I think I’m in the clear when he starts to turn, but then he hesitates. “I may live to regret asking you this, but why does it smell like men’s cologne?”
In the time he first mentioned it until now, my brain has been working overtime to come up with answers to any questions he may throw at me. So far I’ve done pretty good at lying by making it awkward as hell for him, but now I decide to go with the truth. It seems like the easiest, simplest explanation.
“Liam stopped by to check on me when he got back.”
It does the trick. Instead of looking upset, Nate’s expression morphs into one of relief, every wrinkle smoothing out along his forehead. It’s as if this is the one thing that makes the most sense to him in the world. “Ah. Good.”
“Good because you told him to keep an eye on me?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
He has the sense to look embarrassed, refusing to meet my eyes. “You heard that, huh?”
I give him a firm nod, waiting for him to offer some sort of explanation. It doesn’t take him long.
“Look, I’m just worried about you. It’s why I barged in here when I heard—never mind, we’re not talking about it.” Giving his head a quick shake, he sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I was worried.”
“Well stop worrying. It’s your wedding weekend; I don’t want you worrying about me.”
Nate chuckles softly. “That’s why I told Liam to watch out for you. So I didn’t need to worry.”
“And yet here you are,” I remind him.
He offers me a shrug. “I’m your big brother. I can’t help it.”
I refrain from rolling my eyes at him like I want to. He’s got a point. Our entire lives he’s been looking out for me. He’s been my protector for as long as I can remember. It killed him to see me go back to Paul as many times as I did. I can understand why it would be so upsetting to him to think I was in here screwing around with the guy.
Guilt eats at me when I think about who I was actually screwing around with. Liam being strictly off limits isn’t exactly a step up from Paul. More like a lateral step.
“Speaking of Liam,” he edges, a tinge of caution in his tone that catches my attention.
My heart leaps into my throat. “What about him?”
“He hasn’t been too…” He pauses, glancing around the room like the walls may have ears. Too bad he’d almost be right with that assessment. “Sexual with you?”
Thank god my arms are crossed over my chest. There’s no way Nate can see my hands clenched so hard my knuckles must be white at this point.
“Wha-what?” I stammer, needing clarification before I answer that. Does he suspect? Does he know? Did Savanna mention something to him?
The crimson color had started to dissipate from his face, but it climbs from his neck into his cheeks again. “I know you guys have been spending a lot of time together at the bar lately, and we both know how Liam can be.” He shrugs. “I just wanted to make surehe’s not crossing the line. I can talk to him if he is.”
Laughter bubbles up my throat, coming from deep within my chest. The line hasn’t just been crossed, it’s been completely annihilated, and I was an accomplice. “I can handle Liam.”
Nate really doesn’t want to know just how much of Liam I can handle.
A wrinkle appears between his eyebrows, his forehead scrunching up. “You sure? He can be a lot.”
My laughter dies off, but a soft smile remains. Liam can be a lot, especially when he gets going in a group. He feeds off the energy around him. But he’s also really good at picking up on cues that others might miss. I’ve witnessed it more than once. Hell, I know for a fact that Nate has seen it. Nate’s talked about Liam’s intuition more than once on the job, and whether either of them realize it or not, Liam uses that same gut instinct in his everyday life.
“Honestly, Nate? When it comes down to it, Liam might be the most respectful man I’ve ever met. Besides you, of course,” I amend.
Nate’s face twists in confusion. “Liam? Our Liam? We’re talking about the same guy?”
His reaction makes me laugh, and I hit his arm. “Yes, our Liam.” My belly warms at the term. “Seriously, he’s really respectful. I mean, sure, he’s flirty and raucous and has zero inhibitions, but I know without a doubt that if I said to him I was uncomfortable with something, he’d stop immediately and apologize.”
His head cocks to the side, processing what I’ve said. Slowly he nods. “Yeah,” he concedes. “Yeah, you’re right. That is Liam. Willing to push the boundaries, but willing to pull it back if needed.”
“He’s a good guy.” Something that I know my brother alreadyknows. If he wasn’t, Nate wouldn’t be best friends with him. Liam wouldn’t be his second at work. “He’s helped me more times than I can count the last few months. Tonight being a prime example.”
“I would have read that asshole the riot act,” Nate tells me, referring to Paul.
