Page 9 of How to Lose a Lass

But then Don Juan himself saunters into the living room, and any chance I had to get the truth out of Calli has vanished. For now, at least.

After breakfast, Calli and Aidan jump in the fancy car his brother had rented for him and head for the airport. The puppies and I watch bad talk shows on TV while we wait for the new guest to arrive. Eventually, I give up on the talk shows and return to my little cabin for a while, if only to get a brief break from the sweet but extremely rambunctious puppies.

I've just started to make my way back to the house when I hear the distinctive sound of gravel crunching on the driveway. Calli and the Scots must be pulling up. The puppies race into the house, making the dog door thwap, just as I reach the sliding glass doors. I push them open, stepping inside. Calli and Aidan stand near the front door, holding hands. But I can't focus on that for long enough to say something snarky. No, my full attention is consumed by the beautiful girl who giggles as Mandy and Misty lick her shapely ankles.

Who is that?

Her long, golden-brown hair shivers every time she moves her head, and her hazel eyes shimmer with flecks of emerald green. Damn, she's gorgeous. When she smiles, I swear I can feel the warmth of that expression infiltrating me.

"You can love me more later," the girl tells the puppies. Then she straightens, smoothing out her skirt, and turns toward me. "You must be Calli's brother. I'm Jamie, Aidan's sister."

I swallow hard and suddenly can't remember how to speak, not coherently, anyway. I might be speaking gibberish, but I can't focus on any of the words that come out of my mouth. "Hey. Nice to, uh, meet you. I'm Gavin. Douglas. Calli's brother, Gavin Douglas."

Jamie smiles at me, and the cutest dimples form in her cheeks. "Nice to meet you too, Gavin."

She must think I'm a complete moron. Jamie MacTaggart is not a pigtailed girl but a full-grown and voluptuous woman. I can't seem to get my brain in gear while I'm looking at her, which is something I've never experienced before. I've never seen a woman as beautiful and sweet as Aidan's little sister.

I suddenly realize I'm holding Jamie's hand. Did we shake hands? I've got no frigging idea. But her palm feels warm and soft, and that fact makes me wonder how warm and soft she is everywhere else. I swear she's gazing at me with the same desire that I've felt since the moment I laid eyes on her.

Aidan grasps Jamie's wrist and tugs, but she doesn't release my hand. His lips pucker, and he tugs again. "Let me show you to your room."

Yeah, he spoke those words in a tone that proves he's not as unflappable as he likes for me to think. Aidan is getting irritated. Well, now he knows how I felt when I found him shacking up with my baby sister.

But I still can't tear my focus away from Jamie.

Aidan drags Jamie away from me, forcing us to let go of each other's hands as he hauls her down the hallway. She keeps glancing back at me and smiling. Once the two of them disappear from view, Calli rounds on me.

She plants her hands on her hips, and her lips kink up on one side in a sly, smug smile. "Gee, Gav, looks to me like you're going gushy over Aidan's sister."

"What?" I blink several times quickly, but that only breaks about eighty percent of my trance. "I was being friendly to your guest, that's all."

"Uh-huh. Flirting is a requirement for proper etiquette?"

I splutter because I still can't think straight, and Calli's being ridiculous. "All I said was hello."

My sister grins. "No, you said 'uh, hey, nice to meet you, can I please shave your legs for you.' Right before you mooned at her."

"I did not say that."

"Okay, maybe I ad-libbed the shaving part. But you were stammering and gaping at her like you'd never seen a pretty girl before."

I clench my teeth. "I'm not the one getting naked with somebody I barely know."

"But you'd like to make time with Aidan's little sister."

"Well---" Damn, she's right. And I hate that. Maybe I don't like the Aidan-Calli situation, but I've pretty much lost all my leverage in that regard since the moment I saw Jamie. I shove my hands into my jeans pockets. "You're a grown-up, so you can do what you want."

Calli struggles not to grin at me again. "Gee, thanks, Gav."

No matter what Calli says, I never "mooned" at Jamie MacTaggart.

I might've gawked. A little. Hardly at all, really.

Jeez, I am so screwed.

Chapter Four

Jamie

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