It wasn’t like he had consciously decided to lie to his family about where he was spending his nights. It was just that…Ben and Connor would tease and poke and demand explanations he didn’t have. Given Kati’s feelings toward Akira and the role the other woman had played in their recent argument, he had a feeling Kati would be hugely displeased, even if he did couch it in terms of a simple agreement.
What could he say? It had started out as a way to get her to forgive him and had evolved into evenings he desperately looked forward to? He had become determined to put that rare smile on her face? The sexual tension between them was nearly palatable, and for the first time in forever, it didn’t panic him into running for the door?
“Jacob?”
Jacob shook his head, realizing he was silently standing there with his hands under the running faucet. “Oh, uh. Yeah. I was visiting a friend.”
“That late?”
He shot her a glance over his shoulder. “I wasn’t aware I had a curfew, Kati.”
His sister flushed at the less-than-subtle rebuke. “I’m just saying…you don’t usually go out at night. I mean, you don’t have friends.”
Insulted now, he dried his hands on the towel and faced her. “I have friends.”
She wrinkled her nose. “College buddies you meet once a month for poker don’t count.”
“I have…other friends,” he finished lamely, stinging from her accurate assessment. He had a solitary occupation, damn it. He couldn’t help that it limited his social interaction.
Dear God, you have no life whatsoever.
“So who’s this friend? Is it a girl?”
Able to read his baby sister like a book, Jacob took in her defensive stance and the naked vulnerability in her eyes. His sister wasn’t accustomed to having to share him. In the past, when he had the occasional girlfriend, he had gently attempted to correct her possessiveness.
He understood it, but now it rankled a bit. He opened his mouth, ready to inform her of exactly who he had been with, but then he paused.
Really, what was the point in riling Kati up? The clock was ticking. He and Akira were past the halfway mark in their silly ten-day arrangement. Anything that happened after that would be solely in Akira’s court.
No need to have this conversation now. Wait. See.
“Not a girl.” Which was not a lie. Akira would laugh if anyone called her a girl. “Really, a friend.”
At his confirmation of his asexuality, Kati relaxed. “Oh. Okay.”
Inexplicably annoyed, he added, “I might be out again tonight, though. Don’t be alarmed.”
She was pacified, it seemed. Her frown never rematerialized. “Cool. My friend Darren’s coming over after school to study, so we’ll be busy ’til play practice. We might go grab some ice cream after.”
Darren’s name had his ears pricking up.I bet you a thousand dollars Kati was with her boyfriend that weekend.
Loath to make matters worse with his sister, Jacob had avoided confronting her about the suspicions Akira had planted in his brain, but now he saw his chance. “You’ve been seeing this Darren kid a lot,” he said, casually leaning back against the counter. “You sure you guys are nothing more than pals?”
“Um.” Kati froze. “Well.”
Bingo.Jacob winced. Akira was going to gloat. “Kati, I’m fine with you dating. But I think it’s important I meet the guy, okay? If you’re seeing this Darren kid, tell me.”
She cast him a disgruntled look. “Okay fine. We’re kinda hooking up.”
He reared back. “What…what do you mean by hooking up?” That meant sex, right? Jesus Christ. He’d had The Talk with Kati—possibly the most awkward experience of either of their lives—but that didn’t mean he was prepared for his little girl to be sleeping with someone. She was just a baby! Who the fuck did this Darren think he was?
A warning growl built, and she pointed her finger at him. “Jeez, I haven’t had sex with him! That means we’re dating. Courting. Some smooching. Whatever you old people say.”
Subsiding, he relaxed, his blood still running hot. “Choose your words more carefully next time.”
“But see?” She jabbed her finger at him again. “This is why I didn’t tell you. You scare them. You’re going to scare Darren.”
Insulted, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I won’t scare anyone.”
