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“Yeah.”
What was wrong with that? No way was Addi in love with him. She wasn’t clingy. Even the nights she stayed, she mentioned how she should be going home. He’d told her she was welcome to do whatever she liked, but if she chose to stay, that was fine with him. He’d grown accustomed to her rental car sitting in his driveway.
“It’s working fine the way it is,” he said. “We both know the deal. She’s cool, by the way. You’d like her if you came out of your dwelling every so often to see what we do up here.”
“I know what you do up here. My dwelling is only one floor down from this one, and tech is the command center of this entire operation.” She spread her arms. “I see all.”
“Now who sounds like a cartoon villain?” He didn’t want to break Gia’s heart and remind her that she couldn’t have seen much if she’d only just now noticed he and Addi were seeing each other. They’d been discreet, but Gia was supposed to be the genius of the family. Though she was the first person to notice, so that counted for something.
“Mom’s having a big cookout for the Fourth of July at the summer home.”
“Already? I thought she was redoing the kitchen.”
“She is, but she wants to ‘encourage progress.’” Gia used air quotes around the words he’d heard his mother say multiple times. “She figures with a tighter deadline, the contractors will hustle harder.”
Their parents’ summer home was a huge estate in wine country perched on top of a hill overlooking a vineyard. It had been in the family since ThomKnox became a household name. It was also where Gia and Jayson spent their honeymoon. Which was, Bran guessed, the reason for her deep frown.
“Been a while since we’ve been up there,” he said.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Jayson’s invited.”
“You’re the one who made him family.” Once a Knox, always a Knox. She’d been adamant about Jayson not being treated differently after the divorce.
“I know that.” Her eyebrows crashed over her cute nose. “I just... How will I bring a date if he’s everywhere I am?”
“Do you have a date?” His sister had been as single as a slice of Kraft cheese for as long as he could remember.
“I don’t, but what if I did?”
“You would show up with your date. And then Jayson and Royce and I would talk behind your back about what a dope he was.”
“Shut up!” That brought forth her smile. “I am perfectly capable of meeting a nice guy.”
“I know you are.” He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. She was syrupy sweet underneath her Naugahyde exterior.
“Are you going to bring your adorable blond date?”
He slipped his arm from his sister’s shoulders, dread settling on his back. Being at work and taking a little ribbing from Gia was one thing. At an event where they’d be clearly coupled off invited a lot of opinions and expectations. He didn’t want to be under a microscope—not again. “I don’t know...”
“You can’t hide her forever.” She pretended to zip her lips. “I won’t say anything to Royce or Taylor—or Mom and Dad—but if you’re really dating Addi, you can’t exclude her from basic family gatherings.”
She blew him a kiss and left his office, leaving him with a live grenade.
Addison at his family’s cookout crossed a lot of boundaries he hadn’t known were there. It opened them both up to everyone’s assumptions. He wasn’t eager to subject either of them to that. What they were doing was working. He saw no reason to complicate it.
This was, however, a great opportunity to tease her.
He popped open the door and affected his sternest expression. “Ms. Abrams. Come in here for a moment.”
Addi smoothed her pink dress as she stood and walked to his office. With her blond hair swept up at the back of her neck, she looked like a dessert. One he wanted to taste. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned on the edge of his desk.
Worry crimped her forehead and he almost felt bad. He’d make it up to her soon enough. “Close the door.”
She did as he asked, her hand resting on the doorknob like she was ready to make a swift escape. “I know what you’re going to say. I’m so sorry. I had no idea your sister was in here. Obviously. I should have looked. That’s no excuse. We’re at work and I know better than—”
He crooked a finger, beckoning her forward. When she was within reach, he put both hands on her hips and pulled her to stand between his legs. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
“Wha—”
