Page 64 of Putting Out
Once inside, Reilly could see the house was definitely born of modern architecture. Rather than several small rooms, which had fancy names like the library, the conservatory, the parlor and such, the first floor was designed as one large open space melding into another. She could see a kitchen with a large great room attached to it with a wall made almost entirely out of tall windows. There was a staircase off to her right that led to the landing of the second floor.
“Which bedroom is mine? I want to change and work out for a while. Between the plane and the car trip, I’m actually feeling lazy sitting on my butt all day. Pierce would be proud.”
“Take any one. The ones in the back have a veranda that overlooks the river.”
Luke watched as Reilly took her bags up the stairs and admired the snug fit of the jeans she’d worn throughout the trip. He’d been doing his best to be noble in deference to his more long- term plans, but he had to admit seeing her this morning, even after such a short time apart, had made him edgy.
Needy.
“What the hell are you doing?” Kenny dropped his duffel at the bottom of the stairs with a loud clump.
“What?”
“You were staring at Reilly like… like, you know. I’m pretty sure you were checking out her ass.”
Luke shrugged. “She’s got a nice ass.”
He left Kenny in the foyer and took the two steps up to the landing that melded into the kitchen and great room. He opened the refrigerator and was pleased to see it full as per his request by the service who cleaned and kept the place stocked for visits. He took out a beer and then took out another one thinking maybe it was time for a long overdue conversation.
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kenny’s expression was confused more than it was angry. He didn’t hesitate to take the beer out of Luke’s hand.
“It means she’s got a nice ass.”
“You’re not supposed to notice those things. It’s Reilly. Shit, she’s as much your little sister as she is mine.”
“She is definitely not my little sister.”
This time Kenny’s confusion was wiped away by brotherly concern.
“Are you telling me you’ve made a move on my sister?”
Made a move, had a move made back. Basically he’d made love to her so many times and in so many ways it was hard to count them all. Usually leaving them both close to death afterward. But Luke didn’t say that. As much as he thought it might be time to put the idea of him with Reilly in Kenny’s head, he figured he didn’t need to add any sensual images to go with it.
“Kenny, I got the whole older-brother thing when we were in college and she was just a kid but times have changed. She’s a woman now and she doesn’t need an older brother looking after her.”
“Like hell she doesn’t. She’s made a mess of her personal life and the last person I would want to see her with is you. You’re a bigger mess than she is.”
Luke bristled, but he couldn’t refute the truth. “I’m not saying I’m the best candidate for her. Hell, I’m a three-time loser. Reilly and I are far too competitive to merge easily. I’m just saying if I have a thought or two about your sister it’s not a crime against God and man. You need to deal with that.”
“Bullshit.” Kenny slammed the beer down on the granite counter and stormed out toward the French doors that overlooked the pool and the backyard.
Since he was a guy, the appropriate move for Luke was to let his friend blow off some steam and turn on the television to catch the latest sports news. That’s what guys did. But something in Kenny’s tone, the level of his anger, bothered him. He had plans. He needed Kenny on his side.
More than that, Reilly needed them all to be a unit, not two halves fighting against one another. He picked up the now-foaming beer, poured the head off into the sink and followed him.
Kenny was looking at the dock that led to a small rowboat, which could be used to navigate the marshes to where they emptied into the river.
Luke gave him a second to accept his presence before he handed him his beer.
“So what’s up? Really?” Luke asked casually as he tipped the bottle to his lips.
“You’re hot for my sister, that’s what’s up.”
“I don’t think so. I think there’s something else going on. We’re friends. We should be able to talk about stuff like this.”
Kenny snorted, but took a swig of his beer. He didn’t turn his head, but cocked it slightly in Luke’s direction.
“Did you ever feel like everything around you was changing, but you were standing still? Stuck in quicksand or something and you can’t move?”
