“I was busy.” Not technically a lie, not technically the truth, either.
“Hmm, can’t remember a time in my life when my brother hasn’t answered the phone after three calls, and all three times I was greeted by nothing but a voicemail.” She’s like a dog with a goddamn bone.
“I wasverybusy,” I elaborate. Just because they’re three hours ahead and the day is well underway, doesn’t mean mine is.
“Doing paperwork?” Sable hums thoughtfully on the other end of the line. My gaze drifts to Seraphina again. She reaches up, pulls the clip holding her hair out, and dark waves spill over her shoulders. My jaw tightens. “Rafe.”
“What, Sable?”
“Jesus, you sound like you’re one second away from committing a felony.” If she only fucking knew.
“Did you call to annoy me?” I slice my hand through my hair, fingers tugging at the strands to keep myself busy and planted in my damn seat.
“Nope. Those days are long behind us. I called because rumor has it you’ve been unbearably boorish with your new assistant, and even other employees are avoiding you more than usual. Have you thought about, I don’t know, being a bit nicer? Maybestop glaring long enough to let the girl survive her probation period?” I grumble a noise beneath my breath. If she only knew Seraphina the way I do.
“Alex talks too fucking much.” My eyes narrow instantly. The next time I’m upstairs, I know exactly what I’ll be saying to her.
“Alex is delightful, actually,” Sable says with a snort. Of course, she’s friendly with Alex, Sable could make friends with a brick wall. Jett, Toren’s cousin, has been in Seattle for his gallery show, and his woman, Indy, is best friends with Alex. Much like most friends group do, they chat, or better yet, cackle, gossip, and converse non-stop. How they can hang out at an event all night, then instantly start texting an hour later is beyond me.
“She mentioned,ahem, that you’ve been growling at people all week,” Sable says casually.
“I do not growl.”
“You absolutely do, and you just did. Don’t worry, Jett says it’s a man thing. Apparently, Toren does it, too. Colt doesn’t, so I’ve got the unicorn of a man in the bunch.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“How are you people even able to communicate this fast? Don’t you eat, sleep, work, and do shit couples do?” I’m not going there with my sister and her man. It might be happening, but as far as I’m concerned, Sable is still my baby sister and doesn’t do that shit.
“Well, unlike you, emotionally-constipated Rafe Montero, the rest of us speak openly.” Yeah, and I’m sure it’s while sitting around a campfire. No fucking thanks.
Across the office, Seraphina glances up, our eyes lock, and the air shifts. Heat, tension, and desire. The same dangerous pull that nearly wrecked my self-control earlier threatens to dissolve. Her gaze drops to my mouth, and my pulse kicks up a notch.
“Rafe.” Sable is trying to get my attention when the only person who’s managed to keep it has been Seraphina.
“What?” I look away first, my jaw flexing with exasperation. The way I keep grinding down, I’m going to end up with TMJ.
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” my sister questions.
“Doing what?” I have absolutely no idea what she’s going on about.
“The thing where you want something and instead of reaching for it, you make yourself miserable. And before you start, no, I’m not psychoanalyzing you. I wouldn’t know where to begin in doing so.” My sister’s voice softens. “You think I don’t recognize it, but I do. You sound exactly like you did before you left on your last tour.” That lands harder than I expected. I stare out at Seraphina’s desk. She’s gone now, probably restocking the sitting area or heading out to get me food since my hunger made its presence known. Seattle stretches beyond the endless windows—glass towers, gray skies, water, and below it all the roads where the traffic never ends.
“How do you know what’s going on here?” I mutter, my tone of voice coming down a notch.
“Jett is out there half the time, helping Toren. Indy is there with him, which means Alex is around. People talk and tend to notice things,” Sable explains with laughter in her voice.
“Christ, it’s like I’m still living in a small town,” I reply.
“You are from a small town.” She’s not wrong. Even before she moved to Whispering Oaks, the town we grew up in was postage-stamp sized.
“Seattle is vastly bigger than where you live, and yet somehow, gossip still travels.” I shake my head. Seraphina reenters my line of sight. Her blouse shifts with the movement, giving me another glimpse of the curve of her breast. My cock jerks in my pants. God help me, I can’t keep my body from reacting where she’s concerned.
“You’re staring at her right now, aren’t you?” Sable sighs dramatically into the phone.
“She’s walking back to her desk.” The words slip from my mouth without intending to.
“My god, you’re hopeless.” My mouth twitches. Seraphina bends slightly, no idea the reason why, but the view I get of her heart-shaped ass is right there for the taking. “Go after her, Rafe. Because if you keep dancing around this, eventually, someone will get hurt. She’ll find someone else, you’ll end up alone, and both of you will think about all the should-haves, could-haves, and would-haves.” The amusement drains from her voice. That’s exactly the problem. Seraphina deserves stability and safety. A man who doesn’t wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares of his past.
“Not a good idea.”
