Page 23 of Whistle

He glanced at Rush. “You aren’t staying with your parents?”

“My parents don’t know I’m here,” Rush answered. “We don’t have a hotel yet because we met the lawyer straight from the airport, then with the Cobalts, and then came to the prison.”

I watched Bodhi’s face pinch, and then he turned away. “We can just stay here tonight. It’s already late. Sleep where you want.” He went off down the hall, the sound of a door slamming closed echoing.

Rush glanced at me, then started up the stairs. I followed for lack of anything better to do, and the stairway spit us out into a massive great room with an entire wall of windows overlooking the beach.

Everything was white. The view, which was probably worth a million dollars, was basically just a black canvas because of the hour. The place smelled sort of stale, the air stagnant and giving off an abandoned vibe. An eerie feeling tapped on the back of my neck, its finger bony and cold.

Rush walked through the clearly familiar space, moving right to a large open kitchen with a massive island made of marble. Reaching down, he flipped a switch, and the stone lit up. Dark veins marked the entire piece, going all the way down to the floor like a waterfall. Around them, the white marble glowed warmly. Unimpressed by what seemed to me like a piece of art and not something to cook on, Rush turned away from it to flip on some under-cabinet lighting, illuminating more of the massive kitchen.

I noticed the dirty dishes stacked in the sink along with discarded pizza boxes and various other takeout sacks. Empty liquor bottles littered the counter, and the wine fridge door was ajar.

Rush pushed it closed on his way by and pulled open the fridge that I’d thought was just another cabinet. It glowed from within, and a foul odor puffed out, making me recoil.

“What the fuck died in there?”

Rush slammed it closed, his face pinched. “Everything.”

Crossing the room, he went to some fancy coffee bar with an espresso machine that looked like it belonged at Starbucks and sifted through the cabinet. He pulled out a bag of coffee and wrinkled his nose. “I don’t trust it.”

“Stop touching shit,” I warned him. “You’re going to need a tetanus shot.”

Dropping his hands at his sides, he turned to stare out to the living room where there was a tiled fireplace and a huge cream-colored sectional. “It didn’t used to be like this here.” His voice was subdued.

I glanced at the stairs. “Think we can trust him not to run?”

An alarmed look crossed his eyes, and he jogged to the stairs, disappearing to see if Bodhi was still there.

Moments later, Rush appeared, relief a cloud around him. “He’s in the shower.”

His announcement had salacious images bombarding my brain. Images that were so fucking tempting I couldn’t shove them away.

Rivulets of water sluicing over shoulders, creating a path down a lean torso and waist. Water drops gliding over hipbones and slipping between thighs. Long-fingered hands rubbing over pectorals as soap slipped and clung to everything it touched. And his hair… Those fucking sexy golden locks would be drenched and dragged down so the ends plastered against the base of his neck.

My depraved and currently very creative mind continued. Warm water hitting him just right, eliciting a low, appreciative grumble that built in his throat as he tipped his head beneath the spray, arching so his Adam’s apple protruded at the front of his throat. The water sliding over it.

Suddenly, I was severely dehydrated.

“Emmett?”

I snapped out of it, clearing my throat as tendrils of desire tried to lure me back. “I’ll order some food for delivery.”

Rush went to a nearby drawer and came over with a handful of takeout menus. Before handing them over, he rifled through, tugging one on top.

I glanced at it and made a face. “Sushi.”

“Sushi. It’s how I roll.”

I said nothing.

“Get it, Coach? How I roll? ‘Cause sushi is rolled up?”

“There’s no need to repeat yourself. I ignored you just fine the first time.”

“I want an Alaskan roll.” He went on.

I still wondered what the hell my daughter saw in him.

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