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Chloe’s eyes lifted from where she stood in front of her desk. She was writing on a small whiteboard she kept there for her lists. I glanced toward it, noticing she had flowers drawn in one corner with daisies and pink hearts in another. My own heart felt cracked wide open for her, because of course she drew pink hearts and daisies. They were so completely her.
“Hey,” she said, her voice somehow both a little squeaky and breathy. That hum of need rose and became louder. She capped the marker and set it on the tray at the bottom of the whiteboard.
“I like your list,” I said.
She glanced over, her cheeks turning a little pink when she looked back at me. “You like my list?”
“Yes, I do. It’s very you.”
She rolled her eyes, pressing her lips together as if fighting a smile. “You are very organized, Chloe. Efficient, list maker. All those things.”
“It’s just a list, Lincoln.” She rested her hips against her desk and crossed her arms. For me, that was an invitation. I pushed off the doorframe, taking several strides into her office to stop in front of her. I reached for one of her hands, and she didn’t resist as I unfolded her arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked, with the tiniest hint of laughter lacing her words.
“Kissing you,” I murmured, as I bent low and dusted my lips across hers. She didn’t even hesitate, her mouth opening for me. The taste of Chloe, the soft give of her plush lips underneath mine, the way she always tasted a little sweet. I knew she kept candy in a jar on her desk because I’d stolen from it many a time myself. Even better was the way her tongue glided against mine in a tease. She let out this soft sound against my mouth, and I lifted a hand to palm her cheek, just as a voice punctured the haze of need.
“Well, well, well.”
Asher. Of course it was Asher. We broke apart abruptly.
Chloe’s eyes went wide as she yelped, “Asher!”
I turned around to face him, shifting to stand beside her and keeping her hand in mine. “You know, it would be great if you kept this quiet.”
Asher glanced between us. All of my brothers were good guys, but I also knew he was in a nearly impossible situation. Secrets were hard to keep in a family as tight as ours. Undercurrents between us could feel like riptides sometimes. He opened his mouth to say something when Cole and Grady appeared, and now there were three of them crowding the doorway.
Grady’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh,” he offered, while a knowing smile unfurled across Cole’s face.
I slid a glance at Chloe. Her cheeks were bordering on actual red now. “Um…” She let out a sigh.
“I was about to say I would stay quiet,” Asher offered.
Taking a breath, I looked toward Chloe fully. “Tell me what you want me to say.”
“It’s okay.”
“What’s okay?” I asked.
“Just be honest,” she replied.
“I like Chloe. A lot, a lot,” I said flatly, glancing toward my brothers.
Cole let out a sigh with his smile. “I knew something was up.”
“You did?” Chloe squeaked.
He thumbed toward me. “Of course. I know my brother well.”
“I knew something was up too,” Asher added.
Chloe looked almost dismayed. “Is it that obvious?”
“You’re not obvious,” Asher offered, his gaze warm. “Lincoln’s obvious.”
“Exactly,” Grady chimed in.
I looked amongst my brothers. “So there, it’s not a secret anymore.”
