I swallowed. There was something sexy about him conditioning my hair. His fingers were gentle as they ran through the wet, pink strands. “You’ll what?”
“You heard me,” he said, gathering my hair together.
“I did, and I’m trying to convince myself that my hearing isn’t bad. You can’t come to work with me. That’s not how having a job works,” I argued, my gaze drawn to the shirt plastered to his chest like a second skin. It defined every muscle of his abs.
“I’ll be good for business, Firefly,” he stated, not relenting an inch.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I muttered, slipping my fingers under his wet shirt and inching the material up over his abs. “Since you’re in here, you might as well make use of the water.”
Brock leaned in, aligning his lips to mine, and whispered, “I hate wasting an opportunity.”
I smiled into his kiss. “I just bet.”
I couldn’t afford a single distraction as I raced down the stairs in a pair of my most comfortable jeans and my Lazy Ray’s T-shirt. The shower took twice as long than it should have, thanks to Brock’s irresistible body. I cursed him with each step.
The distraction in question trailed behind me. “I’ll give you a ride, seeing as we're both going to the same place.”
“Is that a good idea? Has it been scanned for bombs?” I asked, mostly teasing him as I grabbed my zip-up hoodie from the hall closet and slipped my arms into the sleeves.
Brock shook his head, waiting for me.
“Too soon?” I joked poorly, my lips twitching. I hadn’t completely forgiven him yet, but I found it difficult to stay mad at the jerk, even when he deserved the silent treatment.
“He won’t get within thirty feet of my car without me knowing about it first,” he vowed, determination glinting in his eyes.
“Good to know, and I don’t want the details. Just that you’ll be safe is enough for me.” I opened the front door, about to walk through, when a voice stopped me.
“Brock, I—” Kenna came jogging down the stairs, halting as her gaze landed on me and the entire demeanor in her expression changed, shifting from elation to steely reserve. “Oh. You’re home.”
“So are you, I see,” I said, my voice less than pleasant. My gaze volleyed back to Brock as he stared at Kenna. Tension mounted in the air between the three of us. Could this get any more unpleasant? How did I find myself in some weird war over a guy with my sister? Because that’s what it felt like, as if we were battling it out for Brock’s affection.
“Did you need something?” Brock prompted Kenna, his hand propped on the open door over my head.
Her fingers twisted over the banister as she sucked in the corner of her bottom lip. “I was going to order a pizza and didn’t know if you wanted sausage or pepperoni,” she replied, sounding unsure.
“Get whatever you want. I’m going out.” His tone remained level as he replied.
Kenna dropped down another step, her lips bowing. “You’re leaving?”
Was that a bit of panic I heard in her voice? Don’t tell me she was afraid to be alone? Or was this just another ploy? Did I care?
Regardless, I wasn’t sticking around to find out. I would be late as it was. “I’ve got to go.”
“Like hell,” Brock growled, his fingers attaching onto my arm before I could slip completely out the door. He whipped his head toward Kenna. “Grayson’s on his way home. He should be here in a few minutes. Lock the door behind us.”
“Please stay,” I snapped. “I’d hate to interrupt your dinner plans.” I whirled, storming down the front porch.
Brock was on my heels. “Firefly,” he called after me in a huff, catching up to me with two strides.
I cursed his long legs and pierced him with a don’t-fucking-touch-me glare. “Let go of me or we’re about to have our first blowout right here in my front yard.”
“Firefly,” he rumbled again.
I shook my head. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
His fingers loosened, and I took off, racing down the driveway to the BMW. Brock stood in front of the car, scowling at me as I jumped into the driver’s seat and hit the start button. I revved the engine once and sent the car careening backward, tires spinning.