket. He’d forgotten to pick up the blanket, so she knelt to handle the task. “Rafe who?”
Laughing, Paige crouched beside her to help. “My best friend’s brother. Your brother’s best friend.”
“Ex,” Hollie said automatically.
“Not really ex. They’re just having an extended joint mantrum. I have faith they’ll work it out.”
Hollie snorted out a laugh as she folded the blanket. Paige popped open the top of the basket so she could tuck it inside. “You have more faith than I do. Rafe carries one hell of a grudge.”
“He loves hard, so of course he hoards his anger. Usually what people do who feel a lot.”
She started to argue. Rafe love hard? He didn’t love anyone but his mama and Charli. Wade was far in the past. She didn’t even know if he had any other close friends. As for lovers, she was pretty sure he was mostly celibate, other than the lovers he’d mentioned that afternoon, and if he hadn’t been, she didn’t want to know.
But he would die for his family. She had no doubts about that one. He just kept his circle super small.
“Yeah, okay, I guess I can see that,” she admitted.
“He’s a careful guy, you know? Doesn’t do anything casually. Not even date. So if he does do something, you can bet he’s thought it through from every angle. And he’s decided it’s worth enough to pursue.”
Hollie digested Paige’s words, then glanced at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“This, for one.” Paige held up the bikini top that Hollie had held—and must’ve promptly dropped, after pouting that no one had noticed she was being a bad girl.
Yeah, right. She couldn’t even be a bad girl with assistance.
Now she had to deal with the fallout. Time to see if she lied as badly as
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