Just an hour of her next to him in bed would be good enough. Then he’d wake her and she could sneak back to her room.
No one would know.
No one could know. That would be a disaster.
He yawned and closed his eyes.
THE RAP OF A COUPLE QUICK KNOCKS PENETRATED the thick fog of dead sleep that had sent Drew spiraling off into oblivion.
But the sound of Gray’s voice shot him up in bed.
“Hey, Drew, I thought we’d get a head start on everyone else—”
Gray saw the body in bed next to Drew at the same time Drew threw the covers over Carolina’s head.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, man. I had no idea.” Gray started to back out, then paused as Carolina threw the covers off her head.
“Drew, what’s going on?” she asked.
And then it was like a scene in a really bad movie.
Because Carolina woke enough to see her brother standing in the doorway, a horrified expression on her face.
And Gray realized it was his sister in bed with Drew.
“What the ever-loving fuck is going on here?” Gray asked.
“Gray. Get out so your sister can get dressed.”
Carolina, eyes wide, said nothing.
Gray, however, looked pissed as he narrowed his gaze at Drew. “You and I need to talk as soon as you get dressed and come downstairs.”
His lips clamped tight, Gray shut the door.
Shit.
Drew dragged his fingers through his hair and climbed out of bed.
“I’m sorry. I meant to wake you a couple of hours ago. I just passed out.”
He expected panic on Carolina’s face. Instead, she seemed . . . calm. She slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes. Drew couldn’t help but admire the sleek lines of her naked body. “I’m a grown woman, Drew. My brother is going to have to get over it.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“No. I’ll talk to him.”
She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just being overprotective. He’ll realize that this is none of his business.” She went over to him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m going to take a shower, then I’ll see you downstairs.”
He wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close, prolonging the kiss until, despite the upcoming conversation with Carolina’s brother that he was dreading, all he could think about was throwing Carolina back in bed and spending an hour or so with her.
But she pulled away. “I really need that shower, before the rest of the family wakes up.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” He swept his thumb over her bottom lip. “Too bad we can’t take one together.”
She sighed. “That would have been fun. The drawback to being surrounded by family—one that doesn’t knock before entering a room.”
He laughed. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
After Carolina left, Drew took a quick shower and got dressed. Not one to delay the inevitable, he found Gray downstairs, brooding over a cup of coffee.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“My parents and their security went for an early morning walk. Evelyn’s still asleep. What the hell are you doing in bed with my sister?”
Drew went to the coffeepot and poured a cup for himself, then faced Gray. “I don’t really think that requires a detailed explanation, do you?”
“Come on, Drew. She’s my sister.”
“And well over twenty-one, and more than capable of making decisions about who she shares a bed with. It’s not like she’s a kid anymore, Gray. You need to let this one go.”
“It’s a rule, man. You never mess with a friend’s little sister. You broke the cardinal rule of friendship.”
“That was a rule set up when we were nineteen.” Though no way was Drew going to mention he had, in fact, broken that rule back in college. Gray would never forgive him.
“It’s one that still holds true.”
Drew took a couple long swallows of coffee. After not enough sleep last night, he wasn’t ready to fight this battle with his best friend. “Come on. Are you saying I’m not good enough for her?”
Gray paced. “No. That’s not what I mean at all. But I know your lifestyle. I know you go through women as often as you change socks. I don’t want Carolina to be hurt.”
“And I don’t want to hurt her. It’s not like that.”
Gray let out a short laugh. “Right. I’m sure you say that about all the women you sleep with, then dump.”
“You need to stay clear of this one, buddy. My relationship with Carolina is my business, and hers. Not yours.”
Drew knew right away it was the wrong thing to say. The look Gray leveled at him was not one of friend to friend. It was big brother looking out for little sister.
“My sister’s happiness is always going to be my business. And if I think she’s seeing the wrong guy, I’m going to step in.”
Immediately defensive, Drew stepped forward. “Since when am I the wrong guy?”
“Okay, enough of this.”
Drew looked over at the doorway where Carolina had walked in. Instead of coming toward him, though, she went to Gray and put her arms around him for a hug.
“Merry Christmas.”
Gray hugged her back. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Then she came over to Drew, and gave him the same innocuous hug. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Lina.”
Gray shot him another one of those looks that could kill. Tough.
Carolina grabbed a cup and the teapot and started to make tea. Then she turned to face her brother. “I’m an adult. This is my life, and I get to make the decisions about what—and who—is right for me. While I appreciate you being protective, Gray, you being irate about me sleeping with Drew is out-of-bounds. He’s your friend, and I don’t want your friendship with Drew strained over this. If this goes wrong and I get hurt, that’s on me. I’m in this willingly and with my eyes open. Got that?”
Gray looked at Carolina for a long minute, then his shoulders finally relaxed. “I guess. But you know I’m always going to watch out for you.”
“I understand and I appreciate it. And if Evelyn had had big brothers who would have been unhappy about you sleeping with her, what would you have said to them?”
Gray looked at her for a minute, then shrugged. “I’d have probably told them to fuck off, because my relationship with Evelyn was nobody’s business but the two of us.”
Carolina stared at him.
“Okay, point taken.” Gray looked over at Drew. “Sorry for flying off the handle.”
“It’s okay,” Drew said. “And Merry Christmas.”
Gray laughed. “Back at you.”
“And can we please not mention this to Mom and Dad? I’ve had enough drama this morning. I’d like to keep my relationship with Drew under wraps for the time being.”
“Why?” Gray asked.
“Because it’s new. And you know how Mom is about stuff like this. Just me seeing a guy will have her so excited she’ll be picking out china patterns for us.”
“Okay, you have a point. I won’t say a word. How about Evelyn?”
“I’ll . . . mention it to Evelyn,” Carolina said, and then slid her glance to Drew, which gave Drew the impression that Evelyn probably already knew.
Given that women talked to each other about relationships all the time, that didn’t surprise him. Or bother him.
“Now that that’s settled, I’m going to make some tea and try to wake up the normal way.”
It wasn’t long before Gray and Carolina’s parents came back from their walk, and Evelyn came downstairs. Then there was a flurry of activity and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. They had breakfast, then everyone gathered in the family room to open gifts.