“I never say things I don’t mean. But that doesn’t mean I’m not buttering you up.” My voice was solemn, but I was laughing with her as we joined the girls in the living room. I suggested a movie, but April wasn’t in the mood for watching anything.

“I’ve sat around all day watching things. I’m bored,” April said.

Val bit her lower lip. “What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know. Hey, where did you buy that belt? It’s cool.”

“One of my favorite online shops. I’ll show it to you.” After a moment, she added, “Do you like closet parties?”

April piped up. “I don’t know what it is, but it has two of my favorite words in it, so I’m game.”

“We take a look at your clothes and how we can mix and match them to get different outfits than what you usually wear.”

April looked excited for the first time in twelve hours. Peyton was hanging around my neck like a little monkey, looking excitedly from her sister to Val.

“That sounds awesome.”

“And very scary to me,” I added, just to play devil’s advocate.

Val moved closer to April, whispering loud enough for me to hear, “Should we punish him for that by insisting he join us?”

“Nah, he’ll just ruin our buzz. Besides, I’m dying for some girl time.”

My heart gave a little squeeze at their playful banter. And then I decided to surprise them.

“You know what? I’ll join you.”

Val winked. April grimaced.

“Fine, but you must promise not to give your opinion... unless it’s a positive one,” April said.

“I love your idea of democracy. I’ll take my laptop with me. Need to finalize a few things.”

April led the way to her room. Peyton, never one to miss any excitement, ran along next to her. Val walked a few feet behind them. I had a perfect view of that gorgeous ass of hers. Damn, the way she moved, that sensual sway of her hips, was making my mouth water. Was she doing it on purpose, to set me on edge?

When she cast a saucy smile over her shoulder, I had my answer. As payback, I slid closer to her and pinched her ass.

Val didn’t quite manage to muffle her sound of surprise, which caught April’s attention. When she turned around, I immediately schooled my expression. I felt as if our roles were reversed and I was the teenager trying to get away with fondling the girl he liked.

As April and Val took out most of the clothes in the dresser, spreading them on the bed, I sat at April’s desk, trying to get some more work done, but I couldn’t concentrate. The girls were taking this seriously. Even Peyton was hanging on to every word Val said.