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Artie fixes me with one of his looks. “You aren’t just saying that.”
“Stop getting on my nerves. I’m trying.” I scowl. “What is it about this girl anyway?” This question is directed more at myself than Artie. He just shrugs.
“I don’t know. She’s smart, she didn’t call the cops on us when we found her naked.”
Artie’s words conjure unnecessary images in my head, images of Susan in the bathtub, completely naked except for a few bubbles. Her mouthwatering curves beg me to keep my eyes on her, my hands all over her body while I…
I trail off as Artie snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Are you even listening, or are you in one of your zones?”
“I’m listening,” I say.
Just then the lights in the kitchen go out, and so does every other in the house. Susan lets out a shriek.
I put my plate down and bolt out. I just know that I need to get to her. Artie follows me, pulling his phone out of his pocket. The room lights up with its faint silver light.
“You’re fine,” I say, walking up to Susan who looks shaken up. “Power went out, but the generator should kick in anytime soon.”
Just as I say that, the lights come back to life—but not all of them, since the generator can only pull so much. The lights are much dimmer now.
“I’m not used to snowstorms, or mountains in general,” Susan admits.
“Relax, you’re doing fine,” Artie says. “Why don’t we head up to bed where you can turn in for the night.”
Ollie walks up to her other side. He takes one look at her and says, “I have another idea. Why don’t we just chill around here for a while? Sound good?”
Susan nods. Ollie and Artie take a seat on either side of Susan. I wish I were the one sitting next to her, but I can’t blame my brothers. I’m drawn to her like a moth to the flame, and I can tell they are too. This is strange, because I know for a fact that we each have a type, and none of us has ever overlapped.
“What really happened with the Airbnb fiasco? Was it someone trying to prank you?” Susan asks.
“I wish. It would be easier to blame someone else, and even punch that person too,” Ollie says, looking at Artie meaningfully.
“Don’t look at me. I did it so we could have the extra money to get our truck repaired,” Artie says before turning to Susan. “We went on this one-month retreat exploring South America.”
“And Artie had the brilliant idea to rent this place out on Airbnb while we were gone,” I say drily.
“Hey, we made over three thousand dollars in a month,” Artie says. “Nobody was complaining.”
“Really?” Susan says. “If I knew Airbnbs raked in so much money, I would have put my apartment up for rent before I came up here.”
“How many days did you book this place for?” I ask curiously.
“Two weeks,” she says.
“Damn, girl, I thought you didn’t like the mountains.”
“It isn’t that. Something about this place just called to me.” She ducks her head, blushing deeply. I frown. What the hell is that about? “I was hoping to get to a secluded place to get my book done. I’m kind of on a deadline. In fact, I should be working right now.”
“Wait, deadline? Book?” Ollie says.
“I know they sound like made-up words but they’re actual things,” Artie says.
Ollie rolls his eyes. “I know what they mean. I meant to ask—are you a writer?”
“Yeah, I am,” she says, brightening a little. She likes talking about books.
“What kind of books?” I ask before I can stop myself. My brothers are the ones interrogating her, and I thought I would stay out of it. But curiosity gets the better of me. I want to peel through her layers until I find out who she really is.
She blushes again, deeper this time. The tip of her ear turns red. I have the sudden urge to walk up to her and suck on it, giving her some respite.
