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So when the doorbell rings sometime in the early afternoon, Karli and I are sent into a panic, racing up the stairs, searching for our clothes and trying to make sure it doesn’t look like we just spent the past twenty-four hours screwing each other all around this house.
But it’s not Felix—or any of the other overprotective Brighton brothers—at the door.
It’s my cousins.
When I swing open the door, Davis, Cash, Jasper and Harry grin at me. “Whoa. What the heck, guys?” I’m still buttoning the fly on my jeans.
“Hello to you, too, honey,” Harry says, giving me a fake air-kiss. Then he strides inside like he has an invitation.
“This is what happens when you don’t show up in Honey Hill when you say you’re going to,” Davis announces, following Harry.
“Yeah, you get us on your doorstep,” Jasper adds, also barging in. “And button your shirt properly, would ya? How old are you? Five?”
“Shit.”
I’m busy re-buttoning my mis-buttoned shirt when Cash strolls across the threshold.
“Uh, hello…?” he says, a question in his voice. But he’s not looking at me. His attention is focused on something behind me.
Karli.
She’s padding down the stairs, dressed in faded jeans and an adorably sexy sleeveless shirt-thing with buttons down the front. It’s sort of weird seeing her in clothes. I mean, after all the naked time we’ve spent together this weekend. But this outfit brings out the brilliant blue in her eyes so I’ll give it a pass.
Shoulders high, smile bright, she nudges me out of the way, confidently stretching her arm out to shake Cash’s hand. “Hi!” Before I can say anything, she’s shaking hands with my other dumbass cousins, too.
When all eyes swing to me, I scratch the back of my neck. “Uh, this is—”
“Your reason for not coming to Honey Hill,” Jasper says out the side of his mouth.
I shoot him a look. “This isKarli. Karli, these are my codependent cousins.”
Introductions are made as we stand around the living room. I don’t miss the way my cousins eyeball all the Karli Day decorations that are still hanging from the walls. The guys share a look with each other.
“Karli, we were going to drag Mason out for an early drink,” Davis announces. “Join us?”
“Oh, uh, thank you for the invitation. But you boys go on ahead.” Then she turns to me. “I’m going to go see Layla this afternoon. She called me a million times yesterday and I didn’t get back to her. I want to make sure she and Sky are doing alright.”
I nod. “Okay. Tell them ‘hi’ for me?”
She smiles. “Yeah.”
We both stand there, staring at each other. I’m debating whether I could get away with stealing a kiss from her right now. From the way her eyes linger on my lips, I’m guessing she’s having the same internal battle as I am.
Before either of us can come to a decision, Harry snaps. “Can you just go ahead and kiss the girl already? We’d like to get out of here.”
I give him a good, swift jab to the ribs before leaning in and covering Karli’s smiling lips with mine. I don’t ever want this kiss to end. But I pull back, trying not to make her uncomfortable in front of these nosy, annoying men she doesn’t know.
The guys drag me toward the door. I steal a fleeting glance back toward Karli. She just smiles discreetly at me then she heads back up the stairs.
We pile into two cars, and I give my cousins directions to Nolan’s bar. I’m a little nervous about the possibility of running into one of Karli’s brothers. People in this town seem intuitive as hell. Will they be able to tell that my roommate and I just spent the weekend bumping pretties, just by looking at me? I sure hope not.
In any case, I want to show my cousins a good time, and the North Node Tavern is my best bet here in Starlight Falls. Lucky for me, Inez is running the bar when we arrive. She tells me that Nolan won’t be in until much later this evening.
When my boys and I are crowded around a corner booth with cold beers, Cash raises an eyebrow at me.I know it’s coming. I know it before the words even leave his mouth.
“So…Karli Day, huh?” Cash questions, already shaking his head.
“Keep your voice down.” My eyes dart around for eavesdroppers.
