"Double asshole."
He laughs. "I know what you mean."
I look around the living room. "Do you?"
"You calling me a spoiled rich boy?"
"If the multi-million-dollar beach house fits."
"My parents' beach house."
"It seems empty."
"They're on location. They're research scientists." His lips curl into a half smile. "But they're coming by for a visit in a few weeks. They'll be here for a while."
God, I've never seen anyone so happy to have their parents back home.
Well, comparatively. On anyone else, this expression would be mild amusement. On Mal, it's the pinnacle of joy.
I should ask about it, but the whole parents thing… it's too messy. I'm not about to share my sorry story. Better to change the subject.
"Does Ethan live here too?" I ask.
"He moved in with his girlfriend a while back. My sister too."
"Your sister moved in with Ethan's girlfriend?"
"With her boyfriend. Fuck, they're engaged." He shakes his head. "She's twenty. She's too young to be engaged."
"But they love each other?"
"Yeah. She loves him. And he loves her, but… I don't know-"
&nb
sp; "Nobody will ever be good enough for your baby sister?"
He nods. "You calling me a cliché?"
"I, um, well, it came up while I was doing research—"
"Bullshit."
"Okay, I already knew from… well, it doesn't matter why I knew. But everyone knows about Kit and Piper. He's oh-my-God hot and she's adorable and the whole guy dating his best friend's sister thing—that's dramatic. Especially with his history."
"But you don't follow our gossip or anything."
"Yeah. Of course that." I press my lips together. "I'd never get into gossip."
"Uh-huh."
"Really. Scout's honor." I hold up my four fingers. Is that the Scout gesture? I have no idea.
Mal laughs. Slowly, his eyes pass over me. He runs his fingers over my knee. Down my calf.
I press my lips together to suppress a moan.
"Feeling back in your legs?" He looks up at me with this expression that screams cause I'd to spread them and permanently move in to the space between them.