Page 3 of Single Malt
Fireworks.
Not literal ones, but it sure as hell felt that way. Electricity crackled between us, and I let the kiss linger longer than I’d intended, lips moving together as if we’d kissed a thousand times before.
The sedated cheering and clapping finally broke through, and I straightened, letting my hand fall from her face. She looked almost as dazed as I felt.
“I’m Brody.”
She collected herself in a heartbeat before smiling. “Freedom.”
The expectant expression on her face told me that, like several of my siblings, offering her name always invited questions. Instead of being that predictable, I decided to surprise her and head straight for what I’d known I wanted the second her lips touched mine.
“Are you interested in ringing in the New Year back at my hotel?”
Another sly look, but this one was tinged with that surprise I’d been trying for. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t see the point.”
She gave me a hard look that confirmed my suspicion that she was far more than just a pretty face and a great body. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
“I’m not looking to be one.”
She examined my face for another few seconds before nodding. “Good. We’re on the same page.” Her eyes sparkled. “Lead on.”
I made a note to thank my siblings for not insisting that I stay with them while I was here. I had a feeling Freedom wasn’t going to be a quiet lover.
Two
Freedom
“Areyou sure you don’t want to come to the party?” I called out to my baby sister. “Dr. Ipres said she’d written for an invitation with a plus one.”
A loud sneeze from the general direction of her room was the response, and I sighed. I’d been gone all day, helping my mentor and advisor, Dr. Cicily Ipres, set up for the New Year’s Eve party she was hosting for over a hundred university professors and their significant others.
While the guest list had topped out at two hundred, Dr. Ipres had made certain that I’d be one of those attending, even though I was a graduate student. It was the perfect place to increase networking that would help next fall if I decided to pursue a tenure track.
And now, it sounded like I’d miss out.
I started toward the hall, but Aline was already coming my way. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she wore her favorite giant fleece robe that was far too big for her delicate frame, which contributed to her looking more like a child wearing adult clothing than she did a twenty-one-year-old starting her final semester on her way to a master’s degree in education.
“Are you okay?” I asked, resisting the urge to check if she had a fever.
“I’m fine.”
“You sneezed.”
Aline rolled her eyes. “Yes, because I forgot to dust my bookshelf and ended up with a dust bunny the size of a small terrier in my face.”
I held back a sigh. I’d reminded her to dust just two days ago. That was unimportant now, though. “You don’t have to stay home tonight. This is a great opportunity to interact with the professors outside of a classroom.”
She shook her head. “My plans for New Year’s Eve are set in concrete. BingingCake Warswhile readingHeat of the Sunand eating popcorn.”
“You’re really re-reading that book again? What is that, the tenth time?” I didn’t get it. She was a certified genius, getting into Stanford at just sixteen and earning her master’s degree at twenty-one, but she had an obsession with Erika Summers.
Her adolescent enjoyment of survival books had at least included classics likeIsland of the Blue DolphinsandLord of the Flies. I saw no substantial value to romance novels. All they did was build up a person’s expectations about what ‘love’ was supposed to be.
“I lost count.” Aline reached into the fridge to take out the butter and parmesan cheese.
“Do you want me to stay home with you?” I asked the question even though I really hoped she’d say no. If she needed me, I’d stay, but tonight was a big deal.