“Hey, what are you doing here? You’re a day early.” Taylor said, pulling up her nose as she appraised him.
Grayson was the sweetest man I knew, with sharp intelligent eyes that missed nothing. He was kind and unassuming despite practically being ‘Australian royalty’. As heirs to an Australian mining magnate’s fortune, the Forbes siblings were super rich and each used to getting their own way.
I smiled at Grayson and said, “What Taylor means is, hey big brother. How was your trip home? Can I get you a nice drink while you freshen up?”
“No, I don’t,” Taylor shrieked from the bed. “He can get his own.”
I rolled my eyes. She adored her older brother and he loved her too, but I usually had to play the role of peacekeeper.
My stepbrother was holding a bag in one hand and had a backpack slung over his shoulder, his dark hair hanging over one eye. He looked tired and yet he still had a smile on his face. Undeterred by his sister’s words, he placed the bags at the door and walked into my bedroom.
“Hey. How are my two favorite girls in the whole wide world?” His grin widened as he stretched both arms out wide.
I stood from my chair to give Grayson a welcoming hug. I loved when he came home for uni breaks. When he was a continent away and we could only chat on occasion, I missed him.
With a few long strides, Grayson stood in front of me, grinning down with a sparkle in his eyes. “God, I missed you guys,” he said, his gaze trained on me. A delicious warmth spread over my body from my belly as I smiled back.
“You’re a day early. Weren’t you supposed to only arrive tomorrow?” I asked, straightening my hair. God, I looked a mess in track pants and an old t-shirt of his I’d stolen off the washing line.
“Yeah, I couldn’t wait a day longer to come home. I skipped the frat party and flew home instead.” His arm snaked around my waist to pull me closer. “I arrived last night, but I slept at a friend’s place. My flight was delayed so we landed very late. Didn’t want to wake the house.” Grayson grinned down at me. “Nice t-shirt by the way. Am I ever getting it back?”
Busted.
Heat rose to my cheeks and I hid it by slipping my arms around his torso and burying my face in his chest. Inhaling deeply, his manly scent filled my nose. I loved how he smelled, it made me all warm and fuzzy and evoked feelings of security and safety.
“Hey you two, if I didn’t know better I’d say get a room or something.” Taylor rolled off the bed and joined in on the hug just as I was about to pull away. “You know I hate you coming home because you steal Layla away all the time.”
I laughed. At least both my stepsiblings liked my company. I didn’t really have that many friends and I’d only had a few crushes and one boyfriend to date.
Taylor’s eyes lit up as she addressed her brother. “Hey, help me out here. I was just trying to convince Layla to change her hair style and color since she won’t let me even ask Mum for the style I want.”
He gave her a strange look. “Why would Layla want to change her hair? It's perfect as it is. As for you, just live with what you were given. You probably want to go all red or something silly.”
Taylor and I exchanged glances before she burst out laughing. “I think we’ll spare you the details ‘cause I don’t think you’d approve. You'd probably be worse than Mum.”
Typical male, Grayson had already lost interest in the conversation about hair. I followed his gaze to the poster behind my headboard. He had a perplexed frown between his brows as he studied the picture.
“Still crushing on Superman? Haven’t you outgrown him yet?”
“It's not Superman she’s crushing on, silly, it's the fine specimen of Henry Cavil that makes her panties melt.”
“Taylor!” I shrieked, my face warming up at an alarming rate. Grayson’s eyebrow lifted as his curious gaze rested on my face.
“Is that right? Henry does it for you, huh?”
“Um, he does have superpowers, you know.”
Oh God, that’s the best line I can come up with? Heat from my cheeks radiated off me. Damn that poster. I’d been meaning to take it off the wall for months.
Taylor tilted her head and appraised the life-sized poster. “Actually, now that I’m really looking at the man’s face, I have to say he is gorgeous. Those eyes . . .” She drew in a breath and went quiet for a moment. Crossing her arms, she said, “Nah, I could never crush on him.”
“Why not?” I mean who in their right mind would not get their panties in a knot over H.C.
“Yeah, tell us.” Grayson encouraged.