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“Sounds nice.”
“If nice means getting the crap beat out of me on the rink, the field, and any other place they can find me, then sure.”
“Really?”
I laughed. “It’s not that bad.” Lies. My brothers were hell on earth. I loved them to death and would die for them—even probably kill for them—but they were not easy to live with.
“I’m not even sure where my mom is right now. She checks in every few weeks so I know she’s alive. Last check in, she was in Bali.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. My mother’s last name should be wanderlust. She loves to travel. Doesn’t have a plan, just a stamp in her passport for every port, country, and map dot she can find out there in the world.”
“And you didn’t want to travel with her?”
She shook her head. “I’d had enough of that as a kid. I never knew which school I’d be transferring to. We zigzagged all over the US before I was eighteen. Once she was legally free of me, she was gone. I’ve pretty much been on my own ever since.” She stood and took our bowls.
I hooked my arm around her waist. “Hey. Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” She wiggled away. “Cleaning up is what I do.”
I followed her into
the kitchen. “Not here you don’t.”
She went to the sink and turned on the faucet. “You cooked, I clean. That’s the rules.”
“Who’s rules?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Always the rules.”
I turned off the water and drew her over to me. “They’ll keep.”
“I can’t leave dishes.”
I lowered my mouth to hers. “You can, and you will.”
She tried to brush me aside. “It’ll just take…”
I twirled her out to make her laugh.
“Murphy…”
“Veronica.” I drew her in closer then bent down enough to toss her over my shoulder. “I have other plans.”
She squeaked and hung her arms down my back. “You’re a closet caveman.”
“Not so closet.” I strode down the hall to my room. “I told you I have plans for you.”
She smacked my ass.
“Is that mosquito bite supposed to hurt?” I lowered her to the floor in front of the fire, then gently eased her onto the chaise.
She flipped her hair out of her face. “Animal.”
But I could tell she wasn’t mad. From the state of her nipples, I’d say she liked it. Before I could talk myself out of it, or backtrack and play it safe, I flipped her borrowed shirt off and crowded her farther back onto the huge chair.
“I’ll show you what kind of animal I can really be.” I inched down a little and dragged my scruffy chin down her skin. It pinked up in the golden light, but she arched into my touch. I didn’t want her to ever think she had to be alone again.
