I glanced down at my letters.Q, O, U, T, A, E, N.
Perfect.
I slidQUOTENneatly across the board, connecting to Julian’sQUIZ.
Rupert blinked. ‘That’s not a word.’
‘It is,’ I said, preening. ‘It’s Scottish. Means “to reckon” or “to think.”’ I paused. ‘It’s actually no surprise you don’t know the meaning.’
He rolled his eyes at my quip. ‘You can’t keep using Scottish words just because you binge-watchedOutlander,’ he complained.
‘I can and I will.’
Julian counted my score, then groaned. ‘That’s thirty-eight points. I hate you.’
‘You love me,’ I corrected.
‘Only in a familial, unavoidable way,’ he grumped.
Mum cleared her throat. ‘Speaking of unavoidable family matters,’ she began. ‘Christmas is in four months, and it’s never too early to plan. I want you all to come here this year, other halves too,’ she said pointedly, smiling at Robbie.
‘I’d love to come,’ Robbie said easily.
‘That’s what she said!’ Rupe laughed, shoving Julian with his arm. ‘Am I right?’
‘Dude, don’t say that. He’s dating our sister.’
Rupe’s grin turned sickly. ‘Solid point.’
‘Christmas dinner,’ Mum repeated loudly. ‘Here. Put it in all of your diaries now. Murder is the only reason I’ll accept for a non-attendance,’ she said, looking pointedly at me.
I expected it to feel weird that Mum was making plans on my behalf with Robbie, but the truth was, I couldn’t imagine Christmas without him, an indulgent smile on his face as he watched us all bicker like we were twelve.
I leaned against him and smiled as he wrapped an arm around me. Planning a future with Robbie just felt … right.
I might not have said the words yet, didn’t even want to solidify them in my head, yet Ifeltthem. And I was done denying it.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Walk me up?’ I asked as Robbie eased his car to a stop outside my flat. The engine purred low before he switched it off, the sudden quiet filling the small space between us. Streetlights painted his ridiculously handsome jawline in gold and shadow, and for a second, I forgot to breathe. He was divine. What on earth was he doing with me?
He turned to me, silver eyes gleaming with mischief. ‘Of course I’ll walk you up Stacy, but the question is … do you want a sleepover?’
The teasing lilt in his voice sent a rush of warmth up my neck. My fingers toyed with the seatbelt before I found the courage to meet his gaze. ‘Well, if I said yes, would you like to stay?’
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his hand found mine, rough palm against my skin, his thumb tracing a slow, deliberate path across my knuckles. ‘I would,’ he said, his voice a low rumble that settled somewhere deep in my chest.
‘Then stay.’ I pushed open the car door and smirked back at him wickedly. ‘And come.’
Robbie’s mouth curved up; promise and hunger rolled into one sultry expression that made my pulse jump. He rounded the car, grabbed a duffel bag from the boot, and fell into step beside me as we climbed the stairs. The air between us hummed with tension, the kind that could spark into something else. My God, I really wanted it to spark into something else. I remembered all too well the feeling of his fingers on my skin, and I found myself craving it again.
‘That’s encouraging,’ he murmured, close enough that his breath brushed the back of my neck. ‘I have things I want to do with you.’
My keys slipped slightly in my fingers, betraying the flutter in my chest. I turned, half a step higher on the landing, meeting his gaze head-on. ‘Oh?’ I asked, the word coming out breathier than I’d intended and threaded with something perilously close to anticipation.
His smile deepened, slow and dangerous. ‘Oh, yes.’
The lock clicked open, and I stumbled in with zero femme-fatale energy. All my poise and decorum were gone. All that remained was an urgent need.
