Page 61 of Penalty Kick

Spinning around, he found Talia on the couch, lazily coming to despite the rude wake-up. She too was naked, looking just as incredible as she had last night. Every part of him wanted to pull her close and kiss the fuck out of her. Having her in his arms—and on his dick—last night had been beyond words. Easily one of the greatest nights of his life. He had been hoping for a leisurely morning of waking up still tangled in one another before he showed Talia the joys of morning sex, but that would now have to wait for another day.

Unable to resist, he bent down, brushing the hair out of Talia’s face and kissing her.

“Dude, sister! Naked sister!” Liam cried. “Clothes, for the love of Christ, put on clothes!”

Talia rolled her eyes, twisting up off the couch. As she picked up her dress, she managed to grab his briefs, handing them to him. Stealing another kiss, he stepped into them, his movements punctuated by Avery’s nervous laughter.

“Don’t act like you’ve never seen a naked girl before,” Talia snarked, tying her dress.

There is my sassy girl…

“Not the sisterly kind.”

“And what’s Orla?”

“A sister-in-law, and she was my girlfriend first,” Liam defended. The grumpiness on his face deepened at the mention of his ex. Dash couldn’t blame him. If his girlfriend had broken up with him for his brother, only to marry said brother and have his child within months, Dash would have been touchy about the subject too. “And that’s low, bringing her into this.”

“Right, so…good morning!” Avery interjected, stepping farther into the apartment. “We were just stopping by for some coffee.”

“Padre does not have coffee at his place?” Dash asked.

Avery looked up at Liam, waiting for him to answer. The pink tinge to her cheeks confused Dash for a moment, until he remembered he was in his underwear. He needed to find his pants. Both Liam and Avery saw him in briefs all the time, but in this moment, it felt very different. That probably had a lot—if not everything—to do with being discovered naked with Talia on the couch. Normally he wouldn’t have cared about being caught in flagrante. What he did in his own time was his business, as was who he did it with. This was different though.

Talia was different.

A sudden urge to protect her washed over him. From what, he wasn’t really sure. Talia could take care of herself. If there was anyone on this earth who could put the Irish Viking standing across from them now in his place with a few simple words, it was her. He wasn’t joking when he called her his sister—everything about their relationship had sibling written all over it. Hell, Liam had probably known all about Talia’s V-card. He had been the one who told Dash to let her lead and determine how fast they moved. Looking back on it, Dash couldn’t help but wonder if that was what Liam had been trying to tell him.

Now making him wonder if it was his own ass that was about to get kicked.

“I’m out,” Liam answered sharply.

Right…

Silence filled the small living room, the four of them exchanging awkward glances. Dash wanted to say something that would lighten the mood, but the tension was so thick, everything he could come up with seemed like it would deflate instantly.

“This is ridiculous,” Talia said, throwing her hands up. “We’re all adults who know what naked people look like.” Liam opened his mouth to respond, but Talia continued, cutting him off. “Yes, even siblings. I was here when you two broke the bed, remember? Now, Liam, if you want coffee, you know where the pot is. I’m going to put on real clothes.”

“I’ll join you!” Avery replied, scurrying across the room to follow Talia into her room. Already in her sweats, it was clear Avery just wanted in on the gossip, making Dash laugh to himself.

The door to Talia’s room clicked shut, leaving him and Liam to themselves. Resuming his search for his pants, he wished the overnight bag Talia had instructed him to bring was out here and not in her bedroom.

“They’re under the coffee table,” Liam said, pointing to the item in question.

“Gracias.” Reaching underneath, he grabbed his pants, making quick work of putting them back on. His dress shirt was draped over the back of the couch, but that could wait. As soon as he could get into Talia’s room, he was going to change anyway.

“So, since our girls are roommates, I propose a gentleman’s agreement. Common areas are off-limits. All sex happens behind closed doors or back at our own places. Deal?”

“I do not know what a gentleman’s agreement is, Padre, but you have yourself a deal.” Dash laughed, crashing down on the couch. “I do like hearing her called my girl.”

“Considering I walked in here to you two naked together on the couch, the big brother in me is going to just assume.” He followed Dash’s lead, lowering himself into the armchair to Dash’s right. “So, last night…”

“You want a play-by-play?”

“Absolutely not. I just want to make sure that everything is good. Like I told you, she’s—”

“She’s amazing,” Dash cut him off.

Letting out a sigh, Dash threw his head back, closing his eyes and reliving last night. The whole thing had been magical. Being out with her on his arm, dancing the night away. Coming back here and sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Talia had trusted him like no one else ever had. She’d given herself to him in a way only she could, and he could only hope that he’d been able to return that favor. That the night was just as special and memorable to her as it had been to him. There was no doubt that he was in deep with her. She made him feel things he never imagined possible. Feeling her come apart in his arms, on his dick, last night had stirred something in him—something he wasn’t sure he was ready to voice. That word had been on the tip of his tongue last night, but he’d stopped himself.