Gray, however, looked pissed as he narrowed his gaze at Drew. “You and I need to talk as soon as you get dressed and come downstairs.”
His lips clamped tight, Gray shut the door.
Shit.
Drew dragged his fingers through his hair and climbed out of bed.
“I’m sorry. I meant to wake you a couple of hours ago. I just passed out.”
He expected panic on Carolina’s face. Instead, she seemed . . . calm. She slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes. Drew couldn’t help but admire the sleek lines of her naked body. “I’m a grown woman, Drew. My brother is going to have to get over it.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“No. I’ll talk to him.”
She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just being overprotective. He’ll realize that this is none of his business.” She went over to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll see you downstairs.”
He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close, prolonging the kiss until, despite the upcoming conversation with Carolina’s brother that he was dreading, all he could think about was throwing Carolina back in bed and spending an hour or so with her.
But she pulled away. “I really need that shower, before the rest of the family wakes up.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” He swept his thumb over her bottom lip. “Too bad we can’t take one together.”
She sighed. “That would have been fun. The drawback to being surrounded by family—one that doesn’t knock before entering a room.”
He laughed. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
After Carolina left, Drew took a quick shower and got dressed. Not one to delay the inevitable, he found Gray downstairs, brooding over a cup of coffee.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“My parents and their security went for an early morning walk. Evelyn’s still asleep. What the hell are you doing in bed with my sister?”
Drew went to the coffeepot and poured a cup for himself, then faced Gray. “I don’t really think that requires a detailed explanation, do you?”
“Come on, Drew. She’s my sister.”
“And well over twenty-one, and more than capable of making decisions about who she shares a bed with. It’s not like she’s a kid anymore, Gray. You need to let this one go.”
“It’s a rule, man. You never mess with a friend’s little sister. You broke the cardinal rule of friendship.”
“That was a rule set up when we were nineteen.” Though no way was Drew going to mention he had, in fact, broken that rule back in college. Gray would never forgive him.
“It’s one that still holds true.”
Drew took a couple long swallows of coffee. After not enough sleep last night, he wasn’t ready to fight this battle with his best friend. “Come on. Are you saying I’m not good enough for her?”
Gray paced. “No. That’s not what I mean at all. But I know your lifestyle. I know you go through women as often as you change socks. I don’t want Carolina to be hurt.”
“And I don’t want to hurt her. It’s not like that.”