Page 16 of Instant Heat
"Who said there were juicy details?" The urge to smile again was so strong I had to take a gulp of orange juice to hide it.
"And why aren't you drinking?" Brie demanded.
I furrowed my brows and pointed at the juice bottle in my hand."Uh…"
"She's probably trying to stay sober in case Mr. Irish phones for a booty call." Lacy downed half of her drink while pinning me with a stare that said,'tell me I'm wrong.'
She was half-right, though. If the other night was anything to go by, alcohol diminished my sound reasoning. I wouldn't want to do something stupid like rock up at Griffin's door and demand to know if the sex was so damn fantastic why hasn't he called.
Ugh, there was something very wrong with me.
"Well, she's not denying it," Brie deadpanned.
"The two of you—" I moved my index finger from one to the other "—need men in your beds so you can keep your noses out of mine."
Brie took another sip of her wine before sighing dramatically."You're not wrong. It's been ages since my pipes had a decent cleaning."
"What pipes need cleaning?" Thatcher's groggy voice drew our attention to the hallway. His mouth stretched into a yawn while he scratched the scruff under his chin. I had to bite back my laugh when Lacy and Brie openly gawked at my brother as he pushed off the wall and stalked toward us.
In typical Thatcher-fashion, his shirt was nowhere to be found and his sweatpants were riding low on his narrow hips.
If you asked me, the idiot had heard Brie was here, and he was just showing off. Thatch'd had a thing for her since high school but for some reason, he'd never made a move. Even though I'd told him I didn't mind him dating one of my friends.
"Brie is having some…clogging issues," I stated, feeling mighty pleased with myself.
Completely oblivious to the actual meaning behind my statement, Thatch snatched a slice of pizza and aimed his question at Brie,"You need me to come take a look?"
"I… uhm…" For the first time ever, I heard Brie stammer over her words.Interesting.
"Yeah, she could definitely use a hand… or two…" Lacy added. Brie all but growled as her cheeks went from rosy to beet-red. Oh, this was just too good. Both my friends had been drooling over Thatcher since he'd hit puberty. But this—whatever it was that Brie was doing—was so much more.
"I'll be happy to help," I heard my brother say."Just let me know what day works for you." Thatch tapped the top of the couch Brie was sitting on twice before disappearing into the kitchen.
"I hate to see him go but oh, do I love to watch him leave." I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Lacy's overused sentence.
A weird strangled snort sounded from the back of Brie's throat before she polished off the rest of her wine. Without sparing us a look, she reached for the bottle and refilled her glass to the brim.
"Well, now," Leaning back against the couch, I kept my focus on Brie."This is… interesting."
Her narrowed gaze snapped to mine."What?"
"You like my brother."
She held my gaze for a beat before she said,"Of course I do, he'sThatcher Brooks, everyonelikeshim." Her words had an edge of bitterness that piqued my curiosity.
"And all the girls want to climb him like a tree," Lacy quickly added.
Something that looked a lot like hurt flashed in Brie's eyes before she tilted her head slightly."That too." Her wine disappeared a hell of a lot faster this time."This has been fun, girls, but I have an early morning."
Brie was a music teacher at WF High. She'd been a bit of a piano playing sensation since the age of eight. Had even been accepted atJulliard,but then her mom got sick and she'd decided to stay and help her dad.
Putting her dreams on hold… indefinitely.
"Yeah, I better get going too." After grabbing her purse from beside the couch, Lacy pushed to her feet and gave me a wink."Besides we wouldn't want to be here when Mr. Irishcomes."
"We wouldn't?" Brie had miraculously recovered from whatever had ailed her a few minutes ago and I was back to being their target.
I pivoted and headed for the door."Yeah, it's definitely time for you guys to go," I shot over my shoulder. Their clicking heels and giggles following me like a shadow.
