“Thank you.” Elise glanced around at the room, then at the two of them. “Are you sure it’s not an inconvenience?”
“Not at all,” Brenna said lightly, moving to his desk and leaning over his shoulder to turn off the power to his monitor. “Grant was just going to bed anyhow, weren’t you, boo?”
Boo? The f**k? But as she’d leaned over, her breast had brushed his shoulder, and he’d forgotten everything but his ever-stiffening hard-on. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “We’re off to bed.”
His sister sat down on the edge of the couch. “What time should I be up in the morning?”
“I’ll come wake you up,” Brenna volunteered.
Elise glanced at the front door. “Do we need to lock it?”
“Nah,” Brenna said, running a hand along Grant’s shoulders that was making him crazy with lust. It was an easy, casual motion of possession, but it was also driving him mad. He hadn’t had sex in five years and he hadn’t noticed the lack until now. Before today, any sexual thoughts had been mixed up with memories of Heather—and most of those memories weren’t pleasant. But today? He could think of nothing but Brenna and her lithe body and enticing smile. “No one will be by first thing in the morning except one of us or Pop. It’s no big deal.”
“We should go,” Grant said to Brenna before his dick got any stiffer. “Elise needs to sleep.”
“Night, Elise,” Brenna said. “See you in the morning.”
Grant smiled awkwardly at his sister and then grabbed Brenna’s arm, dragging her in front of him as they headed toward the back exit of the lodge. His rising erection would be hidden if they left that way, which was good.
As soon as they got outside, Brenna yawned and clung to his arm, resting her cheek there as they headed the hundred feet or so back to his cabin. Grant’s was the largest of the five cabins, and the most elaborate. The others were cabins, but his was a home, and he had it wired with all the fixings, including motion lights. One clicked on as they went up the path, illuminating them as they walked. If Elise were to look outside, she’d see the two of them snuggled close together, heading for his cabin. Like a regular couple.
He pushed the door open and put a hand to the small of Brenna’s back, guiding her inside. When the door was shut behind them, he leaned on it, exhaling deeply. It felt like he’d just walked off stage. He was tenser than he realized with this relationship charade. Jesus. Weeks of this pretending was going to wreck him.
Once inside, Brenna immediately slipped her high heels off and padded around his living room in bare feet. She glanced around the cabin, as if seeing it for the first time. Maybe it was the first time she’d seen it; he’d certainly never invited her in before tonight. He tried to see it through her eyes. The main wall of the living room was an enormous panel of windows that looked out into the heavy trees. Across from that was his big fireplace, and a few well-chosen couches added to the homey cabin decor. His kitchen was state of the art, and the loft upstairs was his bedroom and bathroom. He’d paid a decorator to kit out the place in artful decor, since he wasn’t good at that sort of thing. Whimsical forest paintings decorated the walls, and the tables and counters were covered with matching knickknacks to evoke the woodland feel.
“You sure do like, um, stuff.”
That didn’t exactly sound complimentary. “You don’t approve?”
“How can I not?” She looked over at him and gave him a wicked smile. “My cabin’s kind of shitty compared to yours.”
“I’m the boss,” he said easily. “You’re the employee.”
He could have kicked himself for saying something so ballsy and rude, but she only laughed and turned back around again, then moved to the ladder of the loft, going upstairs. He watched her pert, rounded bottom flexing as she moved up the ladder, and then he frowned and followed her up. “Brenna? Where are you going?”
She smiled at him from over her shoulder and then kept moving toward his bed. “Checking out the digs for tonight.”
“Tonight?” He followed her up the ladder, puzzled by her comment. What exactly did she mean, tonight?
“I gave your sister my blanket and pillow. We’re going to have to bunk together.”
Grant stared at her in shock. “You what?”
“We have to make this look good anyhow, right?” Brenna pressed a hand on the edge of his mattress, testing it, and then flopped down on the corner with a grin. “I gave your sister my blanket and pillow. It’s going to be cold tonight, so I thought I’d bunk in here, with you. That okay?”
What was he supposed to say to that? Her bunking with him would mean he’d have a hard-on the entire night. But he couldn’t exactly kick her out, either. So all he said was, “Why don’t we have more blankets?”
“Because we’re a survival school? Duh. Besides, the other guys raided our stash when Beth Ann and Miranda moved in, and Pop took the last ones. I’ve been meaning to get some more but . . .” She shrugged. “I forgot.”
Brenna pretty much forgot everything that wasn’t tattooed on her forehead. He gave her a frustrated look. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Her playful expression turned wounded. “I don’t snore, Grant. I’m a very good roomie. Now come and unzip me.” She jumped up and turned around, presenting him with her back. When he didn’t get up right away, she bounced in place. “Come on.”
Was this another one of Brenna’s torments? Had she guessed at his erection and decided it was time to antagonize him a bit more? She did love to harass and annoy him. This could definitely qualify as torture. Cruel, sweet, sadistic torture.
He moved forward and grasped the tab of her zipper and then paused. Did he want to do this?
She wiggled again, prompting him.
And he was suddenly stricken with the desire to see her unclothed. It was odd to think of Brenna in that way, but he wanted to see what she looked like without the dress, without all the shapeless, cast-off clothing she normally dressed in. So he unzipped her.
And sucked in a breath when the dress fell to the floor.
The panties she wore were a mere white scrap of lace between her firm, rounded bu**ocks. Over her left buttock, a trail of stars curved around her hip. On the right hip, it was a trail of small red hearts. More tattoos to match the bluebirds on her shoulders.