Adam almost made it out of the apartment before she found him. But unfortunately, the bathroom attached to my room had two doors, and one of them opened into the small alcove with our washer and dryer. Right by the front door.
“Seriously, Adam!” A flash of pink sailed past Adam’s head. “That’srealmature, hiding while your buddy covers for you.”
“Oh, hi, Addie.” Adam waved awkwardly, stepping back from the front door. “I, uh, didn’t realize you were home.”
I covered my face with my palm.
Addie huffed air out of her nose, like a bull pawing at the ground before it charged. “And let me guess. You didn’t realize tossing yourredshirt in with my laundry would turn the entire load pink, either!”
“Um…”
“I. Swear. To. God.” Addie bit out each word like it physically pained her to speak. “I told Mom she was babying you too much. But she just kept taking care of everything for you, and now I’m stuck dealing with the aftermath.”
“Addie, is this about…” He dropped his voice. Barely. “Is it that time of the month?”
I winced as Addie shrieked, the pitch reaching a level that shouldn’t have been audible to the human ear. Leaping off the couch, I hustled into the hallway.
My money was on Adam’s theory being right.
But I wasn’t dumb enough to say that out loud.
As Addie barreled toward her brother with murder in her eyes, I got between them. “Hey, friends. Let’s try and talk this out before resorting to violence, yeah?”
She huffed again, crossing her arms over her chest while my hand kept her at bay. Adam grumbled something aboutwomenfrom behind me, and my eyes rolled skyward.
“Adam, do you have anything you’d like to say to your sister?”
“Yeah,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “Addie, I’msorryyou’re on the rag.”
“You—!”
“—And that you’re being unreasonable.”
With lightning quick speed, Addie launched herself at her brother. She flew into me, reaching for him as I hooked my armaround her waist and held her back. Her arms clawed at him over my shoulder, and a stream of unintelligible curses spewed from her lips.
Securing her in my grip, I lifted her onto my shoulder and carried her back a step. Her rage shifted from Adam to me, and she beat her tiny fists against my back.
“Put me down, Blake!”
I set her down.
She puffed wildly and moved to rush past me, as if I hadn’t come to college on a football scholarship. Feinting left, I jumped in front of her before she could get by, as her forward rush forced me back a step.
My arms extended, keeping her and Adam apart and freezing her in place. I shot Adam a look that said, “Keep your fucking mouth shut”before turning back to Addie.
Her furious gaze met mine, fire burning within the ocean blue.
And her chest heaved against my outstretched palm.
Which, until that second, I hadn’t realized I’d placed right over her breasts.
Addie’s eyes flicked down to my hand. It rested over her heart, and the beat beneath my palm kicked up into a rapid rhythm as she held her next breath.
Her nipples hardened under the thin cotton of her shirt.
And whatever argument for reason I’d been about to make escaped me as all the blood from my brain drained south.
My hand skittered down the tiniest fraction before I hastily jerked it back up. I clamped my hand onto her shoulder to keep myself from doing something incredibly stupid, but the urge to skate my fingers lower gripped me like a vise.
