I laughed a bit at my silliness, shaking my head.
Heading down the stairs to the kitchen, I thought of the batch of cookies I’d seen Gretchen hide up in the cabinet early today. That’s what I needed after a shit day, a glass of milk and a big fat cookie. Sounded like a nice treat to me.
With a little shimmy in my step, I made my way around the island and over to the cabinet. I reached up and tried to reach behind the box of macaroni, searching for those cookies. My fingers just about got them when a low moan drifted into the kitchen, freezing me in place.
I dropped back onto my heels and spun around, my eyes darting toward the entrance of the dining room. Were they really still at it? I waited, my ears peeled for another sound, but nothing came. Must have been my imagination.
Still, I didn’t waste any more time. I climbed up onto the counter and grabbed the container of cookies. With a happy grin on my face, I began to turn around.
“You know, it’s dangerous to be climbing on counters like that.”
My socked foot slipped on the marble countertop as my eyes shot up to see, Rayne leaning against the door to the dining room. I let out a startled shout and threw my hands up to catch myself. The cookies flew from my hand and spun through the air as my eyes squeezed shut.
Instead of crashing onto the marble, my body slammed into a pair of strong arms.
Gasping, my eyes flew open. Light brown met amber. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest, and the sniggering grin on Rayne’s lips made me scowl. Shoving at his arms, I dropped my feet to the ground.
“Don’t do that,” I snapped, smacking him on the arm.
Rayne only grinned in amusement at my violence. “I told you it was dangerous.”
“Yes, but whose fault is that?” I bent down and searched for the cookie container. Finally finding it, I climbed back to my feet with a happy squeal.
“All that for a couple of cookies?”
My exasperated eyes slid in his direction. “You obviously haven’t had Gretchen’s cookies.”
Rayne’s lips tipped down. “Of course, I have. They’re not worth breaking your neck.”
I lifted a shoulder and dropped it, popping the lid off to snag one of those cookies. Taking a large bite of it, I closed my eyes briefly. “Hmmm. Yep. Worth it.” I gave him a sly grin which he returned with a curious stare. I started for the stairs and then paused, my socked foot sliding on the floor as I turned back around. “Why did you save me? I thought you couldn’t wait to get rid of me. If I had broken my neck, you’d have had your wish.”
Shifting from one foot to the other, Rayne moved over to the island and leaned on the top of the counter. He gestured a hand toward the container. I hesitated but then figured they were technically his by right. Moving over to the island, I slid the container across the table, leaning on my own side so that we were across from each other. I watched him with wary eyes, taking another bite of my cookie.
Snagging a cookie for himself, Rayne bit into it. Unlike me, he didn’t coo and moan at the taste, he actually didn’t seem to care for it at all. Weird.
Licking his lips, Rayne met my gaze. “If you die, we’d get another maid, one who might be even more pathetic than you. At least, you aren’t falling all over yourself trying to get into my brothers’ beds.”
I forced myself not to react. I’d only really thought about getting into one of the brothers’ beds, Wynn, and that was only in my mind. I’d never try and sneak into his bed.
Shaking my head, I grabbed the cookie container back from his ungrateful clutches. “I need this job, as you know.” I sneered at him before spinning away.
Halfway up the stairs, he called out to me. “Remember that when you have your fingers deep inside of your pussy tonight.”
I chunked a cookie at his head and didn’t wait for his laughter to follow me up the stairs on the way back to my room. Stupid ass hat.