Page 37 of Hello Darling

“We have to go.”

“That is very inconvenient,” he breathes.

“We have to.”

I kiss him one last time. He kisses me back with less fervor, trying to calm down, but my mouth can’t seem to stay away from his mouth now.

“Youare very inconvenient.”

I pull my head back. “Sorry.” He slowly lets me down and I put my hands on his chest to keep him away. “I didn’t mean to be.”

“Well, I did.”

“That was—we can’t—we need to go.”

“Have dinner with me,” he says. His voice is so sexy, I should probably wear some form of birth control on my ears.

“I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

“Tonight.”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

He looks as though he was expecting me to decline the invitation.

I straighten myself up and head for the front door.

“Wrong way, unless you’re headed for the bedroom.”

I stop in my tracks and turn to my right. His hands are on his hips as he controls his breathing, shaking his head. He runs one hand through his hair. “Stella Starkey,” is all he says, and part of me very much wants to tear off my clothes and run to that bedroom. The other part of me wants to run out the front door and yell at my brother to drive away as fast as he can—head for the border—we gotta lose this guy! He just kissed me after telling me he’d behave himself! Who does that Brit think he is?!

But I do neither of those things. I smooth down my hair with one hand while calmly walking towards the front door, zipping up my coat, and I say in my most polite voice possible: “Should be a nice day, but we have to get out on the water before sunrise.”

“Right behind you,” he says, in a way that might be totally innocent and might mean he’s going to take me from behind.

I just can’t tell with this fellow.

When I’m outside I see Billy fussing around with things in the back seat. He looks back at me like I’ve caught him red-handed, but I have no idea what he’s up to. Keaton has Chet on the leash and starts pulling him away from a tree trunk that must smell amazing.

I just climbed Evan Hunter like a tree and he smells amazing too.

I am walking a little too fast and keeping my face a little too expressionless. Both my brothers are studying my face.

“Shut up,” I hiss.

They both laugh.

“Good morning, gents,” Evan says behind me.

“There he is!” Billy is so happy to see him, it’s embarrassing.

Evan one arm bro-hugs with both of my brothers, and nods at me as if he’s greeting me for the first time today.

“So, if it’s okay with you, Ev, Chet’s gonna be up front with Keaton, and the fishing gear’s in the trunk but the backseat’s kind of full with rain gear and the cooler, so would you mind if my sister sits on your lap? It’s a short drive.”

“Oh I think we’ll manage if it’s a short drive, sure,” he says.

My brother has rearranged things in the backseat since I went into the house. What. A. Dork.