They glared at each other in one of their famous sibling standoffs. She lifted her chin.
As usual she won.
“Fine,” he muttered. “Stay here until you get on your feet. But it better not be long. And you better not be in our way.”
“Thanks, Dunc.” She smiled. “I promise I won’t be. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“Why do I doubt that?” Duncan shook his head.
She looked over at Marc and saw he was grinning at the counter he was wiping.
Cheese whiz, he was gorgeous! Even more so when he smiled. Earlier he’d been so straight-faced and serious. A little curl of lust warmed her inside.
“We need to get going.” Marc looked at her brother, the grin now absent. “Gotta get to the dealership.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Duncan gave her a narrow-eyed look as he rose from the couch. “I’m buying a new vehicle. Gotta go sign the papers and pick it up.”
“Oooh. What kind?”
“Land Rover.”
“Duncan! You can’t drive a truck in Chicago!”
“It’s not a truck, for fuck’s sake.”
She made a face. “If you say so. I’ll unpack and get settled in. Hey, could you pick me up a bed on your way home?” He bugged his eyes out at her and she laughed. “Kidding! We can do that tomorrow.”
“What about the stuff from your apartment in Madison? Where’s that?”
“Storage. I’ll get it shipped here when I find my own place.”
“You mean you actually do intend to find your own place?”
“Uh…yeah.” She gave him a “duh” look. “I can’t stay with you forever. Although, I could get some of the stuff shipped here…my bedroom set. And…” She glanced at his dining room full of weights. “You could use a dining table and chairs.”
“Fuck no. I mean…I’ll help you find a nice apartment.”
“Sure. As long as you don’t mind sleeping on the couch until we do.”
He groaned and she heard a laugh from the kitchen. She looked back at Marc and their eyes met. His gleamed with mirth and she felt a little kick of lust.
He grinned. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen Army taken out so easily. This is hilarious.”
Duncan scowled. “Shut the fuck up, Duper.”
Her eyes met Marc’s and held again and she grinned back at him, trying (but failing) to ignore the flip of lust and attraction low in her belly. He looked at her long enough that she knew he felt it, too.
Well, she certainly hadn’t planned on something like this. She’d come to Chicago to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, since she didn’t seem to be figuring that out very well in Madison. Things with Richard had gotten serious enough that she’d been scared spitless; scared enough to break up with him, quit her job, pack up all her belongings, and run. She had a plan, figured there’d be lots of opportunities in Chicago, and was going to get right on that, first thing Monday morning. She hadn’t planned on living with a hot hockey player with a body that could turn a girl to a puddle of lust…but this was going to be fun!