“I hope you don’t mind that I invited some friends,” Ethan said, pulling away. “You remember Theo and Blake Campbell? And this is our friend Logan Carr.”
Smiling appreciatively, Logan rose and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Beside him, Blake pushed out of his chair and pulled her into a hug. “It’s so good to see you. How long has it been?”
“Umm…” She couldn’t remember. With Theo in her peripheral vision, her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
“Twelve years,” Theo answered for her. “How are you?” he asked as he too rose to greet Chloe. He embraced her with stiff arms—like they were strangers meeting for the first time and not two people who only hours ago had been naked with their hands all over each other’s bodies.
Chloe’s cheeks grew warm. She hoped they weren’t as red as they felt. She tried to salvage the situation, even as her urge to sneeze grew. “I’m great, thanks. How are you?” She fiddled with the strap on her bag.
“Good.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. Thankfully, he made no mention of last night. She assumed he’d want to keep it to himself as much as she did.
Ethan pulled out the chair next to him, which also happened to be right next to Theo. Talk about awkward. As she shuffled her chair toward the table, their thighs brushed together. The innocent touch spread a tingling sensation over her leg, conjuring not-so-innocent thoughts. She squirmed in her seat. She didn’t dare look at Theo in case the way he affected her was written on her face. She scooted a little closer to Ethan. “You didn’t mention you were inviting the whole gang,” she said, trying to keep her tone light and not annoyed.
“This was the only time I had to meet everyone before I go back to Boston. And thought it’d be a great opportunity for us all to catch up.” Ethan smiled at Chloe like he’d just invented sliced bread.
Scratching her nose, she smiled back with stiff lips. “A wonderful idea.” She wanted to run from the room. Not only had she experienced one of the most embarrassing moments of her life last night and never wanted to see Theo again, but now she had to sit next to him while smiling and pretending it was great to see him. Where was the nearest rock? She wanted to crawl under it.
“So, Chloe,” Logan said, “how long have you been in New York?”
“Only three weeks.”
“You’re not here on vacation, then?”
“No, I’ve made the move.” She was thankful, yet again, that one of her clients had a pied-à-terre apartment in Hell’s Kitchen that they were willing to let her stay in indefinitely. “I found working here is easier for me to do than back home. The time difference was getting too difficult.”
“If you need help settling in, I’d be more than happy to help you out,” Logan said, his gaze dropping to her chest for a beat.
Okay… Logan was someone to steer clear of.
Ethan spoke up before she could answer, “My little sister has everything under control.” He said “little sister” like he was branding it on her forehead, warning Logan to stay away. There he went again, being a big brother and stepping in front of any boys who might be interested.
She knew how to handle men like Logan. How many times had she needed to deal with sleazy clients who thought their fame was the green light to do and say whatever they wanted to her? She wanted to kick Ethan under the table for the way he was treating her and for not trusting that she could defend herself. She wasn’t a kid anymore, and she didn’t need him to keep away boys—men.
Just to annoy Ethan, she said, “I may be settled into my apartment, but I feel like such a tourist. I’ve made several trips here over the years for business, but I’ve been too busy working to enjoy the city. I’ve always wanted to see the view from the Empire State Building.”
Logan chuckled, and a cute dimple cut through his left cheek. But he was anything butcute. With his square jawline, strong features, and styled hair, he was gorgeous, and he knew it. Was he husband material, though? Probably not, but she’d bet her Jimmy Choos women fell for his charm.
“I’d love to show you.” The words dripped seductively from his lips telling her he’d like to show her more than just the view of New York. Oh hell no, he was definitely not husband material. He was a have-fun-for-a-night-or-two guy, and then he would move on to the next woman as quick as you could pull up your panties. No, thank you. She knew better than to waste her time on Logan.
Before she could say anything, Theo placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward in his chair. “Aren’t you too busy at your law firm to play tour guide?”
Incredulous, Chloe swung her head to face Theo. Now she had two men trying to control her life? What the actual hell?
“I’m never too busy to help an old friend of yours out,” Logan said, ignoring the death stares Ethan and Theo aimed his way. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying pissing them off, which was another red flag.
“Why don’t you take her, Theo?” Ethan turned to stare at Theo, brushing off Logan’s offer with a protective glint in his eye. “You know a lot about the city, you’d be the perfect person to show my sister around.”
Wait, what?
Both Chloe and Theo stared at Ethan.
Chloe recovered first. “Umm… hello?” She waved a hand in front of her brother’s face. “I’m pretty sure I can take myself wherever I want to go.”
“Why do it alone when you could have company?” Ethan said, clearly pleased with his suggestion.
Oh no. No way was she going to let Ethan control her like this. “I’m sure Theo has better things to do with his time.” She stared hard at Theo, mentally trying to convey a message.Please tell Ethan you have plans for the next twenty years.
