Tease (Tease 1)

We headed back up the track. She walked closely beside me; every now and then her arm would brush past mine, sending tingles through my body. I snuck a glace at her. She looked gorgeous in her fitted jeans and pink shirt that she’d paired with a thick gray woolen jacket.

“Do you do a lot of walking?” I asked. Wow, I’m full of riveting conversation today.

She shrugged. “Not as much as I should. I’ll say its hard to find the time, but we all know that just translates to lazy. What about you, do you work out much?”

“Yeah, I love to run, but that’s about it,” I replied. Besides all the sex, I added silently.

We walked in silence, passing the sign that pointed us in the direction of Hurley’s Point. We’d been walking for close to ten minutes when Mia let out a shriek.

“What is it?” I asked anxio

usly, as she grabbed hold of my arm. My heart raced as she touched me. I wasn’t sure if it was my adrenaline pumping, or the fact that her hand was resting on my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

She pointed just off the track, where a small lizard was working his way across.

I began to laugh. “It’s a fucking lizard. It’s not going to hurt you,” I said, amused.

“Well, how was I supposed to know? I mean, what if it was poisonous and it bit me? Huh? Then what?” she retorted, her voice smug.

I shrugged. “You’re the nurse, not me,” I shot back. “And here I was, thinking you weren’t a girly girl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she cried, hitting me on the arm. Again, heat rushed through my body as my mind tried to process her touch.

“I thought you were tough,” I teased, trying to ignore the effect her touch was having on me. “And what was that? You hit like a girl.”

“I am a freaking girl,” she grumbled, kicking a stone off the track.

I kept making fun of her until we reached the others, and then proceeded to make fun of her again in front of the others. By the time we got back to the cabin, she looked like she was ready to punch me. Nic dragged Mia into the kitchen to start dinner, and demanded that Jake and I start on the grill.

“Have you found a place to live yet?” Nic asked Mia as they sliced lettuce.

Mia rolled her eyes. “No,” she grumbled. “Every place I’ve looked at is either a complete dump or too far from work.”

“Where are you staying now?” I asked.

“With my parents. Which means from next week I have an hour commute. Yay.” She smiled and pushed a loose curl back behind her ear, displaying her beautiful long neck. I quickly glanced away, realizing that I was staring.

“Hey, you should stay at Liam’s.” Nic came over to the table carrying a tray of dips and crackers. I stared at her in shock, sure I’d misheard what she’d just suggested.

Her at my apartment? I couldn’t think of anything worse.

“What?” she asked. My look of horror obviously meant nothing to my sister. “You wouldn’t mind, would you? You’re right around the corner from the hospital.”

“Uh, sure,” I managed, glaring at my sister.

I liked my space, especially with my job. I liked hanging around the house in my boxers, and letting the dishes pile up. Having a woman there would ruin that. Then there was the other issue: if I could barely stop myself from making a move after spending one night with her, how the fuck was I going to cope if she was living with me?

“No, that’s too much.” Mia shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude—”

“You wouldn’t be, would she, Liam?” Nic turned to me but didn’t wait for an answer. “His apartment is fucking huge! It’s perfect. And it’s only until you find a place.”

I wanted to kill my fucking sister. It was one thing to lie to people about my job, but how the fuck was I going to explain my odd hours to Mia?

Sure, all insurance consultants don’t start till noon then work until three in the morning.

“Um, well, I guess if you really don’t mind…” She looked at me as if waiting for me to come up with an excuse.

I shrugged, knowing there was no way for me to get out of this now. “Sure. No problem,” I said, forcing a smile.