“He’s your brother.Not mine.If you want to learn about him, pick up a phone.”
“When you combine money and genius like that, you don’t have to be aggressive or high profile.He gets his way.Every time.You know why?”
“Why?”she asked, slipping off her shoes.
“Because he’s always right.”Glancing at her, he grinned.“Yeah, imagine what it takes for me to say that out loud.Maybe I rubbed off on him.”
“You are not always right,” she said.“In fact, you’re never right.”
“Picked you, didn’t I?”
“They say our bodies crave what we lack.You know, like calcium or iron or whatever.It’s biology.A primitive drive.You probably picked me because what you lack is good sense and smarts.”
“Know where I’m not lacking?”
His swagger encouraged her smile.“We could always build my mom her own custom facility.”
“We can.”And suddenly he was serious.“Put Hope on hold until you have that under control.Family takes precedence over business.”
“Huddle Hope isn’t business.”Relaxing her head on the headrest, she admired his profile.Without looking, he reached over to lay a hand on her knee.“Or I could hand Hope off to Roxie.”
“Hope is your baby, baby.I want both hands on the wheel.Your hands.”
His generosity didn’t surprise her.Neither did his faith in her.Yes, they made their jibes and belittled each other, but that was nothing.When it was real, it was real.What they were was completely genuine and innate.
Their security ran so deep, it didn’t occur to her to question it.Hence why he’d been hurt when he thought she’d hidden the truth about her mom.They didn’t hide things from each other.Embarrassment or shame couldn’t exist between them, not really.In their friendship, they belonged to and owned each other fully.
Picking up his hand, she kissed his palm and tucked it between her ear and the headrest.That lasted all of three seconds.
“Radley, baby, appreciate it, but this is a manual and we’re in city traffic.”
Allowing his hand its freedom, she just smiled.“I could totally screw it up, you know?Hope.I could take all your money and ruin your reputation along with countless lives.”
“Think it would stop me?”
“No.”
“I screw up, you screw up.You screw up, we screw up.It’s the circle of friendship, Babycakes.We have a contract.”
She slid her hand across his leg to his inner thigh.“If it feels good, it’s allowed…?”
“That,” he said, adjusting his position and her hand, putting it to work, warming him up, not that he ever cooled down.Sometimes it was like being with a horny teenager.No judgment, she was no better.“And friendship is real and permanent, whether you like it or not.That’s the beauty of it.It keeps going long after the love has faded.”
“You think our love has faded?”she teased.
“Fades every time I shoot my load in you, Babycakes.Then I’ve gotta build it back up for the next time.”
“You’re crude.”
“You love it.”And he was right.As always, they jived with each other’s wavelength and knocked as many out of the park as they did teeing up the punchline for the other.“I’m your best friend, Radley.No matter what, you’re still going to pick up the phone the next day and talk to me.It’s in the contract.”
“You’re a chauvinistic bigot,” she murmured.
“You’re a dandelion snowflake.”His chin bobbed toward her chest.“Take ‘em out.”
Arching, she eased the fabric from her shoulders to widen her scoop neck.“That’s as much as you get until you pony up.I want caviar.”
“I am caviar.Luxury, rich—”
