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“Science and sex, baby. Can’t beat the combo. If only we’d known all the possibilities in high school.”
“Hormonal teens doing fireplay. I’m sure nothing would have gone wrong with that.”
“Fortunately, teenage boys are pretty single-minded.” He smiled. “Getting a girl out of her clothes somewhere semi-private is about as complicated as sex gets for most of us.”
She stroked the warm flesh and chest hair above the scooped neckline of his tank, then paused, her fingers curling. “Is it okay for me to touch you?”
“As in, do you need my permission?”
She met his gaze. “Yes.”
“Not right now. You’ll know when you do. Or I’ll tell you.”
She stroked his upper pectoral, his collar bones. Rested the pad of her thumb in the valley between them, feeling the echo of his heart beat there.
“Were you ever concerned about the ‘little sister of my best friend’ thing?”
“No, not really. I did have to consider the possibility of being beaten to a pulp by two protective brothers, or getting speared by the lethal disapproval of a Catholic mother.”
“My brothers could beat you to a pulp?”
“Together, maybe. If they brought a big stick and surprised me.”
She smiled. “I guess I had the better end of the deal. My adolescent fantasies were totally safe, because I thought you were way out of my reach. I’d have died with embarrassment if I’d known you knew how I felt about you.”
“Good thing I didn’t let you know. What were these adolescent fantasies?”
“The usual. Hand holding in the school hallway where everyone could see, kisses against my locker. Right in front of Darcy Childs, a cheerleader with big breasts who liked to call me Flat Stanley. Dying declarations of love. Jumping off bridges for me.”
He grinned. “I’m not afraid of heights, so point me to the bridge. But how could I kiss you and hold your hand? I was in high school when you were in middle school.”
She gave him a patient, pitying look. “Because you were so slavishly devoted to me, you’d come to see me whenever you had a free period. And high school got out earlier than middle school, so you’d come walk me home. Showing everyone I was dating a high school boy.”
“Sorry,” he said gravely. “They didn’t give us classes on the workings of a teenage girl’s mind.”
“It’s a serious oversight in our educational system.”
He stroked her bangs and played with her earring, shifting closer. She lifted her face to him. They stayed that way for a few minutes, just looking into one another’s eyes. Nothing uncomfortable about it. Like on a lazy summer day, swimming in the same creek-fed pond together, hands and feet brushing. Bodies getting closer. Anticipation getting sweeter.
“I talked to Rory and Thomas about us, at the wedding.”
“What?” She snapped out of that reverie and leaned back. “Say again?”
“I knew I was going to make my move soon.” He seemed unfazed by her reaction. “When it got back to them, I didn’t want them thinking I was after something casual or quick. They’re your brothers, and they stand for your dad.”
“They haven’t said a word.”
“Well, there was no telling what way it would go. You might have told me to fuck off. That’s what Rory said you’d probably do.”
“I’m going to steal screws off his sport chair. The wheels will come off and dump him in a ditch next time he works out.”
Brick grinned. “Initially, I was only going to talk to Thomas, since he’s oldest. But soon as I broached the subject, he brought Rory in on it. He said he might be oldest, but Rory runs the family business, so it seemed appropriate I talk to them both.”
Thomas was like that. He thought of all of them when a decision was needed. Regardless…
She eyed him. “It’s kind of antiquated. Getting permission from the male head of the family to court one of the females.”
Brick’s eyes twinkled. “I’m an old-fashioned guy. Plus, I figured they could broach the subject with your mother. When I was a few hours away. Calculated cowardice.”
