“Shit.”
“Get your ass up, hero. We have a house to clean.”
Gavin groaned, his nose to the carpet, right near crumbs that smelled like Doritos. And there, a few of Theo’s favorite cheese puffs. Maybe Landon had a point about cleaning house. Without Landon home, they’d been ignoring his directives to vacuum and pick up. And the toilet? Gross. No question.
“Now,” Landon barked.
Theo whined about a headache and the clothes he had to gather.
Gavin was awake now, needing coffee. “So much for sleeping in on my one weekend off.”
“That’s the spirit!” Landon grinned at him. “Now who wants to dust?”
* * *
Zoe felt nervous. Hanging out with Gavin was one thing. Spending time at a dinner with his brother and his brother’s fiancée was something else. She knew Landon from the gym. He seemed nice enough, if a little overwhelming. Geez, the Donnigans sure did make them good looking. She wondered what Gavin’s parents looked like.
She parked in the driveway of a nice enough house, even if it did look like it had been stamped with the same bland, suburban print the others on the street possessed. This house was blue and had a colorful pot of flowers outside it, pretty much the only thing differentiating it from the neighbors.
“Hi, Leon.” She smiled at the perky bit of lavender amidst a chaotic assortment of clumsily placed flowers. The effect was charming and sweet, a lot like the man who’d planted it, though he’d likely be horrified to be told so.
She knocked. Gavin answered, wearing a half apron over his jeans. Another T-shirt, this one olive green. She was dying to see his wardrobe, to know if he owned anything other than colored cotton. This shirt sported a bold USMC across his broad chest.
Then again, Gavin didn’t need to wear much—if anything at all—to dress up his perfect frame.
“Hey, baby. I mean, Zoe,my good friend,” he said in a louder voice.
She sighed.
“Come on in.”
She knew tonight would be a challenge, especially because she kept vacillating between just getting it over with and accepting they were really dating, and keeping a bit of distance between them to protect herself. But Aubrey would have gone whole hog, so Zoe spontaneously bit the bullet.
She waited until they stood before Landon and a gorgeous brunette, the same woman she’d seen a time or two in class at the gym. She tapped Gavin on the shoulder.
He turned, and she yanked him to her for a kiss that left them both breathless. “There. We’re dating. You have boyfriend status. Now go make my dinner.”
His shock soon turned to a heartwarming smile. “Sure, Lady Hot Pants. My studly muffinette. Dream of my loins. Ye who turns my mind aflutter, my body—”
“For God’s sake, Gavin. Go get her something to drink,” the brunette cut in with a laugh. “Hi, I’m Ava.”
“My fiancée,” Landon added. “Hi, Zoe.”
Ava had a sincere smile and kind eyes. Zoe liked her immediately. “Hi, Landon. Ava, nice to meet you. I’m Zoe.”
They shook hands. “Another woman sucked into the Donnigans because of that self-defense class.” Ava shook her head. “I wonder if Mac knows he’s running an athletic dating service.”
“Yeah, right.” Landon laughed. “Mac is about as tactful as I am. I can just see him trying to play Cupid.”
Zoe agreed. “Nope. Never happen.” Standing in the dining area, she could still see Gavin, who’d gone into the kitchen via the large, spacious pass-through. “So what’s he making?”
“A mess.” Landon frowned. “Don’t let him fool you. He is not, in any way, shape, or form, able to prepare food. He can barely slap together a PB&J. Ava’s cooking us noodles out of squash with some Asian stir-fry. But don’t let the squash throw you. It’s good.” Landon moved to nudge Gavin from the kitchen, where she could see he’d been chopping vegetables for a dip.
They argued about how to cut the carrots and how long to make them, big brother trying to boss the younger one.
“For the record, I like squash,” Zoe felt the need to say. “Thanks for having me over.”
The argument grew a little heated until Landon shoved Gavin out of the kitchen.
