Page 32 of The Triple Threat

“What was that?” she gasped, one eye open and one still closed with sleep.

My laughter busted to burst out, but I reckoned she might be embarrassed. But damn it was funny.

“Oh my God, El,” I gasped, grinning. “You just passed enough gas to light your mom’s double oven.”

She sat up straight, totally affronted. “I did not. I don’t do that.”

“Sorry to disappoint, cutie pie, but you really did.”

My laugh echoed loud until I heard Pop’s footsteps on the stairs. I quickly toned it down to a quiet chuckle.

“You’re such a liar.” Ellie narrowed her eyes at me and dropped her legs to the floor and stood up.

Disappointingly my hoodie dropped right down over the cute short skirt and her thighs, but I was not disappointed to see that even through the thick fabric, her nipples were hard.

“I should go,” Ellie said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Your aunts must have put something in the cocoa because that’s the best sleep I’ve had in ages.”

“Pop said you can stay in the spare room,” I replied trying not to ogle her too much as she stretched her arms and pushed her rack out. “It’s a forty-minute drive back home and it’s gone midnight.”

Ellie hesitated for a few seconds, obviously thinking about it, but then shook her head.

“I’d better go. I have an early start in the morning.”

“You working?” I asked.

“Nope, but I need to be up early to come up with a plan.” She padded toward the door and picked up her sneakers and pushed her feet inside of them.

“Hey about that, I really don’t think we have much to worry about. Pop said something that made me think he’d never be interested in Bronte.”

“What?” she asked, with a little shrug of her shoulder.

What the fuck did I say? ’I thought he might be interested in you and it made me green with jealousy, so I called him out on it, and he told me you were young enough to be his daughter’ – fuck no.

“Just that he’d never be interested in anyone under thirty.” A lie, but I didn’t plan on telling her the truth.

“Well, that won’t stop Bronte. Anyway, that’s not what I’m planning.” She reached for the door handle and pulled it down. “I’m going to be planning on how I can kill Carter and get off scot free. That douche isn’t getting away with his little joke from tonight. In fact, my plan may not include murder, but will definitely include mutilation, his balls and possibly an eggplant.”

She gave me an evil grin which made me shudder.

“Okay, I’d better go.” She opened the door, allowing the cool breeze inside.

“If you won’t stay, at least text me when you get home.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Hunter, I’ll be perfectly safe. Just like I am when I travel home from the hospital after a late shift; I don’t text you then.”

“I just feel responsible, okay? So, do me a solid and send the damn text, El.”

“Okay, okay, but don’t blame me if it wakes you from your beauty sleep.”

“I might not be asleep.” If I carried on thinking about her legs and those panties, I’d likely be whacking one off.

“Hunter, you look like shit. You’re dead on your feet. You’ll be asleep.”

I followed her down the porch steps to her car and when she got inside, I wondered whether we should maybe talk about that kiss. Problem was she was back to being sassy Ellie, soft, kissy Ellie had well and truly up and left the building.

Ah fuck it.

“Hey,” I said as she turned the engine over. “About earlier—”