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Quinn rolls his eyes. “That’s not the kind of talking I meant.”
Erik nudges me. “He means the not-talking, lots-of-action kind of talking.” I sigh and frown, even though it will give me wrinkles. “He’s my client, Quinn. At least for the next four weeks. Plus, wouldn’t that be uncomfortable for everyone? He’s Tadhg’s brother.” I really, really don’t want it to be an issue, but I might as well know now if it is.
Quinn looks genuinely confused. “Uncomfortable for who? Tadhg? He thinks the two of you are hilarious and suggested locking you in his old bedroom so you can fuck for real, rather than putting all of us through the eye-fucking the two of you are doing.”
I’m shocked at how blasé they are about it but also relieved. I chew on my lower lip and glance at Blake before turning to Quinn and Erik. “And you two would be okay with it? I’m not sure how old he is, but he’s definitely older than we are.”
Erik shrugs. “It’s important to me that you find someone who respects you, treats you well, and loves you for exactly who you are. I don’t care how old they are.”
Quinn grins. “They should alsonotbe a serial killer. Or a sociopath.”
“True.” Erik points at him for emphasis. “No dating killers or sociopaths.”
“You two are jerks, and I love you.” I throw myself at Erik and squeeze the stuffing out of him, then make sure Quinn suffers the same fate.
“How do I get in on the hugging?”
I turn around and grab my brother and hug him just as tightly. “You ask. That’s all it takes.”
He lets out a tiny squeak, and I release him. “So, what are we hugging about?”
“Stef wants to get into Blake’s swim trunks, and we said we have no problem with that.” Erik’s grin is little-brother worthy and I shove him playfully.
Quinn holds up a hand. “As long as it’s not in front of us.”
I nudge him and roll my eyes. “Really?”
Jules’ eyes widen. “He’s handsome. And he’s been incredibly nice to me. I like him.”
“Do you?” There is no quicker way to my heart than being kind to my brother. And if Jules likes him, there is no higher endorsement. I’m now absolutely certain I’ve moved past attraction into tremendously deep, romanticlikewith Blake McCarthy.
“Yeah. He didn’t push me to talk, but he also didn’t ignore me. And he said if I wanted to go inside at any point to decompress, I could make myself at home. Astrid says he’s incredibly smart but remarkably down-to-earth. You should go for it.” He peeks around me at the pool and grins mischievously. “Though it’s not actually a gamble. He’s been staring at your ass for the last half hour. He almost ran into the pool wall when he was gawking.”
I turn around and catch Blake staring. He gives me a sheepish grin, and I laugh and wink at him. “You okay?”
He nods and grabs the side of the pool, hauling himself onto the patio with one smooth motion, and my eyes practically pop out of my head. At some point, he changed out of swim trunks and put on swim briefs. How did I not notice that? They leave nothing to the imagination, and holy freaking crap, he’s in great shape. And furry. And walking our way. “Yeah, I was a little distracted.” He glances down at my butt, then up at my face, grinning and not even bothering to hide it. I suppose fair is fair. He glances around our small group. “Hey guys. I’m getting ready to start the grill. I hope you’re hungry.”
Erik pats his stomach. “Starving. Need any help?”
“No, but thanks. Just enjoy yourselves.” He turns to me. “Hey, have a sec? I’d love to introduce you to Astrid and Gary.” There must be a strange expression on my face because he pauses, then laughs. “Wait. I keep forgetting how everyone here fits together.” He turns to me. “So you already know them.”
“I do, but I’m not opposed to saying hello. Then I can help you get stuff ready to grill.”
I slip my hand into his, and he blinks, a slow smile curling his lips as he gently squeezes my fingers. “Okay.”
And that’s it. No fanfare, no big, dramatic scene. Just a grown-up, mutual acceptance that we’re into each other and don’t want to fight the attraction anymore. Because gods, I’m worn out from trying. I wave to my friends and follow Blake to the hot tub. “Be back in a bit!”
As we approach Gary and Astrid, her eyes drop to our clasped hands, then to Blake’s face. Her grin is mischievous, and I know she’s waiting for the right moment to say something, when it will make him the most flustered. “Hey boss man. I didn’t know you knew Stef.” She winks at me. “Hi, sweets. How are you?”
“Sassy but still classy. You look fantastic. Love the suit!” I gesture to the peach colored sporty triangle top of her bikini, which makes her tan skin glow and accentuates her muscular but curvy figure. “It’s amazing on you.”
She flutters her eyelashes and puts a hand to her chest. “Why, thank you. Have I mentioned how much I love having you around?” Since Erik moved back to Seattle, I’ve had the chance to really reconnect with him. And I’ve gotten to know his siblings all over again. Especially Astrid. She and Erik are close, and I love hanging out with her.
“Hey, Stef. How’s it going?” Gary interrupts our banter, knowing it would only devolve into a mutual one-upmanship of compliments. He’s had firsthand experience with us before.
“Hi, Gary. Good to see you out of the writing cave.”
He laughs. “Yeah, every once in a while, I brave the sun to get some natural vitamin D.”
