I’ll go talk to her on my first break and apologize.
“Dude, when did you get so ripped?” Trent punches my arm.
“You punch like a baby,” I say, but it doesn’t stop me from rubbing my bicep.
“I need to workout with you,” Michael says, self consciously rubbing his stomach. “I’m getting fat just by being engaged.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Trent says and immediately gets punched in the shoulder.
“Yeah, sure,” I say to Michael, hoping to get out of this sooner. Some of us have jobs to get to or like clothes to put on. “Can I please change? Or would more Bentleys like to barge in?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry, bro.” Trent walks out, but Michael doesn’t follow him. He’s wearing his rare, but intimidating big brother expression, and I’m squirming in this cheap towel.
“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and my sister?” He folds his arms, pushing out his biceps. He’s smaller than me though, so it’s not the muscles that intimidate me, it’s everything about this family. If I mess things up with Lennox, I’ll be left with nothing. Again.
“Nah man, she just walked in, I told you.” I ignore his intense gaze and pull on my shirt.
It’s never taken me so long to get dressed.
“So there’s nothing?” he asks again.
Gosh, I wish there was something. “Nope. She’s like my sister.”
He purses his lips and studies me like he’s looking right through me. I’m about ready to yell, “Yes, I love your sister, okay. I have since junior year when she almost kissed that stupid Lucas.”
He shakes his head. “That sucks. You’re the only guy I know I can trust her with.”
My jaw hits the floor.
“What?” It’s out of my mouth without a second thought. I’ve watched him put every guy under a microscope and find all their flaws, and now he’s rooting for me? This must be a trick. Another bet. Something.
He shrugs. “Too bad.” He leaves, and I stand there dumbfounded.
There’s a chance. He just gave me an opening. And I’d be an idiot not to take it.
I walk out the door, then turn right back around.
Pants.I need pants first.
Chapter 6
Lennox
Shirtless.
Grant was shirtless. And wet, and practically naked with only that towel on him.
And I made a complete fool of myself by crashing into him. But oh, what a wonderful moment that had been with his arms wrapped around me.
His body is like a cheese grater. All chiseled and muscled and one hundred percent capable of scraping my heart to shreds.
And that tattoo. I'm itching to open a blank canvas on my tablet and draw it. It was almost identical to the lion carving on the lid of the box he made me for graduation.
If lions weren’t my favorite animals before, they are now.
I fan my face with the stack of plans my dad just dropped off. I still can’t calm my racing heart. He caught me from crashing to the ground, and he held me, and all my lifelong dreams came true at that moment.
Until my brothers interrupted. They always crash in on my dreams, so I should have expected it.
