Page 16 of Five Brothers

“Holy shit.” I scan the dark, empty living room. “Who the hell was that?”

2

Krisjen

I startle awake, not moving a muscle as I take in the sunlight coming through the windows. And the heat in the room.

I draw in a deep breath, immediately feeling the ache in my neck as my cheek and stomach press into the leather couch.

Leather couch.

Not my couch. I roll my eyes in every direction, taking in the room. The Jaegers’ living room.

And everything comes flooding back. “Oh shit.” I flip over, the blanket resting against my bare skin, and feel a crick in my neck from sleeping too hard.

I blink against the light streaming through the curtains. It’s morning. I pat the blanket, feeling my body underneath. I’m still naked. Shit, I fell sleep.

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” I hear Trace say, and see him walk across the foyer in a towel as he opens the door for Carissa, the girl from last night. “See you.”

She walks out, and I hurriedly search, finding my school shirt and pulling it on.

Fuck, where is my skirt? I search the floor.

Oh my God. What did I do?

“Is that Krisjen’s car?” he asks. Half of his body hangs out theopen door, talking to someone, and I lean over, quickly feeling under the couch for the rest of my clothes.

The smell of bacon and coffee fills the air, making my mouth water, and it hits me that someone is cooking. Someone had to come downstairs and pass me, half-covered, on the couch. I clench my teeth.

Trace comes back inside, closes the door, and I lie back down, the blanket still covering my naked bottom half.

“Oh, hey.” He sees me on the couch.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?” he asks.

I can’t seem to calm my breathing. “Um …” I search for words. “My tires. They’re flat. I wanted to wait for the rain to stop to call a tow truck.”

He sits down on the edge of the couch. “No, we’ll take care of them. I’m good for something, right?”

He looks down with a friendly vulnerability in his eyes that turns everyone to putty in his hands.

I’m a little mad at him, contrary to what I told … whichever one of his brothers last night.

Oh my God, I don’t even know who it was …

But I should be angrier at Trace. I’m just not. What happened after I left his room has overshadowed whatever happened before.

I fist the blanket, staring up at him but still feeling the other one inside of me.

He cocks his head. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I meant to be gone already.” I start to sit up. “I’ll be out of here soon.”

“You don’t have to rush.” He stops me. “Krisjen, don’t pay me any mind, okay? I’m a shithead.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

---