Page 147 of Off Limits Mogul

The urge to kiss her is overwhelming, but I suppress my desire.

The next few days are going to be unbearable.

I shoot Noah a glance.

He looks at his little sister like he always does––with fondness, devotion, and love. As an only child, witnessing their unconditional bond is always a surprise.

“Get over here, Cocoa Puffs, and give me a hug.”

She runs to Noah.

He lifts her in his arms like she’s a tiny puppy. She squeals joyfully. He covers her face with kisses before dropping her back to her feet. The difference of height between them is staggering.

“Good morning, Rhys,” Keira says. Her voice is sugary sweet.

“Good morning,” I say, keeping my tone even. “Did you sleep okay?”

“The best sleep ever.” She offers a bright smile. “And you?”

“Until your brother rudely woke me up, it was a great sleep.”

We smile at each other, exchanging a silent complicit conversation.

“Stop pretending you’re not happy to see me, Hartford.” Noah play-punches me again.

I wince.

“Careful there, you might hurt him,” Keira says.

I narrow my eyes at her.

“It’s all in good fun. It’s not like I’d ever take a real swing at him,” Noah says.

“I can’t think of a reason why you’d want to do that,” Keira says.

Why is she so determined to deliver me to the slaughterhouse?

“Exactly,” Noah says. “Rhys is solid. He’s irreproachable. A good guy to a fault.” He takes me into another one of his infamous bear hugs.

I close my eyes and thank God for the thirty-one years I’ve spent on this planet.

My days are numbered.

“Man, you have some hidden talents,” Noah says, forking a chunk of sausage.

“So, so many hidden talents,” Keira says.

I frown at her.

She responds with an angelic smile.

“I hope you’ll make this again before I leave. This is delicious.” Noah shoves the sausage in his mouth. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but these are better than your mom’s recipe.”

“Thanks. It’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes, so I perfected it.”

It was Keira’s suggestion I ditch the predictable breakfast idea in favor of one of my specialties––a cheesy sausage and egg bake. She even helped me prepare it. Knowing Noah, I also prepared a plate of bacon. I’m no chef in the kitchen, but I perfected a few recipes, this being one of them.

During the forty-minute bake time, Keira filled in her brother on last night’s big news. Understandably, Noah is excited for her. He marveled at the uncanny timing, considering how determined he was to talk to Keira about her plans to find a new direction for her life. So far, the conversation has been smooth sailing, which is a blessing.