Page 29

“Look what the cat finally dragged in,” a familiar voice drawls, and I instinctively tense.

Liam enters the room, his stride languid and his blond hair artfully tousled as always. I used to think he was the most handsome man in the world, and I loved how effortless his charm seemed to be, how he always had a quip handy and wanted to be the life of the party.

Now, all I see is the casual cruelty that lurked beneath the charm.

Liam walks up to us, hands in the pockets of his jeans that I know probably cost more than a month’s salary.

“What’s got you looking like a boiled fish, Mom?” he asks, glancing sideways at his mother.

Elaine clears her throat, opens her mouth, then closes it again, in too much shock to say anything. My stomach twists. I feel like I might be sick.

“I was just introducing her to my fiancée,” Ford says, tightening his grip on my waist a bit so that I’m fully pressed against his side. “You and Maeve are already acquainted, right?”

Acquainted. Like my relationship to Liam meant nothing and we weren’t ever that close. It’s just the sort of cutting power move that Ford loves to pull, I just wouldn’t have expected him to pull it on his brother of all people. Their relationship must be worse than I thought.

I keep myself pressed to Ford’s side, focusing on his warmth and sturdiness.

Liam stops in his tracks and looks back and forth between us, as if he thinks that at any moment we’re going to announce this is a prank. “You’re serious?”

Ford doesn’t even blink. “I’m always serious.”

Liam huffs a breath, and for a second, there’s a flash of something else on his face—envy? Resentment? But before I can identify it, it’s gone, and he’s forcing a smile onto his face. “True, you always have been a stick in the mud.” He looks at me. “I must’ve left quite an impression if you moved on to the second-best brother.”

I hate how I want to wilt and hide. I can be so bristly with my three bosses without even thinking about it, but in front of Liam, I just feel humiliated.

“I think you mean she upgraded,” Ford says smoothly. “She chose the man, not the boy.”

With that, he hooks two fingers under my chin, tilts my face up—and kisses me.

It doesn’t last long, but it’s been so long since I’ve been kissed, it lights my whole body up. Ford kisses me possessively, but in a casual way, like he gets to do this all the time. Like he knows in his bones that I belong to him.

He pulls away after a moment and looks back at his brother while I struggle to remember how to breathe. Holy shit. Just one firm, confident press of lips and I feel hot all over.

I hate to admit it, but Liam’s kisses never did that to me.

My ex has a sour expression on his face. “I don’t understand. How come none of us have heard anything about this until now?”

“Maeve was worried about the optics,” Ford replies. “She didn’t want anyone thinking that she had slept her way into a job, and she didn’t want to make things awkward for you if it seemed like she moved on too quickly. I was more than happy to keep it private and respect her wishes.”

It takes everything in me not to let my jaw drop onto the floor. I had no idea that Ford knew me so well. We didn’t even discuss this ahead of time, but he’s right. I would have worried that people would think I was just some gold digger who moved on to the next brother once the old one tossed her aside, hungry for money and prestige. And I would’ve been very conscious of what people would say about Ford dating his assistant.

Gabriel and Hayden both look like they’re trying not to smirk.

“Right,” Liam replies, drawing out the word. “So you decided to spring it on all of us during the holidays. Much better.” He glances down at my left hand. “I see you picked the tackiest ring you could find for her.”

I bristle at that. I picked this ring out myself, and I love it. It’s beautiful. Honestly, it’s going to break my heart a little to give it back to Ford when this is all over.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, brother,” Ford replies, his voice sharpening. When the interns at the office hear that tone, they all scatter. “I think Maeve chose the perfect ring.”

Liam flushes as Ford’s words sink in and he realizes that I’m the one who picked the ring out. I expect him to say something about my having no fashion taste, since he was always more than happy to point that out before, but before he can speak again, Elaine steps in between them.

“Now, now, boys, is this any way to behave during the holidays?” She clucks her tongue, like they were just getting a little too rough while playing instead of two seconds away from a duel. “That’s enough of that, I think. I understand everyone’s tired from traveling and that can lead to crankiness, but there’s no excuse for forgetting your manners.”

“Yes, ma’am,” both Ford and Liam chorus immediately, although their gazes are still throwing daggers at each other.

I take a deep breath. It means a lot to me that Ford is so ready to leap to my defense, and I have to remind myself that it’s not really because he cares. It’s because he wants to get one over on his brother, and because defending me is what a proper fiancé would do.

Clearly, I’m lonelier than I thought, and angrier at Liam than I thought, if Ford showing a bit of staged protectiveness is enough to have my stomach erupting in butterflies like this.