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“My God, you’re really bad at lying.”

He jerked his arm away. “Some of us haven’t spent years sneaking around.”

“Just months?” she asked with a smile of triumph.

“No. You’re way off base with this one.”

“Nice try. Those are nail marks on your arm, Eric Donovan, and you were not at home this morning. You’re still sleeping with her!”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would she want anything to do with—?”

The doors to the front room swung open with a dramatic whoosh of air.

“Well, well, well,” Jamie drawled, strolling in like the Cheshire cat.

Eric rolled his eyes. Just what he needed. Another smart-ass sibling causing trouble. “Whatever you’re about to say, drop it,” Eric warned. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Drop it?” Jamie crowed. “How could I drop the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen?”

Eric glanced at Tessa, who shrugged. “Is it something to do with the new oven?”

“It’s at five hundred fifty and going strong!” Tessa chirped.

Jamie’s smile widened. “Oh, no. It’s not that. Not at all.”

“All right.” Eric sighed. “The bottling line is down for five days. My brewmaster is missing in action. And you’ve got to find a chef. We’ve got shit to do, so if you could just give us the big news already, that would be great.”

Jamie just grinned for a few more heartbeats. Then he said, “So I went into the White Orchid today.”

Eric groaned, though his ears were filled with the strange, muffled squeal that came from Tessa’s direction.

“Dude,” Jamie said, laughing. “Dude, seriously?”

“I know, right?” Tessa gasped.

“Wait.” Jamie looked at Tessa. “You knew about this?”

“I just found out!”

“And you didn’t tell me our brother was a goddamned rock star?”

Tessa shook her head, but she clapped her hands at the same time. “He swore me to secrecy! I wanted to tell you!”

“That’s enough,” Eric snarled.

“Oh, no,” Jamie answered. “No, it’s not nearly enough. You went out with the manager of the White Orchid and you didn’t tell me?”

Tessa bounced up and down. “He’s still seeing her!” she blurted out.

“Goddamn it, Tessa!” Eric roared.

She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she squeaked from behind her fingers.

Jamie shook his head. “No shit? Man, it’s always the quiet ones who surprise you.”

Eric’s face felt so hot he expected it to melt off at any moment. He opened his mouth to deny it, but the lie sat like clay in his throat

. He wasn’t ashamed of her. It wasn’t that at all. He just…wanted her for himself.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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