Page 26 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Chapter Seventeen

R ebel

I knew Erin wanted to make a run for it, and I didn’t want to torture her now, so I gave her an out.

I saw the glances she kept making at the door and the deer-in-the-headlights expression. She had no filter, never had, and I read her every thought plainly on her face.

And honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do a post-mortem now either.

Erin and I had had sex. Really fucking great sex.

I was still trying to wrap my head around all the implications of that, which wouldn’t mean a damn thing if she didn’t want to talk to me ever again.

The house was still silent as I walked through the second-floor hall to the back stairs and took them to the kitchen.

The sun had barely risen, and I didn’t hear anyone else moving around.

Not a floorboard creaked in the whole place.

Only the bridal party, family and a few close friends had stayed in the house overnight, which meant there were probably fifty or so people in rooms around the building, not including the bride and groom who’d escaped to their home just a mile or so away.

I’d planned to go back to my place last night, but obviously that hadn’t happened.

I’d had sex with Erin. Really great sex. And not just once.

And in my childhood bedroom, no less.

Shaking my head, I went straight for the coffeemaker, which someone had thoughtfully set to start brewing at six a.m. I poured a mug, sat at the counter, gazing out the back window into the garden, where Erin and I had first kissed.

Would she sneak out? Try to leave before everyone else got up?

Or would she come down and act like nothing had happened last night?

I didn’t think she’d skip out. I know her bakery had platters and stuff they needed to pick up. Mom had hired a cleaning crew for today, but I knew Erin well enough to know she’d want to handle her own stuff.

So I waited. About fifteen minutes later, I heard shuffling on the floor.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you have a good time last night?”

Mom strolled in wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants with cups of coffee all over them. She had her hair pulled up in a messy bun and wore the black-rimmed glasses she rarely ever used because she had contacts.

“Yep.” Didn’t have to lie about that. “We didn’t keep you and Pop awake, did we?”

She made a shooing motion as she sipped her coffee. “I thought I told you we were spending the night in the guest house. We could still hear the music, but it didn’t keep us awake.”

The guest house was on the other side of the building from the ballroom, set a little back into the trees.

“Good. The band was good, but they were loud. I’m surprised we didn’t get noise complaints from town.”

Mom made an amused sound. “Who would’ve called? All the neighbors were here. What time did the party finally wrap up?”

Tricky question. I didn’t exactly know.

“I guess I went up around midnight? Maybe one. Not sure.”

Mom gave me a funny look. “Well, we paid the band until one. So if they were still playing, you didn’t make it to the end. I hope everyone had a good time.”

Mom put two mugs of coffee on a tray she pulled from a cabinet then opened the fridge and pulled out a tray of breakfast food.

Muffins, croissants, donuts, pastries, breads.

When I realized that wasn’t the only tray, I got off my ass and gave her a hand.

How the hell all this food fit in there was a mystery.

It was like someone with a degree in Tetris had packed it in.

“Erin outdid herself with all of this.” She paused as we put the trays on the counter then fussed with them for a few seconds before piling a plate high with muffins and pastries and adding that to her tray.

“You two seem to have put aside your differences these past couple of weeks. I know your sister appreciates it.”

It took a little effort not to smile at my mom’s comment. I know she was fishing for information, but I had no reason to think she knew what Erin and I had gotten up to last night.

“I think we understand each other a little better now.”

Mom smiled, her gaze intent for long seconds.

Then she picked up her tray. “That’s good to hear.

Do me a favor and fill that carafe next to the coffeemaker, and then make another pot, okay?

I think I hear people stirring. Dad and I plan to be lazy this morning, but Erin said she’d be here to help with breakfast. See you later, hon. ”

I followed Mom’s directions, realizing Erin couldn’t just cut and run.

I swallowed more coffee and let that sink in.

There was a very small part of my brain that was telling me to get the hell out while I could.

That if we were in the same room when my sister or Brian or my brother or, hell, anyone who knew us came in and saw us together, they’d know immediately what we’d done last night.

Instead, I kept one eye on the entrance to the back stairs, watching for her to show.

I’d just taken a bite of one of her cherry almond scones when quiet footsteps on the stairs announced another arrival a few minutes later. When they paused before continuing into the kitchen, I knew it was Erin.

My heart actually began to thump a little harder in anticipation. I told myself it was the coffee kicking in.

When she stepped into the room, our eyes met and held. That stupid saying about the world stopping when we looked at each other… not exactly true. The world kept spinning, but maybe it slowed a little. And it got a little harder to breathe.

Then her gaze slid away as she walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee. After she’d poured herself a mug and taken a long sip, her back straightened, and she turned to face me with an expression that reminded me of a kid facing the principal.

Then Rain shuffled into the room.

“Hey—” my sister yawned, long and loud and ruffled her hair, which was a mess and made me smile.

“Ugh, why am I up this early? I mean, seriously. Brian’s still asleep, but my eyes popped open, like, fifteen minutes ago, and I couldn’t fall back to sleep.

Probably because I smelled coffee. I love coffee, but damn, I don’t want to be up right now. ”

“Good morning to you, too.”

Rain held up an index finger while she lifted a mug to her mouth and swallowed at least four times. Erin took the opportunity to make herself busy with the trays of food, moving them around on the island, grabbing plates from a bag I hadn’t noticed sitting in a corner on the other side of the room.

She took the plates out of the plastic wrap and set them on the counter, reached into the bag and brought out plastic utensils, reached in again and brought out insulated cups for coffee and plastic juice cups.

The utensils went in holders, also in the bag.

I began to wonder if that bag had a little Mary Poppin’s magic.

I wasn’t going to be surprised if she pulled out a sink.

But no, the bag got folded and stashed under the counter somewhere. Apparently she knew this kitchen better than I did. And I’d grown up in the damn house.

Then she went about setting up a breakfast spread that rivaled any bed and breakfast. She even told the radio to play something called “Breakfast playlist” and soft instrumental music filled in the empty spaces in the room.

Rain had finally put down her mug and was giving Erin a hand when Ian wandered in, yawning and scratching his head. His face had sleep lines all over that made him look even younger than he was.

“Coffee’s over there,” I told him, grinning when he didn’t even look at me but made an immediate U-turn, eyes barely open. Open enough to see Erin, though.

“Hey.”

Her smile at my younger teammate hit like a punch in the gut. It wasn’t jealousy. I didn’t want to punch the kid for looking at her or talking to her. No, it was the feeling I got when she smiled.

“You have a good night, big brother?”

Rain stood by my side. She’d gotten so close without me seeing her, but somehow, she’d maneuvered herself next to me without me noticing. And the way she was staring at me…

I returned her look, taking another slow sip of my quickly cooling coffee.

“It was a great party. You have a good time?”

“I did.” She continued to stare at me with a look I recognized. And rightly feared. “You know, I don’t remember seeing you at the send-off. You go up to bed early?”

Metaphorical red lights flashed in my brain. “Yeah. I’d had enough socializing.”

Except for the naked socializing I’d done with one other person, who was slipping Rain and I little glances from across the room as she fussed with the coffeemakers.

Her brows arched. “Little too much to drink?”

“No, actually. Just had enough of the party.”

She nodded, her gaze sliding away. Straight to Erin.

“Erin must’ve gone to bed early, too. I don’t remember her at the send-off either.”

“How was it?”

“How was what?”

I wanted to grunt at her. “The send-off. Rowdy and Tressy get out the door okay? I mean, they didn’t trip and fall down the walk? Make for an awkward wedding night if someone got hurt.”

I never saw her arm swing out until she smacked me across the chest.

I rubbed my chest, grinning. “Hey! What the hell was that for?”

Rain’s gaze narrowed. “I’m not sure yet, but I know you did something.”

Had she seen us leave? No, she couldn’t have. We hadn’t left together.

“I think your radar might still be a little drunk.”

“My radar isn’t drunk, and neither am I. Though I was feeling no pain last night. Erin, everything looks amazing. Doesn’t it, Reb?”

I got another glance from Rain, this one even more pointed. And longer.

“Yeah. It looks great.”

“And it tastes amazing.” Ian’s voice was muffled by the food in his mouth, which he realized too late was bad manners. His cheeks got red, and he swallowed hard before he said, “Sorry.”

Everyone laughed or shook their head, and his grin returned, mostly directed at Erin, who returned his with a wide smile of her own.

I wanted that smile for myself. I knew I was being greedy and ridiculous, but goddamn it, I wanted her to smile at me like that.

And I wanted people to know she was smiling at me.

I wanted more of what I’d had last night. But when she looked at me now, I saw wariness and worry in her gaze. She didn’t want our friends and family to know.

And that pissed me off.

She caught my eye just then and something in my expression must have tipped her off to what I was thinking. Her eyes widened, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Hell, I couldn’t believe what I was thinking. Didn’t I have enough on my mind without wondering what I was going to do with these feelings for Erin?

Then again, I needed to do something with these feelings. Needed to figure out what to do with them. Do about them. I didn’t want to forget them, didn’t want to ignore them.

And, yeah, I wanted more of her.

I just needed a plan.