His latter sentence was said with a cheeky wink in my direction, and I elbowed him in the side.
A huge, meaty smile appeared on Reed and Micah’s faces as they exchanged a knowing look, and I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
“Oh yeah, the gym. You said you wanted to bang the fuck out of something. Take the edge off after finding out about your dear old dad.”
I rolled my eyes and placed my rucksack on the side, pretending not to be bothered by his double entendre. “Sounds like you’ll be doing that tonight anyway.” FFS, kill me, kill me now.
“Bro, that’s our sister,” Micah scowled, punching his brother on the arm.
“Whatever.”
“Get your head out of the gutter.”
“I can’t. I’m a man,” Reed chuckled.
“Just keep it down, you two, I don’t wanna hearanything?” Micah grunted as he set off towards the den. “Come on, Reed. It’s time to kick your ass on Rocket League. We can turn the volume up,loud.” OMG, I was so embarrassed.
Phoenix noticed my unease. “Ignore them, baby girl. This,” he began, motioning back and forth between us with one hand, “is none of their business.”
I nodded and attempted to smile.
“Come on,” he said, tugging me towards the stairs. At the top, Nix stopped and turned to me. “My place or yours?” he said with a grin, hooking his chin in the direction of our bedrooms.
Pursing my lips, I made my choice. “Yours. Your bed is comfier.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And how would you know that?”
Shrugging, I pulled my hand free from his and started to walk down the corridor. The nervous knots in my belly needed to do one. I was more than ready for this, so why was I suddenly feeling scared?
When I got to his room, I turned and looked over my shoulder. “I may have snoozed there occasionally when you were away from home.” I then let myselfin and turned on the light. The dimmer switch was already set quite low. Phoenix didn’t like bright lights, even sunshine. I remember joking with our brothers that Nix could have been part vampire.
As the door clicked closed, I took in that permanent masculine smell of his room as I heard him moving behind me.
Dropping my bag and shoes, I took a deep breath as I glanced at the bed. The reality of the situation shot into me like a bullet. I was going to have sex for the first time.
Swallowing nervously, I heard Nix opening a drawer, and then the chink of glasses hit the sideboard. The sound of liquid sloshing into a crystal tumbler told me he was preparing a private nightcap. Nix always had a bottle stashed somewhere in his room, and at that moment, I welcomed the thought of a drink. I’d only had a rum and Coke and a beer at the beach; I’d been too worried about Phoenix.
I jumped slightly as his nose touched the cuff of my ear. “Easy, baby girl, you’re shaking.”
“I’m just nervous.”
“Don’t be,” he chuckled, his whisky-tinted breath caressing the side of my face. “Here. Drink. It will calm your nerves.” Nix moved away, and I turned to face him as he held out a glass half full of amber liquid. “Are you getting cold feet?” He asked, watching me over the rim of his glass.
“No, it’s just, after everything that’s happened tonight. Maybe you just want to talk or something?” I was babbling now, as my emotions started to run riot. Where the hell had my backbone gone?
He took another sip of his own whiskey and quirked me a look, “Believe me, Harper. Talking is thelastthing I want. But we don’t need to do this—if you’re not ready.”
“No, I’m ready,” I blurted out too quickly to be cool. He probably thought me a proper prude.
Get your sexy on, you absolute loser!My conscience cooed.
“I know you are, otherwise you wouldn’t be in here. Now drink up like a good little girl.”
I had never been able to resist Nix when he got bossy. I lifted the glass and swallowed the measure in one gulp.
Nix was amused at my need for Dutch courage and raised an eyebrow. “Easy, that’s a ten-year-old malt you’ve just chugged,” he chuckled, taking the empty glass from my tight fingers and placing it on the side.
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, being suggestive on purpose. “And it’s delicious.”
