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Connor’s jaw flexes as the pulse point along his neck jumps. “Why is Emilia here?”
I shove him in the chest, knocking him sideways. “Because she’s my sister, and you’ve invited half the town.”
“Look how pretty she is,” Harbor sighs. “I always thought she was the prettiest girl in school.”
“No, you….” I snap my mouth shut.
Shit. I nearly said she was prettier than my sister. How are we going to play this? As much fun as I’m having with Harbor here, I can’t openly touch her as all the other couples are able to and there are other things I’d rather do.
“Give me a second, and let’s finish the contests. I’m going to call one of the guys.”
“You’re on. Let’s finish what we started. We’re going to come out on top.”
God, I’m going to fall so hard for this woman.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Harbor
When I pull in front of Layla’s house and stop, she bounds down the steps, waiting for me to climb out. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were going back to San Francisco tonight.”
“That’s what I told Mom and Dad.” I shut the door with a snap and slide my overnight bag and purse higher on my shoulder. The streetlights are on, leaving us cast in a low glow as a dog two houses down barks and paces back and forth inside the fenced side yard. “Do you mind if I leave my car here?”
Her mouth rises as she places her hands on her hips and cocks her head sideways. “And where exactly are you staying?”
“I’m staying with Cole if you must know, but we’re not telling anyone else, so zip your mouth shut about it.” I shrug and walk closer until there are only a few feet between us. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen–”
“Oh, I know what’s going to happen.” She giggles and shivers against the cooling breeze. Not that it’s cold, but once the sun goes down, the air feels chilly.
“You and me both.” I wink as happiness and excitement swell inside of me. Not that the entire day hasn’t been an enormous foreplay episode and one of the most fun days of my life.
In the end, we tied with Connor and Austin, and rather than pushing for a playoff, we conceded to Connor’s and our delight. We’d wanted to head to his place for hours and spending another minute tossing a bean bag at a wooden platform held little appeal.
Besides, I’ve drank so much water today that I’m afraid to bend over and grab a bean bag off the ground.
I should pee. “Can I use your restroom? Thirty seconds tops.”
“Sure, by all means.” Layla laughs and leads the way.
“If anyone asks why I stayed at your place after leaving Mom and Dad’s, would you mind telling a little white lie?”
“For you, no.” She slings her arm around my shoulders. “For you and Cole, absolutely not. I love seeing the two of you together.”
“Me, too,” I sigh as she shuts the door behind her, and I’m swept inside the love nest that Kameron bought for them. It’s small but perfect for them and the baby. Even though they’ve only been there a little over a week, it feels homey.
Kameron twists on a lamp. “What’s wrong?”
She squeezes me to her side and waves Kameron back into the kitchen. “Just a little girl talk.”
“It’s fine. I don’t care if Kameron knows. We’ll need alibis.”
She drops her arm to her side and frowns. “If you’re together, which I’m taking it that this more than another hook up and walking away, then why the secrecy?”
“Because Connor is going to snap. And we don’t know how this will work long-term. We don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. We live in two different places, which is something that will cause long-term issues. And if we aren’t compatible or we can’t figure out how to navigate the future, it’s not fair to get everyone excited, excluding Connor and the rest of my brothers, and then break up.”
“I understand that. But….” Her eyes glow darker as she thinks better about what she was going to say. “Never mind. I support your decision. Besides, I can’t say anything. We did the same thing so Dad didn’t find out. But it all worked out in the end.”
Kameron joins us, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to his chest. The ease with which they meld into each other sends a momentary slice of jealousy shooting through me.
