Page 14 of I Blame the Alcohol

“Feel free to get it for me.” I toss him the cloth and much to my amusement, he actually drops to one knee and wipes a spot on the floor.

Got to love a man who doesn’t mind being on his knees.

“I could get used to this view.” The innuendo slips out of my mouth and Cody’s head whips in my direction.

Damn, I really thought that one was going to slide.

“Is there anything else I can do for you while I’m down here?” His response comes fast and quick, the teasing glint in his dark eyes unmistakably dirty.

I unconsciously lick my lips and his gaze drops to a spot on my chest. My breathing grows heavy as a bead of sweat drips into my sports bra.

“Wouldn’t be a bad side gig, being the O’Brien’s cleaner.” Clearing his throat, Cody drops his gaze to the floor and pushes himself back up to standing.

The charge in the air turns from sexually charged to sexually frustrated as the varsity captain uses the same weapon of defence he uses every time something almost interesting happens between us.

“I have a feeling you’re a lot cleaner than Mo.” And there it is.

My big, bad brother to the rescue.

“You’d be surprised.” I sigh with defeat, unsure why I still hope these interactions might steer past the flirty friend territory.

It’s a dance we’ve been through too many times to count, and it always goes the same way: Friendly banter becomes borderline flirtatious. Topic of Mo comes up and suddenly there’s an uncrossable chasm between us.

With the exception of last night, I’ve never seen Cody make a move. And that was probably the result of too much alcohol and not enough brain power to remember his unwavering, puppy dog loyalty to my older brother.

I sound bitter, I know, but there’s really no other way to put it.

We head to the cubbies together, silently walking side-by-side. On a usual morning, we’d be bickering about some mundane topic, but I can’t think of a single topic that doesn’t centre on Cody’s frustrating behaviour. So, I keep silent.

Which is unusual for me.

“Stella!”

I mutter a curse as Hayden comes running up behind us. He shoots Cody an ambiguous look before turning to me, “Thought I’d missed you.”

I resist the urge to make a snarky comment and my sullen silence has Cody glancing over at me.

“So, I know you said you were too busy for coffee, but I was thinking if we are both here every morning anyways, what do you say we work out together? Maybe Friday?”

Hopeful blue eyes bore deep into my soul, making absolutely no dent on my Slytherin personality.

I open my mouth to say no when I spot the frown dancing across Cody’s features. I pause, taking a second to relish the sight of unease staining his handsome features, and make a decision I immediately regret.

“That sounds great, Hayden. I'll see you Friday.”

The line on Cody’s forehead deepens and I resist the urge to celebrate. Taber’s varsity captain might be good at stirring up my emotions, but this time he’s the one who is going to suffer.

In the battle of the O’Brien siblings, Cody picked Mo’s side, so now it’s time that I picked mine.

“Awesome! Guess I’ll be seeing you bright and early Friday morning.” Hayden goes to throw me a wink but ends up flinching hallway through. I don’t risk looking at Cody’s brooding face because chances are I’ll burst out laughing if I do.

“Okay, bye!” I give Hayden a flirty finger wave and head for the door. Cody keeps pace with me, his footsteps getting heavier by the step.

“I think he’s pretty cute, don’t you? God, I just love those freckles!” I clap my hands with excitement, barely keeping my laughter in check.

Did someone say productive gym session?

Cody grunts, “You could do better.”

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