No, he wouldn’t, but the principle’s the same. If our business rivals discovered Mulholland’s squeaky clean daughter hooked up with a member of a biker gang for a dirty weekend, I don’t think Dad would ever forgive me.
It appears my good sense is still MIA because not only do I not care what my dad might think about it, there’s no way I’m leaving when I can spend another night with Zach.
This secret world, where I can do and say whatever I like, is so much more fun than my real one.
My sister isn’t going to believe a word of this when I tell her.
I’m still smirking when I enter the kitchen. It drops off my face pretty fast when a dark-haired girl, wearing tiny denim shorts and a tight-fitting crop top and sitting on the counter, gives me a withering glare.
“Uh, hi.” I offer her what I hope is a friendly smile, since this must be Zach’s younger sister. For some reason I’d imagined her to be a teenager, but she doesn’t look that much younger than me. I hope she didn’t notice me staring at the 3D butterfly tattoo on her collarbone. One wing is raised and there’s a shadow beneath. It’s a work of art, just like Zach’s bald eagle. “You must be Kat.”I hope you’re Kat…
She gives me a deliberate once over, from the top of my head to the new shoes I bought to go with the outfit. The curl of her lip suggests she doesn’t think much of any of it, let alone me.
“Must I?” She flicks her gaze from me as though it’s too much effort to engage, then picks up a half-full bottle of beer and takes a long swallow before deigning to look my way again. “You leaving now?”
Unlike my sister, I’m not into confrontation, which of course explains why I’ve let my parents dictate my life for the last twenty-five years, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let Kat’s attitude deprive me of a much needed shot of caffeine.
I stroll into the kitchen with more confidence than I actually feel. “No. Zach asked me to stay another night. Is there any coffee?” I can’t see a coffee machine.
She stares at me, the beer bottle an inch from her mouth. “He asked you stay another night?”
She sounds shocked, as though he rarely has women stay over. It shouldn’t make any difference, but a thrill still races through me at the possibility he doesn’t bring every woman he hooks up with back here.
Get a grip, Grace. This is nothing but a one-night stand times two.
“He offered to take a look at my car. It broke down,” I add, since I feel an explanation is necessary, and Kat looks as though I’ve just spouted ancient Greek. “That’s why he suggested I stay over last night.”
Her eyebrows rise in clear disbelief. “My brother doesn’t take in charity cases unless there’s something in it for him.”
“Oh, there was definitely something in it for him.” I smile sweetly, even while I can’t quite believe the words that just fell out of my mouth. At least that thaws some of Kat’s ice, as she gives a littlehuhof laughter before hopping down from the counter and sauntering over to me.
“Zach told me to be nice to you.” She hooks her thumbs into the pockets of her shorts. “D’you know how often he’s said that to me about girls he sleeps with?”
Is this a trick question? “I’ve no idea.”
“Never.” She gives me a challenging look. “What’s so special about you, then?”
His request for his sister to be nice to me takes on a whole new level of meaning. It’s hard keeping the smile off my face, but I have the feeling Kat’s testing me. No idea why she’d even want to, since it’s obvious Zach can take care of himself, but on the other hand, it’s sort of sweet.
I think they’d both kill me if I said that, so I shrug as if her question hasn’t just made my imagination go into hyperdrive.
“Guess you’d need to ask him that.”
“No, thanks. I don’t want his explanation of what makes a pussy so irresistible to him.”
From anyone else her comment would sound like an insult, but I have the strangest conviction she doesn’t mean it to be taken as one.
“No, that would be gross.” I might talk sex with my sister, but I can’t see myself doing that if I had a brother. “You never know. Maybe he just wants more of my fascinating conversation.”
Kat grins, and finally appears completely genuine. “That would be a no. Just a friendly heads-up, but my brother doesn’t haveconversationswith chicks. In case you’re hoping for anything more than a mindless screw.”
Okay, I haveneverhad a conversation like this with anyone. My head’s telling me to get out of there, but for some reason I don’t want her thinking I’m entirely clueless when it comes to what Zach does and doesn’t want.
“I’m not hoping for anything.” I keep my voice light, but I’m a little annoyed. Sure, there’s nothing but sex between Zach and me, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t also have scintillating conversations if we wanted to.
That we haven’t is neither here nor there, and it’s certainly none of Kat’s business.
“Cool.” She looks as though she’s trying not to laugh. “It’s just, the last time he had a girl stay over, she thought that was an invite to move all her shit in, like she was his old lady or something. It didn’t end well.”
