“I know.”
“But you’re going to keep hounding him?” I suspected, and her glare narrowed on the door.
“Did you hear the headboard comment?”
“I didn’t.” Shoving my hands in my jeans, I rocked back on my heels. “Bad?”
Ava snorted and resumed picking up clothing from the floor. She looked at me as she held up a bra. “How can I wear this again when I know some sleazy asshole’s had his hands on it?”
“I don’t think your underwear was what they were looking for, Ava.” I couldn’t stop my grin as she rolled her eyes at me before scrutinizing the bra.
“If I put it on, I’ll remember . . . this.” Ava looked sadly around the room, and I felt sorry for her and guilty at the same time.
“Leave it, we’ll get you new clothes,” I told her. Her suspicious look made me smile wider. “Seriously, you don’t need anything from here, clothing-wise anyway.”
Ava looked at me with excitement. “Shopping!”
“You look far too enthused,” I complained as I looked around the room, making sure I hadn’t missed anything.
“No, not for me. Mee! She’ll have gone shopping — it’s her form of therapy.” Ava darted past me as she headed for the door, glancing back at me once. “You don’t need to buy me underwear,” she added as she opened the door.
“Why the fuck is Ash buying you lingerie?” Jett demanded as he stood outside the door.
“Because she doesn’t want to wear the stuff that’s been rifled through and flung on her floor,” I told him reasonably. “Also, I never said I was buying her underwear, I saidwewill get her new clothes.Thatmeansyou.”
Jett considered his girlfriend as he appraised her, reaching out to pull her toward him. “Lingerie shopping . . . I like the idea of that.”
“Ugh!” Pushing past him on the stairs, I joined Gray and the janitor, leaving them behind me. “They totally make me barf,” I commented as the janitor headed to the stairs to close the apartment back up. Gray’s sharp look made me regret my word choice, and I looked away from his heavy glare. “I didn’t mean that,” I told him quietly.
I heard him start to speak, and then he stopped, considering his words. “Did I do this?” he asked me quietly. “Did I cause you to do this to yourself?”
“Quinn asked me the same thing. Feeling guilty, cousin?”
“About Quinn? No, never.” Gray frowned as he thought about it. “But if I did do this, I do feel guilty.”
“Wow,” I mocked him, and when he gave me that flat, unimpressed look he wore so well, I grinned.
“What’s happening?” Jett asked as he joined us.
“Gray said sorry for being Gray.”
Jett looked at his twin and started to laugh. “Has that happened before?” he teased his brother.
“You’re both dicks, just saying,” Gray told us as he failed to hide his grin.
“We need to go to Cardinal,” I told him. “Ava thinks Red’s gone shopping, so . . . you coming?” I asked him.
Gray shifted his feet as he looked at his watch. “Quinn’s alone.”
“And you want to go back to her,” Jett said in understanding.
“She’s in a house full of footballers,” Ava reasoned, and then she pursed her lips. “You’re right, she’ll need a break. She was going to do some batch cooking.” She tried so hard not to look at me, which made it more obvious.
“Ava, it’s okay. I don’t break,” I teased her gently.
“I’m sorry, I can’t imagine any of you being . . .”
“Pathetic?” I filled in for her when she paused.
