“Jesus Christ, Grace!”
“What?”
“Filter.”
“Oh, come on. I have eyes. It’s not hard to see the difference in you, big brother.” She poked him in the pec. “You’ve changed, and I’m bettingshe’sthe reason.”
“Ah…I think I’ll let you two catch up.” Ducking her head to hide her flaming cheeks, Eve took a few rapid steps toward the exit.
“Not so fast.”Eyes wide and pleading, Eve turned to face Adam, and he crooked his finger calling her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “I thought I’d go shower and give you two a minute.”
“Nice try.” He pointed at her chest. “But until I cut you out of that bra, your ass isn’t going anywhere.” He grinned as her expression turned from embarrassment to complete horror. “Come here.”
She hesitated, torn between wanting out of Gray’s bra and out of the room. Freedom for her girls winning the argument, she skirted around the large island and came to a stop in front of him.
“How the fuck did you get stuck in your bra?” Gray asked, dropping her butt onto a stool.
“Uh…” Eve looked to Adam for support as he pulled the kitchen scissors free from the knife drawer.
“It’s not her bra,” he said, sliding his hand under her T-shirt and rucking up the fabric to expose the band stretched across her back.
“Hey!” Gray said, leaning forward. “Is that my lululemon? Fuck. Ilikedthat bra. You know it wasn’t designed to accommodate a C-cup.” She gestured at her own chest, an unnecessary attempt at comparison. “No way your boobs fit in that thing.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eve replied, bracing her forearms against the granite counter. “I don’t have any clothes, and I wanted to practice some yoga.” She pointed over her shoulder. “I found this in the laundry room. I didn’t have any problem putting it on. But getting it off has been a bit of a challenge.”
Adam slid the shears into position, careful to keep the metal away from Eve’s skin. “We’ll buy you another one,” he said as he cut through the elastic and then the crisscrossed straps.
The material sprang free, and Eve moaned. “Oh, thank God.” Her rib cage expanded as she took a deep breath, the indent in her flesh a clear indication of the discomfort she’d been in.
“Better?” He rubbed his hand over the skin of her back.
“Yes. Thank you.” She straightened, and the fabric of her shirt fell over his fingers, hiding them from view. “I’m going to shower now. Why don’t you bring Gray up to speed? I can shop online by myself.”
She took a step and a half before his hand digging into her waistband stopped her retreat. With an easy tug, he pulled her back to him, and when she turned, his fingers slid around to the front of her pants, brushing against her bandaged belly.
“Two things.” He drew her closer, and she had to lift her chin to maintain eye contact. “You don’t need to run from my sister. She’s all bark. No bite.”
“Hey!” Gray said. “I’ve got bite. I’m just practicing restraint for the new girl. Give me an hour, and I’ll be sinking my teeth in.”
“Fair warning.” Eve took off the shredded bra without removing her T-shirt and tossed the scrap of material to Gray. “I bite back.” The two women stared at each other for a couple of heartbeats before they both grinned, and Adam recognized he was in a shit ton of trouble. “What’s the second?” she asked, turning her attention back to him.
“You put together a list of things you want and give it to Z, he’ll make your purchases because he knows how to stay off the radar.”
Eve rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, meaning she got the message—loud and clear. It wasn’t safe for her to be on the internet using her own identity. Not yet. And he refused to take any chances. “Fine. Can my ass go shower now, or are you planning on keeping me here indefinitely?”
Oh, Adam planned on keeping her. But there was nothing indefinite about it.
He tightened his grip, drew her in the last few inches, and planted a solid kiss on her lips. “Get some sturdy shoes too but skip the sleepwear, baby. You won’t need it.”
“Ew. Gross,” Gray interjected. “Not the mental image I wanted seared on my frontal lobe, Adam.”
“Yeah, Mr. Bossy Pants. Stop trying to traumatize your sister. She just got home.” She kissed him quick and extricated herself from his grip. “And you.” Eve turned to Gray. “I need him in top condition for tomorrow, so no fatal blows. Got it?” She didn’t bother waiting for a response, and confident she had them both in hand, she breezed out of the kitchen.
Gray snorted and jerked her thumb at the empty doorway. “She’s a ball of sass. Where’d you find her?”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
