“Don’t get me wrong,rosy. You don’t need to flash anything for me to admire your curves.”
Her eyes flare again. The flush in her cheeks deepens. I enjoy shocking her. I’m starting to crave eliciting all sorts of responses from her.
She gives herself a shake and tears herself away, one step at a time. “You’re messing with me, and I have a bar to clean up.”
I stay rooted in place. “I never mess with a woman.”
“Trust me,” she says with a chuff. “You do.”
I was honest with my partners. “How would you know?”
“Tanner would make the same claim.”
I rock back on my heels. “I’m not a cheater like Tanner. Or my dad.” My code of honor considers me to be better than him. I could be more honest with a casual fling than he was with his wife at her weakest.
She continues down the hall to the storage closet. “And I’m not my sister, falling for a Cross.”
Why not?Thank fuck I keep that question to myself.
She’s quiet while we do a quick sweep and mop. I just want to get her to the house, sit at the table, and…When the hell did I turn into an old married man?
Just because those evenings eating a very late dinner with her right next to me, talking shop and having a beer, have been more pleasant than any date I can remember…Shit.I need to watch myself, or I’ll trade everything I built to move home and get laid. Not even Dad did that. He just gave up his three kids to keep a woman in his bed.
She flips her ponytail over her shoulder. “I closed out the financials and sent the report. Everything’s done.”
The dark circles under her eyes are back, and she’s probably hungry, but her comment summons my discussion with Bea about the books.
“Bea said you didn’t do any of the bookkeeping.”
She shakes her head. “No. I offered, but you know how your dad was.”
I’ve only skimmed the surface, but there have been enough signs of trouble to let me know I’d have to have a long talk with my brothers. Balances delving into the red until there’s a massive influx of cash. Loans or borrows from the ranch side of the house.
“So you have no idea how stable the financials are?”
A slight crease forms between her brows. “Ransom told me it wasn’t my place to worry.”
I let it go, but only because he told me the same thing once. Not as nicely.
Regardless, it’s time to go. I get to the exit first and peer outside. No vehicles other than her SUV and my Escalade. That fucker Tanner is nowhere in sight.
I hold the door open farther. “After you.”
She tucks her chin down and scurries toward me. I don’t move out of the way, but she sidles by without touching me.Damn.
I follow her home. As she pulls into the garage, I park in my typical spot and beat her inside, beelining to the kitchen. Tonight, she’s wearier than any other night. We have to hire more people—she’s going to run herself into the ground.
Except we’re selling. Maybe the new owners will hire her…
I wouldn’t. When I take over a business, I don’t want any previous managers or supervisors in their old positions. They can stay at the job, but they lose the title. Keeps my authority strong.
My acid fires up again. Heartburn’s a thing for me now? Is my past coming back to haunt me in the form of a weary brewmaster with bags under her eyes? No. It’s just from being home. When I return to my regular life, my stomach will calm the hell down.
I cross to the fridge as she’s taking off her shoes. “Want a sandwich?”
Her features are strained. She shoves a hand in her back pocket, making her breasts jut out. “I’m just going to hit the hay.”
Intense disappointment wrenches my gut. “You didn’t get a dinner break.” I give her a pointed look. “Or eat lunch.”
