silly about the whole thing. If Laney or Norma had been in her place,
they would have shrugged it off. Why couldn’t she?
After drying her hair, she looked
for her hairbrush and realized it was still in the bathroom. She finished
dressing, donning slacks and her new holiday sweater before pushing the jingle
bell earrings through her lobes. Then she fastened her fanny pack around her
waist, pushed it to the rear out of the way, and taking a big breath, went back
downstairs.
Rennie wasn’t in the great room. Glancing
down the hall, she saw his tall form inside the bedroom door.
What was he doing in John and
Laney’s room?
To let him know she had seen his
trespass, she called, “Are you through in the bath?”
“Yeah.” He sounded absentminded,
but not upset at being caught among his sister’s things.
Not that it was her business what
he was doing. Autumn retrieved her hairbrush and worked on her hair.
“Autumn.”
She stepped into the hall. “Yes?”
“Would you mind helping me out?” He
was going through Laney’s bag. “It’s good you’re here. Laney doesn’t know it,
but John’s taken a room for them tonight at that hotel by the river.”
“Tonight? Oh, for their
anniversary.” Delight for Laney erased mortification. “How great. I wondered
why they wanted to spend their anniversary with us.”
“John never intended to. He
packed his things for me to take over there, but he wants me to get Laney’s stuff.
Can you pick out what she’ll need? Like, here’s her pajamas and toothbrush, but
what about underwear and all that for tomorrow?”
“Not those.” She took away the
flannel pajamas he held and pushed him aside.
So that’s why he and John had had
their heads together on the walk today. Nothing to do with Victoria. How stupid
she was. “Here, let me do it. Laney bought a gown just for tonight. I was with
her when she picked it out. It’s here somewhere.”
She found the new nightgown
hidden away in a side pocket. When she pulled it out, the black silk swirled
sensuously over her arm.
“That would suit you.” Rennie gave
her his sleepy grin that made her heart scrunch up in a tight aching ball.
Heat rose to her face. “You think
so?”
“With your hair and coloring, it’d
look great. Some blondes can’t wear black, but you can.”
Unaccountably pleased at the casual
compliment, she said lightly, “Thank you, kind sir. I’ll take you shopping with
me next time I go.”
“Just whistle. I’m good at sitting
outside dressing rooms. Mom and my sisters trained me well.”
She hadn’t thought her heart
could lighten, but it did.
In fifteen minutes, they had the
bag packed.
“We’ll drive over to town and
drop it off at the hotel after dinner.” Rennie hesitated. “Listen, I’m sorry
about barging in on you, Autumn. The house was quiet and locked up. I honestly
thought everyone had gone.”
“Hey, you’ve seen naked women
before. Forget it. I have.”
Her words fell between them, calm
and disinterested, sounding for all the world as if she meant them.
****
Rennie couldn’t forget.
The sight of her, one slender leg
bent as she pulled ineffectively at the towel caught under her foot, kept
running through his mind. He kept seeing the way the tiny waist flared into the
smooth butt and how the nipple on one small cone-shaped breast jutted straight
out as if shocked at his intrusion.
She had been all big eyes and
long legs and alabaster flesh.
He’d wanted to run over and throw
her down and spread her out and lose himself in that sweet area between her
thighs. And that was a hell of a way to be thinking of Autumn.
Autumn!
He put Laney and John’s bag in
the trunk of the Lexus.
She was like his kid sister. Not
to mention a part of Atlanta’s top circles, a past debutante, the kind of girl meant
for the boy most likely to succeed. A clean-cut old money Ivy Leaguer who’d
give her towheaded, blue-eyed children and a columned two-story white house for
living
they would have shrugged it off. Why couldn’t she?
After drying her hair, she looked
for her hairbrush and realized it was still in the bathroom. She finished
dressing, donning slacks and her new holiday sweater before pushing the jingle
bell earrings through her lobes. Then she fastened her fanny pack around her
waist, pushed it to the rear out of the way, and taking a big breath, went back
downstairs.
Rennie wasn’t in the great room. Glancing
down the hall, she saw his tall form inside the bedroom door.
What was he doing in John and
Laney’s room?
To let him know she had seen his
trespass, she called, “Are you through in the bath?”
“Yeah.” He sounded absentminded,
but not upset at being caught among his sister’s things.
Not that it was her business what
he was doing. Autumn retrieved her hairbrush and worked on her hair.
“Autumn.”
She stepped into the hall. “Yes?”
“Would you mind helping me out?” He
was going through Laney’s bag. “It’s good you’re here. Laney doesn’t know it,
but John’s taken a room for them tonight at that hotel by the river.”
“Tonight? Oh, for their
anniversary.” Delight for Laney erased mortification. “How great. I wondered
why they wanted to spend their anniversary with us.”
“John never intended to. He
packed his things for me to take over there, but he wants me to get Laney’s stuff.
Can you pick out what she’ll need? Like, here’s her pajamas and toothbrush, but
what about underwear and all that for tomorrow?”
“Not those.” She took away the
flannel pajamas he held and pushed him aside.
So that’s why he and John had had
their heads together on the walk today. Nothing to do with Victoria. How stupid
she was. “Here, let me do it. Laney bought a gown just for tonight. I was with
her when she picked it out. It’s here somewhere.”
She found the new nightgown
hidden away in a side pocket. When she pulled it out, the black silk swirled
sensuously over her arm.
“That would suit you.” Rennie gave
her his sleepy grin that made her heart scrunch up in a tight aching ball.
Heat rose to her face. “You think
so?”
“With your hair and coloring, it’d
look great. Some blondes can’t wear black, but you can.”
Unaccountably pleased at the casual
compliment, she said lightly, “Thank you, kind sir. I’ll take you shopping with
me next time I go.”
“Just whistle. I’m good at sitting
outside dressing rooms. Mom and my sisters trained me well.”
She hadn’t thought her heart
could lighten, but it did.
In fifteen minutes, they had the
bag packed.
“We’ll drive over to town and
drop it off at the hotel after dinner.” Rennie hesitated. “Listen, I’m sorry
about barging in on you, Autumn. The house was quiet and locked up. I honestly
thought everyone had gone.”
“Hey, you’ve seen naked women
before. Forget it. I have.”
Her words fell between them, calm
and disinterested, sounding for all the world as if she meant them.
****
Rennie couldn’t forget.
The sight of her, one slender leg
bent as she pulled ineffectively at the towel caught under her foot, kept
running through his mind. He kept seeing the way the tiny waist flared into the
smooth butt and how the nipple on one small cone-shaped breast jutted straight
out as if shocked at his intrusion.
She had been all big eyes and
long legs and alabaster flesh.
He’d wanted to run over and throw
her down and spread her out and lose himself in that sweet area between her
thighs. And that was a hell of a way to be thinking of Autumn.
Autumn!
He put Laney and John’s bag in
the trunk of the Lexus.
She was like his kid sister. Not
to mention a part of Atlanta’s top circles, a past debutante, the kind of girl meant
for the boy most likely to succeed. A clean-cut old money Ivy Leaguer who’d
give her towheaded, blue-eyed children and a columned two-story white house for
living
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