Page 274 of Breaking the Rules
But one day.
Upstairs, a door swings open. Steady footsteps move into the hallway.
Brendon steps onto the stairs, his hair wet, his black t-shirt sticking to his skin.
He shoots his girlfriend a panty-melting look.
Emma makes a show of feigning gagging.
Kaylee's expression gets apologetic. "Sorry. I forget."
"Uh huh." Emma makes air quotes. "Forget."
"He's just so…" Kaylee's cheeks flush as she gawks at her boyfriend.
"Please stop." Emma hides behind her hands. "Didn't you two spend your trip having sex?"
"We were staying with my parents!" Kaylee says.
"So now I'm going to have to spend the next few weeks listening to you have sex?" Emma scrunches her nose in distaste.
"Imagine if you had your own place." Brendon raises a brow.
"Yeah. Imagine if I had a brother who respected boundaries," Emma says.
"Well, actually," Kaylee starts.
"Please don't," Emma stops her.
Brendon descends the stairs and greets me with a hug. "You survive my sister?"
"Barely," Emma says from the couch. "I think I drove him crazy."
"But you made lasagna. So I forgive you," I say.
Her smile gets goofy.
Kaylee whispers something in her ear.
Emma nods.
"She doing okay?" he asks.
"I'm right here." Emma folds her arms over her chest. Makes a show of pouting.
He turns to her. "You doing okay, Em?"
"Thank you for asking, Brendon. I'm a little overworked and under caffeinated, but I'm good." She smiles.
He and Kaylee share a look.
"You sound like a cyborg," Kaylee says.
"But I meant the thing about caffeine." She stands and offers her friend her hand. "The place on Abbot Kinney?"
"Mmm." Kaylee takes her hand. Lets Emma help her up. "Genius. Then the apartment?"
Emma nods.
