Meanwhile, he lies there like a Greek god with his one leg bent at an angle, looking delicious and eatable. Is that a word? It is now.
“The girls left clothes for you at the front door.” He doesn’t even move as he devours me with his eyes.
“Of course they did.” I spin in my toga dress and reach for the coffeemaker. “So what should I do about Christian?”
“What’s he good at?” He sighs with resignation.
“I’m not asking you to get him a job,” I point out, setting the machine to brew as I pad toward the front door and the pile of clothes.
“Not everyone is as flamboyant as Robin.”
“True. Christian is an acquired taste.”
“Exactly, which means he will need placement here if he’s going to stick around.”
I drop the blanket and pull on a pair of my jeans, enjoying Arlo’s groan. They even brought me a bra. How thoughtful of them. I stuff my girls inside and spin to face Arlo, trying to get my arms in my favorite sweater.
“Let me see what he’s thinking first,” I hedge. I don’t want him here exactly, but for Lark’s sake, I’ll help him.
As long as he doesn’t hurt her.
Arlo reads me like a book. He stands and walks over to engulf me in his arms, hugging me tight. “I won’t allow anything to happen to Lark,” he whispers, “except freezing, because she’s helping me set up the lights today.”
“Ah, the December first lighting ceremony.”
“We have two days, only two days. Don’t think I didn’t notice that the library is devoid of all lights. Luckily for you, I planned to help the next two days.” He walks his bare butt over to a chest of drawers, where he pulls on a pair of gray sweats.
I swear my brain short-circuits.
Flat line.
No longer can function.
“You’re drooling a bit.” He hops into them. It’s like my own personal show, and I want to hit repeat until I die.
“Do it again,” I whisper, my eyes glued to a certain aspect of him that left me all achy and delicious. All I can hear in my head ismore.
I glance away, fanning myself as he chuckles at me. “You better get going.”
I can’t even form a coherent question or remember what we were talking about. “What?” I don’t even think the word comes out properly, and it sounds more like a jumbled groan.
“Christian is on his way to Dee-Dee’s.” He kisses my forehead and spins me before smacking me on my bottom and pointing at my boots.
“What? How?”
“I told you I have three very meddling sisters and one overlord we call Mother.” He laughs at my sharp inhale. “I warned you.”
“You did no such thing.” I tug on my boots, trying to recall that first conversation, but I think it was mostly just us arguing.
“Crazy siblings.”
“I think you only warned me about your twin, and that wasn’t even real, and Sera?” My curls slap my face as I shake my head. “I don’t see her as meddling.”
He pauses, staring at me as though I’m the crazy one before he guffaws like a braying donkey. Wiping tears from his eyes, he sputters, “Oh, I needed that.”
“I’m going to need more than laughter.” I tug on my coat that I know I forgot last night, and I hope they left these things downstairs and not in here where they would have seen a very naked Arlo and me.
“Oh, you’ll find out. Sera is the mastermind. She’s quiet and doesn’t look suspicious.” He wags a finger at me before flopping back on the bed. “Bring me back pancakes.”
