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“I don’t have an ensuite,” he pointed out.

And yes, okay, it was a reasonable excuse. “Maybe you should move into Colin’s room.”

His eyebrows jumped to his hairline and his jaw clenched. “No.” She watched his impressive shoulders rise and fall. “I . . . don’t think I can do that.”

The breath she’d not realized she’d been holding, rushed out of her. “Yeah, I get that.” She tried a smile. “I guess you’ll just have to put up with me ogling you now and again.”

His piercing green gaze arrowed in on hers. “Look all you want, Anna.”

Her heart gave an almighty thump as she watched him saunter to his bedroom.

Had he meant look, or look, but it’s all you’ll be doing?

It had to be the second, considering only yesterday he’d bristled at Pearl’s assumption they were dating.

On a sigh she forced her wobbly legs to walk to her bedroom. Men sucked. Especially those like Colin’s friend and her temporary roommate. Great to look at, sure, but men who believed grunting was an acceptable form of communication couldn’t be trusted on any emotional level. Sadly, her track record suggested she couldn’t be trusted around them, either.

Turns out it’s much harder than she’d thought to wheedle out a good guy, a man who might give her what her dad gave her mom, from one who would break her heart.

To date she’d picked the latter. Every. Single. Time. And that was when she’d been clear headed, without grief to warp her judgement.

Luke is my brother’s best friend, she repeated to herself as she showered and changed. It was the only possible relationship she should have with him. Anything else and she’d end up with a shattered heart and lose the closest link she had to her brother, aside from her parents. Who were never here.

When she’d had her shower and felt ready to see him again she found Luke in the kitchen, hips leaning against the worktop, strong hand wrapped around a mug. His mighty fine chest covered in a worn T-shirt with the image of a climber hanging by his fingers. Muscled legs outlined by soft denim jeans.

Her stupid heart gave a thump of appreciation. “Did you open the advent?”

He shook his head. “I’m waiting for you.”

“I open it when you’re not around,” she pointed out, unreasonably irked. Fighting with him was less dangerous than the alternative.

Definitely less dangerous than sitting on a sofa eating chili and watching Landman with him, like they had last night.

“So, we’re different.” He nodded to the calendar. “Open the window, Anna.”

With a huff she snatched at the advent and prized open day eight. “Meet Luke’s Little.” She frowned. “What does that mean?”

She glanced over at Luke. His eyes were shut tight, his expression pained. A beat later he muttered a soft crap.

“Err, hello. Talk to me.”

His eyes opened and he sighed. “He means the Big Brother Big Sister program. It’s a youth mentoring organization that connects adults, the Bigs, with kids. The Littles.”

“I know what it is.” She glanced again at the wording on the advent. “Does this mean you’re a volunteer?”

His eyes darted away from hers. “Yes.”

“But that’s a good thing. A great thing to do.” As she placed the calendar back on the table, she felt a sting of hurt. “Why do you look like you don’t want me to know about it?”

He dragged a hand through his still damp hair. “Because it’s . . . personal.”

“Right, and we don’t want to get personal with Colin’s kid sister, huh? I mean, it’s okay to listen to her go on about her feelings, watch her sob her heart out, but you don’t want to talk to her about anything important to you.”

His eyes flashed back at her. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“How am I supposed to know that, exactly, when you’re standing there like a . . . a pissed off, sullen block of concrete.”

She watched his Adam’s apple slide up and down his throat. “Can concrete be pissed off?” Annoyed, she started to walk up to him to . . . she didn’t know. Grip at his shirt and shove at him? Whatever she had planned, he held up his hands in surrender. “Calm down, Tiger.”