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She scowled up at him.
He didn’t look sorry. In fact, he s
mirked and said, “I had to claim what’s mine.”
Sighing, she rolled her eyes and pushed away from him, hiding a smile at the word “mine.”
“Men!” she shouted over her shoulder.
His cocky chuckle followed her inside, making it harder to hide that smile. But right when she stepped through the doorway, about nine women squealed and grinned at her. A few coworkers even clapped and jumped up and down.
Oh my God.
Sometimes working with a bunch of women in such a close environment really sucked. For the rest of the day, she played Dodge the Twenty Questions, counting down until their date tonight. And her date with his desk and strap.
Chapter Eight
“This is the act of a desperate man.” Kate laughed as she followed them up the stairs.
“When you meet her you’ll understand.” Ambrose grunted and hefted his end of the desk.
Banner almost dropped the other end, but caught it before it hit the metal stairs. “If a girl is the one, Trouble, a guy will go to ridiculous lengths to win her.” He and Ambrose exchanged glances, and Kate grimaced.
“You just wanted to stick your dick in me.” Kate snorted.
“Yes,” both men replied.
Banner growled. “I’ll drop this fucking desk on your foot, you bastard.”
“Oh, like that was a big fucking secret.” Ambrose rolled his eyes and shuffled backward when he got to the top of the stairs. If Banner thought any straight man on the face of the planet didn’t want to fuck Kate, he was a moron. “Things happen for a reason though. For me, I think Everly might be that reason.”
They moved into the main loft area and set the desk down to rest for a minute. “This fucker is heavy. There’s no way you’ll break this one.”
“Break it? You’ve broken desks before?” Kate asked.
“You don’t want to know.” Banner raised his eyebrows at his wife, and she blushed. How Kate could still be blushing after hanging out with them so long was a mystery, but it was also adorable. “Wow. This place is a complete shit hole, Ambrose. She might leave your ass so she doesn’t end up having to support you.”
Ambrose shrugged, looking around the rough space. He’d signed the lease only this morning, and managed to get everything else in without help, but the desk was too heavy.
It was more of a warehouse than an apartment, but it was warm, and he liked the open feel to it. There was a lot of room to cook, too, especially now that his new stove, fridge, table, and chairs had been delivered. There was a TV and a couch, too, but he’d been careful to choose things that made it look like he had a modest income. The bed was tucked into a corner, and he’d been hard-pressed not to buy top-of-the-line linens for it. Maybe having money was starting to make him a little snobby about some things.
They moved the desk into a big, empty space in the center of the room, and Banner walked around it. “This might be too much of a message, having it front and center here, don’t you think? And did you bring anything to put in the drawers or in your closet?”
Ambrose gestured to a stack of boxes piled off to one side.
“It smells like new furniture in here.” Kate shook her head. “What are you going to do about that?” She laughed.
“Well, I’m cooking dinner, so hopefully that’ll disguise it.”
“Why don’t you just tell her the truth? This is crazy.”
Ambrose frowned, guilt niggling at his conscience. “I just can’t, Kate. Not yet. If she finds out now that I’ve got money, she’ll write me off in a heartbeat. I have to make sure it’s safe to tell her before I out myself.”
Banner grabbed a cardboard box and opened it, then peered inside. “Poor little guy, embarrassed to tell his girlfriend he’s rich. That must suck.” He pulled a couple of coats out of the box. “At least you didn’t have to go out and buy thrift-store clothes for this. Your stuff already looks like crap. What millionaire wears a coat that he sewed back together with fishing line?”
“Ambrose! I told you to throw that out like three months ago.” Kate tsked at him, but took the coats from Banner and hung them on the hooks by the stairs. “You need a woman to keep you in line.”
Ambrose arched a brow at Banner, but his friend only shrugged. “You’re not Kate’s Master. She doesn’t have to kiss your ass. You want respect, you’d better earn it from Beverly.”
