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He shoved it into his pocket and nodded. “For now.” “What did you give him?”“My name, address, and date of birth. He can work for the rest.”“You didn’t have to do that, Emmy,” I assured her, pushing aside the memories of his remarks yesterday about vetting her.“It’s fine. He takes his job seriously.”I cleared my throat. “Sorry about that.”“He cares about you.”“Yeah, he is a good friend, and I’d be lost without him.”“Yet, you came here alone?”“I wanted to see you, and I thought he might make you uncomfortable.”I wasn’t sure how to tell her the actual truth. I wanted to spend a little time with her, alone, as me. Bentley, the man. Not the person who needed protection. Just me.“It’s fine, Rigid. I’m good with it.”I met her gaze, her eyes bright in the light. They were warm, intelligent, gentle, and so dark they looked like the richest espresso you would sip in the early morning hours; the kind that brought you to life.Strangely, that was how I felt when I sat across from her
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BentleyAiden didn’t say a word as we crossed the street. I knew he was behind me, but I didn’t acknowledge him. He was silent in the elevator, and aside from a nod to Greg, remained that way as I went through the documents, making sure the wording was what I wanted. I signed and handed them back to Greg.“I want to meet next week about my bid.”“I assumed as much. Wednesday?”I glanced through my schedule, and before I replied, added Emmy to Friday. Simply seeing the words on my phone made me happy.“Something funny?”I glanced up. “No. I needed to add something before I forget.” As if I could possibly forget. “Wednesday is good.”He tapped away at his computer. “Okay. See you next week. I’ll come to the office?”“No, I’ll come here.”He regarded me curiously. “That’s twice you’ve come to me. What’s going on with you? We usually meet in your office.”I shrugged. “Trying to be accommodating.”He threw back his head, laughing loud. “Good one. Now, really. What’s going on?”Ignoring him
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I cleared my throat. He turned, arms crossed, and not a glimmer of his usual humor in his eyes. He was seriously pissed.I started to speak, and he held up his hand, stopping me.“Why did you hire me?”I sat down at my desk with a sigh. “Because you’re my best friend, and I trust you.”“You trust me?”“Totally. There’s no question about it. You and Maddox are family to me.”“You let Maddox handle all your finances. Millions of dollars. You listen to what he says. No questions asked.”“Of course I do. He knows what he’s talking about.”He stormed toward me, stopping in front of my desk. He leaned on the thick wood, hands balled into fists. “And I fucking don’t?”“I never said that.”He tossed a white envelope on my desk.“What’s that?”“My resignation.”I was horrified, and I pushed the envelope back his way. “I’m not accepting it. Aiden, all I did was go for coffee.”“You deliberately didn’t tell me where you were going this morning. You didn’t trust me with that information. I’m supp
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Her eyes narrowed back on the tie, then to the screen. “Are you wearing his tie?”I chuckled because of course she would notice a detail like that. She always did.“I couldn’t find my tie this morning.”“Laundry day?”“Yes.” I laughed because that was exactly what he had guessed, too. “Bentley, well, he put this on me as we were saying goodbye.” I looked down, stroking the silk. “It was the sweetest thing ever.”“Do you have any idea how much a tie like that costs?”I shook my head. “No.”“More than your rent.”“Shit,” I swore under my breath. “I need to give it back.”“I don’t think he cares if he gave it to you. You might insult him.”“I can’t keep something so expensive!”“If he gave it to you, yes you can.”I mulled over her words. She was probably right, but I was still giving back the tie.“He has a bodyguard.”“Really? How exciting!”“He’s massive. His arms are like tree trunks.”“Is he coming with you on Friday?”“Probably. Bentley showed up this morning without him, and he ar
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Maybe he needed to laugh. Maybe what he needed wasn’t glitz and glamour, but someone to make him happy.I was surprised how much I wanted to be that person for him. Usually, I was one not to trust people very fast, but I found myself trusting him. I wanted to know more about Bentley. Not the businessman I saw in those photos, but the man who slipped his tie over my head and looked almost shy when he stepped back, pleased with his handiwork. I remembered his mischievous grin when he told me he had ditched his bodyguard to come and see me.I glanced at my phone, picked it up, and tapped out a text.I hoped you survived today. Was Tree Trunk very mad?He answered immediately.We worked it out. How was your day?Good. I finished my project. Picked an outfit for Friday. You promised casual, right?My heart warmed at his retort.Casual, yes. You’ll be beautiful. Why are you worried?I sucked in a deep breath and decided to be truthful.I might have checked the internet. You go out with a lo
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When we had started discussing it, sketching out ideas, listening to Maddox crunch numbers, and finally agreeing on a final plan, Aiden had jumped up, fist punched the air, and yelled, “That’s how we do it! BAM!”It stuck. Our initials, our ideas, our brand. My brothers.I had named my company the same name and brought them on board with me.There was no one in the world I trusted more than them. Our relationship, which started out as young men, had grown as we matured over the years.Aiden and I had looked at a lot of houses, dismissing them all. However, one day, we saw a worn-down Victorian house. It was a longer walk from the school, but doable. The owner was moving into a small condo, and the place was big enough we could all live there, and not run over each other. When discussing rent, I made the owner a deal. We would do the various repairs, and he would knock it off the rent. I enjoyed fixing things, and Aiden and Maddox, who had joined in the house hunt, were willing to help
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It was a one-room place. A futon served as a bed and couch. A minute kitchen with a waist-high fridge and the smallest stove I’d ever seen were against the opposite wall. Emmy’s desk and bookcase were piled high with books, papers, and her old laptop was sitting on top of a mountain of documents. A makeshift closet and laundry baskets were in the corner. The walls were blue, and she had lots of posters and pictures on them, making it cheerful. It was chaotic and small. The entire place was smaller than my closet at my house. Still, it was clean and inviting, and when I inhaled deeply, I smiled. It smelled like her.She placed the flowers on the small table beside her futon. She stroked the petals; the tender gesture so her, I had to smile once more. She picked up a shawl, and I hurried forward, taking it from her hands and sliding it around her shoulders.“Will you be warm enough?”“Yes.”“I made sure our table wasn’t under an air conditioning vent.”Her eyes glistened, and she reache
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I slipped my fingers under her chin and studied her sweet face. She was incredibly pretty. I brushed a kiss to her cheek. “If you want dessert once you hear what I have to say, it’s yours. Anything you want is yours.”She leaned closer, her voice low. “Anything?”I swallowed, my body reacting to her closeness. “Yes.”“I want your last ravioli.”Her demand was amusing, and I speared my last bite of appetizer, feeding it to her. “You drive a hard bargain.”“You know it, Rigid.” She picked up her wine. “Now talk.”I waited until the server took our plates away, and refilled the glasses. I knew the entrees would take a bit longer since they made everything by hand and to order. There was plenty of time for her to leave if she decided, but I hoped she wouldn’t go. I was more comfortable with her than anyone I had ever met, aside from Aiden and Maddox.Except I never wanted to kiss them.“I’m wealthy, Emmy. It’s not a secret. People like me are always targets for some weirdos. I get jibes,
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