Page 30 of Yours to Keep

The baker came back with another sample and Liana used the opportunity to turn the topic back to us. She leaned forward, glancing at Bree with another smile spreading on her lips. “I can’t believe you actually thought I was engaged to Sullivan.”

“Yeah, now that I know he’s your brother, I can’t believe it either.”

They were still laughing about the mix-up when the baker left us to taste. Bree took a bite, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she grinned at my sister. “Thank God, though. I was trying to be polite, but you could do so much better.”

I nearly choked on my wine. “Excuse me?”

Liana snorted. “Oh please. Clearly, you’re just not her type.”

“That’s not the point,” I said. “I am⁠—”

“Grumpy,” she cut in, smiling sweetly. “You’re a grouch, big brother. This is a happy occasion, though. Do try to keep up.”

“Yeah,” Bree said. “Eat some more cake. Maybe that’ll make you feel better, Sully.”

As soon as she called me that, I thought about the flyer with my number on it, that ridiculous nickname printed in bold letters, and in that moment, I knew I’d been right. Fuck, I knew it was her.

“You put up those flyers,” I said as I turned to look at her, my blood turning to ice. “It’s been you all along, hasn’t it?”

She met my gaze without blinking or flinching. There was no guilt in her calm, blue eyes, no fear on her perfectly neutral expression.

“What flyers?” she asked innocently.

For half a second, I wondered if I was wrong. If I’d let paranoia and irritation rewrite reality after the cannoli incident, but I felt it in my bones. “I know it was you, Bree.”

She popped a bite of cake into her mouth, swallowed, and looked directly into my eyes as she shrugged. “Prove it.”

Liana glanced between us, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Wait, what’s happening?”

“Nothing,” Bree said lightly. “Your brother just seems to be feeling a touch conspiratorial. Maybe he needs even more cake.”

Conspiratorial?

No, but I was angry, annoyed, and absolutely certain she was the one undermining my authority at every turn. But I was also turned on, and the realization that my cock was swelling as I stared at her hit me like a punch to the ribs.

What is it about this little spitfire that gets my blood pumping like this?

I really didn’t fucking like it, and yet, my attention locked onto her mouth when she took another bite of her cake. The way she challenged me so easily, stood her ground, and smiled like she knew exactly what she was doing had become almost like an obsession.

She was trouble. A real problem. But damn, I wanted her. I wanted her more than air. Far more than was reasonable—or safe, so I pushed my chair back abruptly and looked at my sister.

“I liked the chocolate one,” I said, grabbing my coat and sliding it on before anyone could notice the obvious problem I’d developed. “Order that. I have to go.”

Liana blinked hard. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Wow,” Bree said. “I guess the cake didn’t work.”

I didn’t look at her again, because if I did, I knew I might not leave. Already halfway to the door, I finally turned back to my sister. “I’ll call you later. Have fun.”

“Try not to ban weddings on your way out,” she called after me, bursting into laughter right along with Bree.

I left the bakery with my jaw tight and my pulse pounding, racing home like my ass was on fire, but when I got there, it was too fucking quiet. The lights in my penthouse flicked on as I entered, illuminating bare walls and expensive furniture that hadn’t been softened by anything personal.

Beyond irritated and with my heart still galloping, my body still on edge, I poured a drink and moved over to the large, floor-to-ceiling windows as I took my first long sip. For a long time, I just stood there, looking out over the twinkling city skyline like some ridiculous, tortured vigilante—Batman came to mind—brooding over a beautiful nurse who had no business occupying this much of my mind.

She was absolutely the one doing this. The flyers. The calls. The chaos. She was making my life harder on purpose. And yet, I couldn’t stop smiling when I thought about her. I couldn’t stop how fast my heart had raced when she’d looked at me like that, unafraid and amused as she’d dared me to prove it.