Page 24

I pull out my phone and text Jeff, letting him know I’m heading home. He’ll get the text when he comes up for air, whenever that will be.

I take the walk back to campus, feeling the need for some cool air and some sleep. Unfortunately, I walk in the front door of the manor and the first thing I see is Shelby lugging her suitcase down the stairs.

There’s no missing the look of sheer determination on her face. The second? That tight black v-neck tee. Yeah, I knew she had perfect tits hidden under those innocent girl clothes.

Annnnd that sends more blood flow to my cock than anything else tonight.

“Going somewhere?” I ask, shrugging off my hockey jacket and hanging it on the rack by the door.

She lugs the suitcase down to the first floor. “Just moving into the porch.”

“That porch?” I look over my shoulder to the musty room we use to store everything we don’t want to deal with. “That porch is cold and gross and I think there may be spiders.”

“I cleaned it up,” she says proudly. “At least I tried to.”

I take the suitcase from her, lifting it by the handle, and I follow her to the porch. It’s chilly, but it is a lot cleaner than before. No cobwebs and the couch has been made into a bed with fresh sheets.

“My plan was to move down here and give my brother his room back,” she explains. “Even if it’s going to be a shorter visit than I planned.”

I frown. “What does that mean?”

“Any idea when he’s coming home?” she asks, avoiding the question and pushing the suitcase deeper into the porch. The hard wheels clack against the tile floor.

No sooner than the question is out of her mouth, Axel and Nadia stumble through the door. Well, Nadia stumbles.

Behind me I hear a soft “eep,” and then a small hand wraps around my wrist and Shelby pulls me into the porch, quietly closing the door.

Looking down at where her hand is wrapped around my wrist I note, “You’re surprisingly strong for someone so small.”

“He can’t see us together,” she says, slowly removing her hand.

“We weren’t together until you dragged me in here,” I point out.

“Shhhhh!” she hisses at me, those big eyes reflecting guilty fear at the two of us being caught together after her brother explicitly forbid it.

I clamp my mouth shut and step behind Shelby, leaning forward to press my ear to the door. My hands are on her shoulders, and her hair smells sweet and clean. Even though I probably shouldn’t, I take a deep inhale.

Fuck, she smells good.

Outside, in the main part of the house, Axel and Nadia aren’t quiet. The refrigerator door opens and slams shut. They laugh and joke together. The sink runs. There’s a long spell of quiet that I’m certain means they’re making out.FinallyI hear the echo of footsteps on the stairs.

“Are they gone?” Shelby whispers so low I almost miss it.

“I think s?—”

A rap against the window shakes the glass. “Shel, I see the light on, are you up?”

She cranes her neck and looks up at me. I shrug. She’s right. If her brother catches me in here, I’ll have worse than a bloody lip. I dip my head and whisper in her ear, “Tell him you’re already in bed and you’ll talk in the morning.”

The column of her neck tenses as she swallows but in a wobbly, clearly not used to lying voice, she says, “I’m up, but I’m already in bed. Can we talk in the morning?”

Can we? Fuck no. This girl needs to learn how to assert herself.

“Nadia told me you moved to give me my room back. You know that wasn’t necessary.”

“It’s fine,” she replies. “You know I love to tackle a good project.”

He laughs. “Yeah, you do.” There’s a beat. “You going to be warm enough? I’ve got extra blankets.”