Chapter 3
Brodie
So much for trying to impress the girl and make her think I knew what kind of coffee she liked. Thanks a whole hell of a lot for revealing that little secret for me, Lena. Now, Gabrielle not only hated me for my poor attempt at a kiss last year, she probably considered me a liar.
Jackson and I left the women to their ooohing and ahhing at each other and carried Gabrielle’s luggage into the house. It looked like the girl planned to stay for a year with all the crap that must be inside. They had to weigh at least fifty pounds each.
I had to give myself kudos for not ogling her legs when she’d gotten into the truck this morning. God, that short skirt was enough to make me forget I didn’t like her much. I had to mentally slap myself to stop from thinking about how silky her thighs might feel under my hands.
“Thanks for picking Gabby up this morning, Brodie,” Jackson said after we’d put the bags in the spare bedroom and headed for the kitchen.
“It was a good thing I went with Lena to see the caterer. They’d mixed up the entrees.
The price option Lena had chosen only included the chicken.
There was no steak. I’m not sure Lena would have caught that since she’s so used to juggling her expenses to make ends meet. ”
“Well, soon she won’t have to worry about that.”
“She doesn’t really have to worry now, but she’s rather stubborn about wanting to pay her own way and all.”
“Could be worse. You’re lucky she’s not one of those women who expects you to pay for everything.”
“I suppose. Have you seen the pictures of the house since they added the sunroom onto the back?”
“No.”
Jackson walked over to the counter in the kitchen, opened the laptop, and pushed a few buttons.
Up popped a slideshow of pictures of the new house he and Lena would be moving into right after they got married.
The three-bedroom house was right down the street and had a backyard equal to the size of the one here so Rufus would still have plenty of room to roam around.
I was looking forward to them finally moving.
I liked the idea of having my brother close, just not under the same roof anymore.
I liked Lena, but I’d been feeling a little guilty about having women over lately.
That was why I’d been spending most of my nights away, out of respect for her.
“We’re going to have a spa built into the ground right outside the back door after we move in.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Maybe I should have one put in here, too. I like the idea of putting it in the ground rather than having to step over a wall to get into one like you have to for those portable ones. Makes total sense.”
“It was Lena’s idea.”
“That girl’s pretty smart. Hey, maybe you should marry her.” I slapped Jackson lightly on the back. He laughed, nodding in agreement.
“Hey, everything set for tonight?” he asked.
“Brother, don’t you worry about a thing. Doc and I have it all under control.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what we’re doing.”
“Nope,” I supplied rather smugly and opened the door to the refrigerator to grab an apple. My stomach was rumbling and I didn’t have time for much else.
“Figured. Just keep it clean. I don’t want any strippers trying to get into my pants,” he said before grabbing a carton of milk out of the fridge and guzzling down half of it.
I stepped toward the door to head to my room and ran smack into Gabrielle, knocking a pile of clothes she was carrying right out of her arms. “Sorry,” I said, bending down to help her pick them up and realizing the garments were all lacy and delicate pieces of underwear.
Why was she carrying her underwear around?
I picked up something lacy and cream-colored with a string of pearls attached to it that I assumed made up the thong part of the delicate panties.
Her cheeks turned crimson right before she snatched them from my fingertips.
“I, uh… didn’t know you were in here,” she said, sounding a bit flustered. “I thought Lena was in here, and I wanted to show her… never mind.” She started pulling all the stuff toward her, wadding it up into a pile as she kept her eyes glued to the floor.
I finished gathering up the rest of her underwear and handed them to her.
She took them and hugged them to her chest, as though that could hide the fact that they were all very risqué and sexy.
I walked away, leaving her there all pink-cheeked and flustered.
I almost knocked Lena down in my haste to get away. “Shit. Sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay. Is Gabby in there?” she asked, pointing toward the kitchen. “She said she bought some goodies and wanted to show me.”
“Yeah, she uh… yeah.” I stuck the apple in my mouth to avoid saying anything more about the underwear.
Damn. I wouldn’t have thought Gabrielle Demeres would know what sexy was. Don’t get me wrong, she was definitely sexy; I just didn’t think she realized it. Apparently, I was wrong about that. Now I wondered if those panties were for her or Lena.
Inside my room, I stripped down for a shower.
I hadn’t had a chance to clean up this morning before rushing out of that girl’s room.
Well, her cousin’s room since she’d told me she was just visiting.
Lucky for me, her cousin had been out for the night.
From the looks of the room I’d been in, I’d guess the cousin was female, and one who loved the colors purple and pink.
I glanced around my own masculine room. I didn’t think I’d be sleeping here tonight either, especially if I had a good time at the bachelor party.
I looked at the time on my phone. Doc would be at the bar in thirty minutes to meet me to go over the night’s activities.
I hurried into the shower, trying to think about all the stuff I still needed to do for the party tonight.
Unfortunately, I only managed to think about silky white thighs, and sexy, lacy pearl-thong underwear.