Page 5

“Well, I can’t promise the slop they feed in there is up to your high standards, but I can almost guarantee you’re going to love your fellow inmates.” He winked at me and started off down the path toward the front door.

“I’m pretty sure I won’t,” I grumbled before going after him. Aiden had been bugging me at school for years, and if he hadn’t grown on me yet, I was fairly certain being confined with the guy wasn’t going to make me like him any better.

Aiden showed me into the house, and as soon as we entered the corridor, a door creaked open and his brother poked his head out of one of the rooms. I didn’t know Aiden’s brother well, but I recognized him from around town. He must have been about twelve years old now, and he’d grown a lot since I’d last seen him. He had the same green-blue eyes as Aiden and practically looked like a miniature version of his brother.

“This is my brother, Elliot,” Aiden said, waving a hand in his direction. “Elliot, this is Clary, the girl Mom told you about this morning.”

Elliot’s eyes widened slightly as he turned his gaze on me. He slowly ran his eyes over me before a smile crept onto his face. It was freakishly similar to the smirk Aiden always wore.

“Hey there, hot stuff,” Elliot said, opening the door wider so he could lean against the door frame. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Hot stuff?” It seemed that terrible flirting was a family trait. Also, why was a twelve-year-old asking me about a boyfriend?

Aiden grunted his disapproval. “Don’t listen to him. Kid’s got more balls than brains.”

Another thing that must run in the family.

“I can’t help that I’ve got game,” Elliot said.

“You’ve also got Spider-Man bed sheets we can both see through your open door,” Aiden replied. “Real smooth, player.”

Elliot’s cheeks flushed, but he kept his attention on me. “Every Spider-Man needs a Mary Jane. Want to be mine?”

I let out a laugh. This kid really was a smaller replica of his brother. He was quick, flirtatious, and far too confident. Unlike Aiden though, Elliot’s comments came off as somewhat cute, and since I was living in his house, I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. “Let’s just get to know each other first, Mini Moore.”

Elliot grinned triumphantly.

Aiden rolled his eyes though. “Come on, Clary.” He took me by the elbow and practically dragged me down the corridor away from his brother.

I looked over my shoulder and shrugged at Elliot.

“I’ll see you around,” he called after us before disappearing back into his room.

Aiden guided me upstairs before stopping at the top of the landing. “Sorry about my brother. He’s just discovered he’s got a dick, and he lets it do most of the thinking.”

“Funny, I was about to say how similar you guys are.”

Aiden grunted in disgust. “I would never call you ‘hot stuff,’ and his Spider-Man pickup line was lame.”

“Oh really? You could have done better?”

His eyes glittered at the challenge in my voice, and he took a step toward me. I swallowed as the electric current that always seemed to flow through the air between us intensified. It scratched against my clothes and tingled against my skin. It was the worst kind of irritation. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Proving that I’m better.” He was standing so close to me that I could smell the spicy scent of his cologne.

“Um, well, you don’t have to do that. And, uh, what about social distancing? Lockdown rules say you’re meant to stand six feet away from me.”

“Lockdown rules don’t apply to people you live with.”

Crap. He had a point.

“Don’t you want to hear my pickup line?” His voice was so alluring as he spoke. Aiden could probably read a grocery list to a girl, and she’d agree to go on a date with him. It was a skill his brother clearly hadn’t developed yet.

It took all my self-control to keep my expression neutral, to ignore how close he was and how his deep voice sounded all too tempting. Even though I hated the guy, it was hard not to be a little drawn in by him. I was already acting slightly rattled, and I needed to get away from him—something I knew would only happen if I agreed to hear his stupid line.

“Sure, let’s hear it,” I said. The sooner he got his little pickup line over and done with, the sooner I could get my personal space back.

He slowly smiled. “Clary, I have to be honest, my spidey senses aren’t the only thing that’s tingling right now.”