aisling grimlock 03 - grim discovery (9 page)

“Shut up, Jerry,” Dad warned.

“I really have to go to the bathroom,” I repeated, the uncomfortable conversation and the task in front of me combining to make me a nervous wreck.

“No one is keeping you here,” Dad said. “Go to the bathroom. Good grief!”

I glanced at Griffin once more, something unsaid passing between us before I bolted from the room. It was now or never. Everyone living under this roof was accounted for. If I wanted to get the list, there would never be a better time. Everyone was distracted. I could sneak into my father’s private office, rifle through his things and steal a document without anyone the wiser.

Guilt is a strange thing, I mused as I headed toward the south end of the house. When, as a teenager, I lied to my father about my whereabouts, I never felt a shred of guilt. When I lifted his credit card in high school to order a pair of boots I’d been drooling over, I didn’t understand why he was angry and threatened me with a never-ending grounding. Now, though? The guilt was so oppressive I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.

By the time I reached my father’s office my hands shook. I gripped the door handle and turned it, inhaling deeply as I struggled to push it open. No matter what Griffin said, I knew this was a betrayal. I just didn’t know what else to do.

I jumped when a warm body moved in behind me. Griffin, his familiar aftershave identifying him before I could glance over my shoulder, dropped a kiss on the back of my head.

“Come on, Aisling,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I’ll help you.”

“How did you know I needed you?”

“I … felt it,” Griffin said. “Come on.” He pushed me into the office, checking the hallway to make sure no one was around to witness our treason before shutting the door. “Hurry up. Where would the list be?”

I collected myself and strode toward Dad’s desk. “Listen at the door in case someone comes.”

“What are we going to tell anyone who catches us in here?”

“That we … wanted to get away and make out,” I suggested, opening the bottom drawer to rummage through Dad’s personal files.

“Oh, well, that should go over well,” Griffin deadpanned, resting his head against the large mahogany door. “Braden already thinks I’m a pervert.”

“Braden is an idiot,” I muttered, flipping through the top file. “I think we lucked out. This is it right here.”

“Make a copy,” Griffin instructed. “That way you’re not technically stealing and you can let go of some of this guilt you’re wallowing in.”

“Good idea,” I said, slipping the sheet of paper into the top of the copier. “Do you hear anyone out there?”

“No.” Griffin watched as the copier warmed up. “Can I ask you something?”

“I think you’ve earned it.”

“Why do you and Braden have the worst relationship of all your siblings?”

I was surprised by the question. “I … um … huh. I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t consider our relationship bad.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Griffin said. “You have a great relationship with him. It’s just … there’s something different about your relationship with him. You are close on different levels with the others.

“Redmond is the older brother, and he’s the one who spoils you,” he continued. “Cillian is the most introverted one. You two talk about books and music. Aidan is your twin and you two talk about everything – and apparently spy on sex fiends together, which we’ll talk about later.

“You have a … thing … with all of them,” he said. “What’s your thing with Braden?”

“Truthfully?”

Griffin nodded.

“I think Braden and I are the most alike,” I admitted, sighing as the copier did its business. I looked over the copy it spit out to make sure it was legible before folding it and shoving it in my pocket. “Every bad thing I don’t like about my own personality is reflected back at me whenever I look at Braden. I think it’s the same for him.”

I knelt back down and placed the file back where I found it, frowning when something caught my attention. The tag on the bottom folder in the drawer was labeled with a single word: Lily. Without realizing it, I grabbed the file and straightened.

“That must be why Braden is the most irritating of your brothers,” Griffin teased, his eyes bright. “I … what is that?”

“It’s a file on my mother.” I couldn’t bring myself to open it, or tear my eyes from it.

“We don’t have time to risk going through that,” Griffin hissed. “In fact … .” He broke off, pressing his ear to the door. “Someone’s coming!”

I didn’t give myself time to think. I shut the drawer and moved around the desk quickly, closing the distance between Griffin and myself before grabbing him around the waist and tackling him onto the nearby couch. I shoved the file behind the cushion near his head and then slammed my mouth into his just as the door opened.

“Oh, for the love of God!” Dad roared. “Are you trying to kill me?”

Eight

“What the hell are you two doing in here?” Dad’s face was so red I was worried he was about to have a heart attack.

“We were just … .” It was time for a grandiose lie. “I was coming back from the bathroom when I ran into Griffin and … well … he was upset about all the talk regarding the sex god Aidan and I spied on. He wanted to prove he could hang with that guy and we somehow ended up in here.”

Griffin’s expression was murderous. “Oh, don’t lie, baby,” he said, working overtime to collect himself. “You were the one begging me to make out in your father’s office because it was a lifelong dream of yours. Don’t be shy.” He pinched my side for good measure.

I rested as much of my weight as I could manage on Griffin’s stomach, causing him to gasp. “Oh, sweetie pie, you don’t have to be ashamed of what we’re doing,” I countered. “Dad understands.”

“Dad does not understand!”

I was used to my father bellowing, although Griffin’s squirming beneath me told me he was anything but comfortable with the situation. “Get off me, Aisling,” he muttered.

I pushed myself to a sitting position, being careful to keep Griffin trapped so he couldn’t move away from the cushion where I hid my mother’s file. “Don’t worry, Dad. We didn’t do anything but kiss.”

“You’re grounded!” Dad was beside himself.

“You can’t ground me,” I scoffed. “I’m an adult.”

“An adult does not sneak into her father’s office to … grope … on an eleven-thousand-dollar Italian leather couch!”

“Stop yelling,” I grumbled, smoothing my hair. “You’re making a scene.”

“I am not making a scene!”

“What’s going on in here?” Braden asked, appearing in the doorway next to Dad. Of course he would be the one to come check things out. “Again? Are you two animals?”

Dad’s shoulders stiffened. “What do you mean again? What are they doing again?”

“I found them pawing each other in the driveway twenty minutes ago,” Braden complained. “I think I’m scarred for life.”

“This could be the worst dinner ever,” Griffin hissed, my weight on his midriff forcing him to remain on the couch even though he was obviously desperate to get up.

“Oh, it’s going to be the worst dinner ever,” Dad agreed. “I know how to hide a body. Braden, go and get my gun!”

Braden rolled his eyes. “They’re animals. That doesn’t mean you can shoot them.”

“Don’t tell me what I can do in my own house!”

“Why is Dad screaming?” Redmond asked, his gaze falling on us as he stepped into the office. “Seriously? Where is the gun?”

“Aisling,” Griffin grappled with my waist, finally getting a firm enough grip to lift me off him and shove me into the spot he previously occupied. He climbed to his feet slowly, his cheeks red. “I’m sorry about this. Aisling … distracted me. This should never have happened.”

“You’re blaming this on Aisling?” Dad asked. “She’s a girl.”

What was that supposed to mean? “So what?” I prodded.

“So … you’re a girl,” Dad repeated. “We all know how deviant men can be when they’re around a pretty girl. This one … this man you insist on bringing around … clearly has fast hands.”

“He has a fast tongue, too,” I shot back.

“I don’t think you’re helping, Aisling,” Griffin seethed.

“I’m the one who dragged him in here, Dad,” I said, deciding to save Griffin from possible murder and potential dismemberment. “I’m the one with the fast hands. They have a mind of their own.”

“You’re just making excuses for him.”

“Oh, no,” I said, finally starting to enjoy myself after days of misery. “I sneaked up behind him and pinched his butt in the hallway. I gave it a really hard squeeze.” I lifted my hand and mimed the action in question.

“Aisling,” Griffin warned.

“Then I pressed him against the wall and rubbed myself all over him while we kissed,” I said. “Then I whispered a few choice suggestions in his ear before tricking him into your office. It was all me.”

“You’re definitely grounded,” Dad spat.

“Oh, this is where everyone is,” Jerry said, joining the party. “What did I miss?”

“Jerry, I love you like you’re my own son,” Dad said, choosing his words carefully. “There’s no way you can help this situation, though. You’ll only make it worse.”

“I’m up for that.” Jerry’s cheerful gaze bounced from face to face. “Why is your hair such a mess, Bug?”

“Because Griffin and I were making out on the couch when Dad caught us,” I replied, not missing a beat. “We were about to round to second base and he’s having some sort of weird meltdown because he doesn’t believe that girls can coerce guys into doing sex stuff.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” Jerry said. He used the same voice he broke out whenever he pretended to be Dumbledore during Harry Potter reenactments. He was convinced he would’ve made a great wizard – as long as he didn’t have to wear tacky robes and could whip his wand out whenever the mood struck. Yes, the double entendre was on purpose. “Women are more manipulative when it comes to sex.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Braden asked.

“I watch
The View
at least three times a week.”

I swallowed the mad urge to laugh. This was not the time to cater to Jerry’s conversational whims. Or … wait … was it? “And what do the women on
The View
say, Jerry?”

“No one cares,” Dad snapped.

“Well, even though that cast is rotating faster than a Kardashian in front of a phone camera, whenever the subject of sex comes up all of the women agree that females are just as aggressive as males,” Jerry replied, ignoring Dad’s outburst. “Men have no control when a woman goes after them. It’s a biological fact. Given that Aisling was raised with so many alpha males, it’s no wonder that she’s sexually aggressive.”

Hey, wait a minute … . “I’m not sexually aggressive,” I countered.

“Oh, don’t back off now,” Griffin interjected. “You’ve dug us in this deep. Why don’t you own up to everything?”

Uh-oh. I was definitely in trouble if Griffin was turning on me, too. “I’ve already owned up to everything.”

“You forgot the part where I said I respected your father too much to do anything untoward in his house,” Griffin said, his face unreadable. “I’m a gentleman. You said you didn’t want to be a lady and that being reminded of the guy you spied on got your motor running and you just couldn’t contain yourself because I was so hot. You forced me to kiss you and then you tackled me on this couch.”

I narrowed my eyes. He was clearly enjoying himself now that I was on the losing end of the conversation. Of course, I’d done it to myself. There was no one else to blame. “I guess I’m just a mindless sex animal,” I grumbled.

“You’re a slave to your hormones, Bug,” Jerry said, clucking sympathetically. “You can’t help yourself.”

Dad’s eyes were busy as they bounced around the room. “I’m not sure what just happened here … and I definitely don’t want to know,” he said. “I want everyone out of this office and in the dining room in exactly five minutes.”

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Grimlock,” Griffin said. “Aisling just … ambushed me.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” Dad threatened. “She’s tiny. You’re stronger than her. You can’t let her bully you.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Dad turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Braden and Redmond cast evil glances in my direction before following. Jerry was the last to leave, apparently torn about wanting to comfort Griffin in his time of need and enjoying his newfound insight into the female psyche. Finally, he scampered off and left Griffin and me to collect ourselves.

“Well, are you happy now that you turned me into a sex maniac?” I asked, making a face.

“Actually, yes,” Griffin replied, unruffled. He reached behind the cushion and grabbed the file, slapping it into my hands as we moved toward the doorway. “Put that in your purse.”

“I still don’t understand how this whole thing turned on me,” I admitted.

“It wouldn’t have if you didn’t let an uncomfortable situation with your father get out of hand,” Griffin replied, leaning over to give me a quick kiss. “I have plans to put that sexually aggressive nature of yours on display when we’re alone tonight, by the way.” His grin was too charming to hate.

“Now my whole family thinks I’m a pervert.”

“Better you than me,” Griffin said. “Hide that file. I have a feeling this is going to be a short dinner because no one in your family can look you in the eye now that they know you were going to force me to do dirty things in your father’s office.”

Well, that was at least something to look forward to.

“DID
I miss something?” Maya asked, her eyebrows knit together as she scanned the assembled dinner guests twenty minutes later. “Why is no one making eye contact?”

“It’s nothing,” Dad said, vigorously stabbing into a piece of prime rib. “We don’t need to talk about it.”

“We definitely missed something,” Cillian said, turning to Redmond for answers. “What happened?”

“Aisling apparently let her hormones get away from her and practically jumped Griffin in the hallway,” Redmond replied.

“No one needs to hear this story,” Dad barked.

Redmond ignored him. “She dragged Griffin into Dad’s office, and that’s where he found them … kissing … on his couch.”