Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I blow out a breath and gather my wits. “What are you guys doing here, anyway? Just a happy coincidence?”
“Because he,” Renn says, rolling his eyes, “couldn’t manage to get his—”
“I didn’t want to be away from my baby sister on her thirtieth birthday,” Brock says, smiling facetiously.
Ella smacks his shoulder. “Oh, that’s why? Good to know because apparently, I was under the wrong impression.”
Brock sits on the chaise, pulling Ella down on his lap. “That’s not the only thing you’ll be under when we get to our room.”
Our room? “I—”
“I’m not getting under you, on you, or around you until you tell me why you’re here.” Ella shifts until she’s looking at Brock. “And you better come up with the right answer this time and enunciate it clearly.”
Brock sighs. “El—”
“Wait a minute,” I say, setting my bag on my chair. Sweat drips down my spine. “Let’s back up. There is no our room. We have one queen bed, Brock. You know that. You made the reservation.”
My brother looks at me warily.
“What?” I ask, unsure where this is going.
Renn’s hand slides across the small of my back. He slips behind me, lightly brushing his body against mine, before sitting beside my pool bag.
I force a swallow before chuckling, shaking my head at him.
His lips press together as if to hide a smile. Bastard.
“No need to worry. I took care of it,” Renn says.
“Took care of it?” I ask. “What’s that mean?”
He rests his elbows on his knees and looks at me through his long, thick lashes. “A suite has been secured, birthday girl.”
A suite? He booked us a suite? Us? As in the four of us?
“Brock is going to be making up with Ella since he pissed her off. Her ass will be in his bed all weekend, and you know it. So either stay with us too or sleep alone.” Renn smirks. “Or I can give them the suite and sleep with you in your room. Your call.”
I suck in a breath, the heat of his gaze melting me quicker than the desert sun.
“You two better knock it off—” Brock starts, but Ella springs to her feet.
“Since he pissed me off?” Her hands go to her hips again, her eyes narrowing at Renn.
I groan. Here we go.
Brock tugs on Ella’s arm, but she shrugs him away.
“Choose your words wisely because I’m already pissed at you,” she says to Renn.
“Oh no,” he deadpans. “You’re pissed? How will I survive?”
I cover my mouth and try not to laugh.
“You won’t if you keep it up,” Ella says. “I know you talked him into going with you to Miami. He went, so it’s his fault. But you’re the freaking Pied Piper of bad decisions.”
Renn sighs, turning on his playful smile. “Look, El, I’m sorry. I should’ve consulted you first. Of course. But my brother Tate scored tickets to a Beau McCrae concert, and they’re impossible to get. Can you really blame us?” He bats his lashes. “Please forgive me.”
Ella growls at him as Brock pulls her back onto his lap.
“Tickets to Beau McCrae? Sounds like I need to meet Tate,” I say.
Renn turns slowly toward me and lifts a brow. “Tate’s boring.”
The sentence sounds harmless, a vague description of a sibling being altogether uninteresting. But it isn’t. There’s a challenge embedded into the casualness of those two words—and I’m not sure why it’s so damn hot. But the fire he lit inside me earlier has been doused with a bucket of gasoline.
“Really?” I ask, smiling sweetly. “Because Tate sounds super interesting to me. And impressive. Beau McCrae tickets? Wow.”
Renn’s jaw sets into a hard line. That’s the real wow here.
“Oh, he’s impressive, Blakely,” Ella says, goading Renn. “You should follow Tate on Social. It’s a good, shirtless time.”
Brock buries his head in her neck, making her squeal.
“Ooh, will do,” I say.
“Do you even follow me?” Renn turns his palms to face the sky, annoyed.
“I don’t know.” Absolutely, I do. “Do you follow me?”
He drops his hands to his thighs. “I follow three people, and two of them pay me to.”
“Okay, so the short answer is no, you don’t.”
“Let’s get back to the suite subject,” Brock says. “It’s hot as hell out here.”
I drag my eyes from Renn’s and face my brother. “I don’t know why you think you can just barge in and take over my birthday party. It’s rude.”
“Because I’m me.”
“This was a girls’ weekend.” And my last chance to be wild and free. “You weren’t invited.”
Renn stands, stretching his arms over his head. It takes everything in me not to watch the hem of his shirt slip up his abdomen. “I invited him.”
What? “Um, you weren’t invited either.”
“I saw your face light up when you saw me coming,” he says, his smile smug. “Don’t pretend you want me to leave.”
I’ll ignore that. “We have plans tonight. Don’t we, Ella?”