The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(21)

“Stop what?” Max asked with a mock innocence that had Eli shaking his head.

“You know what. Don’t flirt with her. Roommates are off-limits.”

“Since when?” Max wanted to know.

“Since the last three roommates you single-handedly chased away once you broke their hearts. No more. Besides, Brynn is smarter than you are, she can see right through you.”

Max looked at Brynn.

Brynn nodded sagely.

Max laughed. “Okay, I’ll give you that much. But it would’ve been fun.”

Brynn had no doubt.

When they’d finished cleaning up, Brynn headed out of the kitchen. Knowing she was starting a new job tomorrow had put butterflies in her tummy. “Thanks for dinner, but I’ve got to get some sleep.”

“Let me help you bring the rest of your stuff in first,” Eli said.

She shook her head. “Thanks, but that’s okay, it’s not important.”

Those fascinating gray eyes seemed to be able to see inside her, but she just smiled and made her way to her new bedroom to avoid more talk.

And a little bit to avoid Kinsey, as well, who presumably was in the car she’d just heard pull into the driveway.

She used their bathroom quickly, and then turned off her light and got into bed.

Two hours later, she was still staring up at the ceiling. She couldn’t sleep, and she didn’t want to think about why. When her stomach growled, she sat up and listened.

The house was quiet.

Assuming the coast was clear, she slipped on her favorite baggy sweats and tiptoed out.

Mini was sleeping in yet another dog bed at the top of the stairs. The sweet dog lifted a sleepy head and gave her a smile, and Brynn choked out a laugh. Someone had hung a small sign around her neck that said:

Zero days since the last toilet paper massacre.

“You’re my favorite roommate,” she whispered, and hugged her before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen. She hadn’t had a chance to go food shopping for herself yet, but Eli had said to make herself at home. She’d just take a peek and see if there was anything she could snack on and replace tomorrow. But the view out the window had her stepping out onto the back porch. Staring up at a gorgeous full moon high above the water, she sank into the porch swing in the far corner to take it all in. She was still there a few minutes later when she heard voices.

Eli and Max.

They were coming up the back porch steps wearing wet suits, leaning their surfboards against the house at the bottom of the stairs.

They’d been surfing in the dark. At midnight, by moonlight. She didn’t know if that was the coolest thing she’d ever heard of, or the most stupidly dangerous.

The guys unzipped their wet suits and peeled them down to their lean hips, and she quickly sat up to make herself known, but Max spoke first. “She’s cute.”

Eli just slid him a look.

“What? She is. And I know you know it because I caught you looking at her ass.”

Eli reached into a cooler. He cracked open a bottle of water, drank for a long moment, and then said, “I just remembered you owe me that favor from when I got you the job at the marina. You said it could be anything.”

“That was a year ago.”

“Well, I’ve finally decided. You’re going to clean out the garage this weekend and make room for our new renter to park in it.”

Max grinned.

“What?”

“Man, it’s been a long time since you resorted to dickhead threats to change the subject. Just admit it, you’ve got a thing for her.”

Brynn stilled. Well, everything except her good parts. Those tingled. Eli couldn’t possibly have a thing for her. If he had, it would’ve happened after their long-ago kiss. Or any of the summers after that, until he’d stopped going to camp. Or even the other day at the hospital.

When you’d pretended not to remember him . . .

She sighed silently. She was such an idiot, compounding her errors. Because she should’ve made herself known the minute they’d appeared on the porch, but now it was too late. So she sat very still and hoped they didn’t say anything else she couldn’t unhear.

“You going to do anything about it?” Max asked. “Or are you going to tell me I’m full of shit, that you feel nothing, the same nothing you’ve been feeling for way too long? And you need to be careful here, bro, because if you say that, it means she’s up for grabs. Think she likes younger guys?”

“Try anything on her and no one will ever find your body.”

Max grinned. “See, I knew it. You do still like her.” He leaned forward to catch Eli’s response.

Brynn leaned forward too. Because . . . still?

Eli pressed a finger to an eye, like maybe it was twitching. “She’s not here for that,” he said. “I think she’s been hurt. She’s . . . trying to heal.”

Brynn froze, shocked to realize she’d broadcasted that with body language alone.

Max lost both his smile and teasing tone. “Do we need to go teach some guy his manners?”

“Only if she wants us to,” Eli said, and Brynn felt something warm inside her, in a place where she’d shoved deep the things that made her cold and scared.

“I see you, you know,” Max said.

Brynn froze, feeling her face flush. She’d been found out, and she opened her mouth to apologize, but Max spoke again.