Sweet Temptation

When Micah could actually forget she was David’s sister, he certainly didn’t have a problem with lusting after her. Too bad he had to come to his senses on a regular basis.

“Hey,” she said in greeting when Connor walked up.

“Hey, Angelina, you ready to look at the apartment? I figured Fairh’s old one would be best because it’s situated in the middle of mine, Nathan’s and Micah’s. We sorta put her there on purpose, but that was before Gray came along.”

Angelina cocked her head. “Do all of you have bizarrely overdeveloped protective tendencies when it comes to women?”

He blinked as if that were the dumbest question he’d ever heard.

“Well no, not all women. Just the ones who belong to us.”

She shook her head at him. “I don’t belong to Micah, Connor. He doesn’t claim me at all. I’m just David’s sister, and believe me, he hasn’t spared me a thought over the last few years.”

Connor shrugged. “Just because he’s a dumbass doesn’t mean the rest of us are. You’re here now, and by virtue of your relationship with Micah, whatever that may or may not be, you belong to us and we look out for our own.”

She couldn’t contain the smile as she stared up at him. It was nice to have ... people. People she could count on. She hadn’t had that in so long, and God she’d missed having that connection. Friends. People she in turn could care about.

“Aw now don’t go and cry on me.” A look of sheer male panic crossed his face.

She blinked away the threatening moisture and impulsively reached out to squeeze his hand. “Thank you.”

He smiled and chucked her gently on the cheek. “You looked like you could use a friend. I guess I’m volunteering.”

For the first time in a long while, she felt lighter and a little more optimistic.

“Now come on. Let’s go see that apartment.”

“Serena, swear to God, if you don’t spill, I’m going to hurt you.”

“Ow, ow! For God’s sake, Julie, lighten up on the hands,” Serena yelped. “I’m going to have bruises.”

“Don’t look at me for sympathy,” Faith said from the other massage table.

Serena glared over at Faith, who innocently studied her nails while Julie mauled Serena’s back.

“I can’t believe I cut out on Damon on our day together to come here and be abused,” Serena sniffed.

“What you should have done is cut out on Damon to come here and give us the dirt,” Julie said as she forcefully kneaded Serena’s shoulders.

“What dirt?” Serena asked.

Faith groaned. “Come on. Micah? Bug up his ass? He didn’t show up for work today. Totally not like him. Then he shows up at your house to talk to Damon?”

Serena frowned. “I can’t tell you guys. Seriously.”

Julie’s hands stilled. “What do you mean you can’t tell us? It’s us. Who else would you tell? I mean I tell you guys everything. And I mean everything. Things I totally shouldn’t. Like all those details about my supposedly anonymous threesome that wasn’t so anonymous after all?”

“Not to mention all the details on my sex life,” Faith muttered. “I could have remained little miss innocent in your eyes if it weren’t for that.”

Serena and Julie both snorted with laughter.

“Seriously, Serena, what’s wrong with Micah?” Faith asked. “I’m really worried about him.”

Serena saw the very real concern in Fairh’s eyes. Faith and Micah were certainly close, which made it all the more strange that Micah had never shared any of the details of his past with anyone here.

She sighed and rolled over, reaching for the robe to cover herself. She sat up and let her legs hang over the side of the table while Julie and Faith eyeballed her in expectation.

“I really can’t. I mean he was speaking in confidence to Damon.”

The peal of a cell phone split the air. Faith hopped down from her table and snagged her purse. After a few minutes of fumbling, she dragged the phone out and hastily slapped it to her ear.

“Hello? Oh hi, Connor, what’s up? Um well yeah I have some stuff we didn’t move to the house. Why do you ask? Sure, you can have it, but didn’t you just buy your ‘guy’ furniture for your apartment? Surely you can’t be interested in my girly stuff.”

Serena and Julie snickered.

A bemused expression spread across Faith’s face. Then confusion followed by speculation. Julie looked at Serena and whispered, “This has to be good whatever it is. She looks like she swallowed a fly over there.”

“It’s in the storage building, the one a block over from the complex. Gray has the key, and he should be home. Well how would I know if he’d help you move? Call him. You’re interrupting something important here, brother dear. Uh huh, okay whatever. I’ll talk to you later and don’t think I won’t want every little detail.”

She closed the phone and eyed Serena and Julie with a peculiar glint in her eye. “Well that was interesting.”

“Do tell. We’re dying of curiosity over here,” Julie drawled.

“He wanted to know if he could have some of my old furniture that’s in storage. Apparently he’s moving someone into my old apartment. He broke off and was talking to her for a minute, and he called her sweetie.”