Brady cleared the distance between them in an instant and his mouth dropped onto her lips. The kiss was brief but fierce, possessive, and demanding. Passion sparked between them, and Liz felt like she could have stayed frozen in that moment forever.
Too soon he broke away and Liz was left with a void in his absence. She was pretty sure he was the most addicting thing in the world. When they were together, she felt like everything that had gone wrong in her life recently was going to be all right. At least she had him at her side. That was what helped get her through. Brady fixed everything.
Clay cleared his throat loudly. “Y’all need to get a room or something?” Liz took another step back from Brady, not even realizing they had just been staring into each other’s eyes.
“No, and we don’t need any of your snide comments either,” Brady said, shooting Clay a meaningful look. “I don’t want to have the same discussion we had on Sunday.”
“We’re calling it a discussion now? Could have fooled me.” Clay leaned back on the island casually.
Savannah just huffed and swatted at him. “Can’t you behave?”
“Can’t you mind your own business?” he shot back.
“Savi,” Brady said softly. She turned her attention to her older brother and shrugged like he started it. The whole exchange made Liz giggle.
Brady pulled Liz closer and fixed Clay with a hard stare. Liz knew that they didn’t get along, but she hadn’t realized quite how much until she was in the same room with them. Most of the negativity had come from Clay in the past, but there was obvious heat on Brady’s end too.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in D.C.?” Brady asked flatly.
“Aren’t you?” Clay countered. “We had the same flight. You canceled yours. I thought it really must be dire to keep you in Chapel Hill two extra days.”
“Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives?”
“Does it always have to be ulterior motives?” Clay asked. “Can’t I just want to spend more time with my family?”
Savannah snorted. “No.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”
Liz shook her head.
“You manage to get through Yale Law School and get a job clerking for the Supreme Court, and yet you’re still a terrible liar,” Brady said.
“Sorry, I’m not a politician.”
Clay and Brady glared at each other. Liz suspected she would need a machete to cut through the tension.
“No, you’re a lawyer,” Savannah quipped. “How much worse can you get?”
Clay smirked. “A reporter?”
Savannah stared daggers at Clay. Liz normally would have immediately defended her profession of choice, but considering reporters were the reason she was no longer on the paper, couldn’t go to her last class, and had been chased across campus for information, well, she wasn’t feeling that generous.
“Or maybe it’s only bad when you’re fucking the reporter,” Clay offered with a wink.
Brady reached for Clay at the same time Liz put herself between them. She had known Brady’s reaction even before Clay had finished his statement. She put her hands up on Brady’s chest and pushed him backward gently. “He’s antagonizing you! Just ignore him,” she said.
“I don’t care if it’s about me, but you . . .” Brady said.
“I can take care of myself on this one,” she said softly, meeting his gaze. “Come on. It’s just Clay.”
“Still standing here,” Clay said.
Liz heard Savannah shush him. “Let’s just get out of here. You have to leave today. I want to spend more time with you.”
Brady straightened as if he just realized that he had been a little out of control and he slipped back into himself. “You’re right. He’s probably just upset that Andrea wants to marry him or hang out with him—or worse, sleep with him.”
It was a low blow, but Liz couldn’t keep from laughing. Clay was in some strange open relationship that Liz still didn’t really understand. She was pretty sure he and his girlfriend hated each other more than they got along, and as far as she knew, they both slept around with other people.
Clay shuddered. “You used the M word.”
“You are going to marry her eventually,” Savannah said. “Why waste all of this time sleeping with other people all the time if you aren’t going to end up with the woman who lets you do it without complaining?”
“You two are in rare form today,” Clay said, addressing his siblings.
“And this is every day with you,” Brady said.
“Come on,” she whispered, tugging on Brady lightly. As much as she agreed with the things they were saying about Clay, she didn’t like everyone ganging up on him. He might be an arrogant douche bag, but he was still family. He wasn’t going to conveniently go away. No use burning bridges with people she had to see all the time.
Brady finally relented without much effort on her part and walked out of the kitchen. The whole experience of being around all three of them together was kind of strange. For so long, they had each been a separate part of her world. Her secret affair with Brady. Her friendship with Savannah. And her . . . antagonistic, maybe even flirtatious relationship with Clay. Now all three worlds were colliding.
Once they were sufficiently far enough away from Savannah and Clay, Liz grabbed Brady’s hand. “Brady, hold on.”
“Liz, we just . . .”
“Why did you have me brought here? What if I’d just run into your parents without you? That would have been awkward. And then you tell Savannah about me coming here because you’re on your way over, but don’t think to include me in that information? I know we’re starting all over, but there is going to need to be some better communication.”
“Liz,” he said sharply, cutting off her long-winded ramble. “I would prefer to talk about these things in a more private setting.”
Liz glanced around and saw that they were completely alone and then raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you at least tell me what we’re doing here?”
“I had to pick up some paperwork before I left the office.” His voice lowered and his face softened as he drew her in closer. “You seemed so frazzled on the phone. I thought since this was closer for you and Savi was already here that it might be better than driving the forty minutes to see me, just to leave the office again.”