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"Bar's fine with me." His mouth curves into a mischievous smile. "Does it come with booze? I'm still on Eastern time, which means it's happy hour."
Avery punches his arm. "No, that means it's after closing time."
She might be younger than her much larger and less cuddly brother, but Avery does not let that stop her from putting Derek in his place. I love that about her.
The siblings take seats at the bar.
I bring the food out of the oven, where I'd kept it warm, and set a plate down in front of each of them. "Careful. These plates are hot."
"Just the way I like them," Derek says. He rubs his palms together. "Damn, this smells good."
Avery takes a bite of her eggy bread, and her eyes roll back in her head as she moans. "Hugh, this is incredible."
Derek moves his hand as if he means to take her plate away. "Maybe you shouldn't eat that. Lord Sticky must've dumped pheromones on yours."
"It's Lord Steamy," I say. "Not Lord Sticky."
"Oh yeah, that really makes it all better."
"Why don't you try my food before you condemn it?"
He takes a bite and chews it slowly while wearing a thoughtful expression. "Not half bad. But you Brits need to change what you call your foods. Americans know how to think up names that sound appealing instead of like something a rat wouldn't touch."
Derek wants to annoy me, but I ignore his comment and grab my plate, then sit down beside Avery.
She slides a hand down to my inner thigh. "This really is a yummy breakfast. You're an amazing cook."
Derek is staring at my leg with his lips puckered and his eyes narrowed.
I delicately remove Avery's hand from my thigh. Not because Derek frightens me. He doesn't. But I don't care to infuriate him any further because I can tell Avery loves her brother. She will want us to get on, which means I need to rein in my, ah, usual instincts.
Honestly, I've never needed to worry about a girl's brother before. After all the women I've shagged, it seems amazing that this issue hasn't come up. Maybe that's because I've never wanted more than sex with anyone—until recently. I want that more than ever with Avery.
Derek Hahn will not chase me away.
"I thought Avery and I would visit Sommerleigh today," I tell Derek. "Would you care to come along?"
"What is Sommerleigh?"
"My family's ancestral home. I am Lord Sommerleigh."
"Thought you were Lord Steamy."
"I'm both."
Derek spears a piece of eggy bread. "Uh-huh."
Chewing a mouthful of food gives me a chance to gauge Avery's reaction to what I suggested. She gazes at me with… No, it can't be that. I misunderstood her expression. But when she leans in and kisses my cheek, I know I was right. Sheisgazing at me with adoration.
And I think I might be giving her the same look.
"What do you say, Derek?" I ask. "Would you like to meet my mother?"
"Absolutely."
"I'm afraid my cousins won't join us today, but you could meet them another time if you like."
"Sure, why not. They can't be any smarmier than you."
