Power Drilled (Roommates, #8)(42)

“Time is money, young lady,” Evelyn said.

Naomi took a deep breath. “I’m in.”

I smiled at her. It was nice that at least one of us knew what our immediate future held.





17





JACKSON





There was a very odd assortment of women huddled on the couch when I entered the suite. Penny and Naomi were on either side of a very wildly dressed older woman. Fortunately, my brothers had briefed me on this woman. “Good to see you again, Aunt Evelyn.”

The older woman gave me an impatient nod, but Penny’s jaw dropped as I called her great aunt by name. I had to admit that I enjoyed it when I was able to surprise her like that.

Naomi gave me a smile. “Why don’t you two go in the other room and change? I’ll be there in a moment.”

I followed Penny into what was once a bedroom. She walked over to the massage table in the center of the room and frowned. “There were two here the other day.”

I grinned. “You can lay on top of me.”

She smirked. “You wish.”

I did indeed.

I scanned the room and spotted another. I hauled the table next to the other one and got it set up. All in all, it was easier to open and position than the space-age stroller one of my buddies had bought for his toddler.

Penny pushed on it, testing it, but it held. “I’m going to change in the bathroom. You can change out here.” She glanced at the closed door to the living room. “Better lock that. Aunt Evelyn thinks you’re good-looking.”

“Aunt Evelyn has good taste.” But I locked the door as Penny vanished into the bathroom.

I’d had a few massages in my day, so after stripping and folding up my clothes, I got onto one of the tables and used the sheet to cover my ass.

Then there was a tentative knock. “Can I come out now?” Penny said.

I nearly snorted. Did she honestly think I’d turn away a nearly naked woman? Not hardly. Especially not one that looked like her.

She emerged from the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her.

Holy shit.

I craned my neck as I watched her walk gracefully forward.

“There weren’t any robes in there.”

That was literally the best news I’d heard all day. She was so fucking gorgeous. The short towel made her legs look endlessly long. I wanted more than anything to know how they’d feel wrapped around my waist.

“What?” Penny asked, a little self-consciously.

“You’re beautiful.”

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened.

“Is it okay to tell you that when you’re only wearing a towel?”

“I’ll allow it.” She gave me a faint smile. “But only when I’m wearing a towel.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you should never wear anything else. Hell, wear it to the wedding.”

She grinned. “Only the bride’s allowed to wear white.” She unlocked the door to the living room and then paused at the other massage table. “Can you turn your head? I don’t think I can get on this without flashing you at some point.”

God, she was killing me. I already had an erection, and that image she’d just supplied me with made it worse. I looked away from her, but I could still imagine what was going on. She was likely climbing onto the table—on all fours, in my mind—and then crawling up so her head was up near mine. And with both hands on the table, her towel had probably fallen open. Or better yet, off the table entirely.

Shit, those kinds of thoughts weren’t helping with my rock-hard cock.

“All clear,” Penny said. I turned back toward her, hoping that she meant that the towel was now clear of her body, but no, it was draped over her round ass. She still looked amazing, though.

I had half a mind to relock the door to the living room and massage Penny myself.

But then Naomi entered the room, and I tried to rein my thoughts in. It definitely wasn’t easy, with Penny so close by.

But at least I deserved points for trying.



And hour and a half later, my muscles felt deliciously lax, and I was dressed in my suit. Penny emerged from the bathroom of her hotel room, and I changed my mind about only wanting to ever see her in a towel, because she looked incredible this way, too.

“Wow,” was all I could manage.

She smiled. “Right back at you.”

Yeah, right. I was good looking. Hot, even. But she was a goddess.

She had on a shimmery wrap dress that hugged all her curves. It was dark blue, and it somehow made her eyes look darker and more dangerous. Or maybe that was the dramatic eye makeup she’d put on. If I’d thought about it, I probably would’ve said I preferred her without this much makeup, but for a night on the town, it was a damn good look. She looked like a femme fatale spy or something.

“God, you clean up well.”

She smiled. “You, too. No offense, but you look better without a layer of sawdust.”

I laughed. “You, too.”

“I suppose we’ll be taking your car?” she asked.

“Hell yes.” She seemed to forget that I’d seen her car, both while it was running and while it was broken down on the side of the road. To my eye, there wasn’t much difference between the two modes. “But I think we’ve got time.” I made a pretense of looking at my wrist, even though I wasn’t wearing a watch. “Why don’t we go get a drink at the bar here, first?”