AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ve been around? Is that a euphemism for fucking?”
“Knock it off,” Christian snapped from his desk. “Not all of us do that immediately.”
“Oh, right. She had an interview yesterday. Reasonable wait time. And what if she gets the job? What then? You know the Chief will never go for fraternization when it’s so important to keep clear heads—and hands.” I used mine to cover my face to try to forget what I still could notunsee.
“You can’t tell Mav. Or Brady. Or anyone. Please.” Honey made her plea into about ten syllables, and suddenly, I realized how young she was.
Fully an adult, but young. Five years younger than me. Or maybe four now because I was pretty sure she’d recently had her birthday.
Still, far too young for Christian Masterson.
“You know what it’s like,” Honey continued urgently, dropping her voice to a near whisper. “You make an impetuous mistake and next thing you know—”
“Next thing you know, he’s going to be your colleague. You’re just finally getting out of your mom’s house. Don’t fuck it all up before you even start your new life.”
Part of me was berating myself for not being cooler about all of this. But that part of me was being stomped on by all the protective instincts inside me for Mav’s baby sister who he loved so much. He would not take kindly to Christian taking advantage of her.
She might be an adult capable of making her choices, but he was still the older one. The supposedly wiser one.
What the hell had he been thinking?
I whirled back to him and raised my fist with the ticket in it. “And what was that Happy Halloween bullshit about?”
Christian’s face was an unreadable mask when he shifted my way. Michael Myers had more expression than he did right now. “What are you blathering about?”
“The ticket you left on my bus.”
“I didn’t leave a ticket. Mav stopped by earlier for a few minutes. He probably did.” Christian smirked. “Problems already in your happy home?”
I opened up my fist and smoothed the ticket against the wall. Of course. That was Mav’s handwriting. I was just so conditioned to think the worse when I saw a ticket on my windshield.
Without saying any more, I rubbed my fingers over the ticket to save it and then shoved it into the zippered pocket of my purse.
“Aww, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Saving Mav’s note.”
I scowled over my shoulder at her. “I’m not keeping your secret.”
Her face fell. “But you have to.”
Inwardly, I knew I did. I’d been in Honey’s shoes before, and I knew her brothers were hard asses with her—out of love, but still. Just how could I not tell Mav? Did that count as betraying him since it involved his coworker too?
“I’ll tell them,” Christian said stoically, seeming as if he’d rather face a firing squad.
Couldn’t say I blamed him. I didn’t envy his role in that conversation. But I had to admire him for standing up. Maybe that was really what was in the water in the Cove. The urge to do better and be better for the love we found.
Honey growled. “Absolutely not. They’re my brothers, and you aren’t to breathe a word of this. All we did is kiss.” She rubbed her mouth, smearing her lipstick even more. “I mean, basically.”
“Kissing traditionally involves just the mouth. That was clearly second base.”
“Second base? What are you, twelve?” Christian’s voice was slicing and cold.
“And what are you, abusing your position?”
Honey hissed out a breath. “I’m not talking to either of you.” She marched over to the break room table, snatched up her cardigan and her purse, then waltzed out with her head held high.
Leaving me and Stick-Up-His-Ass alone.
“Look, Honey is important to me, but I don’t want to lie to Mav.”
