lack of complaint coming to life underneath me. I was kissing down his chest now and tweaked his nipple between my teeth.
“No?” I said, looking up at him.
“Tit for tat,” he said, and flipped me over. Then he lowered his face to where one of my nipples raised the fabric of my T-shirt. He was just closing his mouth over it when my door burst open and Izzy slipped in, shutting it behind her and leaning against it.
Brendan turned his head to the side to stare at her, and we all froze in a strange tableau.
“Uh, Izzy?” I said eventually. “What the fuck?”
“Sorry, guys, it’s just…ah, Kat…”
“Yes,” I encouraged, nudging Brendan off me, and sitting up to look at her.
She whispered something that I couldn’t hear. I frowned. “What?”
“Your parents are here.” It wasn’t much louder the second time, but I heard her clearly and I think my heart stopped for a second.
“What? Like, in the building?”
“Yeah. Like, in the kitchen.”
“What the hell are they doing here at…eleven o’clock? Shit, how’d it get so late?”
I was scrambling out of bed and hunting my room for something—anything—clean that did not need ironing. “Why didn’t they call first?” I mumbled to myself, then checked my phone and saw that I did actually have three missed calls. “Fuck.”
“You’re okay for a minute; Justin’s entertaining them and he barely looks hungover. And Steph. How cool is she, by the way. So sweet.”
“What are they doing here? After my mum deigned to visit the first time, when I was moving in, and turned up her nose at everything, I thought I was safe from her ever stepping foot in here again.”
I was so flustered that it barely occurred to me that I was getting changed in front of an audience. Not that either of them hadn’t seen it all before.
I pulled on a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt that was hanging in my wardrobe. Hanging, because I never usually wore it. But it was the cleanest, most unwrinkled thing I currently owned. I hadn’t done laundry all week. I was twisting back and forth in front of the mirror, combing my hair with my fingers, when my eyes flickered over to Brendan, and I did a double take. He was still lounging in the bed, looking amused and with a sheet barely covering him.
I noticed Izzy glancing appreciatively.
“Ah, shit.”
“Who, me?” Brendan said with a grin. “Want me to hide here?”
“She’ll probably want to come in here,” I said and then bit my lip. Apart from Brendan’s and my clothes strewn around, it was okay—I’d been trained long-sufferingly into being tidy by habit—but still probably not up to my mother’s standards. When I had first moved in, she had asked if I wanted our housekeeper to come around and clean the place weekly. The whole place, not just my room.
I’d said no, of course. Even though occasionally I regretted that, once I found out how messy Justin and Izzy could be.
“Want me to sneak out, then?” Brendan was saying. I looked at him.
“No, stay.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Sure?”
“If you’re up for it?” A little smile was creeping on to my face, wickedly.
Brendan narrowed his eyes. “Are you using me to make your parents freak out?”
I bit my lip again. “Maybe?”
“I’m cool with that,” he said. “Just need to know how to play it.”
“What, on a scale from choir boy to car thief?” I grinned. “Just be yourself.”
“Okay,” he said. “You asked for it.”
I had a momentary flutter of apprehension, but I ignored it.
Brendan sat up and started getting out of bed. Izzy was staring.
“Thanks, Iz. Tell them I’ll be out in a sec. Iz?”
“Ah, yeah. Okay.” She snapped her eyes to me, gave me an eyebrow raise with a grin, and then departed.
I stood where I was in the middle of the room and watched Brendan myself. My gaze flickered over him, down the lines of his lean back, the way his muscles flexed as he leaned down to pick up his shirt from the
“No?” I said, looking up at him.
“Tit for tat,” he said, and flipped me over. Then he lowered his face to where one of my nipples raised the fabric of my T-shirt. He was just closing his mouth over it when my door burst open and Izzy slipped in, shutting it behind her and leaning against it.
Brendan turned his head to the side to stare at her, and we all froze in a strange tableau.
“Uh, Izzy?” I said eventually. “What the fuck?”
“Sorry, guys, it’s just…ah, Kat…”
“Yes,” I encouraged, nudging Brendan off me, and sitting up to look at her.
She whispered something that I couldn’t hear. I frowned. “What?”
“Your parents are here.” It wasn’t much louder the second time, but I heard her clearly and I think my heart stopped for a second.
“What? Like, in the building?”
“Yeah. Like, in the kitchen.”
“What the hell are they doing here at…eleven o’clock? Shit, how’d it get so late?”
I was scrambling out of bed and hunting my room for something—anything—clean that did not need ironing. “Why didn’t they call first?” I mumbled to myself, then checked my phone and saw that I did actually have three missed calls. “Fuck.”
“You’re okay for a minute; Justin’s entertaining them and he barely looks hungover. And Steph. How cool is she, by the way. So sweet.”
“What are they doing here? After my mum deigned to visit the first time, when I was moving in, and turned up her nose at everything, I thought I was safe from her ever stepping foot in here again.”
I was so flustered that it barely occurred to me that I was getting changed in front of an audience. Not that either of them hadn’t seen it all before.
I pulled on a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt that was hanging in my wardrobe. Hanging, because I never usually wore it. But it was the cleanest, most unwrinkled thing I currently owned. I hadn’t done laundry all week. I was twisting back and forth in front of the mirror, combing my hair with my fingers, when my eyes flickered over to Brendan, and I did a double take. He was still lounging in the bed, looking amused and with a sheet barely covering him.
I noticed Izzy glancing appreciatively.
“Ah, shit.”
“Who, me?” Brendan said with a grin. “Want me to hide here?”
“She’ll probably want to come in here,” I said and then bit my lip. Apart from Brendan’s and my clothes strewn around, it was okay—I’d been trained long-sufferingly into being tidy by habit—but still probably not up to my mother’s standards. When I had first moved in, she had asked if I wanted our housekeeper to come around and clean the place weekly. The whole place, not just my room.
I’d said no, of course. Even though occasionally I regretted that, once I found out how messy Justin and Izzy could be.
“Want me to sneak out, then?” Brendan was saying. I looked at him.
“No, stay.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Sure?”
“If you’re up for it?” A little smile was creeping on to my face, wickedly.
Brendan narrowed his eyes. “Are you using me to make your parents freak out?”
I bit my lip again. “Maybe?”
“I’m cool with that,” he said. “Just need to know how to play it.”
“What, on a scale from choir boy to car thief?” I grinned. “Just be yourself.”
“Okay,” he said. “You asked for it.”
I had a momentary flutter of apprehension, but I ignored it.
Brendan sat up and started getting out of bed. Izzy was staring.
“Thanks, Iz. Tell them I’ll be out in a sec. Iz?”
“Ah, yeah. Okay.” She snapped her eyes to me, gave me an eyebrow raise with a grin, and then departed.
I stood where I was in the middle of the room and watched Brendan myself. My gaze flickered over him, down the lines of his lean back, the way his muscles flexed as he leaned down to pick up his shirt from the
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