“Invited me? Is that how you see it?” I challenged.
When Seth had asked me to come with him tonight, he’d been so super sweet it was impossible to say no. Not that I really wanted to anyway. He’d been busy drying his hair off with a towel when his phone rang on his shirt. When he’d bent down to pick it up, I had to rub my thighs together to try and ease the ache. It’d been hard enough keeping my hormones in check watching him trying to surf, seeing him trail his towel across his shoulders and down his abs was pure torture. Beautiful, unrelenting, torture.
Then when he stuttered, stumbling over his words, I knew I was agreeing with whatever he asked.
“I know you probably had plans for dinner already…” he began, slinging his towel over his shoulder. “But…”
“But you’ve gotta cancel?” I’d cut him off. Seeing the way my words affected him made me feel like shit.
“I don’t want to. And I’m hoping you’ll come with me so I don’t have to. I’m just wondering how set in concrete your plans are?”
Feeling like I had to give him something, I confessed quickly. “Plans are one hundred percent flexible. I was going to suggest fish and chips.”
“So, you wouldn’t mind coming with me to my brother’s instead?”
“Wait! What?”
“Bryce rang. Something’s up. I have to go to his place, and I want you to come with me.” Seth shrugged like it was no big deal. It was a big deal. A huge fucking deal actually.
“What! No! I can’t go to your brother’s house.”
“Please, Claire. Come with me. I don’t wanna cancel again.”
“It’s fine. We can just reschedule.”
“Or…you could come with me?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” I confirmed already knowing the answer. The look on his face said it all.
“You ready for this?” Seth asked, turning into the driveway of an incredible house and bringing me back into the moment.
“No,” I answered softly.
“You’ll be fine. Bryce is an arse, but Emma’s cool.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t necessarily believe him, it was more that I was nervous. I barely knew anything about Seth yet, something I was more and more interested in learning and here I was, about to meet his brother. I didn’t think I was ready for this. Fuck! I knew I wasn’t ready for this.
“Let’s go and get this over with. Maybe we can get out of here quickly and go find some ice cream.”
It was like Seth said the magic word. Ice cream. My biggest vice and worst craving and he’d unwittingly woken the beast. Now all I’d be thinking about for the rest of the night was getting a scoop of my favourite vanilla macadamia ice cream in a waffle cone. If I vagued out, it was all Seth’s fault, and I wasn’t even sorry.
Sliding out of Seth’s car, I tugged down my dress again only to look up to find Seth eye-fucking me. At least I think he was. I was quickly developing a love-hate relationship with his aviators. From the way he was licking his lips I thought he was checking out my legs, but I couldn’t see his eyes.
Without a word, he reached down, tangled his fingers with mine, and led me up the stairs. He didn’t even knock, instead he just pushed through the front door, calling out as we stepped inside the mayhem.
Entering the beautiful home, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Seth had told me his brother was a football player, not that I needed to be told. I knew exactly who Bryce Masters was and what he looked like. I wasn’t religious, but I’d worshiped at the altar of AFL more than once, and Bryce Masters was a key figure. He was one of Sydney’s poster boys for the sport, and as we rounded the corner I came face to face with the other. Hunter Mitchell was hot. There was no other way to describe him. Tall, lean, and with a beautiful baby, sound asleep against his chest. My ovaries exploded. If it was possible to get pregnant just by seeing something, then I was knocked up with triplets.
“We’re here!” Seth announced.
“Shhh!” Bryce said, narrowing his eyes at his brother. “Piper’s only just gone to sleep.”
“Sorry,” Seth apologised.
“You’re here!” a bubbly woman exclaimed, coming into the lounge room carrying a tray full of mini party pies, sausage rolls, and crispy spring rolls.
“Yeah, wanna tell me why?”
“First, how ’bout you introduce me to your girlfriend…”
