Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

“Don’t you trust yourself, Pea?” Shane’s voice was low and the tone intimate. “I promise. I won’t so much as lay a hand on you unless you ask for it.”

He looked entirely too smug, and Bobbi knew she was in trouble, but she found herself nodding.

“No sleepovers either. You have your own room here, and I have mine. We need to keep some kind of distance between us. Some kind of perspective.” Bobbi exhaled, feeling better about things because she had the upper hand. She was calling the shots. “And no coming into my room without permission.”

“Got it.”

“No kissing.”

“That’s gonna be hard, but I think I can do it.”

“No dirty dancing.”

“Not even in the rain?” Shane flashed a smile, which she ignored. He was making this entirely too easy, and she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him—which wasn’t very far.

“And we need to have a conversation about that last night and the things that were said and…and about Jane,” she finished in a rush.

The light in his eyes vanished, and he stared across the room at her for a long time without saying a word.

“Yeah, I suppose we do, but not tonight.” Shane turned on his heel and reached for the door. “Freshen up and change your clothes. Something casual.”

When the door closed behind him, Bobbi sank back to the bed, breaths coming fast and hard. She felt lightheaded and confused and, weirdly enough, more than a little aroused. Was it because she’d gone so long without sex? Was just talking about it enough to make her girlie parts come roaring to life? God, was she any better than Shane?

Her cell phone buzzed from atop the dresser, and she scooped it up on her way to the bathroom. It was her sister, Billie, and she hesitated for a second or two, but then took the call because she knew Billie wouldn’t give up until they talked, and she’d been calling repeatedly since yesterday.

“Hey,” she said, trying her best to sound normal. She grabbed the pregnancy test from the sink and shoved it to the bottom of her toiletry case. “What’s up?”

“That’s it? What’s up? You leave town over a week ago without telling me, and I have to find out from Logan, who, by the way, is in hot water because he knew for days and didn’t say a word. Then I find out Shane’s in Louisiana staying at the same place you are, and I’ve been calling you all day, and when you finally pick up, you want to know what’s up? Like, it’s a freaking Monday night and you’re wondering if I’m headed for wing night at the Grill? What the hell, Bobbi? Betty and I are pissed.”

God, she so didn’t have time to deal with her sisters.

“If you’re going to keep yelling at me, then I’ll hang up right now.”

“But…”

“I mean it, Billie. I don’t have the time or the patience.”

“Okay. I get

it. You needed to get away. I just don’t know why you didn’t tell me or Betty. We tell each other everything.”

Bobbi felt bad. She really did. She knew if the positions were reversed she’d be just as upset as Billie was. “But the last time I wanted to talk to you, you kept telling me that I was being dumb and foolish and that I’d jumped the gun leaving Shane and was wrong about everything.”

“That’s because you were dumb and foolish,” Billie said in a rush. “Shit, sorry, don’t hang up. I promise not to pontificate.”

“That’s a big word for you,” Bobbi retorted.

“Learned it playing Scrabble last night.”

Bobbi held the cell phone gingerly between her shoulder and her ear while she slipped out of her clothes. “Look, I really don’t have a lot of time, Billie.”

“I’m just checking in, is all. I’m worried about you. We all are.”

“I’m good.”

“Liar.”

“Well, I will be. I think.” She shook her head and swore. “I hope.” The last part came out a whisper.