In the Wind

The twins hurry downstairs in their gala attire. Both are wearing one-piece jumper outfits with one shoulder strap and the other shoulder bare. I don't know which one is wearing the black outfit and the other the gold.

"Oh, my, sex machine," the twin in the gold says, answering my question. "You clean up well for a biker thug."

"You give great compliments," I say to Colbie while dodging her groping hands. "Where's Sawyer?"

Colbie stops pawing at me to gesture upstairs. Sawyer appears wearing a red body hugging dress. She walks slowly down the stairs, not nearly as coordinated as the twins who are tap dancing in the next room.

"I'm Gregory Hines!" Colbie yells to the dog.

My gaze remains on Sawyer, and I wonder if I'm drooling. Wearing a bitchy expression, she waits for me to make a snide comment. I can't think enough to speak. The damn dress is painted on her.

"What?" she grunts.

"If any man touches you, I'll fuck him up," I say without thinking. "I'll cut him into such tiny fucking pieces there won't be enough for the wood chipper."

Sawyer's gaze softens, and she feigns an innocent smile. "What's got you so riled up? Do you like my dress?" Her delicate fingers slide down her hips while she stares at me. "Do I look pretty, Jace?"

"You're pissing me off."

"Now you know how I feel."

I step back and hold out my arms. "What do you think?"

"Fuck you."

"That hot, yeah?" I say, smirking.

Sawyer grins as her hands rest on my chest. "You didn't tie the bow thing."

"I don't know how."

"Neither do I."

"I could go sloppy. Fits my style better anyway."

Sawyer says nothing. Her gaze lowers to where her fingers tease under my jacket. I lift my brow, curious at her sudden flirty behavior. Her gaze lifts to meet mine, and I lean down to kiss her.

My lips barely graze hers before she turns towards the twins. I sense she's less interested in her friends than fearing my kiss. She walks over to where the twins dance in unison.

"Why?" she asks.

"We took dancing classes as kids," Colbie explains. "Even thought of going pro until we were hit with devastating news."

"I'll bite. What was the news?"

Bodie sighs. "Being a professional takes a lot of hard work, and we're not really those kinds of people."

The twins stop dancing on the same step, freaking me out with their creepy psychic shit.

"Can one of you tie my bow?" I ask.

"No," Sawyer growls when Colbie immediately rushes towards me.

My girl is so busy blocking one twin that she can't stop Bodie. I hold still while she ties my bow. Behind her, Colbie tries to dance with Sawyer.

"I don't dance with chicks," Sawyer lies, having a long history of dancing with her sister and friends.

"You're missing out, love starved horny bitch," Colbie says, waving her off. "I'm driving."

Bodie finishes with my bow and rushes after her sister. Seeing my chance, I take Sawyer's hand and pull her along. Her heels clicking against the tile floors, I don't dare look back. She's in a weird mood, and I'm still grumpy about her early lies about fucking a bunch of guys.

The McLaughlins own an army of cars. We walk into one of the garages and head to a large black SUV.

"I know what you're thinking," Colbie says over her shoulder.

"I highly doubt that," Sawyer says back.

Ignoring her, Colbie continues. "We thought about going eco-friendly, but those hybrid cars are tiny and weak. They just don't fit our lifestyle."

"Yeah," Bodie adds. "We're involved in way too many car chases to own a Prius."

The twins take the front seats, leaving me in the back with Sawyer. Speeding out of the garage, Colbie drives as if currently in a car chase. We race to the end of the long driveway and through the front gate. The SUV makes a hard right, sending Sawyer against me.

"Oopsie," Colbie says before laughing to prove it wasn't an accident.

A few minutes later, she jerks the car to the left, and I end up wrapped against Sawyer.

"Armadillo," Colbie mutters as if this explains her bad driving.

By the third time Sawyer ends up nearly in my lap, she's pissed. "Stop it, or I'm driving."

"You're scary, Sawyer Johansson. Good thing I'm wearing my adult diapers or else things might have gotten messy up here."

The twins laugh, but Sawyer's still grumpy. "I'll make you piss yourself for real, if you don't knock off the stupid games."

This threat makes the twins laugh louder. Sawyer glares at me like this was my doing.

"You don't scare me either," I tell her.

Even glaring harder, she's clearly fighting a smile.

"You should stay on my side to save time," I say, wrapping her with my arm.

"Pervert," she says, snuggling closer.

Finally, we leave the tiny roads, and the SUV joins the evening traffic on the small highway. The twins stop goofing around for like two minutes before Colbie sighs dramatically.