Page 21 of Give Me Forever

"Man, what are you talking about? There's nothing going on," I said.

"For now," Luke said with a wink.

Tyler chuckled. “I’m with Luke on this one.”

My brothers were unbelievable. Declan was the only one who didn't seem intent on making fun of me.

I carried the trash bags into my room. I was going to deal with them later. Everything I owned in terms of clothing was in them; it would take no time at all to put them in the dresser.

Going back to the living room, I planned to ask my brothers if they wanted to stay for dinner. There were a bazillion hip restaurants around. We could order something in, or I could take them out for a drink. But when I came in, Tate was on the phone with Paisley. Travis was also on the phone, probably with Bonnie. Maybe Travis wasn't just teasing me; my brothers had their own lives to go back to.

A bout of guilt hit me that I'd made them all come here. Dad's rule was reasonable, but my intention hadn't been to take my brothers away from their families.

"Guys, thanks for your help. I think we're all done here."

Declan cocked a brow. "You sure?"

"Yes.”

"When is your girl moving in?" Tate asked. He’d finished his conversation and was pocketing his phone.

"She's not my girl, she's my roommate, and she should've been here ten minutes ago, at seven o'clock."

“See? We need to give you shit now so we get it out of our system before she arrives.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Travis winked at me. "We can't very well let her carry her stuff in on her own, can we?"

"She wouldn't be on her own," I remarked. "I'd help her."

"Yeah, but the more the merrier, that's what I say.”

“Unless, of course, we're interrupting something. Are we?" Tyler asked.

"I forgot you're such a buffoon."

"I'm always glad to remind you," he replied with a wide grin.

We all headed downstairs. Avery was by the entrance with a huge suitcase and five boxes.

I reached her first. "Where's the rest of your stuff?" I asked.

"This is everything I have."

"My brothers will be disappointed."

Her eyes widened. "They're here?"

"Yes." I had a hard time keeping my eyes on her face. She was wearing short cutoff jeans, and her legs seemed endless. Her skin looked so soft that I barely bit back the impulse to move closer and find an excuse to touch her. I remembered the way her skin felt under my fingers. It was all Travis's fault that I was fantasizing.

The next second, my brothers came down.

"Hey, all the Maxwells are here," Avery said with a laugh. "Let me guess, honoring the family policy. 'Don't hire someone to do stuff for you,' right?" She frowned, running a hand through her hair, and bit her lower lip. My cock twitched. I was on a dangerous slope already.

"No, it's 'Don't pay anyone to do stuff you can do yourself,'" Luke explained. He nodded at her boxes. "That's all you have?”

"Yep. That's all I own: my suitcase and these five boxes."

"Do you still have stuff in storage?" Tate asked.

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