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It was Sean’s idea to pick me up twenty minutes ago to head to dinner with our friends. I arranged it because it’s been a few weeks since the four of us got together, and I have a feeling Sean wants to spread the good news about the baby.
I follow Sean’s lead, but I take a minute to check for oncoming traffic. By the time I’m rounding the back of the vehicle, Sean is headed toward the glass doors of an apartment building.
We’re supposed to be entering the doors of the French restaurant where our friends are waiting for us in the private dining room, but this pit stop seems important to Sean, so I’m on board.
I catch up to him just as he keys something into his phone.
“What the hell?” I ask him. “What are we doing here?”
He holds up a finger to quiet me down as he brings the phone to his ear. “I’m here. Buzz me in.”
My brow furrows. “Who are you talking to?”
The lock on the exterior doors buzzes, so he gives it a tug to open it. “Be right up.”
He ends the call with a tap of his finger against the screen of his phone.
I follow on his heel because there’s no turning back now. Sean acts on impulse so whoever was on the other end of that call is someone he wants face time with now.
“Are you about to give another employee hell?” I ask as I trail him into the lobby. “Did someone steal underwear again?”
He lets out a deep-seated chuckle. “I forgot you tagged along when I fired Bryan. Remember how much of our product he had in his apartment?”
It was criminal. The guy was hired to work in the finance department at Wells, but he devised a scheme to steal hundreds of pairs of underwear and hide that with some creative accounting.
As soon as Sean realized what was happening, he headed to Bryan’s apartment. I went with him because it was a show I didn’t want to miss.
Bryan got his ass handed to him by my best friend. He was arrested two days later when Declan got wind of what was happening.
Sean jabs a finger into the elevator call button. “This is not an underwear recovery mission.”
I follow him into the lift as soon as the doors slide open. “What is it then?”
He adjusts my tie. “We’re checking out Ava’s new digs.”
The words come out of him easily, as if this is no big deal. It’s a huge fucking deal to me because I didn’t anticipate seeing her tonight.
Sean pats my cheek. “Don’t look so fucking shocked, Harry. We’ll check it out and then head over to Sérénité. I texted Graham to give him a heads-up that we’d be late.”
Of course, he did that. What he failed to do is give me a warning that I’m about to see his sister again.
The elevator slows to a stop on the eighth floor.
Sean turns to look at me. “It’s hard to believe Ava is old enough to rent her own place, isn’t it? To me, she’s still a kid.”
She’s far from that to me, but I can’t show that.
I button my suit jacket, take a breath, and step off the elevator after him.
I can instantly tell she had no fucking idea I’d be here.
Welcome to the club, Ava.
My gaze wanders over her as she glances at me and then at her brother.
I have to will myself not to stare at the way her legs look and the shape of her waist. She’s wearing black yoga shorts and a red T-shirt that clings to her body.
“Hey,” Sean says as he gathers her into his arms. “Thanks for letting me stop by.”
“You brought Harry,” she mutters as she glances at me.
“We’re on our way to dinner.” Sean barges past her. “Declan told me this place is a winner. I’d say he’s right.”
I stand in place just outside the doorway, staring at her.
Something passes between us, but I can’t put words to it. It’s not just the look, but a feeling – a spark of something – that I’ve never felt before.
It might have everything to do with the fact that my dick is stirring in my pants, but it feels like more than that.
I’m happy to see her. I like seeing her.
I shake that thought away and walk into the apartment, softly shutting the door behind me.
A white sofa anchors the open space. There’s a small kitchen to the right, along with a glass dining table and four high backed chairs. Near a bank of windows, I spot a piano.
I glance to my left to a hallway that must lead to a bedroom and the bathroom.
“You did good, Ava,” Sean says with a grin. “The neighborhood is great, and the apartment seems big enough for you.”
